Owen Early 1858-1895
Owen became head of his mothers household in Butchers Row when he 17 years old in 1875 following the death of his father John.  In 1881 the family moved to 13 William Street and remained there until their mother died in 1892 when they all went there own ways.  However, Owen married on the 22nd August 1885 and moved away.  His wife Bridget Murray, aged 25 years, was the daugther of a farmer from the North of Ireland.  She was living in Hodgson's Buildings, Monkweymouth near Sunderland at the time of their marriage.  The coupled married in her parish at St.Bennetts RC Church in the district of Sunderland.  The ceremony was conducted by the a Belgian Priest Jules De Fleur.
On the 3rd June in 1886 the couple had their first child a girl named Margaret Ann Early.  Two years later on the 5th March 1888 their first boy was born John Patrick Early in 7 Blandford Place, Seaham Harbour. Another child was born in 1890 Owen and their last child Thomas was born in April 1891, a day before the 1891 census return.
Owen's life was short and came to a traggic end just like his brother 4 years before him down the mines.  On the 6th June 1895, Owen who was a Rolleyway man, became entangled in some loose coils of a hauling engine rope. His left leg was torn off and bled to death.  There is a myth/Legend in Seaham that Owen was taken to his home in Doctors Street and the priest was summonised to give him the last rights.  Whilst riding through the streets of Seaham the priest was thrown from his horse outside the bowling alley and for some unknown reason he glanced down at his watch.  When he arrived at the house Owen had already passed away.  When the priest asked when he died it was the exact time the horse had reared up and thrown him to the ground. 
After the funeral the owners of the pit agreed with his Widow Bridget that as long as she did not marry again she could keep the house rent free for the rest of her.  Indeed Bridget never did marry again and died at 55 Doctors Street in early October 1931 aged 69 years of age.  She is burried in a double grave at Christchurch cemetary. 

Throughout her life she was known to be a hard women, very dominant and extremely well dressed.  Indeed stories have been told to me how she very much controlled her children even when they reached adulthood.  How she never approved of  Margaret Ann's husband prior to their marriage and how on one occasion even stoped her from going to a dance as a grown women.

Bridget had trouble with her eldest son John Patrick, who came back from the Somme shell shocked, unable to cope with working down the mines. He would go to the pub instead of work, but on one ocassion she came home early to find him in the house and not at work this caused a terrible rift.   Although there was another side to Bridget, she donated nearly all her life savings to her other son Owen so he go to Chicago to seek work on the railroad, expecting him to return a bring some of the wealth back to the family, this happened only once after then she never saw him again.