Isabella Lister was the tenth child of Thomas Lister & Ann Pattison christened February 3rd, 1835 at Ormesby, Yorks.
In 1841 Isabella was living at home with her parents & family at Ormesby.
In 1851 Isabella was living with her sister Margaret who was a farmer of 30 acres at Ormesby & living with her & working on the farm was her brother Thomas (24). Isabella was a dressmaker. Visiting them was nephew John Robinson (2) son of Isabella’s sister Ann who had married Robert Robinson. Living next door was brother John Lister & his wife Elizabeth & their 11 month old son Benjaman.
In April-June 1855 Isabella married John Donkin(g), the marriage being registered at Stockton. John was the son of Robert & Mary Donking christened November 15th, 1835 at South Cave, Yorks.
John, who was a farm labourer at the time of the 1851 census & living at Middleton, Yorks died in Oct-December 1858, the death being registered at Stockton.
The children of Isabella Lister & John Donking were:
li.10.1 Mary Ann Donkin(g) born 1855 at Middlesbrough
li.10.2 Thomas H Donkin(g) born 1857 at Middlesbrough
In the 1861 census widow Isabella was living at New Linthorpe & was working as a grocer. She had 2 children at this time – Mary Ann (4) & Thomas H (3). Living next door was Isabella’s sister Mary Lister [li.2], now married to Thomas Stainsby, & her 3 children.
In 1865 Isabella married Ramsey Smith, a grocer, who was the son of Susannah & William Smith, a wheel wright, born 1838 at Stockton, Yorks.
In 1871 Isabella & Ramsey were living at 107 Stockton Rd, Linthorpe with the 2 children from Isabella’s first marriage & a new daughter Susannah Smith (4). Ramsey was still a grocer & they had 2 servants – Ann Groves (48) & Thomas Garbut (14).
By 1881 Ramsey had become a grocer & wine merchant & the family were living at 105 Newport Rd, Middlesbrough. Mary & Thomas (listed as Donkins by the LDS) were still at home & both were listed as grocers, & Susannah was also at home.
By 1891 Ramsey had retired & he & Isabella were living at 11Woodlands Terr, Middlesbrough. Mary & Susannah were still at home & they also had a boarder – John M Jones (33), a bankers clerk from Holywell, Flintshire. Susannah was to marry John Jones later that year, their marriage being registered at Middlesbrough.
In 1901 Ramsey & Isabella were still at Woodlands Terr & with them were Mary (45) & granddaughter Isabel A Jones (8). The rest of the Jones family – John, Susannah & son Trevor A (5) were living at 110 High St West, Sunderland where John was a bank accountant. Isabella’s son Thomas, also a grocer, was married by this time to Emma Cranston & they had 3 children – Ruth (17) a pupil teacher, Elizabeth (14) & Mary (11). Living with Thomas was Emma’s father William Cranston, a 64 year old widower who worked as a furnace boilerman.
Isabella lived until 1905, her death being registered in Jan-March at Middlesbrough, aged 71.
Ramsey died in 1914, aged about 76, the death also being registered at Middlesbrough.
The children of Isabella Donking (nee Lister) & Ramsey Smith were:
li.10.3 Susannah Smith born 1866 at Middlesbrough