1900 - 1994
Dedicated to the Miners of Silverwood
History of the Mine
SIMPLY THE BEST
Hollings Lane
Thrybergh
South Yorkshire England
Webmaster John Doxey
Main Photos Jonathan Dabs.
Additional content Mick Carver
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Dedicated to the Miners of Silverwood History of the Mine SIMPLY THE BEST |
Hollings Lane Thrybergh South Yorkshire England Webmaster John Doxey Main Photos Jonathan Dabs. Additional content Mick Carver |
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JAMES [ Jim ] DABBS By John Doxey |
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At a quiet ceremony at the Rotherham Crematorium on a Tuesday afternoon in June 2007 the family and friends of Jim Dabbs [ Pictured left at Silverwood ] ex Silverwood miner gathered to say farewell, and pay their final respects. Jim had lived on Vale road at Thrybergh for many years where he and his wife raised their family. His son Jonathan is the man who in recent years produced many of the fine photos on this site, and also for other local sites. Jonathan it seems had inherited a keen interest in local heritage from his father. From the recollections of Jonathan we perceive that Jim was very much a family man who made the effort to spend valuable time being involved with his son.
Jonathan writes: Re my dad, I have many memories, one of the funniest was when he purchased a metal detector and went out looking for treasure. We kept getting signals all over the place but could never find anything when we started digging. We must have looked like a pair of frustrated moles, there were small holes all over the place, until it dawned on us that my dad was still wearing his steel toe capped boots.
Another amusing tale was that we used to mend cars in the back garden and for some reason we used to call each other Sam. I don't know to this day how or when this started but it became second nature and we didn't even realise that we were doing it. Any way our next door neighbour was talking to my mother and asked who was the Sam that was working with Dad & I as they had only seen the two of us. She was convinced that Sam was a third person.
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The family of Jim Dabs originated in Dudley Worcester where in 1859 Robert Dabs
was born the great grandfather of Jonathan our site cameraman. Robert married at
an early age to Ellen also of Dudley, and in 1879 Robert and Ellen with two
children moved to Jump in South Yorkshire [ West Riding ] where their third
child was born as can be seen on the 1881 census records.
Back in Dudley in 1881 the following Dabbs are found, the first household of
Michael Dabbs listed below who was possibly the great great grandfather or uncle
of Jonathan. The second household of James Dabbs listed below who also was possibly the great great grandfather or uncle of Jonathan.
Public Records Office Reference RG11 Piece / Folio 2878 / 133 Page Number 14
James Dabbs Head M Male 31 Dudley, Worcester, England Lime Stone
Miner (N M S) Robert Dabbs 44 Worcesters Yorks Wombwell Coal Miner Hewer Below Ground Ellen Dabbs 44 Worcesters Yorks Wombwell Robert Dabbs 26 Worcesters Yorks Wombwell Coal Below Trammer Below Ground Nellie Dabbs 19 Yorks Wombwell Yorks Wombwell Oliver Dabbs 16 Yorks Wombwell Yorks Wombwell Trammer C Below Ground
Milly Dabbs 11 Yorks Wombwell Yorks Wombwell
Oliver Dabs the father of Jim Dabbs came over to Thrybergh from the village of Jump near Elsecar to work at Silverwood in 1905. Following this there are records of the Dabbs family signing on at Silverwood
Robert Dabbs age 59 of 75 Whinney Hill signed on as a Dayman in September 1919 he had been previously off ill.
R. Dabbs age 44 of 34 Whinney hill signed on as a Collier in
August 1919
Robert Dabbs age 59 of 75 Whinney Hill signed on as a Dayman
in June 1920 previously off lame.
Jim Dabbs coal miner and artist continued the family tradition of coal mining and worked at Silverwood until his retirement. Jim joined the Thrybergh Heritage Group on his retirement taking a great interest in particular in his workplace of many years, Silverwood Colliery, and spent many an hour watching the final demolition of the mine often accompanied by Jonathan. So while Jonathan snapped away on his camera Jim revealed a talent, painting and he produced what I consider a valuable and historic memory of the final days of Silverwood. [ Shown below ]
© 2007 John Doxey
Family relationship of the above need verifying.
2008 A family reunited!
Eric HARRISON, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
writes:
My wife and I have been
doing our family history for the past twelve years or so and I notice that you
have details of the late Jim DABBS and his son Jonathan. My wife is related to this DABBS family through her
3xGreat grandmother Rebecca DABBS (born 1781 Wellington, Shropshire) and her
first husband James CRUXTON she then married John Jarvis DABBS in 1818 and it
is their son who went to Dudley (Robert DABBS - born 1824 Wellington) - father
of the Robert you have in your article. I have recently been in touch with a branch of the DABBS family in America, they are also related to Jonathan via John Jarvis DABBS and his family who emigrated in the 1880's their daughter Rosannah is the connection to Jonathan.
Many thanks to Eric Harrison and his wife for sharing their research here.
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