Profiles
of Mothers in my family history have featured prominently on my blog,
including in the "52 Ancestors" series. Here I pay a photographic
tribute to five generations of mothers in my immediate family.
My Great Grandmother Maria Danson, nee Rawcliffe (1859-1919).
Maria
Rawcliffe was the seventh of eight daughters (five surviving infancy)
and her mother died when Maria was six years old. Not surprisingly her
father went on to marry again and Maria became part of an extended
family that included four half sibings and three step siblings. Maria
married my grandfather at the age of 18, and they had ten sons (two died
in infancy) and finally an only daughter. Two sons lost their lives in
the First World War. So Maria's life provided a great source for my family history stories.
Widowed Maria with her granddaughter Annie Maria, c.1916
My Grandmother Alice Danson, nee English,(1884-1945)
Alice's
early life remains a mystery and is my major ancestral brick wall, for,
in over twnety years of researchh, I have been unable to trace a birth certificate for her and
so find out the name of her mother. The suspicion is she could have
been illegitimate and that the father's name given on her marriage
certificate was a false one for the sake of respectability. The 1911
census gave her birthplace as Bolton, Lancashire and I was always told
we shared the same birthday - September 23rd - and this was confirmed by
the 1939 Register. Alice died when I was a baby, so I never knew her
and her children seemed reluctant to answer any of my questions on her life before she met my grandfather.
Alice with her four children, Edith, Kathleen (my mother), Harry and baby Billy.
Taken 1916 when William was due to go to war. .
My Mother - Kathleen Weston nee Danson (1908-1999)
My
mother was apprenticed as a tailoress at the age of 14, and I often
think of her motto as "Happiness is Stitching". She was a very talented
lady in all kinds of crafts and created a home-based dressmaking business. She was still making her own clothes and a
patchwork quilt in her 80's. She was also a "joiner" - as
we moved around with my father's work, and she gave me a lesson in joining
in local activities, making friends and creating an interesting life for
herself.
Myself - with My Daughter
My Daughter with Her Daughter
FIVE GENERATIONS OF MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY
************
I like that your mother was a joiner, a great attitude.
ReplyDeleteHas DNA helped you to make any progress with Alice? I think of it as another document, not necessarily that easy to read but it does contain answers.