Mine did not go into the wool trade. Ben left earlier (before 1841 census) and did an apprentiship in carpentry. When he came to Aus he went into the dairy trade, also did some carpentry and bought up land and built houses etc. He also became a local councilor, was on the jury for Eureka, JP, Police Magistrate, was in Politics etc etc.
Ben was the son of John Woodhead (wool trade) and Fanny. Here is Aus cetificates say she was Fanny Hobson however everything points to her being Fanny Mellor. I did find the birth of a Fanny Mellor and she was illigitimate and wonder if her mother may have married a Hobson hence the children thinking she was a Hobson.
I am in Australia and am wanting to know the upbringing of the Woodhead children. They were educated. Ben married and his first wife must have died in childbirth as he remarried 3 months after Alfred (my 2x g grandfather) was born. I cannot find this marriage to Sarah Taylor, although I did find one and got the certificate and found he was illiterate, was in the wool trade, his father Joseph who was a labourer etc, There is no way Ben would have been able to sign his name in such a hand 2 yrs later. Also I cannot find a death for said Sarah Taylor (Woodhead)
Was the wool trade a good job, I would have thought it would be like the cotton industry which was not nice. Also Ben was born just before the industrial revolution
