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.