John & Ann Woodhouse

 

John Woodhouse had a strong desire for his family to rise above the strenuous and dangerous occupation of mining coal in England.  He was willing to move his family of 8 children to this new land of opportunity.  John was not afraid of risk, a characteristic he certainly passed on to his son, Peter.  History has recorded that John made the correct decision.  The Wisconsin Historical Society documents much about the business successes of his sons in Grant County.  Mother Ann must have been a master with family relationships, for all of the boys contributed financially to the support of the family when they first came to America.  She taught them to work together for a common goal.

 

JOHN WOODHOUSE

 

            The following quote about his father is taken from the autobiography of Peter Woodhouse.  "My father was a man of limited education, of strong prejudices, and an ungovernable temper.  He ruled with sheer force of habit.  His will right or not must be obeyed.  There was never a very strong bond of affection between father, and his offspring, but he had some good impulses.  He looked beyond his present surroundings.  In his present condition in England it was a life of servitude - a hopeless task to rise above it either for himself or for his family.  Hence the departure from the home of his birth.  We all felt grateful for the means he employed to bring us to the land of the free and home of the brave."

 

*  Left England in about 1828 at the age of 36

*  Spent his early life mining coal

*  Corresponded regularly with his family while he was living in America

*  Received greater wages for less hours in a safer working environment in      America.  Pottsville mines were worked above water level, while England      mines were 1,000 - 2,000 feet below the surface

*  Was the first person up the gang plank when the boat landed with his         family aboard

 

ANN (NEWTON) WOODHOUSE

 

            The following quotation about his mother is taken from the autobiography of Peter Woodhouse.  "Our mother, by nature was the opposite of our father, kind and sometimes over indulgent.  She was the angel of our home, ever willing to sacrifice her comforts and enjoyment for the good of her children.  Affection between mother and children was the strongest of character."

 

*  At the age of 37 was left alone in England for two years with 8 children (ranging in age from 2 to 17) to care for while her husband went to America

*  Life in England after John's departure was a constant struggle for survival

*  Family was raised in Stratfordshire, England near a large pottery works where the mother and older children found steady employment

*  While living in the coal mining country of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, waiting to make the move to Wisconsin, she suffered from typhoid fever and nearly died