A large party gathered on Monday last week to congratulate Mr. and Mrs. John Greaves, of 32 Washbrook-road, Rushden, on the celebration of their golden wedding. Mr. Greaves is quite hale and hearty, and works on the breasting machine at Messrs. J. Hyde (Rushden) Ltd.’s, boot factory.
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Mr & Mrs Greaves
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Mr. and Mrs. Greaves went to school together when they were children at a village called Eston, in Yorkshire, where Mr. Graves started work in an ironstone mine at nine years of age. In the winter, for weeks, he never saw daylight from Sunday until Saturday dinner time, as he started work in the pit before dawn and left off after dark, the working hours being very long then. Later Mr. greaves worked in a coal mine. Mrs. Greaves went into service, and they were married 50 years ago at Marske-by-the-Sea by the Rev. Thomas Robson, who also christened their seven children, and buried two of them.
Mr. Greaves had turned 19 years of age in the November previous to their marriage and Mrs. Greaves was 19 in the October. They came to Rushden in October 1884, and they now have 14 grandchildren. More remarkable still, Mr. Greaves’ mother is still alive at the age of 89 years, and lived next door to her son. She has one great-grandchild.
Mr. Greaves’ eldest son, Pte. G. E. Greaves, has been in India three years. Some years ago Mr. Greaves worked for Messrs. Wm. Claridge, boot manufacturers, for eight years, and he never lost any working time during that period. Mrs. Greaves says the reason for his good health is that “he took care of himself when he was young.” She also added the best testimony to fifty years of happy married life: “I can tell you he’s one of the best.”
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