Week 8 - Heirloom

Week 7 - Valentines

Week 7....

.........never happened! I could not come up with anyone to write about with the subject "Valentines".... our family is not what I would describe as romantic...no one even was born or married on valentines day!

Week 6 - Favourite Name

Favourite name has to be Caroline Lowther, my paternal Great Grandmother.

My eldest brother John and his wife had their second child, a daughter 40 years ago in 1978, they named her Caroline Lydia Sanderson. My dad, George Sanderson, was a "proper" northern working man who we all recall saying….."Caroline, why on earth Caroline, where has that name come from?"….  He appeared to have not thought much of the name.

Dad was the son of George Lowther Sanderson and his wife Lilian (nee Rowell).

Dad died in 1988. It was not long after this when my sister in law, Linda, started on the family history trail. Linda had ordered my Grandads (George Lowther Sanderson) birth certificate....What an interesting read that was!

 

Georges father was Thomas Sanderson and his mother was Caroline Lowther. So my dads grandmother was called Caroline! And he clearly never knew and unfortunately was not around to learn of this.

To this day, my niece still finds it a litle spooky when viewing her Great Great grandmothers, Caroline Sanderson's, (married name) death certificate, when she herself was named Caroline Sanderson.

So who was Caroline Sanderson (nee Lowther) ?

Caroline was born 1 April 1867, daughter of George Lowther and Jessie (nee Downie) in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire.

In 1871 at the age of 4 she was still living in Kirkbymoorside at Piercy End Street  with her parents and 2 older siblings, George(10) and Emily (5).

In 1881, at the age of 14, she was a domestic servant for the Muzeen family in Riccal Moor, Harome.  Mr Barugh Muzeen was a farmer of 170 acres, living with his wife and 5 children.

Sometime  between 1881 and 1886 Caroline had met her future husband Thomas Sanderson (who was also from Kirkbymoorside).  They married on 30 Mar 1866 at the Bethel  Chapel  in Kirkbymoorside. 

(for info on the Bethel religion, see www.kirkbymoorside.ryedalemethodist.org.uk/history2012.pdf).

On the marriage certificate Thomas made his mark "X" however Caroline did sign her name.

Between their marriage and the 1891 census they had moved to Middlesbrough, which was still in the county of North Yorkshire at that time.  In 1891 they were living a 42 Carter St, with their daughters Annie (2) and Florence (1m).

Caroline and Thomas had a total of 8 children.

In 1901 they were living at 13 Disraeli St, Middlesbrough with 5 children, Annie M (13), Thomas G (8), Eliza M (6), John W (4) George L (1).

 

Going back to my niece , Caroline, when she married she had 2 children one of them being named Eliza.

In 1911 Thomas and Caroline were living at 19 Fancoat St, Middlesbrough, with 6 children: Annie May (22), Thomas George (18), Eliza Maud (16), John William (14), George Lowther (11), Mary Ann Downie (4) and 1 grandson John Henry Dixon (4m)

The 1911 census tells us that Thomas and Caroline had 8 children born alive, with 6 children still living (2 children having died).  We know that Florence died within her first year and that they also had a son in 1901, Arthur Downie, who died not long after birth.

Caroline died before Thomas on the 4th April 1929, my dad would have been aged 3 at the time, so is not surprising that he did not recall or even know that his granny was called "Caroline".

Caroline's death certificate states the cause of death was Asthenia & Jaundice and probably Carcinoma of Head of Pancreas. She was aged 62 years and residing at 23 Samuelson St, Middlesbrough. Her husband survived her by 13 months.

Both are buried in Linthorpe Cemetery in Middlesbrough.

Week 5 - Census

Due to my weeks hol in Lincolnshire -- I missed this weeks publication. I am going to come back to this weeks topic at a later date.

Week 4 - Invite to Tea

Week 4 - Who would I invite for tea?

 

Whilst I would like to invite all my ancestors for tea and have a jolly old get together, I have to select Rachel Noyce, my Great Great Grandmother . I would like to chat to her to find out why she left her family and birth place of London and travel north in the 1850s, how did she travel and where did the journey take her?

Rachel was born in Marylebone in 1839, the daughter of William and Mary Ann (nee Boyington).  She was one of 12 children born to William and Mary Ann between 1823-1847.  I have been unable to locate any of the family in the 1841 census, so where they were living is a mystery.

William (Rachel's father) was born in Hampshire, Mary Ann (mother) was born in Middlesex, as were all of Rachels siblings, from Marylebone to Paddington areas.

In 1851 Rachel was living 10 Crafter Terrace, Latymer Road, Shepherds Bush Village, Hammersmith with her parents and 5 siblings
Transcript 1851 census 

• William 51 Hampshire, a labourer
• Mary Ann 47 Marylebone
• John 20 Marylebone
• Charles 18 Vintry Ward City
• William 13 Paddington
• Rachel 10 Marylebone
• James 8 Paddinton
• George 5 Paddington

Her elder brother  Charles emigrated to USA in 1853 with William following in 1862 

Between 1851 and 1864 I have no idea where Rachel was living or where she was employed.

The next time we hear of her is in December 1864 when she was married to Thomas Robinson, a blacksmith in North Yorkshire. The marriage took place in Terrington and the marriage certificate states that Rachels residence at the time was Terrington, where as Thomas' residence was Eston.
Rachels first marriage did not last long due to the death of Thomas in 1866.
Rachel married her second husband in 1867, in Eston (where Thomas' residence had been, so I suspect is the pace that Rachel and Thomas had lived after their marriage).

Her second husband was James Caygill Briggs, my great great grandfather who  was a miner.

In the 1871 census Rachel and James have 3 children:

Elizabeth 5, Edward 2 & Mary Ann 1 (My Great Grandmother). The age of Elizabeth does raise the question as to whether she was the daughter of Thomas or James. (I should consider ordering her birth certificate to see what was officially recorded). 

They were living in Lealholmside, Glaisdale. Elizabeth and Edward were both born in Eston, however Mary Ann was born in Glaisdale (according to the 1871 and later censuses) though, to date, we have never been able to locate Marys birth registration / certificate.

In 1881 the Rachel and James were living in Yearby, Kirkleatham with 4 of their children.

The following year in 1882 Rachels second husband died.  James died after 21 days of Rheumatic Fever on 16 Feb at the age of 38.
Rachel was now alone again with 4 children aged between 7 and 14.

In Sept 1886, Rachel married her third husband, Thomas Harrison.
In 1891 Rachel and Thomas were residing in a cottage in Yearby, though there were no children living with them. Thomas was 20 years older than Rachel.
Thomas Harrison died in 1900, leaving Rachel to have outlived her 3 husbands.
In 1901 Rachel was working as a Laundress and still living in Yearby (washer - own account - at home)
In 1911 Rachel was living alone, still in Yearby with "no occupation" stated. 
Rachel lived to the age of 85, and died in the last quarter of 1924 in Stockton on Tees.

I would love to sit down with Rachel, over a cup of tea and hear her life story. I suspect it was a hard and sad one, but Rachel's character must have been strong and determined.