South Yorkshire Times, Friday, August 26, 1932

Five Generations

A Roman Terrace Patriarch

Perfectly Fit at 91

Mr. William Gothard, 11, Oxford Street, Mexborough, the head of five generations, at the age of 91, still enjoys the best of health, with the energy of middle life.

He has “taken life easy,” allowing nothing to worry him. Moreover, he drinks a cup of water on getting into and out of bed. He is seen in the photograph on the extreme right, and with him is his daughter, Mrs. Mary Ann Warren, a widow, of Wath-on-Dearne, who is 70, his grandson. Mr. John William Warren, of West Melton, who is 49, his great grand-daughter, Mrs. E. Clayton, who now resides at Leeds, and his great-great-granddaughter. Joan Clayton.

Mr. Gothard was born at Cawthorne, from whence he went to live at Rawmarsh, and came from there to Roman Terrace, where he has lived for 43 years with one of his daughters, Mrs. Elizabeth Adey, now in her 63th year. He worked at Manvers Main for 50 years, and retired at the age of 83. His brothers died at the ages of 80 and 83, and his sister at the age of 76. Mr. Gothard has had only one bottle of medicine in his life and except for being slightly deaf he feels as fit as he was twenty years ago. He has never had any false teeth and has a marvellous memory.

Mr. Gothard find the modern age a little too fast for him. One of his greatest pleasures is reading and he will spend hours with a book or newspaper.