Sepia Saturday's November theme is "New Arrivals" and I am looking at "new arrivals" in my family tree - this time my newly discovered great grandmother Alice Ann English, her four sisters, Mary, Elizabeth, Isabella and Harriet, and my great great grandparents Charles English and Mary Harrocks. This is Alice Ann's research story.
My last post here told the story of my newly discovered grandmother Alice English (below) who had been my major brick wall for many years until I traced recently her birth and the name of her mother - Alice Ann English.
So who was my great grandmother Alice Ann?
My starting Point - Alice
Ann was admitted to Liverpool Board of Guardians Workhouse on 11th September 1883, with the information that she was a single woman aged 30, pregnant and born in Beverly,Yorkshire in 1851. She gave birth in the Workhouse to my grandmother Alice on 23rd September 1883.
It proved quite easy to trace Alice Ann's life through census returns and BMD records - the most noticeable feature the fact that she was never traced living with her daughter.
Alice Ann was the daughter of Charles English, and Mary Harrocks who married in 1851. But the censuses listed two daughters born before that date, Mary in 1844 and Elizabeth in 1848. This prompted me to look for an earlier marriage for Charles. His first wife was Elizabeth Barker and they married in 1842, but sadly Elizabeth died only six years later, aged just 23, shortly after the birth of their second daughter.
Charles and his second wife had a further three daughters – Alice Ann in September 1851, Isabella Caroline in 1854 and Harriet Elizabeth in 1858.
In 1861 9 year old year old Alice Ann was living with her family in the town of Barnard Castle, County Durham, with father Charles a platelayer with a railway company.
Ten years on in 1871 saw the family at 6 Sutton Bank Railway Cottages, near Hull, Yorkshire. Alice Ann aged 19 was working as a milliner - an occupation she does not appear to have followed in later life.
But the 1870s saw three tragedies in the family. Alice Ann's mother Mary died in 1872, her father Charles three years later in 1875, and her youngest sister Harriet died in 1879 aged only 12.
By the time of the 1881 census, Alice Ann now aged 29 had made a major move away from home and was living with her sister Isabella and her husband Thomas Horrocks at 22 Dickson Street, Liverpool - her occupation a domestic servant.
Two years later in the 13th September 1883, Alice Ann of 25 Sun Street, Liverpool admitted herself to the Liverpool Board of Guardians Workhouse. On the 23rd September she gave birth to her daughter Alice (my grandmother). Interestingly on the birth certificate which I obtained from the General Register Office, (GRO), Alice Ann could only make her mark in registering the birth.
Mother and baby were discharged from the Workhouse 29th December 1883 but who to and where to remains a mystery.
However on 11th September 1890, the Workhouse records, (available on findmypast.co.uk) noted that 7 year old Alice was readmitted to the workhouse along with an 8 month old baby May English, and discharged the next day to Kent Street. But there was a worrying statement that the informant on their admission was "The Police Book" - what did that mean? Liverpool Archives was unable to help on this point. Then on the 18th September their mother Alice Ann was readmitted, but discharged the next day to a different address at Alma Sreet.
So many unanswered questions on this period in Alice Ann's life! Could I assume that baby May was her second illegitimate child? Could the baby's name perhaps be Mary - the
name of Alice Ann's mother and eldest sister? So far I have been
unable to trace May's birth.
I tried to find out more about the streets, named in the Workhouse records relating to Alice Ann. They all seemed to be in the dockland area of LIverpool, near to the Royal Albert Dock. Might there be directories that could help - I must follow this up.
By the time of the 1891 census, Alice Ann, had moved away from Liverpool. She was aged 39 and still single, and was working
as General Servant – Domestic at The Eden Orphanage. Higher End, Sharples,
Bolton, Lancashire which provided care and support to Bolton's destitute orphans. But where were her daughters? - I have been unable to trace Alice or May. in 1891.
![[gothic style red brick building]](https://www.bolton.org.uk/edengh.gif) | |||||||||||
| https://www.bolton.org.uk/edenhome.html |
1901 - Alice Ann was still working at the orphanage, now as a cook. Her daughter is thought to be the 17 year old Alice English working as a living in domestic servant in Stockport.
By 1904 daughter Alice was in Poulton le Fylde, Lancashire. I was always told she had come to Poulton as a maid to the Potts family who were found to have Bolton connections.
Three years later, daughter Alice married my grandfather William Danson at St. Chad's Church, Poulton. Did her mother Alice Ann and other members of her English family know about this event? We shall never know. My mother never gave any indication of any knowledge of her mother's relations. The witnesses of the wedding were a local married couple, thought to be Danson family friends.
St. Chad's Church, Poulton-le-Fylde, known for its carpet of crocuses in the Spring and where Dansons were
Photograph taken by my uncle - Harry Rawcliffe Danson
Daughter Alice for the 1911 census gave her birthplace as Bolton - so did that indicate a link in the town with her mother? It could also be to erase the fact she was born in at a Workhouse - often regarded as a stigma. Bolton was also cited as her birthplace in the 1921 census,
Alice Ann died in October, buried 11th October in Tonge Cemetery, Bolton aged 65, with her last address 12 Beverley Road, the home of her sister Mary.
1916 was also the year her daughter saw her husband conscripted to fight in the First World War.
William and Alice in 1916
My grandmother Alice with her daughters Edith and my mother Kathleen, young Harry and baby Billy. A son George did not survive infancy, and daughter Peggy was born after the First World War to complete the family. Did Alice Ann ever know about her grandchildren?
It was gratifying to trace my great grandmother's life and discover the names of my great great grandparents Charles English and Mary Harrocks, and my great great aunts, Mary, Elizabeth, isabella and Harriet. Even better I found that I had DNA matches with three descendants of Isabella; contacted them and they all replied quickly, but could not give me any more information on my great grandmother, Alice Ann.
Family history never comes to an end - and so the search continues for the early life of my grandmother Alice and that of her mother Alice Ann. It is stories like this that make family history so fascinating a hobby!
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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity to share
their family history and memories through photographs.
This post was written in response to Sepia Saturday's prompt of "New Arrivals".
This was wonderful fun to follow! You managed to uncover so much, and I hope, as you say, family history never really ends so you may have a chance to learn more yet! :)
ReplyDeleteI love the way you phrase questions as you go along in your research. I am reminded how I just give facts in a dry narrative, so have learned something unexpected today...thanks! Yes putting your own thoughts into showing what was available in records does help!
ReplyDeleteWell Done! This was a fascinating story to read, both for your grandmother Alice's story and your detective research, too. I was struck by the many societal obstacles that Ann must have faced in her time. Domestic workers had little freedom and I imagine many women were forced to give up their children in order to keep their jobs. I also notice how close family relationships of siblings was so important whenever a brother or sister needed help. It must have put a great strain on many overlapping families caring for each other. It seems that childhood in earlier times was very brief when children were expected to begin work at age 16.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your thoughtful comments . It is some time since I posted a family history research tale and I was concerned it could be a challenge to make it interesting. So your reactions are much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteYet again, I forgot to sign in with my name for the above comment.
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