Cross Keys Inn, Whitechapel, Lancashire

Well I thought I would just update my blog with what I did on my day off this week. After receiving Annie Gibson's wedding certificate I was surprised that it had said Thomas Allan Gibson, her father, was an Innkeeper. I decided to send off for Thomas Allan's death certificate, as I knew this was a couple of years before Annie had married.

Anyway the certificate arrived and he died on 24 Dec 1909 and it states he was an Innkeeper and Farmer and lived at Cross Keys Inn, Goosnargh. Annie's marriage certificate had said it was in Whitechapel, which is very close to Goosnargh. So I think I can safely say I had found my great, great grandfather's death.

So yesterday we, myself and my uncle Alan, decided to go and look for the Cross Keys Inn. I got out my trusty sat nav, I don't know how I ever got anywhere without it, we set off to Whitechapel and decided while we were there we would look for the local church to see if there were any graves of interest to us.

Above you can see the picture I took of what is left of the Cross Keys Inn, it is not open anymore which is a shame, and there is no farm there now either.

The church turned out to be directly across the road, which was handy. We easily found Thomas Allan's grave and he was buried with his wife Alice and two of their children, who I hadn't been aware of as they had only lived a short while. Both called Amy, one died at 1 year and the other only 7 months, poor little girls.

We also found Annie's grave with her husband William Procter, so that was an added bonus.

So a good afternoon's work all in, more dates and pictures for my family tree and two little girls death certificates to find now.

Annie Gibson

After finding this newspaper clipping in the photographs that my uncle had I decided I would do some research on Annie Gibson, my great grandfathers sister, who married William Procter.

This clipping is from their golden wedding and I believe the picture below, if you look closely you can see they are wearing the same outfits, is taken on the same day and is a picture of their whole family. We haven't worked out who any of the other people are yet though.

So I decided to send off for their marriage certificate, they were married on 28 June 1911 at Whitechapel Parish Church in Whitechapel, Preston. He is noted as living at Barnes Lane, Whitechapel, Preston and is a Farm Labourer and his father was James Procter and he was a Farmer.

Annie is noted as living at Cross Keys Inn, Whitechapel, Preston and her father, as I already knew was Thomas Allan Gibson. But something I didn't know is that he was noted as being an Innkeeper, this is a complete surprise as we always thought he was a Farmer throughout his life. He is deceased by this time as I believe he died in 1909, so now I have sent off for his death certificate to see where he was residing at the time of death and what his occupation was.

Gibson family photos

I went to visit my Uncle Alan and his partner Mavis yesterday, which was a lovely day. Alan had managed to borrow some old family photographs from his adopted sister Kathy. So we spent the afternoon scanning about 150 of the photos, with my new scanner might I add, and I will now post some of the pictures.

Here is a small selection of my favourite ones so far

The one above is Allan Gibson (better know as Uncle Pip) born circa 1887, he is the brother to my great grandfather John Gibson.






This is Allan Hodgson, my grandmother's cousin

Doesn't he look glamorous.

Celebration of Family History - Chorley

I went to the Celebration of Family History at Astley Hall at Chorley today, which was very interesting.

They have some really useful stalls there, including Preston Records Office so I asked the gentleman behind the stall about the Workhouse records, if you have read my previous posts you will already know about my hunt for further information on William Moon.

Anyway the man said that if it was Burnley Workhouse I had been interested in they would have been able to provide me with lots as they have all the records but they hardly have any for Preston, which is just sod's law isn't it. They only really have information on the workhouse itself no family records.

I also had a nice chat to a lady called Margaret Purcell who was from the Irish group of the LFHHS who gave me some really useful tips, and a list of good books, to help me get further on my Irish side of the family.

So watch this space I intend to do some more research on my Irish roots by the end of this year.

All in all it was a nice afternoon. Astley Hall is a lovely building and the staff were wandering around in Elizabethan costumes, which does add a nice touch.

http://www.ukattraction.com/north-west-england/astley-hall.htm

Am going to visit my uncle tomorrow to look at some family photos, taking my new scanner with me so hopefully will be able to scan them whilst I am there, see I knew the portable scanner would come in useful.

New scanner, very excited

My old scanner hasn't worked for months now and I have been copying certificates by photographing them, which just isn't as good as using a scanner, scanners are so nice and smooth and give nice clear copies. So I ordered a new one and its a little portable one, so in theory I can carry around with my laptop, which I probably won't do but I could if I wanted to.

Anyway as well as the scanner arriving today the will of Thomas Brown also arrived, he died on the 7 Feb 1889 and his will was drawn up on 14 April 1884, I have attached a copy.

It is really interesting as it confirms that daughter Isabella did marry Robert Park, Martha did marry James Batty and I presume the "son in law William Hayston of Borwick" is the William Haston husband of Margaret Agnes, who I believed died the year before Thomas drew up his will. Isn't it a good feeling when you receive a document that gives you so much information. There is a line on it that isn't very clear, it does mention daughter Ann and gives her married surname but because its been added in its difficult to read. If anybody has any ideas on what it says please let me know.

Right well I will go back to my scanning.

Martha Brown

I have received the marriage certificate of Martha Brown and James Batty, Martha is the half-sister of Ellen Wilson.

Marriage details
25 Dec 1869 Register Office, Sedbergh
James Batty (31yrs) bachelor - Husbandman - Marthwaite, Sedbergh - father Thomas Batty (Farmer)
Martha Brown (24 yrs) spinster - Marthwaite, Sedbergh - father Thomas Brown (farmer)
witnesses John Askew and Elizabeth Askew

Looking at the census returns 1871 onwards I find them in 1871 living at Beckside, Sedbergh, Yorkshire and Thomas Allan Gibson (who is Ellen Wilson's son) is living with them and working on their farm, noted as being a servant. Wish they had put him down as a nephew I would have found Martha much sooner, but our ancestors don't make things easy do they?

So I am doing well with the Brown children's marriages now, only a couple more to find, and one of them I think may not have got married and died in between 1841 and 1851.

I now have found lots of Batty children, 7 in fact, John (1875) Lucy (1877) Jesse (1879) Bessie (1880) Maggie (1883) Willie (1885) Tom (1887). James and Martha seemed to move around alot as well 1871 in Sedbergh, Yorkshire, 1881 still in Sedbergy, 1891 Diddlesbury, Shropshire and 1901 Ludlow, Herefordshire

Kirby Lonsdale

After visiting the records office I decided to go to Kirby Lonsdale on my way home to see if I could find any of my ancestors in the graveyard at St Mary's. I had realised whilst I was in the records office that I had forgotten my camera, I am not blonde for nothing you know. But it was a beautiful day so thought I would go anyway to find it for future reference.

I am really glad I did as it was a beautiful day and at St Marys Church you can see "Ruskin's View" which I believe John Ruskin said was "one of the loveliest views in England" after seeing Turners painting of the scene.

http://www.thecumbriadirectory.com/People/John_Ruskin/John_Ruskin.php

I did have my mobile with me so I did take a picture of the church itself and a few of the view, will post them shortly.

Here are the pictures I took with my mobile



Anyway with not having the camera I decided not to wade through the long grass to find the graves I was looking for and will save that till next time I go.

The only other thing I want to say about Kirby Lonsdale is that it is a beautiful, peaceful little place and I am so proud my relatives lived in such a beautiful place and I will definitely be spending more time there.