19th May 1872  -  19th March 1933

Great Aunt of  W.P. 'Bill' Richardson

The sixth child of Matthew Lee, a coal miner, and his wife Catherine (nee Walton), Sarah was born at Crook on 19th May 1872.

Her baptism was recorded in the Methodist Register for Brancepeth Circuit on 10th March 1873. The family lived at Sunnyside and Sarah's Dad was a miner.

The 1881 census recorded the family living in Gladstone Terrace, Crook and Billy Row. Sarah was 8 and was listed as a a scholar. As well as her parents, her older brothers John, Thomas and Matthew were also living there and she had a baby sister Ada Isabel, who was 2.

In the 1891 census, Sarah was recorded in the family home at Gladstone Terrace, Crook. She was 18 years old and as no occupation was listed for her, I assume she helped run the household.

The 1901 census shows that Sarah was living in Gladstone St. Crook with her widowed mother and her older brother John. Sarah was 28 and working as an 'Assistant Elementary School Teacher'

From journals kept by Sarah's niece Ada ( the mother of Bill Richardson) it seems that the family's name for Sarah was 'Cissie'.

Sarah didn't marry, she died on 19th March 1933, aged 60, at 49 Bullion Lane, Chester le Street which was the home of her sister Ada (married to John Edward Gilliland). Her death was registered by her niece, Rena Gilliland. She was buried at Ropery Lane Cemetery, Chester le St. on 22nd March 1933 and the inscription on her gravestone reads:

In Loving Memory of our dear sister Sarah Lee who died March 19th 1933.