Finding Florence - Thankful Thursday



Florence Adelaide, with her father
John Thomas Mason.  c.1905 .

Florence Adelaine Mason was my grandfather's cousin on his mother's side and I have to thank my newly found American third cousin, Bonny (Florence's granddaughter) who discovered my blog and made contact with the photographs featured here.

Florence was the youngest of 11 children of John Mason and Alice Rawcliffe - my great grandmother's sister. 

Alice from Hambleton, near Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire  married,  at the age of 19,  John Mason and between 1874 and 1886,  they had six English-born children - Robert William, Jane Elizabeth, John Thomas, James Richard, Margaret Alice and George Rawcliffe - all family names. 

It was only a casual browsing on www.familysearch.org that revealed that Alice had died in Jamesburg, Middlesex County, New Jersey.  I was delighted to find this unknown American  connection and began a new challenge to find out more  using www.Ancesstry.com
 
The New York Passenger Lists online  revealed that John Mason had sailed from Liverpool to Brooklyn, New York, in 1886 followed by Alice, a year later travelling with 6 children aged 1-13 and two pieces of luggage.  What on earth was life like for them all  on the voyage?   If only I could discover why they took this step of adventure from a small Lancashire community to the teeming streets of New York!

Between 1888 and 1898, Alice had a further five children, born in the USA - Arthur Valentine (born appropriately 14th February), Harold Arthur Victor, Lillian Eveline, Bessie Irene and the youngest Florence Adelaine. Sadly Arthur, Bessie and Lillian all died in infancy.  At some point after 1898,  the family moved from Brooklyn, New York, across the river to Jamesburg, Middlesex County, New Jersey.

 

So Florence. born 1898  was the youngest of a large family of eight surviving children (three girls and five boys) , with her eldest sister Jane Elizabeth 23 years older.   Above is the earliest photograph of her with her father.  She looks to be about 7 years old, so taken c. 1905 -  and what a magnificent hat for a wee girl - and her skirts look surprisingly short for the period.

The photograph (right)   was the only one of the family, that I had inherited from my great aunt Jennie's collection but unfortunately it was not identifed. By a process of elimination I suspected it was Alice and family but I had to wait 10 years of message board pleas for my patience to be rewarded and have this confirmed by Bonniy who had found my blog. Florence was the young girl in the middle of the group, with her parents, eldest sister Jane Elizabeth, who remained unmarried, and her youngest brother Harold Arthur Victor. Bonny had this very same photograph, but it was mounted with the vital clue that it was taken in Brooklyn, New York. I guess c. 1912.

 

I was delighted to get this larger family group photograph (below)  from Bonny, showing all eight children of Alice and James Mason, with Florence in the dark dress sitting at the front. Alice died in 1930 and James 7 years later, both buried in Fernwood Cemetery, Jamesburg. 

Top - Robert, Jenny (Jane Elizabeth), Mother Alice, Father John, Harry

Bottom - Thomas (John Thomas), Alice (Margaret Alice), Florence, George and James

 



 

 

 

Florence married Charles Urstadt - the information online varies between 1918 and 1921.  She is wearing  such a distinctive  headdress in this  photograph,that I wondered if it had any links to Charles German background. And what huge bouquets!

 

Below - the home in Jamesburg where Florence and Charles lived all their married life and raised their six children - Ruth Alice, Charles Melrford. Beulah. William John Henry, Donald Wesley and Curtis Rawcliffe.   Charles senior  lived there until his death at  the age 99.

Below a happy photograph of Florence surrounded by her grandchildren. 

 

Florence died in 1965 aged 67. 

 

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Thankful Thursday is one of many blog prompts from www.geneabloggers.com to encourage bloggers to record their family history.