Grandmother Maria and litle orphaned Annie: 52 Ancestors - Wk.19.

"Nuture" is the theme of this week's "52 Ancestors" prompt and I am profiling my great grandmother Maria Danson, nee Rawcliffe  and her orphaned granddaughter Annie Maria Danson. 

Maria and her husband James had eight (surviving)  sons, with her only daughter and last child Jennie born in 1897, joining her brothers,  George then aged 3, Frank 5, Albert 7, Tom 9, William 12, Robert 16, John 18 and Harry 20 – quite a household in what looked like  a cramped terraced house.

On 28th November  1904,  second son John was the first to marry - his  wife Sarah Haydon Lounds from Lincolnshire.  Their daughter Annie was born in 1905, but sadly Sarah died a year later from tuberculosis.

The infant Annie was immediately taken in by her grandmother  and made her home there with her grandparents, aunt Jennie (only eight years her senior),  and her many uncles. 

Her grandfather James Danson died in 1906.

By the time of the 1911 census, both Annie and her father John were living with his mother, with John's occupation now described as a steward in the mens' working club.

Maria, Annie and Jennie 

The First World War broke out in August 1914 with five Danson brothers serving over the course of the conflict.  

In this photograph of Annie with her grandmother. Annie looks about 11-12 years old , and I suspect it was taken about the time John was called up into the army.  We tend to think of First World War soldiers as being young men in the 20's,  but John was 38 years old,  with happiness on the horizon. For  he was engaged to be married to Dorothy Chisholm.

John and Dorothy

Yet tragedy was to strike again.  For in 1917 John committed suicide in army training camp, without ever serving abroad, leaving his only child, Annie, now an orphan.   We shall never know why - were the rigours of the army training and what he knew he could be facing in the trenches too much to bear?  

For his mother Maria, she had already seen the death of her daughter-in-law, John's wife in 1905;  the death of her husband James in 1906, followed a year later by the death of  her eldest son Harry at the young age of 30.  Then  in 1916 youngest son George, a stretcher bearer in the field  was killed on the Somme.  Now she faced mourning for another son who ended his life in tragic circumstances and supporting his young daughter.

Maria died in 1919 aged 60, buried in Moorland Cemetery, Poulton-le-Fylde, 

Through all her life, Maria demonstrated resilience, determination, stoicism  and commitment to her family - not least in providing a loving home and a supportive family network for her little granddaughter, Annon Annie

 Postscript:

• The Danson family kept in close  contact with John's fiancee after his death.  Dorothy, like many women of that era, never married.  She lived in a bed sit,  in a big house near the park in Blackpool and I remember as a child visiting her with my mother and aunt (Annie's cousins).
   
• On 4 October 1928  Annie  married Harry Ditchfield on 4 October 1928.  The local press report provided a colourful description of the wedding fashions of the day -  do take time to read it as it gives such a colourful and evocative description of the dresses.

“A member of an old Poulton family Miss Annie M.  Danson, daughter of the late Mr and Mrs J. Danson was married in the Parish Church, Poulton. 

The bride, who was given away by her uncle Mr R.. Danson, was gowned in delphinium blue georgette, the sleeveless bodice being plain, while the circular skirt was side slashed and bordered all round with deep silver lace.  Her hat was ruched georgette to tone and she wore silver shoes and hose to tone.  Her bouquet was of pale pink chrysanthemums.  

The bridesmaids were Miss Jennie Danson (aunt) and Miss J. Ditchfield (sister of the bridegroom).  Miss Danson wore pale shell pink georgette over silk, the picot edged skirt having shaded crystal motifs at intervals.  Her hat was of fine black felt with alternate shades of pink chiffon velvet on the drooping brim to tone with the gown.

Miss J. Ditchfield was in mauve taffeta, veiled with fine Brussels lace, with a hat of fine grey felt.  Both bridesmaids carried bouquets of russet chrysanthemums.

The reception was held at the home of the bride’s uncle, after which Mr and Mrs Ditchfield went to New Brighton for the honeymoon, the bride travelling in a dress of rose-rust silk, with ecru lace en relief, over which she wore a cost of dove grey, with fox fur trimming and hat of grey felt”.  

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