 |
The Gazette |
| Pendle and Burnley Branch | |
| Issue No.38 - April 2010 |
|
The Gazette |
| Pendle and Burnley Branch | |
| Issue No.38 - April 2010 |
|
6 Richard Haighton, Iron Works 8 Library 11 Branch AGM |
17 TNA News 18 UKBMD 20 Query Corner
|
THE JULY MEETING WILL BE HELD ON THE THIRD WEDNESDAY JULY 21ST 2010 .. NOT THE 14TH AS LISTED IN THE BRANCH PROGRAMME
THE DECEMBER MEETING WILL BE HELD AT THE BIRTWISTLE CENTRE, KEIGHLEY RD, COLNE ON 8TH DECEMBER 2010
ST CUTHBERT'S CHURCH CENTRE, LYTHAM ROAD, PRESTON, LANCASHIRE PR2 3AR
Joint event with the North West Group of Family History Societies
Saturday 22nd May 2010 Arrival and coffee at 9.15 for 10am prompt start
10.00am Welcome and Introduction
10.15am "The Workhouse" Speaker - David Lambert
11.30am "Small business families in the North-West of England 1760-1820 Speaker - Hannah Barker
1.00pm Lunch
2.15pm "Wanted, Widows with large families" Poor Law Commission Migration Scheme 1835-1837 Speaker - Peter Park
3.30pm LFHHS Annual General Meeting
Conference and AGM with buffet lunch - £12 per person, Conference and AGM without lunch - £6 per person
Application form in the February edition of "Lancashire" Applications to be sent before 1st May 2010 to
Sheila Court, 12 Hardlands Avenue, Torrisholme, Morecambe LA4 6NT
Have you renewed yours? Membership renewal forms are available from the branch secretary
LFHHS IRISH ANCESTRY GROUP
All meetings are held at The LFHHS Resource Centre, 2 Straits, Oswaldtwistle
• IRISH ANCESTRY SOURCES : DIRECTORIES - Speaker Stephen Hartigan
Saturday 12th June 2010, 1pm to 4.30pm
• ADVICE & RESEARCH WORKSHOP
Saturday 14th August 2010, 1 pm to 4.30pm
• TALK (To be arranged)
Saturday 9th October 2010, 1pm to 4.30pm
Enquiries to , 8
Liddington Close, Newfield Park, Blackburn BB2 3WP
SHEFFIELD FAMILY HISTORY FAIR
'The Centre in the Park' Norfolk Heritage Park, Guildford Road, Sheffield
S1 2PL
Saturday 24th April 2010 10 am to 4 pm
Admission free. Refreshments available
Visitors can catch Supertram from Midland Station or access the Centre via A6135
NEWCASTLE FAMILY HISTORY FAIR
Saint Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Clayton Street West NE1 5HH
Saturday 15th May 2010, 10am to 2pm Admission free
GUILD OF ONE NAME STUDIES (GOONS)
Helsby Community Centre, Lower Robin Hood Lane, Helsby, Frodsham, Cheshire, WA6
0BW
Saturday 15th May 2010, 9:30am to 5pm
Seminar looks at maps & mapping as used in family history and one-name
studies.
Cost £15 per person including drinks and a light buffet lunch.
Email: seminar-booking@one-name.org
Guild Website: www.one-name.org
Applications to be received by 10.May.2010
SHROPSHIRE FHS OPEN DAY AND FAMILY HISTORY FAIR
The Shirehall, Shrewsbury
Saturday 5th June 2010, 10am to 4pm
SUNDERLAND HISTORY & HERITAGE FAIR
Seaburn Centre, Whitburn Road, Sunderland SR6 8AA
Saturday 5th June 4010, 10am to 2pm Admission free
The event also attracts re-enactment groups and Genealogical
Societies
YORK FAMILY HISTORY FAIR
Knavesmire Exhibition Centre, York Racecourse
Saturday 26th June 2010, 10am to 4.30pm
Admission £4, Children under 14 free. Free Car
Parking adjacent to venue
LANCASHIRE FHHS ANNUAL DINNER will be a Sunday Lunch this year
The Midland Hotel, Morecambe LA4 4BU
Sunday 4th July 2010 - Arrive 12.30pm or earlier for 1pm lunch
Cost of the luncheon will be: 2 Courses £15.95, 3 Courses
£19.95 Tea and coffee are included
This notice missed the February Journal, but you can download an application form
and menu in PDF format
from the Lancaster & Morecambe website : www.lancasterfamilyhistory.org.uk
THE NATIONAL FAMILY HISTORY FAIR
Newcastle Central Premier Inn, Newbridge Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 8BS
Saturday 11th September 2010, 10am to 4pm
Admission £3, Children under 15 free
DONCASTER LOCAL HISTORY FAIR
Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery, Chequer Road, Doncaster
Saturday, 18th September 2010, 10am to 4pm
Barnoldswick library now have microfiche of the Parish Registers for Thornton-in Craven church. These consist of Marriages to 1942, Banns to 1923, Baptisms to 1838, Burials to 1903
Manchester Central Library closed at the end of February for three years for repair and renovation. Consequently, there is a temporary closure of Manchester Archives and Local Studies until 28 June 2010, when the Local Studies service and Microfilm Unit will reopen in its new temporary home on the second floor of the new City Library at Elliot House. A wide range of Local Studies and microfilm/microfiche sources will be available on demand, although microfilm/microfiche readers will need to be booked in advance.
Greater Manchester County Record Office (GMCRO) will continue to provide its current levels of service until 28 June 2010. Central Library's Archive Service will reopen in its new temporary home at GMCRO on 28 June 2010, with its collections joining those of the County Record Office. If you would like to see archive materials, it will be essential to book a place in advance.
All other archive collections will be stored in special off-site archive storage, but will be available for customers to access upon giving two weeks' notice. Information about these off-site collections will be on the archives online catalogue, or on the GMCRO website
Carlisle Record Office will close on 29 APRIL 2010 until JANUARY 2011, when it will re-open at a new location at Petteril Bank in south Carlisle. For more information go to www.cumbria.gov.uk/archives
- IRON FOUNDERS AND ENGINEERS Following publication of this item in last month's Gazette, Bill Todd would like to thank all those who responded to his article and helped so much to improve the history. He has now put together a website for the miller and the company history at
(click on the Haighton's history link if you are not interested in milling machines). This is still work in progress
The Programme of Events for the coming meetings is shown below and can also be viewed on this website
| • 21.April | Social History of Haworth in the times of the Brontes - Isobel Stirk |
| • 19.May | Out-visit to Martholme Manor .. There are still a few places left for the out- visit. Supper venue still to be confirmed |
| • 16.June | Quakers - Julia Robertson |
| • 30 June | Practical Evening at the library and DNA session The DNA session will take place at Nelson & Colne College on June 30th The minimum number for this event is 20, members should book in advance. |
| • 21 July | Stage and Mail Coaches - Gerard Schofield |
| My apologies for repeating this .. THE JULY MEETING HAS BEEN CHANGED TO 21 JULY. After changing the date for the July meeting to the second Wednesday to avoid the Cycle Race, it has since been found that the cycle race is to take place on that day. |
|
| • 18 August | Open Evening and Practical |
A coach trip to Lancaster has been provisionally booked for a Saturday in July (date to be confirmed). So far there are 25 names on the list but it is also open to non-members.
The 2011 programme is being compiled. Suggestions for speakers are welcomed.
Jean Ingham, Acting Programme Secretary
The following books are now back at Colne Library :- Lancashire Parish Register Society set; Local parish registers; Local monumental inscriptions; Local census indexes. They are housed in the old "Colne Times" room and will only be available to members on meeting nights for the time being. Unfortunately, space in the Library is at a premium, and there will be a special meeting of the committee in May to discuss what to do with the remainder of the books and the microfiche collection.
The full set of the Lancashire and Yorkshire census CDs have also been returned and at present are being stored in the filing cabinet at the top of the stairs.
Margaret Heap, Branch Librarian
The remaining 1,337 closed church and chapel marriages have all
been transcribed and sent to Tony Foster prior to the webmaster and are now on the internet, so all
the marriages up to 1982 are on the net. The team are continuing transcribing the births and
another 5,028 have just gone on the net.
Thanks to all the team.
Janet Knowles, Lancashire BMD Project Coordinator
Burnley Cemetery Burial Registers 1856-1933 are now on-line at http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/
The Branch AGM was held on Wednesday March 21st 2010
Jean Ingham, branch chairman, reported that last year was a busy time for our branch. Meetings had been well attended and there had been a variety of informative lectures. Practical workshops using the library computers and branch library resources have proved popular and advice and help sessions were available to members and visitors. This service, however, was suspended due to closure of Colne library for major renovation and meetings were held at the nearby Birtwistle Centre for four months. Librarian, Margaret Heap, storied all the books at her home and arranged for the remaining resources to be stored at the homes of other members.
In April 2009, the branch was represented at Keighley Family History Fair and we had two out-visits during the year. The first, in May, to the Hippodrome, one of Colne's local theatres and a coach trip to Liverpool in July. The branch Open Day at Barnoldswick library was a busy and successful one. Thanks go to the volunteers who helped on the day. The LancashireBMD project, co-ordinated by Christine Windle and Bob Abel, assisted by Janet Knowles and Bob Ellis has made steady progress and thanks go to the dedicated team of volunteers who are helping to make this project such a big success. The website has been maintained throughout the year and along with the quarterly newsletter is a valuable source of information for those with family history interests in the Pendle and Burnley area. The smooth running of the branch is only made possible by the hard work of the committee and those just willing to lend a hand when needed. The chairman, Jean, thanked the officials and committee for the work that they had done for the branch and society over the past year.
The Secretary, Annette Malpass, reported that queries had been received throughout the year and the nature of them varied considerably, but there had been only one completed members' interest form received. Membership lists are updated monthly and members are asked to inform the branch secretary and David Burgess, the society's membership secretary, of any changes of addresses and e-mail addresses. Name badges have been made as required and members are asked to inform the secretary if they have not got one, or if require changes to their list of names. A paper was written for the Branch Committee and for the Society on the subject of Trustees. The chairman and secretary have attended two Executive meetings of the Society as observers and have taken part in the ongoing debate on Trustee status. Whilst the experiences have been interesting, the differences of opinion between Branch and Society have not moved towards resolution.
Geoff Riley, branch treasurer, gave a financial report for the branch, in which he noted the main expenditure for the branch is for speakers and publication of the newsletter, whilst income is generated from donations at the door for meetings and refreshments.
Election of Officials: Nominations were received for Chairman, Librarian and one Committee Member and these were voted for "en bloc"
There were NO nominations for Vice-Chairman, Minutes Secretary, Programme Secretary,
Projects Coordinator, Executive Liaison Officer, or Gazette Editor.
When Jean, the Chairman, asked for volunteers from the members to fill these posts ..
THE SILENCE WAS DEAFENING
Most of you will have heard the expression "Many hands make light work" If we don't get some more hands to become branch officers, the light will eventually go out completely. There will be no more interesting talks, no more help with your family history problems, the branch will close down and all our resources will be returned to the society. As you can see from the table shown below, there are many blank spaces. We urgently need some names to fill those spaces.
The current committee is as follows
| Chairman | Jean Ingham | Vice Chairman | Position vacant | |
| Secretary | Annette Malpass | Executive Liaison | Position vacant | |
| Librarian | Margaret Heap | Minutes Secretary | Position vacant | |
| Treasurer | Geoff Riley | Projects Coordinator | Position vacant | |
| Lancashire BMD Coordinator | Janet Knowles | Gazette Editor | Position vacant | |
| Programme Secretary | Position vacant | |||
| Committee Members | Bob Ellis, Christine Haworth, Mary Jackson, John Lustig, Moira Whittaker, Christine Windle | |||
"Getting to Know Lancashire Record Office" sessions are being held again this year.
Have you ever wondered how to use the search-room in the Record Office? What sort of records they hold? How to find your great-great-grandfather's will? What goes on behind the scenes? If so, these sessions may be of interest to you. Sessions will be held on the first Friday of every month at 2.30 pm and each session lasts about 1½ to 2 hours. Places are limited so booking is essential.
To book telephone 01772 533039 or e-mail the record office at record.office@lancashire.gov.uk
Sessions in 2010 will be on 7.May, 4.June, 2.July, 6.August, 3.September, 1.October, 5.November & 3.December
Saturday opening dates
Office open from 10am to 4pm on the second Saturday in each month (except
April)
Please note that no documents will be produced between 12.30 and 1.30pm
| 8.May.2010 | 12.June.2010 | 10 July 2010 | 14.Aug.2010 | |
| 11.September.2010 | 9.October.2010 | 13.November.2010 | 11.December.2010 |
LANCAT - Lancashire RO online catalogue is available at ..
www.lancashire.gov.uk/education/record_office/services/catalogue.asp
Submitted by Pat Dyson
My partner, Martin Holtby, is the proud possessor of a BOX relating to family history. All the usual things - certificates, letters, various official documents relating to employment and masses of wonderful photographs mostly scrupulously labelled. But as I went through them I realised that something was missing. ' Martin,' I said, ' where's your father's side?' Sorting through all the paper he produced a small snapshot. ' That's Granny - Betsey Rose - on her first flight'. A gentle-faced lady stared in wild excitement from the steps of an unimaginably small and fragile aircraft. ' My father took her to the Isle of Man in 1937'. And that was it. Further searching found one or two more photos featuring the same lady, usually with her son, but nothing more. Her husband had died around the time of the Great War but there were no photographs or documents for either of them.
' Right - we start with your father and work back. Where's his birth certificate?' That turned out to be a silly question. In the meticulous records kept by Martin's mother there was no birth certificate for George William Holtby. Photographs there were, from his war service onward, but nothing before about 1915. We would have to find his birth ourselves. This was before the Internet made searching the Civil Registration records a matter of clicking a mouse and becoming irritated when the result doesn't come up within twenty seconds. The next time we were in London I went off to the Family Records Centre (now closed) and wrestled with the huge volumes, each containing one quarter for every year the Births have been indexed. Martin thought his father was around 70 when he died in 1968 and knew he celebrated his birthday about the twentieth of August. Since he was understood to have been very young when he joined the Army then a window of about four years, 1895 to 1898 seemed reasonable. Four volumes a year for four years is sixteen volumes varying from heavy to nearly unliftable. All I got was some over-developed biceps. He wasn't there and when I could look it all up on Ancestry he wasn't there either.
When it became available I did find him on the 1901 Census as a child of 3 living with his parents in Whitefield near Manchester. Once I knew her age I was able to trace his mother back through the census to her beginnings in (very) rural Lincolnshire. But his father was more difficult. His birthplace was said to be Benniworth, also in Lincolnshire, and I managed to find him in the 1891 Census, lodging in Salford not far from the house where Betsey Rose was in service - before that there was little indication; no Holtbys in Benniworth, the only possibility said he was two years younger and born in another small Lincolnshire village. At what date did he lose his memory of when and where he was born? That I couldn't find their marriage hardly needs to be said.
In Manchester one afternoon with time to spare I wandered into Central Reference Library, (as one does) and thought ' I'll see if I can find Martin's father's mysterious birth'. I had thought for some time that I should have a look at the film of the Stand Baptism Register round August 1897 - that is the parish church for Whitefield. I inserted the film and turned through August - as usual he wasn't there. Then I noticed dates scrawled in the margin on each baptism about three months earlier and figured out that these must be the actual birth dates. So I turned to October and there he was - George William Holtby - but wait a moment, those were all his forenames. His parents' names were John William and Betsey BROWN. Clearly some sort of confusion had arisen. I went home and checked Lancashirebmd and found that not only was he definitely registered as George William H Brown but the marriage of his parents was between John William Brown and Betsey Rose. I ordered certificates and waited, not telling Martin anything at this stage: when they came they confirmed my discoveries. This also explained why John William Holtby had been impossible to find with any certainty. I had another probe into Ancestry's indices, this time for Browns and had some success - partly because Brown is not that common a name in Lincolnshire and partly because, whatever he was calling himself, John William always gave the same date and place of birth. But it turned out that while his father was George, son of George, when I sent for the marriage certificate of George and Emma Brown, her maiden name was HOLTBY. For whatever reason, John William had left Lincolnshire and was living in Salford in 1891 calling himself Holtby but in 1897 he married Betsey as Brown and registered the child as Brown, returning to Holtby for the 1901 Census and presumably remaining so until his death in 1914. I compiled a tree for both Browns and Roses roughly back to the beginning of the 19th century, found Martin some new relations through the Ancestry site, and presented the results to him for his birthday (in a brown box file of course). He was a bit aghast and wondered if he should now be known as ' Martin Brown'. The answer is, of course, ' No' because you can call yourself anything as long as there's no fraudulent intention. He could of course hyphenate his surname and become Holtby-Brown.
Query Corner Newsletter No 23 July 2006 .. Kay Gifford, from Perth W.Australia, who originally sent in this query has sent news of her research which may be of interest to other HARRISON / NELSON researchers. She was searching for the death of John HARRISON of Foulridge and finally found the information in the "Annals and stories of Colne" by J Carr, chapter III, page 100 .
|
"1847 March. Burial here of John Harrison, a Foulridge navvy employed on the Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway. This unfortunate man was killed on the spot by a shoot of earth near Kelbrook. The deceased was followed to the grave, in the presence of an immense number of people, by a number of navvies dressed in white smocks and trousers, each wearing a white rosette in his hat. 1847 Burial at Colne of' John Harrison, a Foulridge navvy. This man was killed by a fall of earth while employed on the Railway near Kelbrook. The deceased was followed to the Grave in the presence of an immense number of people, by a number of navvies dressed in white smocks and trousers, each wearing a rosette in his hat. This accident happened at Blue-Hill Cutting and near this Parish." |
A tragic end indeed for a young man. Without this accident, however, my g/grandfather would not have been born of Ellen Harrison (Widow) and a Mr Windle; and consequently I would certainly not have the "genes" I now carry! If there is any further information to be found via the Family History Library or the Colne Library, I would really appreciate receiving it.
For a trial period, starting on 1.May.2010, the centre will be open on the first Saturday of every month from 1pm to 5pm. This is in addition to the existing opening times, every Thursday afternoon from 1pm to 5 pm. It is situated near to Oswaldtwistle Mills. Go to http://www.tinyurl.com/22o3oq for a map.
The centre has four PCs with internet access to Ancestry (Worldwide) and now has a subscription to Findmypast, which gives access to the 1911 census along with many parish records. The Findmypast subscription is available on only one of the PCs so for anyone wishing to search the 1911 census, it would be best to book a session on this PC. To do this, leave a message on the Straits answerphone 01254 239919. During busy times, sessions may have to be limited to 30 minutes.
In addition to internet facilities, each PC can access to the LDS Vital Records Index for British Isles (2nd Ed), Middle America (Mexico), North America, Western Europe for the Alpine, Benelux, French, German, Italian and Spanish Regions. The LDS Pedigree CDs are also available to use. The Society Pedigree Database and the Lancashire Marriage Index are also available on the PCs, and there is an opportunity to try out four different programmes for recording family history, namely - Family Historian, Roots Magic, Master Genealogist and Family Tree Maker.
The cost of hiring a film has increased to £7.50 for a 3 month loan period (1 month loan no longer available). This is the first increase in about 15 years and is still an excellent service if your ancestral research is in a distant part of the country.
Chelsea Pensioner's Service Records from 1883 to 1900 can
now be searched and downloaded at www.findmypast.co.uk
Each individual soldier's record is at least four pages long and full of fascinating details that
are invaluable to family and military historians. As well as being some of the most detailed
records available to family historians, the records include servicemen born in the UK and throughout
the world, including many soldiers born in India and the Caribbean
Security Service files. The latest files released by
the Security Service feature a wide range of subjects from film directors, journalists and
playwrights to how the Hitler Youth tried to foster relations with the Boy Scouts. Almost 200
files released cover the years before, during and after the Second World War. See TNA website
for details
Naval records now available on Documents Online. You
can search and download 164 volumes of logbooks of the Royal Navy's voyages of scientific discovery.
These volumes are the logs and journals of naval officers of ships engaged in exploration and
surveying the Pacific, Arctic, Antarctic, Australia, the Americas and the west coast of Africa. The
final batch of Admiralty files from ADM139 have now been digitised. This means over 680,000 Royal
Navy seamen records are now available to search and download online. See TNA website
The Alien Arrivals Collection has just gone online on www.ancestry.co.uk
These records document the arrival of more than 610,000 immigrants into the UK between the late 18th
and early 20th centuries
Ancestors at Sea If your ancestor was born, died, or
maybe even got married at sea you can now search for them with www.BMDregisters.co.uk.
Previously only available on microfilm at The National Archives you can now search online for over
150,000 individuals who were passengers at sea between 1854 and 1908. You can also search
passenger lists from 1890 to 1960 with www.ancestorsonboard.com to find
out if your ancestor went to sea. These lists include the names of immigrants, emigrants,
businessmen, diplomats and tourists and can be searched by name, destination, port of departure and
ship name.
Changes at The National Archives Two announcements from TNA (a) car park charges to apply from 27 April; (b) from Monday, 19 April 2010 a new online process to order copies of documents that are not already downloadable from TNA's website.
Car park charges. There will be flat-rate charge of £5 per day. Annual pre-pay tickets, offering a substantial discount, will also be available. Visitors who drive to The National Archives without having booked and paid for a space will not be able to access the car park. Full details can be found from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/446.htm
Copies of documents. This new streamlined service will provide an instant quote based on the average cost of copying similar documents and means customers will no longer have to wait ten days for a quote. As some documents can contain hundreds of pages, where a customer does not know which pages within a document they need copies of, a search fee of £45 will be introduced to recover the cost of searching for the information. Full announcement see www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/445.htm
These are companion web sites by Ian HARTAS, dedicated to providing links to web sites with online data and information to aid in family history research.
UKBMD (UK Births, Marriages and Deaths) provides links to web sites with birth, marriage, death and census information. It has evolved over the years to act as an aid to help you find on-line data to build your genealogical trees, but its strength is in raw genealogical data rather than your family history.
UKGDL (UK Genealogical Directories and Lists) provides links to web sites with other online data such as trade directories and electoral rolls etc. School lists, trade directories, electoral rolls, passenger lists, old photographs etc., are all valuable sources of information which can help you complete your family tree.
UKMFH (UK Military Family History) aims to help you find out the history of your military family by linking to web sites that have online information which will help you discover what your families did and how they lived in their military life. Muster rolls, discharge papers, pension records are all valuable sources of information which can help you complete your family tree.
Threat to Chair of Palæography at King's College, London
KCL is proposing to axe the English-speaking world's only Chair of
Palæography, that is, the study of ancient writing, the discipline which underlies any work done
with manuscripts from a time before typescript (and after, where Gothic Black Letter is
concerned). Without training in palæography the original sources of this period basically
become inaccessible. More information about this can been seen at http://tinyurl.com/y296lj5
There is a petition against these proposals at http://www.petitiononline.com/spkcl10/petition.html
signatures
Third Edition of the National Burial Index
The FFHS is pleased to announce that the Third Edition of the National Burial
Index (NBI3) is now available. NBI3 is available on a single CD and contains over 18 Million
burial records. Copies are available from FFHS at a price of £30 for first time purchasers
and £15 for upgrades from NBI2. For further information and details of how to order please
visit our website www.ffhs.org.uk click on the NBI3 Image on the Home Page to
download the order form
Redbridge's Local Studies and Archive service at Ilford Central
Library, Essex
This archive is currently home to more than 150,000 items - from back issues
of newspapers to original manuscripts and prints - and deals with between 6,000 and 7,000 recorded
enquiries each year. Cost cutting proposals which would see the service reduced from six
members of staff to one temporary worker were agreed in principle at a council cabinet meeting on 11
January. Campaigners opposed to the planned cuts following this and the decision to make cuts
was deferred until 1 April You can read more about this at http://tinyurl.com/y6fkseb
Increased fees for registration services at the General
Register Office (England and Wales)
and at Local Registration Services
The General Registry Office has announced new prices effective from 6th April
2010 for issuing BMD certificates and other services. From that date the ordinary service
price increases from £7.00 to £9.25 from the GRO at Southport or to £9.00 where obtained from the
local authority. This is an increase of just over 32%. One plus - the price will still
be the same if you are unable to quote them the reference number.
The fee for all priority orders will become £23.40. This
represents a small increase from £23.00 where the order is made online quoting the reference.
Where no reference is known or where the order is not placed online there will be a reduction
compared to the current fee. Full details can be seen in the press release at http://www.ips.gov.uk/cps/rde/xchg/ips_live/hs.xsl/1569.htm
General Register Office certificates
Following the withdrawal of the reference checking facility the FFHS has received
confirmation from GRO that if a customer applies for a certificate from GRO and does not have a GRO
reference, they are able to supply information to help identify the record. GRO will search in
the year they quote together, if necessary, with a year either side. If GRO cannot find the
record on this basis, they will refund the fee in full. Using the "non-quoted
reference" route does entail the likelihood of a longer response time for those using the
"standard" service. GRO aims to despatch on or by the 4th working day for those
quoting a reference, but on or by the 15th working day for those without such a reference
CONCERT PARTY OR WHAT?
(membership no. 7815)
 |
This postcard sized photograph was taken around 1905. The young lady pictured is Gertrude Elliott, my maternal Grandmother. I also have a similar photograph of one of her sisters taken in the same setting. When they were young Gertrude and her sisters were weavers. They also had a brother who served his time in the printing trade. He eventually became a Master Printer and ran a printing business with his father in Nelson. Father had also been a weaver but later became a music teacher and the organist at St.John's parish church. The family always lived and worked in Nelson. So, why would Gertrude and her sister dress in these unusual costumes. Did St John's church have a concert party or an operatic society in which they took part? - if so it was never mentioned in our family. Was it folk dancing or customary at that time for older teenage girls to dress up and pose in this way for special birthdays? I would welcome contact with fellow members who may have similar photographs or any information which might help to explain this mystery. |
MITCHELL, HARTLEY SUTCLIFFE
writes, in 1946, Gladys MITCHELL married Kenneth HARTLEY and they lived 65 Hendon Road, Nelson.
Witnesses at the wedding were William and Edith MITCHELL. In 1939, an Annie MITCHELL also lived
at this address with Tom SUTCLIFFE. Brenda is trying to trace the MITCHELL family as she shares
a Gt Gt Grandfather with them.
VARLEY - William Varley, grocer of Colne
of Bedfordshire is trying to "find" his 3x great grandfather, William VARLEY, but has
no firm idea of where he lived. He recently found a grocer of the same name in
Colne. Apparently William VARLEY bought two water driven corn mills in Colne in
1814. His son's marriage certificate states that he was a Maltster, and a trade directory
for Wandsworth, Surrey (where his son was born), notes a corn, hop & malt merchant there in
1801 to 1805, so it seems sensible to look more closely at the Colne records.
Jim asks "Are any records that might help prove whether
William had a business in Wandsworth, or that he left Colne for a period & then
returned? Are there any possible Wills available? Jim explains that
William VARLEY's son is recorded in the 1841 census in Lincolnshire, but not born in that
county. In 1851 census it says born Wansbrook, and both 1861 & 1871 say
Wandsworth. Since two independent enumerators, 10 years apart, entered Wandsworth, Jim has
searched all surviving parish records for that parish, but had no luck as most were destroyed in
WW2.
He has also looked at every William VARLEY entered on 1841 census, and the
one who is a grocer in Colne is the only one to come close.
BROOKS, ROBINSON, HEAP
writes, three generations of Simon's family originate from Colne and Foulridge area and he would
love any extra information if any one can help him. His father Ronald BROOKS was born in
Colne in 1933. Ronald's father and mother Sydney BROOKS (born 1909) and Annie (formally
ROBINSON) came from Colne area also as did Sydney's father Edwin (b1876) and his wife Sarah
(formally HEAP, born 1878). Simon is also led to believe that his father Ronald married
his first wife (not Simon's mother) some time between 1953-1963, but Simon does not have a name
for Ronald's first wife. He is, however, led to believe that they also had children and
Simon would be very grateful for any help with finding any of his half brothers or sisters.
LAMBERT
of Stockton-on-Tees. John's g-grandfather, John LAMBERT, b.1826, was born, according
to census records, in Barnoldswick, and it is believed, more precisely, christened in a
church/chapel in Horton near Gisburn. John would be grateful for any information
from records, parish or otherwise, for the area in and around Gisburn / Horton / Barnoldswick /
Clitheroe which may assist him in tracing his family before 1837
HOLLAND, INGHAM
has traced his great-great grandfather Joseph HOLLAND to a birth registration in Padiham on
10.April.1801 to John and Mary [INGHAM]. Robert asks if someone could kindly point him in
the direction of what documentation or church records would help establish where John and Mary
HOLLAND would have lived at that time and how he could access such, or any, information to help
further his research
JOHNSON, FORKGEN
(membership no 9426) would appreciate any assistance from members, to point him in a direction
for further research. His story is as follows.
My father's family were all of military stock, however my searches only go back to enlistments to set sail to India with the military in 1829 for George FORKGEN and 1826 for the John JOHNSON I have a letter written by a distant second cousin on 12.Oct.1949 from post war-torn Burma, with the threat of the Chinese communist planning to invade.
My relative's letter is addressed to her aunty (my grandmother) requesting proof of family ties to the UK. Our relatives went over to India in 1826 and successive generations remained in the army or civil services in either India or Burma. Sadly we lost touch with my relative (Louise Johnson) and I don't know if she returned to the UK with her parents. In her letter she informed my grandmother of some information that she had obtained from the War Office. It includes the following which I am trying to research further regarding John JOHNSON:
A John JOHNSON, My g.g.g.grandfather, born Burnley Lancs (circa 1802 - no date given). Enlisted 2nd May 1826 (aged 24) Madras Artillery. Embarked on ship "Lady Raffles" with wife Bridget and child John (aged 9 months) 22nd May 1826. Landed Madras 30th September 1826. On Madras Effective Supernumeries List 1847 as Garrison Sargeant Major (aged 45); Sub Conductor in the RAOC 14th July 1848 Cannanore; Conductor 23rd February 1855, Fort St.George Circa 1802 I have almost a full family history from this date. I have checked the Burnley Parish records and cannot find a wedding or a christening for baby John Johnson. Any help would be appreciated. I suspect they may have been Inghamites or Nonconformist? I have found an entry on the IGI for John Johnson of Pendleton, birth: About 1825
B George Forkgen born Market Weaton York circa 1807. Embarked on ship "Castle Huntley" Date of Attestation 30.Nov.1829. George was then aged 22 and he is recorded as a Labourer (from military records). I have almost a full family history from this date. I have checked the microfiche for Market Wheaton for the dates around George's birth, but have not found any positive leads. My family believe that George came from Norway before joining the British Army and that the family name 'FORKGEN' derives from when he enlisted in Manchester 30/11/1828. I can trace all the FORKGEN's in Australia, America and the UK back to George FORKGEN
SCOTT, NUTTER
's
research is blocked by not having the death details of his 3 x great grandfather Henry
SCOTT. He was born outside Burnley so Peter really needs his age at death to have any
chance of tracking him down. He was married in Burnley in 1817 to Jane Nutter. From
the age of his last child and the fact he does not appear after 1837 in the death certificates,
he has to have died between 1832 and 1837. Peter would be grateful for any help with this
search.
MACRAE
's
great-grandfather, Lachlan MACRAE, died in the union Infirmary Burnley on 22.May.1912 and Martin
has the copy of his death entry. Family tradition has it that he left a small amount to
his son, Martin's grandfather John Martin HALLIGAN in his will and Martin is trying to find out
where he should look for this document. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
A search has been undertaken of The Calendar of Grants for Wills and Probate and no trace of a will or grant of probate was shown for Lachlan MACRAE - Editor
THE MEETING AT HEIRS HOUSE, COLNE .. UNIDENTIFIED COLNE DIGNITARIES
(membership no 7264)
 |
| Pat is trying to identify the men shown in this photograph taken at Heirs House, Colne. Her grandfather William Henry COX is second from left with a walking cane, but who are the others? Any help will be greatly appreciated |
The following five queries have been received from Jean, our Chairman.
Any replies to these should be addressed to Jean Ingham, 3 Rutland Street, Colne BB8 0QJ
DENT
Jacmel DENT is researching the DENT family of Burnley and in particular, John
DENT, 1778-1827, who was the Publican of The Boot Inn in Burnley
DUGDALE, DIXON
Alison NEWBY is looking for the baptism of Joshua DUGDALE c.1805.
Joshua married Sarah DIXON at St.Bartholomew's Colne in 1833. (Already checked
St.Bartholomew's, Winewall Inghamites, Wesleyan Chapel, Church Street, Colne and
Trawden Wesleyan Chapel - but no success).
PHILLIPS
David PHILLIPS is interested in finding what happened to George Charles
PHILLIPS "Secretary and Collector" Burnley Victoria Hospital who disappeared without
trace circa November 1905 leaving his wife and family
EDMONDSON, BROOKING
Jennifer INGLIS great grandparents, William and Sarah EDMONDSON were buried
in St.John's, Great Marsden in 1909. Jennifer's father emigrated to Australia in 1917-8 on
the "Ionic" Her grandfather, Rennie EDMONDSON worked at Thomas's? Mill and
her grandmother at Lomeshaye Mill. She is also looking for a family named BROOKING.
Both families lived in the Lomeshaye area of Nelson. Are you a relative of Jennifer?
SPEAK, HARTLEY, TAYLOR, BLACKBURN, HARGREAVES
Dan Stanworth Greenwood from South Wales would be very glad to hear whether
any members can throw light on the following three matters:
i) William SPEAK (1842-1880), his wife Jane (1834-1912), and their daughter Ruth (WATERWORTH)(1870-1930), all local residents, are buried in St.John's churchyard, Great Marsden together with one Allan TAYLOR of Glen House, Carleton, Yorkshire, who died age 7 months in 1915. Does anyone know who Allan TAYLOR was, and why he should be buried in the Speak family vault?
ii) Jane SPEAK was "quite a girl." She was born Jane HARTLEY on 6.Jan.1834 at Foulridge, but by 1841 she lived with her farmer father, mother, and brothers at Southfield Fold, Great Marsden. She had three daughters, Margaret HARTLEY (1857-1925), Emma HARTLEY (b.1861), and Sarah HARTLEY (b.1864) - no father's name was registered for any of them. In 1867, Jane married bachelor William SPEAK, 8 years her junior and they had a son James (b.1869) as well as daughter Ruth. Jane was widowed in 1880, but lived a further 32 years in the Southfield area "of independent means" - the source of which is unclear.
When Jane's first and third daughters Margaret HARTLEY and Sarah HARTLEY were married in 1884 and 1895 respectively, their father was identified, as John BLACKBURN. The most likely candidate is John BLACKBURN born about 1834 at Stoney Raikes, a farm hamlet in Briercliffe, a few miles south of Southfield. He was working on the farm attached to Southfield House (near Southfield Fold) in 1861. Does anyone know more about him - his roots, his fate - has he other descendants?
iii) Jane's middle daughter Emma married bachelor Robert HARGREAVES in 1879, when she was 17 (no father named on the marriage certificate). According to the census they had a 5 year old son Fred by 1881. The 1891 census, however, shows them with a different son Fred, born 1889. The inference is that the first Fred died between 1881 and 1889, but no Fred HARGREAVES deaths of matching age are recorded locally. There are, however, two possible matches for a Fred HARGREAVES 5 MONTHS old in 1881, if the 1881 census enumerator was in a bit of a hurry. Is anyone else researching Emma and her full and/or half siblings and descendants?
Items for publication should be sent by email to the
or
by post to the Editor, c/o 49 Stone Edge Road, Barrowford, Nelson,
Lancashire BB9 6BB
© 2010 Pendle and Burnley Branch of LFHHS