Part 1 (1/2)

Little Abe

by F Jewell

PREFACE

I desire to express my thanks to all those friends who have kindly assisted es; and I am especially indebted to my friends the Rev T D Crothers and the Rev

W J Townsend for the cheerful services they have rendered

Whilst trying to give a faithful account of the life and character of Abraham Lockwood, I have done my best to make the narrative both readable and profitable; but I am sensible that there are many faults in the volume Such as it is, however, I humbly offer it to the public, with the earnest prayer that itto many

F JEWELL

BETHEL VILLA,

HULL, 1880

CHAPTER I

Birth and Parentage

Abraham Lockas born on the 3rd November, 1792 His birthplace, also called Lockwood, is situated about a mile and half out of Huddersfield

It makes no pretensions to i which it boasts, is the Mechanics' Institute, a structure of moderate size, yet substantially built Its one main street is lined with some very excellent shops, some of whose owners, report says, have made a nice little competency there It still boasts a toll-bar of its ohich is guarded on either side by thite wooden posts, that take the liberty of preventing all cattle, horses, and asses fro into the narrowest lihroad Lockwood is also ih to receive the attention of two or three 'buses which ply to and fro between there and Huddersfield, as well as to have the honour of a railway station on the L and Y line Of course years ago, when Abrahaht into the world, this locality was not so attractive as it now is; only a few cottages straggled along the level or up the hill towards Berry Brow, mostly inhabited by weavers and others e these hues there stood, on what is known as the Scarr, one even more unpretentious than the rest: it boasted only one story and two or three rooms in all; it hat Abe used to call a ”one-decker”

In this little hut dwelt the parents of Abe Lockwood; the fact of their residing in such a humble home, shows sufficiently that they were poor, perhaps poorer than their neighbours However, in that sale-storied cot in Lockwood, Abe Lockas born, a Lockwoodite by double right, and though age has seriously told upon its appearance, it stands to this day We so less and less, until we begin to speculate about the probable ti to remain of them; and the same may be said of the little old house in which Abe Lockas born; it was always little, but as years have slowly added to its age, it has gradually begun to look less, and now, as other houses of larger size and hbourhood, it has shrunk into the ined as a dwelling house, and it only requires tiether[1]

Abe's parents were a poor but honest pair, and laboured hard to make ends meet William Lockwood, his father, was a cloth-dresser, and worked on Al but a scanty living for the family In those days, when machinery was almost unknown in the manufacture and finish of cloth, the er and earnedht that the introduction of machinery into cloth mills would take all the work out of their hands, and all the bread out of their reatest hostility was shown by the people to such innovations Many a threatened outbreak was heard of about that ti fire in the , when they found that the great masters were determined to have their oay and introduce machinery into their mills Abe himself was led, sos, and narrowly escaped the hands of the lahile several others were lodged for sonition of the part they had taken in the riots

Abe's father was a quiet,man, whose chief aim for many years seemed to be to provide for his own household; but in after tiher as well, and he beca Abe's early life, the most that can be said for his father is that he was an honest, hard-working, and well-disposed ood Christian wo time a member with the Methodists in Huddersfield, and attended the old chapel which formerly stood on Chapel Hill There is no doubt that the early teaching of his kind and pious reat deal to do with the formation of Abe's Christian character in after years Certainly a long tin of spiritual life in her son; indeed, she was called away to her eternal rest before there was any indication of good in his heart; what ood seed was there; it would bide its tier

Sorowth there is no life; this does not follow; the grain row rapidly I on one occasion saved soe pippins, dried and planted therow; as time went on, I watered and watched therowth; , threw the plant-pot in which they were sown out of doors; a year was gone by and more, when one day rowth ”Hey! what's this?” why, positively, they are young orange plants, standing up hardy and healthy, protesting against rowth of other seed in the hu in vain, their faith grows gradually less and less, until it dies out in despair; but the good seed , it lives its winter life, and then under the tender and genial touch of sorow ”Be not afraid, only believe,” said the Master of the vineyard

Why the young baby that had come to reside in that little cot should have the honourable name of Abraham may be a subject of question by some It evidently was not to perpetuate his father's naenerations this has been a sufficient arguround John Baptist had a narrow escape fro called Zacharias That however could not influence the decision in Abraham Lockwood's case, because his father's name was William Perhaps it was that the child indicated a patriarchal spirit, and conducted hie land_, in which case there estion of that naht, for knoell that they could never confer riches upon him, or place him in a position to make them himself, they determined to do that for him, which everyone ood na men, and so they called him Abraham This ancient and venerable name, however, soon underwent a transfornified form of ”Abe” The alteration at least exhibited a ood taste; there certainly was a saving of ti ”Abe” instead of ”Abrahas have to be done in a hurry; and then it may be that to some ears it would sound nation Howbeit, there always seee contrariness between Abe and his name When he was a baby they called hirew older and bigger, they shortened his narown man, and father of a family, he was commonly known as ”Little Abe” The name and the bearer seemed to have started to run a circle in contrary directions, till they e, when for the first time there was seen the fitness between the man and his name, and he was respectfully called ”Abraham Lockwood”

[1] Since the above ritten, this little cottage has been re

CHAPTER II

Early Incidents