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Candow street wwii

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Anybody remember candle street in 1945? How about a family with last name smith? Two daughters Martha and Leah and father who may have gone by asio...important to locate any descendants..

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I was born and raised in Candow St next door to the smith family I lived at 51 and the smith family lived at 53 the kids as I remember were Sylvester Martha Lena Nipton and then a girl who's name I cannot remember The dad was called azie he was well known for his appearance in the darnall parade every whit Monday as the pearly queen The family were from a romany background I remember as a young lad watching granny smith making clothes pegs she lived in the top house in the yard which would be no43 I do not know what happened to the kids lena the last I heard lived at darnall I am now 85 and lena would be the same age Martha a bit older nipton a bit younger

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Hi keith.30@tis - your memory is good!.:) General Register Office records show that an Aziah Smith married a Mary Thackery in Sheffield in 1919, and the children shown in the index were Sylvester, Born 1920, Martha, born 1927 and Nipton, born 1933 (I couldn't find a Lena, though a possible sibling is Annie B. Smith, born 1922).

 

The odd thing is that the only Aziah Smith I can find in records is one born in the Barnsley area as long ago as c. 1851-52, who died in the Huddersfield area in 1928, aged 76. However, this Aziah Smith was certainly of Romany stock and may perhaps have been a relative, having such an uncommon forename. He turns up in the 1861 census return as the son of an "Itinerant Traveller (Gipsy)", and in the 1881 census as a "clothes peg maker". The wife of the Azie Smith you knew is likely to have been the Mary Thackery who was born in Sheffield in Oct-Dec 1899 and in the 1911 census was living with her family in Cross Smithfield (near West Bar/Shalesmoor). Smith is of course a common surname and difficult to research, but the forename Nipton is quite the opposite, and a Nipton Smith married a Janette Shepherd in Sheffield in 1958. Nipton Smith died in Sheffield in 1999, aged 66.

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Wow Keith thank you so much for your reply. I think you have the correct family. My story is convoluted. I am an american history teacher from Cincinnati Ohio. My long time partner is Giovanni polidori son of a Justino polidori who is now deceased. The polidori family is from a small village in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Justino was an Italian prisoner if war in Sheffield and befriended very closely the smith family. Last summer on a trip to visit the family in Italy they pulled out a bundle of letters written in beautiful handwriting from asio smith to justino. The polidori family had long heard whispers from the old women of justinios relationship with the smith family. The letters are very poignant and I tear up now thinking of them. As a history teacher my interest was peaked and I have been trying to find some smith family members. I am convinced that the smith family called Justino SAM and the letters reference exchanges of rings. The letters are very personal and I do not want to Go further in this public post, but it is evident that like so many, war brought love, heart ache and ultimate loss. I would welcome any further info u could find or provide. What u have given inspires me to keep searching. I am esp. Interested in what happened to Martha..,whether she is still alive and whether she had children and their whereabouts. Best to you today. I would be willing to exchange my contact info. Marilyn

 

---------- Post added 23-02-2015 at 16:12 ----------

 

Hillsboro and Keith...what wonderful information...I already knew that aziah, asio, nepton were unusual names esp. Paired with smith. The information about nepton and death etc. Give me paths to go down. The letters I have do name a sister Lena but nothing about a brother nepton. It is evident to me aziah was a very educated man due to the style of his writing, the beautiful script. He knows details of polidori family history...for example the death of justinos father...and uses the polidori last name...so I am certain of the cionection, Justino was eventually repatriated to Italy and the connections were lost....w much heartache from smith family members. One polidori family member recalls that as a child a man showed up at their door in Italy trying to find Justino...her memory is that he spoke English and though she admits that she was a child she seems to think the man was turned away by her mother...there are other details in the letters....exact dates, holiday celebrations...if either of you r willing to help me further I would much appreciate.

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Hi Marilyn - I'll see if I can help further with descendants, but of course the main problem is the name Smith! Anyway I have sent you and keith.30@tis my email address by "private message".

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I well remember the Italian prisoners of war they worked on the railway at darnall azie also worked there at the same time and I remember them visiting smiths house at lunch time because after work they were taken back to the camp at lodge moor at the time it caused a bit of a scandal because british soldiers were still fighting abroad I had forgotten about ann but she was a bit older than us kids but years after when I was married she lived across from me her married name was haywood I have been trying to contact my sister who lives in the states and if there is anything I do not know she will put me straight

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Oh my guys...I am just over the moon with these memories. Keith, your memories of the Italian prisoners of war at the smiths home brought tears here again as we realize one if them was Justino. The true heart of the British shows in the care and hospitality they gave even to those many would say were enemies. I am so hoping to find the children and grandchildren of Asia, Martha, Ann, nepton....we truly do honor them here. I hope your sister can give more clarity and some leads.

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I was born and raised in Candow St next door to the smith family I lived at 51 and the smith family lived at 53 the kids as I remember were Sylvester Martha Lena Nipton and then a girl who's name I cannot remember The dad was called azie he was well known for his appearance in the darnall parade every whit Monday as the pearly queen The family were from a romany background I remember as a young lad watching granny smith making clothes pegs she lived in the top house in the yard which would be no43 I do not know what happened to the kids lena the last I heard lived at darnall I am now 85 and lena would be the same age Martha a bit older nipton a bit younger

 

1950s OS maps of the area.

http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic/4008-os-maps-of-sheffield-and-district-1950s-over-300-of-them/page-5

Candow Street (and your yard) is split between Maps 180 and 181.

You may have to register with Sheffield History Forum to view them.

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Interesting thread! Here is a scan: http://s6.postimg.org/riepupx7l/Candow.jpg of a similar map to the one linked by Jim Hardie, and here is a link to photos of Candow Street on the picturesheffield.com thread: http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?searchterms=Candow&action=search&keywords=all%3BCONTAINS%3B%25Candow%25%3B

Edited by beechnut

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Thanks for all the information regarding Asia (azie) Smith family on Candow Street and their relationship with Justino Polidori aka as Sam, an Italian prisoner of war. I continue my quest tracing the children and grandchildren of the Smith family. Anyone know Linda C. Haywood and husband Christopher Downton or a Jill K. Smith perhaps married Bernard Coleman. They may be grandchildren....I have some addresses and phone numbers that I will try tomorrow, but thought someone might know more.

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It's interesting to see the map, and also the photos. They are dated 1966; it seems that Candow Street was demolished a few years later in c. 1973. I was intrigued by the name of the street (Candow is a Scottish surname) and even more intrigued by a note in the late Peter Harvey's book "Street Names of Sheffield". The street was evidently named after "Walter John Candow, property speculator, estate agent, brickmaker, and president of several local building societies, who eventually over-reached himself and left town mysteriously with debts of £6,000". The son of a Highfield toolmaker, the wayward Walter can be found in census returns up to 1881 (living in up-market Cherry Tree Road) after which he vanishes..;)

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This is very interesting info....

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