George Hughes Backhouse was born in Wistow, near Selby, the son of James Marshall Backhouse, farmer.
He was the 3rd of 12 siblings.
He was a live-in draper's apprentice to James Blacker, at 50 Ousegate, Selby [1881].
For a short period, he became a farm servant at Farm House, Wheldrake, Langwith, York [1891], the village where his mother came from.
He then moved to London to join the staff of Spencer, Turner & Boldero, wholesale merchants, where he lived in.
Subsequently, he went to South Africa to travel for Baker & Company for 6 years and then with other import companies. He was in Johannesburg at the time of the failed Jamieson Raid
He travelled up country in Africa, selling what he described as
everything you can think of from a needle to a windmill
He used to call on Boer stores, making his treks with a four-horse cart driven by natives. He recalled having seen Cecil rhodes and Paul Kruger.
On his return from South Africa, he settled in Halifax and opened Backhouse's Gentlemen's Outfitters [1899] within Palatine Chambers, Halifax as it was being built by Ezra Pinder.
In 1901, he was living (single, as a boarder) at 20 Southgate, Halifax.
In 1902, he married Mary Jane Forth [1876-1943], a farmer's daughter from Copmanthorpe, in York.
Children:
After completing an apprenticeship at Brown Muffs in Bradford, both sons joined their father in the outfitters.
They lived at 32 Rhodes Street, Halifax [1902, 1911].
In 1911, Mary Jane's mother, Frances Ann Forth [1837-19??], was living with them
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