Robert Johnson Robert Johnson was born on 31 Oct 1885 in Stockton-on-Tees. He was the second youngest of ten children, at least four of whom had died prior to his birth. Whilst Robert was a child his father George was making his living as a grocer, first of all in a shop in Portrack Lane before moving to better premises in Ropner Terrace, Bishopton Lane and then Grange Avenue on the Grange Estate. Robert’s brothers, John T and George E were involved in the grocery trade but at age 14 Robert’s occupation was described as 'apprentice plumbering’. 1909 - Marriage of Robert Johnson and Elizabeth Ann Rowland The tale recounted by Robert and Elizabeth’s children, Dorothy, Connie and Elsie, was that Robert had been sent to work as a plumber in Slaithwaite by J.D. Thompson, West Row, Stockton. He had walked to Marsden one Saturday evening for a dance in the Mechanics Institute. There he met Elizabeth Ann Rowland. The relocation to Slaithwaite would have been some time between 1901 and 1909. Robert’s father George appears to have had two shops and as he would have been in his mid 60s at this time they would presumably have been increasingly run by two of his sons, John Thomas and George Ernest. Arthur was in business as the Secretary of a Limited Company and Robert was a plumber.