Historians remembering a pit disaster are seeking the Bradford family of a boy who was killed in the mine.

John Simpson was aged nine when he lost his life along with 25 other children working down Husker pit near Barnsley in 1838.

Rosemary Lee belongs to a local history group wanting to trace as many descendants of the victims as possible.

Next month the group is organising a reunion for families at Silkstone Church close to the pit where the disaster happened on July 4 all those years ago when a flash storm struck.

Records show it had been a beautiful summer’s day when a freak storm over the village caused a small stream near the pit to flood, pouring water into the workings.

The men at the pit top shouted down the shaft to the miners to stay where they were because the water had flooded the steam engine needed to lower the cage and get them out but the miners were terrified and started to try to walk their way out. The torrent of water trapped them against one of the doors and most of them drowned.

Mrs Lee said: “The bodies were taken to a farm where they were cleaned before being taken back to the village on a horse and cart and returned to their homes. All the children had separate coffins but they were buried together in one grave, the girls at the boys’ feet.”

A memorial was eventually built near the burial place and in 1988 another was built in woodland near the pit, recording all the children’s names.

This year, the 170th anniversary, was marked with a specially-written play put on in the church by a local amateur dramatic group depicting what happened. A memorial service was also held over the children’s grave.

Mrs Lee said: “Now we have the internet we can do a lot more to find out about these children’s relations and we’re really hoping that with the new information we have, more families will make a link with the Husker Pit and come to our reunion on October 25.”

The idea is to compile new records which will go into an archive and be kept for posterity, a copy will also be held at the church.

John Simpson would have been the oldest child of Anthony Simpson, born in Bradford in 1806, who had married a Mary Metcalfe, originally from Grinton, in 1831, also in Bradford.

The couple had five other children at the time of the disaster and eventually had two more after the tragedy, records show all the family went on to live in Bradford.

The other children’s names were Ann, born in 1831 in Bradford who married Edmund Heaton in 1852, Anthony and Nanny, both born in 1833 in Silkstone, Henry, born in 1836 and Diana a year later also in Silkstone, followed by Bethias born in 1939 in Hull who married William Fisher in 1859 and Emma, also born in Hull in 1841.

“Poor John would have most likely been a trapper which meant he had to sit in the dark next to the trap doors and open and shut them when the tubs of coal came through. They worked a 12 to 16-hour day, they had no choice because their parents would not have been able to afford to keep them otherwise.

“Some of the older children would have been hurriers, they would push the tubs along, usually with their foreheads – you could tell the ones who did that job because they’d have no hair at the front.”

The Husker Pit Disaster was so shocking it lead to a Royal Commission and the Mines Act of 1842 being passed which prohibited women and children from working underground.

Anyone who thinks they might be related to John Simpson should contact Mrs Lee on (01226) 792180.

e-mail: kathie.griffiths @telegraphandargus.co.uk