Amanuensis Monday - the will of William Pattison 1905

John Newmark, who writes the TransylvanianDutch blog, has a weekly theme each Monday called Amanuensis Monday to encourage the posting of transcriptions of documents to preserve and publish their contents.



William Pattison was my great-great grandfather. His will is primarily concerned with providing for his daughter Mary - I'm not sure exactly what her condition was, but in the census she was described as an imbecile and judging by the will she was not capable of living independently.

BE IT KNOWN that William Pattison of Longframlington in the County of Northumberland Colliery Manager who at the time of his death had a fixed place of abode at Longframlington aforesaid within the District of the County of Northumberland died on the 15th day of December 1905 at Longframlington aforesaid.


AND BE IT FURTHER KNOWN that at the date hereunder written the last Will and Testament of the said deceased was proved and registered in the District Probate Registry of His Majesty's High Court of Justice at Newcastle-upon-Tyne and that administration of all the estate which by law devolves to and vests in the personal representatives of the said deceased was granted by the aforesaid Court to William Henry Coulthard of Blue Row Seghill in the said County, Miner, and Samuel Coulthard of Barrass Row, Seghill aforesaid, Miner, the Executors named in the Will.


Dated the 23rd day of January 1906.


Gross value of estate £1405 - 1 - 10
Net value of estate £1116 - 14 - 10


Extracted by Mather & Dickinson Solrs Newcastle-upon-Tyne




1. This is the last Will and Testament of me William Pattison of Longframlington in the County of Northumberland, Manager, made this twenty third day of September one thousand nine hunderd and five.


2. I appoint my friends William Henry Coulthard and Samuel Coulthard both of Seghill in the County of Northumberland Miners (who or the survivors of whom or other the Trustees or Trustee for the time being of this my Will are hereinafter referred to as "my Trustees") to be the Executors and Trustees of this my Will.


3. I give the following legacies free of duty namely: To my daughter Hannah Straughan the sum of One hundred pounds. To my daughter Martha Ann Lamb the sum of One hundred pounds. To my granddaughter Jane Ann Straughan the sum of Twenty pounds.


4. Whereas I intend to purchase a house at Longframlington for my own residence Now I hereby devise any such house unto my Trustees upon trust for to permit my said granddaughter Jane Ann Straughan and my daughter Mary Elizabeth Pattison to have the use and occupation thereof for their joint lives and for the life of the survivor of them it being my wish that my said daughter and granddaughter shall reside together if possible but if from any reason the said Mary Elizabeth Pattison shall cease to reside in the said house then I direct my Trustees in their sole discretion either to allow my said granddaughter to reside there if she shall so desire or to let the said premises and apply all or such part of the rent as they shall think fit in providing a residence for my said daughter and subject thereto upon trust for my said granddaughter for her life and from and after the death of the survivor of them my said daughter and granddaughter I direct my Trustees to sell the said house and to divide the net proceeds thereof among the children of the said Jane Ann Straughan who shall be living at her decease and in default of there being any such children I direct that the proceeds of such sale shall fall into the residue of my estate. And I declare that if I shall die before purchasing any such house my Trustees shall spend such a sum as they shall think fit (but not exceeding Three hundred pounds) on the purchase of a house to be held by them upon the trusts contained in this Will.


5. I devise and bequeath all my real and personal estate not hereby otherwise disposed of unto my trustees upon trust to sell call in and convert into money the same of such part thereof as shall not consist of money and shall out of the moneys produced by such sale calling in and conversion and out of my ready money pay my funeral and testamentary expenses and debts and the legaices bequeathed by my will or any codicil thereto and the duties thereon and shall invest the residue of the said moneys with power from time to time to vary such investments. And shall stand possessed of the residue of the said moneys and the investments for the time being representing the same (hereinafter called "the residuary trust fund") upon trust out of the income arising therefrom to pay such sum as my Trustees shall think fit (but not exceeding seven shillings and six pence per week) for the maintenance of my said daughter Mary Elizabeth Pattison during her life and if such income shall be insufficient for the payment of such weekly sum I declare that my Trustees at their discretion use the capital of the residuary trust fund for the purpose of making up such weekly sum. And from and after the decease of my said daughter Mary Elizabeth Pattison to stand possessed of the residuary trust fund upon trust for my said daughters Martha Ann Lamb and Hannah Straughan in equal shares. I declare that my Trustees may postpone the sale and conversion of any part of my property (including leaseholds or other property of a terminable or wearing out nature) for so long as they think fit and I direct that the rents profits and income to accrue after my death from such part of my estate as shall for the time being remain unsold and unconverted shall after payment thereout of all incidental expenses and outgoings and howsoever invested be paid and applied in the manner in which the income of the proceeds of such sale and conversion would for the time being be payable or applicable under my will if such sale and conversion had been actually made. In additipon to investments authorised by law I empower my Trustees at their absolute discretion to invest any part of the residuary trust fund in or upon the preference or deposit shares of any duly incorporated Building Society at Newcastle upon Tyne without being answerable for any loss which may arise therefrom.


In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand the day and year first hereinbefore written.


William Pattison


Signed by the said Testator William Pattison as and for his last Will and Testament in the presence of us present at the same time who at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other do hereunto subscribe our names as witnesses.


John Steel - Cardman - Framlington
Henry Clark - Seghill - Miner - Northumberland


On the 23rd day of January 1906 probate of this Will was granted at Newcastle upon Tyne to William Henry Coulthard and Samuel Couthard, the Executors.

On this day ... 31 January

1872 Richard Vaughan Ingram married Harriet Hughes at St Garmon's Church, St Harmon, Radnorshire, Wales. Harriet was the daughter of Thomas Hughes and Ann  Morgan.

1875 William Hudson died in Sunderland. He was 68 years old, and the son of Richard Hudson and Patience Todner.

1931 Frances Martha Jane (Pugh) Pryce died at 36 years old. She was the daughter of Henry Pugh and Elizabeth Charlotte Hamer, and the wife of Robert Ernest Pryce.

Barrington Registers and confirmation of Mary Hudson's birthplace

There are so many indexes available online that it's easy to get lazy and not follow up by confirming the information in the original records. However, it's important to get out to Libraries and Record Offices to get the full picture. Mary Hudson is a great example of why....

Early on in my research I identified a 4xGreat grandfather, Lancelot Hudson who had four sons. I've spent a lot of time tracing the descendants of all four sons, and thought I'd identified all their children, spending a lot of time in my local library confirming index entries against the original parish registers. The Library's resources include the magnificent "Corder Manuscripts". Corder was a Sunderland man who spent much of the early part of the twentieth century tracing the ancestry of all the main families in Sunderland. The Library has a photocopy of his handwritten work, bound into twenty five 2 inch thick books. I'd looked at these before, but a year or so ago, I looked again, and specifically looked at Thomas Hudson, the oldest son of Lancelot, who was born in 1765.

I had already identified thirteen children from Thomas's marriage to Mary Todner and, thinking that was more than enough, didn't notice the gap between the first two children, or think I might have missed any. Corder showed a daughter called Mary, born in 1784 who fills the gap perfectly. But she wasn't born in Sunderland - I'd already checked both the IGI and the registers thoroughly enough to be sure of this. I went back to the IGI and found a baptism of Mary Hudson, daughter of Thomas and Mary, in Bedlington, a mining community over twenty miles away. All of Thomas' other children were born in Sunderland so this seemed unlikely.

This is where original records become vital. The marriage licence (admittedly a transcript obtained from Durham Records Online rather than the original) confirms that the Mary Hudson who married William Haddock in 1802 is the daughter of Thomas Hudson, coal fitter. Corder is therefore correct to say that Thomas had a daughter called Mary. The licence also confirms her year of birth (she was 18 when she married).

Using the IGI again, I've identified several children of this couple, born in Sunderland (baptised in Bishopwearmouth Church). Yesterday, at the Library, I looked up these baptisms in the Parish Register. The first few fall into a magical period for parish registers in Co Durham & Northumberland - the period of the Barrington Registers. In 1797 a new Bishop of Durham, Shute Barrington, was ordained. He was a genealogist, and immediately required that all parishes in his diocese should include a lot of additional information when recording baptisms/burials. So baptisms from 1798 to 1812 give information about the parents. The entry for Mary's son William is typical:

William Haddock, born 7 September 1805, baptised 5 February 1806. 5th son of William Haddock mariner native of Painshaw and Mary his wife late Hudson native of Bedlington.

So a single baptism record for one of her children confirms Mary's birthplace, as well as giving me that of her husband. The other "Barrington baptisms" confirm this information. If you have any index entries to look up, do it - you never know what you might find. If these entries are in Barrington Registers, look them up quickly as you'll find lots. I've even found grandfathers named in them.

My next step with this family needs to be a trip to Northumberland Archives to confirm the Bedlington baptism, and maybe find out what Thomas was doing there. I also need to look for the missing children of this family - the baptism I quoted above is the first child I have, but is listed as the 5th. I'm  not convinced that 5th is right (the next son is called the 4th) but there's too big a gap between marriage and the birth for him to be the first child.

On this day ... 30 January

1791 Jane Horsley was born in Hartlepool, Co Durham, the daughter of James Horsley and Jane Hood.

1836 Lancelot Hudson married Isabella Wilkinson at Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland, Co Durham. Lancelot was the son of Lancelot Hudson and Jane Henderson.

1855 Edward Pugh died at Abbeycwmhir, Radnorshire, Wales. He was 40 years old, and was the son of Josiah Kinsey Pugh and Sarah Price.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - The Date You Were Born

Randy Seaver's challenge for this week is:

1) What day of the week were you born? Tell us how you found out.

I was born on a Wednesday. I've known this for as long as I can remember, but I checked it using Legacy's Date Calculator.

2) What has happened in recorded history on your birth date (day and month)? Tell us how you found out, and list five events.

My birth date is June 10th. To find what happened this day I googled "on this day" and found the following

From the BBC's website On This Day

1967 - Israel ends six-day war

From On This Day.com

1190 - Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa drowned in the Saleph River while leading an army of the Third Crusade to free Jerusalem.

1943 - Laszlo Biro patented his ballpoint pen.

From Scope Systems' Any Day in History 

1610 - first Dutch settlers arrive to colonise Manhattan Island.

1752 - Benjamin Franklin's kite is struck by lightening.

3)  What famous people have been born on your birth date?  Tell us how you found out, and list five of them.

The scopesys and on-this-day websites also had birthday lists.

I already knew

1921 Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh

and

1910 Howlin' Wolf (Chester Arthur Burnett)

but had forgotten

1922 Judy Garland

and didn't know

1889 Hattie McDaniel (Mammy in "Gone With The Wind")

1923 Earl Hamner Jr (the narrator from The Waltons)

On this day ... 29 January

1800 Robert Horsley was born in Hartlepool, Co Durham, the son of John Horsley and Margaret Coulson.

1834 John Bulmer married Mary Ann Dawson at All Saints Church, Penshaw, Co Durham. Mary Ann was the daughter of Henry Dawson and Ann Todner.

1877 George Robson married Ann Hunter Mann at St Hilda's Church, Hartlepool, Co Durham. Ann was the daughter of James Mann and Ann Hunter.

On this day ... 28 January

1787 John Thompson married Dinah Coulson in St Hilda's Church, Hartlepool, Co Durham. Dinah was the daughter of Cuthbert Coulson and Ann Rowntry.

Pryce Pugh 1859-1926 and Mary Ann Pugh 1860-1934

David James Pugh's parents were Pryce Pugh and Mary Ann Pugh.

Pryce Pugh was born at Hollies Farm, near Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Wales on 20 December 1859. He was the third son of farmer James Pugh and his wife Mary Ann Jones. When Pryce was a little boy, the family moved to nearby Kerry (or Ceri if you prefer the Welsh spelling), then to Tyllwyd Farm in Llanbadarn Fynydd, Radnorshire.

Mary Ann Pugh was born on 31 March 1860 at Pengarreg Farm, Aberedw, Radnorshire, Wales. She was the daughter of David Pugh and Mary Williams Jones. During the 1860s, her family moved from Aberedw to Tynddol Farm, Llanbadarn Fynydd, Radnorshire.

The two farms are next to each other just outside the village, so it's probably no surprise that the couple met and got married on 13 December 1879 (both aged just 19) at St Padarn's Church, Llanbadarn Fynydd.

They had three children in the first few years after they married, but then seem to have separated - in 1891 Pryce and DJ (the only surviving child) were living with Pryce's father, in 1901 Pryce is lodging with another farmer, and by 1911 he was living with his widowed mother, while DJ was making his own way in the world. I haven't been able to find Mary Ann on any of these censuses.

Pryce appears to have had a brief spell as a farmer - shortly after the couple married, they had a farm in Llandrindod Wells - however he spent most of his life as an agricultural labourer (working on other people's farms rather than his own).

I have no idea what Mary Ann was doing from the mid-1880s until she reappears on the Electoral Registers for Hay-on-Wye in the mid-1920s. By this time David James Pugh had settled in Hay and Mary Ann was listed living in the flat above DJ's shop.

Pryce Pugh died on 8 November 1926 in hospital in Knighton, Radnorshire. Mary Ann survived him by 7 years, and died on 8 February 1934 in Hay. She was buried in the graveyard of St Padarn's Church, alongside various members of her family from Tynddol.

Their children were:

Mary Edith Gwenllian Pugh 1880-1883
David James Pugh 1881-1962
Henry Thomas Pugh 1883-1884

On this day ... 27 January

1823 Lancelot Hudson Wallace was born in Sunderland, Co Durham, the son of Dent Wallace and Margaret Hudson.

1835 Thomas Reaveley Halliday was born in Sunderland, Co Durham, the son of Lancelot Hudson Halliday and Margaret Nixon.

1844 Ralph Hardy and Hannah Pattison married at St Helen's Church, Kelloe, Co Durham. Hannah was the daughter of Thomas Pattison and Ann Moor.

Wordless Wednesday - Lower Island Road, Hong Kong

Martha Ann (Pattison) (Lamb) Clark and her grandson (my dad) Peter Hudson, taken in Hong Kong in 1937.

On this day ... 26 January

1800 Sarah Yeal was born in Hartlepool, Co Durham, the daughter of William Yeal and Mary Horsley.

1806 John Wren married Frances Rutter at Wolsingham, Co Durham. John was the son of Thomas Wren and Mary Ward.

1961 Isabella (Lamb) Johnston Coulson died in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She emigrated to the US in 1905 then moved to Canada by 1911, and died at the age of 93.

William James Darby 1857-1903 and Elizabeth Read 1854-1921

William Henry Darby's parents were William James Darby and Elizabeth Read.

William James Darby was born on 5 February 1857, at Adelaide Street, Aston, Warwickshire. His parents were Henry Darby, a saw maker, and his wife Ellen Haywood - William was their last child. William grew up in Aston, and eventually began working at his father's saw-making workshop in Freeman Street, Birmingham.

Elizabeth Read was born in Grosvenor Street, Birmingham on 11 January 1854, one of the younger daughters of iron-plate worker Silvester Read and his wife Isabella Child. Isabella died in 1857, and Silvester remarried a couple of years later. His new wife (Ann Terry) was the daughter in law of Catherine Allen, who ran a pub on Freeman Street. Following their marriage, Silvester and Ann moved in with Catherine and helped her to run the pub, eventually taking over the Fox and Grapes and running it themselves. Ann continued to run the pub until her death in 1897.

William and Elizabeth married on 28 August 1877, barely 4 months before their first child was born. They lived initially in Aston, then in other suburbs of Birmingham, while William worked as a saw-maker, presumably in his father's workshop. The family spent a year or two in London (during which time daughter Mary Louise was born) before returning to Birmingham.

William died of pulmonary tuberculosis on 26 August 1903 at the age of only 46, and was buried at Witton Cemetery, Birmingham. Over the next few years, as the children reached adulthood, some of them chose to emigrate away from the poverty they had grown up with in Birmingham, in the hopes of a better life in Canada or the US. Elizabeth saw three of her sons leave to fight in World War One; only two returned. Elizabeth died on 14 December 1921, at the age of 67. She was buried with her husband in Witton Cemetery.

The couple's children were:

William Henry Darby 1877-1917
Ellen Isabella Darby 1879-?? (emigrated to Manitoba, Canada)
Charles Silvester Darby 1881-1964 (emigrated to Manitoba, but died on a return visit to the UK)
Elizabeth Sarah Darby 1883-1962
Kate Lillian Darby 1885-1953
Elsie May Darby 1887-1968
Mary Louise Darby 1889-1971
Frederick Albert Darby 1891-1969
Annie Hilda Darby 1893-1959
Sidney James Darby 1895-1971
Alice Victoria Darby 1897-?? (emigrated to Canada following her mother's death)

On this day ... 25 January

1791 Hannah Glenwright was born at Hayden Bridge, Northumberland, the daughter of Nicholas and Barbara Glenwright.

1828 Jemima Whitehouse was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire. She was the daughter of Thomas Joseph Whitehouse and his wife Elizabeth.

1864 Ellen (Perry) Haywood died in Aston, Warwickshire. She was 82 years old. Ellen was my 4xG grandmother.

Amanuensis Monday - the will of Jane Eliza Hughes 1923

John Newmark, who writes the TransylvanianDutch blog, has a weekly theme each Monday called Amanuensis Monday to encourage the posting of transcriptions of documents to preserve and publish their contents.

Jane Eliza Hughes (nee Powell) was my great-great-grandmother.

This is the last Will and Testament of me Jane Eliza Hughes of the Neuddu Temperance Hotel in the town of Builth Wells in the County of Brecknock. I give and bequeath to my son Arthur Gordon Hughes the sum of Two hundred pounds. I give and bequeath to my son Thomas Walter Hughes the sum of Four hundred pounds. I give and bequeath to my daughter Delilah Jane Pugh the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds. I give and bequeath to my daughters Gertrude Anne Hughes and Gladys Hughes in equal parts the third share in the Neuddu Temperance Hotel Builth Wells. I give and bequeath to my son Albert Edward Powell Dolelfe Ganol the sum of fifty Pounds. I declare that my field adjoining the town of Builth Wells is to be sold and all my debts be paid and the residue of my estate whatsoever be divided in equal shares between my children Harold Hughes Arthur Gordon Hughes Thomas Walter Hughes Delilah Jane Pugh Gertrude Anne Hughes and Gladys Hughes. And I appoint my brother in law Richard Hughes Draper London House Rhayader in the County of Radnor sole executor of this my will. In witness thereof I hereunto set my hand this seventh day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and twenty one.


Signed by the said Jane Eliza Hughes in the presence of us who in her presence and in the presence of each other at the same time subscribe our names as witnesses. 
David Maldwyn Jones, The Manse, Rhayader, Congregational Minister
Mary Worthing, London House, Rhayader, Drapers Assistant


On the 31st day of January 1923 Probate of this Will was granted at Hereford to Richard Hughes the sole executor.

On this day ... 24 January

1789 James Yeal was born in Hartlepool, Co Durham, the son of William Yeal and Mary Horsley.

1810 Jane (Hood) Huntridge died in Hartlepool, Co Durham. She was 80, the wife of Bartholomew Huntridge and the daughter of Joshua Hood and Jane Dixon.

1851 Alexander Watson married Mary Halliday at Christ Church, Tynemouth, Northumberland. Mary was the daughter of John Halliday and Jane Hudson

William Pattison 1827-1905 and Ann Brown 1831-1885

Martha Ann Pattison's parents were William Pattison and Ann Brown

William Pattison was born in 1827 in Newbottle, Co Durham, England, the son of miner Thomas Pattison and his wife Ann Moor. Newbottle was one of many small mining villages on the Durham coalfield. In the late 1830s the Pattison family moved to the mining village of Coxhoe. The 1841 census shows the family living there, at no 24, Oxclose. Only Thomas is listed as working, but it's likely that 13 year old William was already working underground in the coal mine. By 1851 the family had moved to West Hetton Houses, still in Coxhoe, and the 23 year old William was listed as a coal miner, along with his father and two younger brothers.

Ann Brown was born in Easington Lane, Co Durham, England, the daughter of another coal miner, Ralph Brown and his wife Mary Hall. In 1841 the family was living in Brick Garth, Hetton le Hole, but soon after they, too, moved to Coxhoe. By 1851 Ralph was an overman (a foreman in a coal mine) living in Joint Stock Row, in Coxhoe.

William and Ann married on 12 March 1855 at St Helen's Church in Kelloe, Co Durham (the parish church for the village of Coxhoe). The couple settled in Joint Stock Row, near Ann's parents. Their first two children followed in 1856 and 1858.

At some point in the 1860s the family moved to Longframlington, Northumberland. Longframlington is another mining village, and this move meant promotion for William. By the time his third child, Martha Ann, was born in 1869, he had been promoted to overman. In 1872, the couple's last child, Mary Elizabeth, was born. In 1873, William received his certificate as a colliery manager, and he held the job of manager of Longframlington Colliery until his death.

The couple's only son, Ralph, died in 1882. Soon after, Ann fell ill and she eventually died in January 1885. Youngest child Mary Elizabeth was handicapped (in the censuses, with typical Victorian candidness, she was described as an imbecile), so from 1885 Martha Ann was responsible for keeping house for her father (considering her mother's illness, she'd probably been responsible for a couple of years previously as well). When she married in 1896, William needed a new housekeeper, and so his oldest granddaughter, Jane Ann Straughan (daughter of oldest child Hannah) moved in to take care of her grandfather and aunt. William died on 14 December 1905.

The couple's children were:

Hannah Pattison 1856-1907
Ralph Pattison 1858-1882
Martha Ann Pattison 1869-1949
Mary Elizabeth Pattison 1872-1927

On this day ... 23 January

1814 Robert Coulson married Alice Horsley at St Hilda's Church, Hartlepool, Co Durham, England.

1883 Mary Edith Gwenllian Pugh died at Holly Farm, Llandrindod Wells, Radnorshire, Wales.  She was 3 years old, and was the daughter of Pryce and Mary Ann Pugh.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Do Some Random Research

Randy Seaver has set a Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge: go to the Random Number Generator, take the name generated and plug it into Ancestry.com, then research the first hit and see what you can find about him/her. Randy credits Chris Staat with the original idea.

The name I got was "Moses Lynn".

The first hit was for the 1930 census living in Columbus, Muscogee, Georgia. Moses was born in 1910 in Georgia. He was living with his mother Grace, sister Dovie (27) and brothers Lee (23), GW (17) and Ron (13). Moses was 20, single, and working as a drayman. Grace was 48 and born in Alabama.

Narrowing the search to include a year of birth of 1910 brought up a quick hit in the 1920 census. The family, still without a father, were in Columbus. GW's name turns out to be Green. Mother Grace and sister Dovie were working as spoolers in a cotton mill.

Moses' 1910 census entry didn't pop up in the initial search so I searched for his mother and found her, with husband and with the oldest children including 7 month old Moses, in Nances, Muscogee, Georgia. Moses' father was Lee Lynn, aged 40 in 1910 and was also recorded as a "dray" or "dairy" man.

I've tried to find Lee on the 1900 census or 1880 but can't see him. I tried looking for an Alabama or Georgia marriage for Lee and Grace and couldn't see that either, and I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm in the UK, as are all my ancestors (apart from a quick swing through Chicago), so I've had little opportunity to do any research in the US. I may just have another look at this sometime when it's not quite so late on a Saturday night.

John Lamb 1839-1914 and Margaret Gerrard 1845-1902

Alexander Lamb's parents were John Lamb and Margaret Gerrard.

John Lamb was born on 3 June 1839 in Moorhouse, Roxburgh, Scotland (Moorhouse appears to be the name of the farm or cottage he was born in), the son of Alexander Lamb and Mary Rathie. Alexander was an agricultural labourer and the family lived in several farms in the Roxburgh area while John was growing up. Alexander died in 1857, and I suspect that Mary had died before then, but I haven't yet found a burial record for her.

Following his father's death, John moved from Roxburgh in the Scottish borders to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England, where he took a job as a police constable. He was still in this job in 1866 when, on 17 July, he married Margaret Gerrard at St John's Church.

Margaret was born in Peel Street on the northern banks of the River Tyne in Newcastle, the daughter of James Gerrard and Isabella Marshall. The family had moved to Whickham, on the south bank of the river by the 1851 census, then back into Newcastle by 1861.

The couple lived initially in the Westgate area of Newcastle, where their first two children were born. By 1871, John had left the police and was working as a street-paver, and the family had moved to the Byker area of the city. In the mid-1870s, the family left Newcastle and lived in Seaton Delaval, a mining village to the north east of Newcastle, where John worked as a miner. Although this move and profession only lasted for a couple of years, it had a major impact on John's son Alexander as it appears to be the source of his eventual introduction to his bride Martha Ann Pattison. By the late 70s the family had returned to Byker, and John to street paving, which remained his profession until old age.

Margaret died on 24 May 1902 and was buried in Byker & Heaton Cemetery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. By this time son Alexander was living in South Africa, and her second James had emigrated to Vancouver in Canada. A couple of years later, oldest daughter Isabella moved to Huntsville, Randolph, Missouri, USA. Perhaps it's not a surprise that the elderly widower John eventually decided to emigrate himself, travelling to Vancouver in 1909 with daughter Mary, just a few months after youngest son Clement had made the same journey. Isabella also moved to Vancouver from Missouri. Only one child remained in England by this time.

John died on 29 March 1914 in Vancouver, and was buried in Mountain View Cemetery.

John and Margaret's children were:

Isabella Lamb 1867-1961
Alexander Lamb 1869-1907
James Lamb 1872-1960
Mary Elizabeth Lamb 1875-1942
Margaret Lamb 1878-1965
Clement Lamb 1881-1928
Ellen Rathie Lamb 1884-1890

On this day ... 22 January

1852 Edward Pugh died at Pant-y-dwr, Radnorshire, Wales.

Wilson Mossom 1832 - 1896 and Margaret Horsley 1832 - 1887

Margaret Mossom's parents were Wilson Mossom and Margaret Horsley.

Wilson was born in Darlington, Co Durham, in 1832, the illegitimate son of widow Ellen Mossom and labourer John Heighington. I know very little about John, other than his relationship with Ellen which produced four children. I'd guess he was already married and therefore unable to marry Ellen, as they evidently stayed together for years and appear to have been quite open about their relationship.

Wilson was baptised in St Cuthbert's Church in the centre of Darlington on 10 June 1832. The censuses of 1841 and 1851 show him living with his mother (and father in 1841 only) in Church Row, Darlington, Co Durham. By 1851 Wilson was working as a hostler at a local inn. During the 1850s, Wilson moved to the nearby town of Hartlepool - a town that was booming in that period - along with most of his family. The 1861 census shows him living in his half-sister's house, working as a dock labourer. Mother Ellen was also living with the family.

Margaret Horsley was also born in 1832, in Hartlepool, Co Durham, the daughter of George Horsley and Margaret Hood, both of whom were from old Hartlepool families. She was baptised on 23 September 1832 at St Hilda's Church, the same church her parents and grandparents had been baptised in. Census records in 1841 and 1851 show her living with her fisherman father and mother in Wells Garth, Hartlepool. (Garth is a northern English word for a tight group of houses surrounding a yard - garths were frequently slums.) In 1858 she had her first child, a son whom she named after her father.

Wilson and Margaret met in the early 1860s and had their first child together in 1863 (Ellen Horsley Mossom). Margaret had twins in 1866, who were registered with only her name on the birth certificate. Then on 19 August 1866, a couple of months after the birth of the twins, Wilson and Margaret married in Hartlepool Register Office. Daughter Margaret Mossom was born two years later, and was followed by three more daughters.

The couple continued to live in Hartlepool, with Wilson working as a labourer, or on occasion, a "striker" (assistant to a blacksmith).

Margaret died on 6 December 1887 of heart disease.  Wilson lived for a few more years, before he died on 29 April 1896. Both were buried in Spion Kop Cemetery in Hartlepool.

Their children:
George Horsley b1858
Ellen Horsley Mossom b1863
Thomas Horsley b1866
Mary Elizabeth Horsley 1866 - 1866
Margaret Mossom 1868-1931
Elizabeth Mary Mossom 1870-1953
Dorothy Jane Mossom 1872-1925
Ruth Mossom 1875-1954

On this day ... 21 January

1837 Edmund Pugh died aged 2 years. He was the son of Stephen and Sarah Pugh and was buried at Bwlch-y-sarnau Baptist Chapel in Radnorshire, Wales.

1925 Robert Hunter Hudson died of chronic bronchitis, aged 71, in West Hartlepool, Co Durham, England.

Morgan Hughes 1853-1920 and Jane Eliza Powell 1854-1922

According to her birth certificate, Delilah Jane Hughes was the daughter of Morgan Hughes and Jane Eliza Powell.

Morgan Hughes was born on 4 March 1853 at Upper Dolelfe Farm, Saint Harmon, Radnorshire. The censuses in 1861, 1871 and 1881 show him living at the farm with his parents Thomas and Ann Hughes and various of his twelve siblings.

Jane Eliza Powell was born at Gilfach Farm, Nantmel, Radnorshire on 9 October 1854. Her childhood was divided between the old family farms of Gilfach, Nantmel and Henrhiew at Saint Harmon.

The couple married on 25 October 1882 at the Maes Baptist Chapel, Rhayader, Radnorshire. Morgan followed his father into farming, first at Vedw Farm then Neuddu, both in Saint Harmon. In old age, they retired to Builth Wells, Breconshire, where their two youngest daughters ran a Temperance Hotel, named after the Neuddu farm.

Morgan died shortly after leaving the farm, on 2 November 1920 at the Hotel. Jane died almost exactly two years later on 3 November 1922 also at the Hotel.

Their children were:

Delilah Jane Hughes 1883-1950
Harold Hughes 1885-1969
Thomas Walter Hughes 1887-??
Arthur Gordon Hughes 1889-??
Gertrude Ann Hughes 1891-1976
Gladys Hughes 1895-1992

Jane had a son prior to her marriage to Morgan:
Albert Edward Powell 1879-1942

On this day ... 20 January

1789 Margaret Horsley born in Hartlepool, the daughter of Jonathan Horsley and Margaret Shepherd.

1811 Thomas Wren born in Wolsingham, Co Durham, England, the son of John Wren and Frances Rutter.

1823 Ann Terry born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, the daughter of Abraham and Catherine Terry.

Wordless Wednesday - W H Darby

William Henry Darby, Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1915. Taken at Camp Hughes.

On this day ... 19 January

1804 Anne Todner born in Washington, Co Durham, England. She was the daughter of Ralph Todner and Mary Dand.

1851 George Horsley died in Hartlepool, Co Durham, England. He was 81 years old.

1885 Anne (Brown) Pattison died in Longframlington, Northumberland, England. She was 54 years old.

On this day ... 18 January

1903 Annie Hudson born at 7 Darlington Terrace, West Hartlepool, Co Durham, England.  She was the daughter of Robert Hunter Hudson, and died at the age of 4.

1949 Jonathan Josiah Pugh died aged 91. He was buried at Bwlch-y-sarnau Baptist Church with his wife Miriam.

George Hudson 1810-1869 and Catherine Kerss 1817-1877

Robert Hunter Hudson's birth certificate names his parents as George Hudson and Catherine Hudson formerly Kerss.

George Hudson was born on 17 August 1810 in the Low Street, Sunderland, Co Durham and baptised at Sunderland's Holy Trinity Church on 10 November. He worked as a shipwright, initially in the shipyards in Sunderland. On 28 October 1839 he married Catherine Kerss, also at Holy Trinity Church in Sunderland.

Catherine was born on 14 August 1817 in Monkwearmouth Shore (the north side of the river Wear, now part of the City of Sunderland. She was baptised in St Peter's Church, Monkwearmouth, Co Durham on 7 September.

The couple set up home at Minorca Place, in Sunderland, and in October 1840 their first child, a daughter named Frances Hunter Hudson after Catherine's mother, was born. Unfortunately, Frances died at only 2 months old.

Sometime between 1841 and 1843 the couple moved to Middleton, next to Hartlepool, Co Durham. The old fishing village of Hartlepool was undergoing a transformation at the time. Its natural harbour was being redeveloped as a coal port and shipbuilding centre. George probably felt that there would be better prospects in the future West Hartlepool than in Sunderland. Census records in 1851 and 1861 don't give anything away about the family's prosperity, but show them continuing to live in Middleton, the small dockside community linking East and West Hartlepool.

George died on 31 August 1869 of a stroke. Catherine took in boarders to make ends meet while she raised her remaining children. She died on 8 November 1877 of ulceration of the bowel.

Their children were:

Frances Hunter Hudson 1840 - 1840
Ann Hunter Hudson 1843 - 1917
Frances Hudson 1845 - 1847
Catherine Hudson 1848 - 1852
Elizabeth Hudson 1851 - 1914
Robert Hunter Hudson 1853 - 1925
Esther Hudson 1855 - 1870
Richard Hudson 1861 - 1863

Christopher Thomas Pugh and Mary Ann Bateman

Christopher Thomas Pugh married Mary Ann Bateman on 6 December 1863 at St George's Church, Camberwell, Surrey. Mary Ann had a baby daughter, also called Mary Ann, born 21 September 1863. There is no record to say whether or not Christopher was her father.

After the couple married they moved to Christopher's birthplace, Birmingham, where they were found on the 1871 census. They had no children together until 1876 when their daughter Charlotte was born, followed by Christopher in 1879 and Jessie in 1882.

In 1884 Christopher Thomas Pugh emigrated to the USA, apparently settling in Chicago. There is a family legend that he worked with Buffalo Bill's Circus, but I've found no evidence of this - possibly it was a positive spin put on a father/grandfather who left his wife and young children behind. I can't find him on census records in the US until 1910, when he was enumerated in hospital at Norwood Park, Chicago, and listed as widowed.

Meanwhile, Mary Ann stayed in England and raised the three younger children (the first daughter married in 1882 and emigrated to America in 1887), working as an office cleaner, and living in rooms above the offices she cleaned.

Christopher died in Chicago on 16 May 1914. Mary Ann died in Birmingham on 3 November 1928.

Their children were:
Mary Ann Pugh (born as Mary Ann Milner) b 21 Sep 1863, d 26 Dec 1939.  Known as Polly to the family.
Charlotte Pugh b 1876 d 1957
Christopher Thomas Pugh b 22 May 1879 d 29 Sep 1928
Jessie Hephzibah Pugh b 3 Oct 1882 d 16 Sep 1944

Information still missing:
I haven't yet found Christopher on the 1900 census in the US. I have assumed that 1890 is a lost cause.

I haven't yet found any record of Christopher's immigration to the US - the date of immigration I have is taken from the 1910 census.

I'm also still looking for Mary Ann in 1911 in the UK, but Mary Ann Pugh is a surprisingly common name.

On this day ... 17 January

1796 Margaret Huntridge born in Hartlepool, Co Durham, England.  She was the daughter of William Huntridge and Mary Soulsby.

1910 Dorothy Nettie Darby born in Chicago, Illinois. Always known as Toots to the family, she was the daughter of William Henry Darby and Jessie Pugh.

Finding Jessie Pugh's father

After the search for Jessie Pugh's mother, finding her father was easy. Jessie's 1882 birth certificate identifies her father as Christopher Thomas Pugh, a packer, of Freeth Street, Birmingham.  He's not shown on the 1891 census with Jessie, but was found on the 1881 census with his wife, Mary Ann, and their older children. This census shows that Christopher was born around 1841/2 in Birmingham.

Christopher and Mary Ann's marriage certificate states that his father was John Pugh, a machinist. I searched for a birth registration and was able to order a birth certificate for Christopher Thomas Pugh, born 1 August 1842 at 11 Court, Hospital Street, Birmingham, the son of John Pugh and Charlotte Harrison. I have also been able to trace Christopher back through the censuses to 1851 with his wife in 1871 and then with his parents in 1861 and 1851.

On this day ... 16 January

1790 Thomas Liddle married Jane Todner at St Lawrence Church, Warkworth, Northumberland, England.

1897 Jane Ann Jackson born in Wolsingham, Co Durham, England. She was the daughter of Edward Jackson and Isabella Allison.

1865 John Thomas Simpson married Margaret Bulmer at St Mary's Church, Easington, Co Durham, England.

The search for Jessie Pugh's mother

When I started doing genealogy I was given copies of some papers my grandfather had gathered together, and some notes he'd made. These included a birth certificate for his mother Jessie Hephzibah Pugh.

According to her birth certificate Jessie was the daughter of Christopher Thomas Pugh and Mary Ann Pugh formerly Milner. The notes my grandfather left stated that Mary Ann was born on 22 August 1843 - there is no note of his source for this, but I assume he asked his mother, so it should be reliable. I looked for a marriage certificate for Christopher and Mary Ann, and found on in 1863.  This stated that Mary Ann's father was "John Milner, gardner".

I found Mary Ann Pugh on the census in 1881, 1891 and 1901 and in all of them, she said she was born in Darleydale, Derbyshire. However, I couldn't find a birth certificate for her. This was back in 2003 when there was relatively little information available online. There was nothing in the IGI for the parish of Darleydale, so I planned a trip to the Derbyshire Record Office in Matlock, Derbyshire to look for a record of a baptism in Darleydale.

I read through 10 years of the baptism register, and found plenty of Milners, and a whole family with father John, but no Mary Ann. The 1851 census wasn't available online, so I hadn't yet found Mary Ann on the 1851 census. Derbyshire Archives didn't have a copy of the 1851 census so I walked over to the the Local Studies Library to look through their indexes. I still didn't find Mary Ann Milner, but I did find a household including a Samuel and Sarah Milner and their granddaughter Mary Ann Bateman, born around 1843.

I walked back to the Record Office and back to the Darleydale microfilm, this time looking for Mary Ann Bateman. I found her - baptised 24 September 1843, the illegitimate daughter of Harriet Bateman. This had to be the right Mary Ann!

When I got home after my trip, I looked for a birth registration to match the baptism, and then ordered the birth certificate for Mary Ann Bateman. It gave her birth date as 22 August 1843, and confirmed the mother's name and the lack of a father. I subsequently found a marriage record for Harriet Bateman in 1848 in which she gave her mother's name (Sarah Bateman) in the space reserved for the father's name. I also found a marriage record for Sarah Bateman and Samuel Milner in 1824, several years after the birth of Harriet Bateman.

I think that Mary Ann didn't get on with her step-father (or the other way around), and so went to live with her grandparents.  She eventually took her grandfather's name. When she married, rather than admit her illegitimacy, she gave a made-up name for her father, possibly a composite of her grandfather's surname and her step-father's Christian name.

On this day ... 15 January

1756 John Marley married Elizabeth Hood at St Hilda's Church, Hartlepool, Co Durham, England.
1811 Mary Johnson Hudson born in Sunderland (parish of Bishopwearmouth), Co Durham, England, the daughter of Ralph Hudson and Weltkin Winlow. She died aged only 3.
1842 George Brown born at Brick Garth, Hetton-le-Hole, Co Durham, England, the son of Ralph Brown and Mary Hall.

Bio of Delilah Jane Hughes 1883 - 1950

Delilah Jane Hughes was born at Henhriew, a farm in St Harmon, on 7 September 1883.  Her parents were Morgan Hughes and Jane Eliza Powell.  The 1891 and 1901 censuses show her living with her parents and siblings in farms in St Harmon, latterly The Neuddu on the main road from Rhayader to Llangurig.  She married DJ Pugh in 1909 and then moved with him, first to Rhayader, and then to Hay.  Delilah died in on 8 May 1950.

Delilah's children:
Mary Myfanwy Gwenllian Pugh 1910 - 1977
Trevor James Pugh 1912 - 1974
Phyllis Afonwy Pugh 1916 - 1996
David Colvin Pugh 1926 - 1973

On this day ... 14 January

1819 Thomas Revely Halliday born in the East End of Sunderland, Co Durham, England, the son of John Halliday and Jane Hudson. Thomas died at only 11 years old.
1855 Thomas Boxell married Isabella Hudson at St Mary's Church, Portsea, Hampshire, England.

Bio of David James Pugh 1881 - 1962

David James Pugh was born at Tynddol, Llanbadarnfynydd, Radnorshire on 30 December 1881, the first son of Pryce and Mary Ann Pugh, and the only child to reach adulthood.  At age 9, the 1891 census shows DJ living with his father at his grandfather’s farm Tyllwyd in Llanbadarnfynydd (adjoining his uncle’s farm Tynddol). His mother was not there.  By 1901 DJ was living and working at Pantydwr Shop in St Harmon.  The shop was run by Ann Jones, a distant relation, and DJ is listed as a grocer’s assistant.

On 3 Nov 1909 DJ married Delilah Jane Hughes, also of St Harmon, at Maes Chapel in Rhayader.  He was still working at Pantydwr Shop when he married, but shortly afterwards set up a grocery business at Central Stores in Rhayader. It's likely that this was funded, at least in part, by Delilah's parents.  The business was later extended to include a drapers.  Early in World War One, the shop's name was changed to Trade Hall – Britain was at war with the Central Powers and Central Stores was therefore not an acceptable name.  The couple had three children in Rhayader – Mary Myfanwy Gwenllian, Trevor James, and Phyllis Afonwy.

In 1920 the family moved to Hay-on-Wye.  DJ initially set up a grocer/draper business at Scotland House on High Town, but later dropped the grocery and added a gents outfitters.  A fourth child – David Colvin – was born in Hay.

After Delilah’s death DJ married Martha Jane Rickett (nee Jones) and returned to Rhayader, where he died in 1962.  Martha had been a neighbour of DJ's at Pantydwr, growing up on a farm there.  She left Pantydwr in 1907 to go to America, where she lived in Racine, Wisconsin, eventually marrying Thomas Rickett, a fellow Welshman.  Following Thomas's death in the 1930s, she stayed in Racine, until her return to Britain in 1951 when she married DJ.

On this day ... 13 January

1857 William Todner born in Gateshead, Co Durham, England. the son of Thomas Todner and Hannah Lawton.
1870 James Percy married Sarah Pugh at Claremont, Ontario, Canada.

Wordless Wednesday - Cocoa with Dad

Bill Hudson - picture taken in Hong Kong, probably 1930s.

On this day ... 12 January

1788 Robert Horsley born in Hartlepool, the son of Matthew Horsley and Mary Pounder.  He died at around 18 months old.
1810 John Halliday born in Sunderland, the son of John Halliday and Jane Hudson.  He died at age 16.
1910 Christopher Thomas Pugh married Olga Servas at the Second Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois. Christopher emigrated from Birmingham, England to Chicago in 1902.

On this day ... 11 January

1807 George Sterling married Isabel Makepeace at St Cuthbert's Church, Haydon Bridge, Northumberland, England.
1812 Joseph Hood died in Hartlepool, Co Durham, England aged 83. In common with many in Hartlepool at this time, he had been a fisherman all his life.
1854 Elizabeth Read born at 12 Grosvenor Street, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, the daughter of Sylvester Read and Isabella Child.

Alexander Lamb 1869 - 1907 and Martha Anne Pattison 1869 - 1949

Martha Ann Pattison was born on 24 May 1869 at Longframlington, Northumberland, the daughter of William Pattison and Ann Brown.

Alexander Lamb was born 17 October 1869 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, the son of John Lamb and Margaret Gerrard.

I have no idea how they met - they lived 30 miles apart in an age when that was not a distance you'd commute - but both families had contacts in Seaton Delaval. Alex's father worked for a couple of years in that mining village. Miners William Henry and Samuel Coulthard lived in Seaton Delaval, but originated from Coxhoe, Co Durham (where William Pattison lived before moving to Longframlington). They were the exectutors of Williams's will, and presumably close family friends. Were they the source of the introduction?

The couple married on 19 October 1896 at Brinkburn Priory (just south of the village of Longframlington).  A year or two later (I haven't found the exact date), Alex left England to go to South Africa.  He suffered from tuberculosis and hoped that the dry climate on the South African veldt would help cure his condition. Presumably the intent was for Martha to follow him once he had set up home, but the Boer War intervened.  Alex got a job with the railway, which was then militarised as the Imperial Military Railway.

Martha eventually made it out to South Africa in 1902, by which time Alex had settled in Bloemfontein, Orange River Colony.  Three years later, their only child, Margaret Anne Lamb, was born.  Two years after that, Alex died - cause of death isn't listed, but the estate papers indicate substantial nursing bills.

Martha returned to England with 2 year old Margaret, and they settled in South Shields, Co Durham.  On 19 August 1911, she remarried, this time to a miner 20 years her senior, Henry Clark.  Henry was born in Seaton Terrace, Northumberland on 17 September 1847, and was a brother in law of William Henry Coulthard (Martha's father's executor).  Martha and Margaret moved to Seaton Delaval, and Martha remained in that area for the rest of her life.  Henry Clark died on 13 February 1923.

Following the birth of her only grandchild, Martha travelled out to Hong Kong with Margaret and baby Peter.  She stayed in Hong Kong for around 18 months before returning to England.  Martha lived at the Seaton Sluice house bought by Margaret and her husband Bill.  She died on 1 December 1949.

On this day ... 10 January

1793 William Wren married Ann Sisterson at St Mungo's Church, Simonburn, Northumberland.

1894 Edward Pugh died in Balsam, Ontario, Canada.  He was born in Wales and emigrated to Canada in 1847.

Robert Hunter Hudson 1853 - 1925 & Margaret Mossom 1868 - 1931

Robert Hunter Hudson was born on 19 April 1853, the son of George Hudson and Catherine Kerss, and my great-grandfather.  He was born in Middleton, Stranton, later to become part of West Hartlepool (Co Durham, England) and at the time of his birth a growing ship-building community.  Robert became a joiner (carpenter) working for all his life in the shipyards.

On 14 June 1888 the 35 year old Robert married 19 year old Margaret Mossom at Hartlepool Register Office.  Margaret was born on Christmas Eve, 1868, the daughter of Wilson Mossom and Margaret Horsley, in East (or old) Hartlepool.

They had 10 children together:
George Hudson, 1888 - 1965
Robert Hudson 1890 - 1969
Richard Wilson Hudson 1892 - 1970
John William Hudson 1895 - 1966
Catherine Hudson 1898 - 1958
Thomas Hudson 1900 - 1967
Annie Hudson 1903 - 1907
Ralph Hudson 1905 - 1935
Harry Hudson 1907 - ???
James Hudson 1910 - 1978

Many of the boys worked in the shipyards, before leaving Hartlepool for various corners of the Empire - Dick and Bill to Hong Kong, Tom and Ralph to Canada, Jim to East Africa.  Harry was adopted out of the family and spent much time in mainland Europe, finally (as far as I know) settling in Italy.

Robert and Margaret stayed in West Hartlepool until Robert's death on 21 January 1925.  Later Margaret moved to Darlington, where she died on 14 February 1931.

On this day ... 9 January

1847  Richard Hudson Halliday married Jane Smart at St Peter's Church, Monkwearmouth, Co Durham.

1907   Mary Eleanor (Haddock) Dalrymple died in Durham, England.  She was 91.

Bio of Jessie Effie Pugh 1882 - 1944

Jessie Hephzibah (Effie) Pugh was born on 3 October 1882 at Freeth St, Birmingham, the daughter of Christopher Thomas Pugh and Mary Ann Bateman.  Census records in 1891 and 1901 show her living with her mother in rooms over offices, etc., where her mother worked as a servant.  In 1891 Jessie was recorded as a scholar.  By 1901 the 19 year old Jessie was working as a biscuit decorator.  In 1904 she married William Henry Darby, and in 1907 she followed him to Chicago, where the couple settled in Chicago close to Jessie’s sister Polly and brother Christopher.

After the birth of three children, the family moved to Fort William, Ontario, where they lived until 1914, when Jessie returned to Birmingham with her children to visit the family they had left behind.  War broke out during the visit, and William Henry Darby joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force to fight in World War 1.  Following the death of William at Ypres, Jessie continued to live in Birmingham, until her death on 16 September 1944.

Jessie's children were:

William Henry Darby born Birmingham 1 May 1905 died Birmingham 28 May 1905
Jessie Violet Darby born Chicago 17 Feb 1908 died Morecambe 2 Feb 1988
Dorothy Nettie Darby born Chicago 17 Jan 1910 died Lancaster 8 Feb 1988
Norman James Darby born Chicago 9 Apr 1912 died Sunderland 9 May 1990

On this day ... 8 January

1759 Cuthbert Coulson married Ann Rowntry at St Hilda's Church, Hartlepool, Co Durham.

1800 Lancelot Hudson was born in Sunderland, Co Durham, the son of Lancelot Hudson and Jane Henderson.

1860 Robert Kerss died at Zetland Street, Monkwearmouth Shore, Co Durham.  He was 74 years old.

Bio of William Henry Darby 1877 - 1917

William Henry Darby was born on New Year’s Eve, 1877 at 17 Freeman St, Birmingham, the first son of William James Darby and Elizabeth Read.  Censuses in 1881 and 1891 show the child William living with his parents, first at their own house in Aston, then with his grandfather back at Freeman Street.  William joined the Lancers, apparently soon after his fourteenth birthday, and served 12 years with them, including seeing action in the Boer War, during which he was awarded both the Queen’s South Africa Medal and the King’s South Africa Medal.  Following his discharge at the end of his twelve year enlistment, he worked as a timekeeper, and married Jessie Hephzibah Pugh on 17 July 1904 at St Bartholomew’s Church, Birmingham.

According to the US 1910 census, William emigrated to Chicago in 1906, and was followed by Jessie in 1907.  William worked as an electrician, and in 1910 was living at 1116 North Central Ave, Chicago with his wife Jessie, and daughters Jessie (born 1908) and Dorothy (born 1910).  Sometime after the birth of his son Norman in 1912, the family moved to Fort William, Ontario, Canada, and William took up a job as a policeman with the Canadian Pacific Railroad.

On May 31, 1915, William joined up with the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force.  On his attestation papers, he is described as 5’8” of fair complexion with blue eyes and brown hair.  Jessie had already returned home to Birmingham, taking the children with her.

Corporal William Henry Darby, no 551333, of the Canadian Corps Military Police, died in action at Ypres age 39, on 13 November 1917.  He was buried at Nine Elms British Cemetery, Poperinghe.

On this day ... 7 January

1848  Patience (Todner) Hudson died at 60 Moor Street, Sunderland.  She was 83 years old, and is my great-great-great grandmother.

Bio of Phyllis Afonwy Pugh 1916 - 1996

Phyllis Afonwy Pugh was born on 5 December 1916 at Trade Hall in Rhayader, Radnorshire, Wales, the daughter of grocer/draper DJ Pugh and Delilah Hughes.

With her family, she moved from Rhayader to Hay-on-Wye, Breconshire in 1920. She married Norman Darby on 14 June 1938 at Salem Chapel in Hay.

The couple lived in Birmingham, Hay and Wiltshire, before moving to Devon following Norman's retirement and then finally to Sunderland where Phyl died on 15 December 1996.

On this day ... 6 January

1788 Alexander Kerss married Catherine Errington at St Mary's Church in Gateshead, Co Durham.  They are my great-great-great-great-grandparents.

1799 John Brown married Martha Robinson at St Michael's Church in Alnwick, Northumberland.  Another pair of great-great-great-great-grandparents.

1923 Henry Edward Hamer Pugh married Frances Charlotte Gladys Pryce at St Padarn's Church, Llanbadarnfynydd, Radnorshire.

Wordless Wednesday: Peggy Lamb

Peggy Lamb, late 1920s, Seaton Delaval, Northumberland.
This is my grandma.  Wish I'd seen this while she was still alive - it reveals something I never saw in the old lady I knew.

On this day ... 5 January

1802  Robert Coulson, the son of Thomas Coulson and Isabella Bulmer, was born in Hartlepool, Co Durham.

On this day ... 4 January

1798  Richard Usher, fifth son of Thomas Usher of Portobello by his wife Jane Todler, born at Chester-le-Street parish.  Jane's name was more probably Todner.  I know nothing more about Richard.

1836  William Lewis married Elizabeth Pugh at St Padarn's Church, Llanbadarnfynydd, Radnorshire.  The couple emigrated from Wales to Ontario in the 1840s.

Bio of Norman James Darby 1912 - 1990

My grandfather Norman James Darby was born on 9 April 1912 in Chicago, the son of William Henry Darby and Jessie Hephzibah Pugh.  Both parents were born in Birmingham, England.  While Norman was still a baby, the family moved to Fort William, Ontario, Canada, so his father could take up a job as a policeman on the Canadian Pacific Railroad.

In June 1914, Norman, his two sisters and his mother sailed for England to visit family.  They never returned to Canada.  War broke out and the family decided to stay in England.  Back in Canada, Norman's father, William Henry Darby, joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in late May 1915, and shipped to England in early 1916.  He died at Ypres on 13 November 1917.

Norman grew up in Birmingham, and as a young man holidayed in Aberystwyth, where he met Phyllis Pugh.  They married in 1938 and set up home in Birmingham.  After the war they moved to live with Phyl's parents in Hay-on-Wye, and Norman worked as a commercial traveller covering the south west of England.  In the 1950s the family moved to Wiltshire, then in the late 1970s, following Norman's retirement, they moved to Devon.  The final move was to Sunderland in north-east England, where Norman died on 9 May 1990.

On this day ... 3 January

1854  Lancelot Hudson died in Trafalgar Square Almshouses, Sunderland, Co Durham.  He was the son of Richard Hudson and Patience Todner and had been a master mariner.  He was buried 8 January at Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland.

1890  Phineas Pugh died at Garthfach farm, Llandinam, Montgomeryshire.  He was a grandson of Josiah Pugh of Cnych, Saint Harmon, Radnorshire, probably the son of Josiah's daughter Sarah Pugh.

Bio of Margaret Ann Lamb 1905 - 1982

My grandmother Peggy Lamb was born on 11 April 1905, Bloemfontein, Orange River Colony, South Africa, the only child of railway fitter Alexander Lamb and his wife Martha Ann Pattison.

Her father died on 24 September 1907, following a long illness.  Following this, Peggy and her mother travelled to England in November 1907, landing at Southampton.  They lived in South Shields for a few years before moving to Seaton Delaval in Northumberland after Martha's marriage to Henry Clark.

Peggy attended Ripon Training College, and qualified to teach in 1925.  She taught in the Seaton Delaval area from 1925 to 1930.  While at college she was introduced to a friend's cousin, Bill Hudson.

Peggy and Bill were married on 19 March 1930 in the parish church of St Mary the Virgin,  Longframlington.  They left for Hong Kong on 19 September 1930, sailing from London.  The voyage took about a month.

According to her passport, Margaret returned to England in March 1935.  Her son Peter was born in October 1935 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland.

She returned to Hong Kong in March 1936, along with her son Peter and her mother Martha, who stayed until the end of 1937.

She then left Hong Kong, as an evacuee, on 5 July 1940, initially sailing to Manilla, but eventually reaching Australia, settling in Melbourne for the duration of the War.  The evacuation was necessary because of the threat to Hong Kong posed by Japan.

Peggy and Peter returned to England in 1945, landing at Liverpool on 11 June 1945.

She worked as a teacher in the Blyth area from 1945 onwards to her retirement.  She died on 6 September 1982 at the Victoria Jubilee Infirmary, North Shields.

On this day ... 2 January

1806  Sarah Hudson, daughter of Lancelot Hudson and Jane Henderson, was born in Sunderland, Co Durham.

1815  Dent Wallace married Margaret Hudson at Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland, Co Durham.

Bio of John William Hudson 1895 - 1966

My grandfather Bill Hudson was born in West Hartlepool, County Durham on 21 February 1895, the fourth child in a family of 10.  His parents were shipyard joiner Robert Hunter Hudson and Margaret Mossom.  By the age of 14 he was working as a rivet heater, most likely alongside his brothers Robert and Richard in Hartlepool's shipyards.  

Bill joined the 18th Hussars just prior to the outbreak of World War One and was fighting in France by late October 1914.  His military records haven't survived, but it seems he had an uneventful War.

I'm not sure what he did between discharge in 1918/19 and 1925 - there is a family story that he worked as a coal miner at some point but I haven't got any evidence for it.  In 1925 he set off for Hong Kong, where he worked as a prison officer at Stanley Gaol.  

Before leaving for Hong Kong, Bill met the friend of a cousin - Peggy Lamb, a student teacher.  The couple corresponded while Bill was in Hong Kong, and when he returned to England on leave in 1930, they married.  The couple returned to Hong Kong in late 1930, and spent the next decade there, apart from an eventful home leave in 1935.  During this leave, they bought a house in Seaton Sluice, Northumberland and had a baby - their only child, my dad, Peter Hudson.

In 1940, with the threat of attack from Japan imminent, European women and children were evacuated from Hong Kong.  Peggy and Peter went to Melbourne, Australia.  Bill was left behind in Hong Kong, so he was still there when the Japanese finally invaded at Christmas 1941.  Bill was interned in Stanley Camp (created in the staff quarters for the gaol) for three years and eight months, before finally being liberated at the end of August 1945.

As the War came to an end, Peggy and Peter returned to England, and once liberated, Bill did the same.  They returned to the house in Seaton Sluice, where Bill lived until his death in 1966.

On this day...1 January

1872  William Davison Pearson married Elizabeth Hudson at All Saints Church in Stranton, Co Durham.

1927  Evan Hughes (son of Thomas Hughes and Ann Morgan) died in Pant-y-dwr, Saint Harmon, Radnorshire.  He was buried at Sychnant Presbyterian Chapel.

1938  Jessie Violet Darby (my great aunt) married John Emmanuel Griffith at the Anglesey West Register Office

Why write a blog

I've spent several years researching my family tree, but largely working on my own, and only sharing my findings with immediate family. I spend a lot of time reading other people's genealogy blogs and feel like I've learned a lot from them. I've also received a lot of hints about my own family history from other people's published family trees. I decided it was about time I started to write my own blog, to share what I've learned about my family with anyone who's interested. I want to publish my family tree somewhere, but not just yet - there are too many loose links which need to be tidied up, and I don't want to put information online which isn't properly checked.


This post is set to publish on New Year's Day, so this must be my first New Year's Resolution for many years.  It'll be interesting to see if I can keep this one.  The last one I kept was back in the early 80s!


My genealogy goals are


1.  To tell my ancestors' stories.
2.  To trace my ancestral lines as far back as I can go.
3.  To trace forwards from my ancestors to see how far they spread out around the world.


When I started this journey seven years ago, I was trying to push back as quickly as I could, and going off at every tangent possible.  I think I've got more disciplined since then, but I could always use more organisation and more direction, to stop me blundering blindly backwards or forwards.


I'm going to start by posting brief biographies of my recent ancestors - these are generally people I know well so I won't spend too long on them.  Then I'll explore my more distant ancestors and assorted other relatives - in particular those mysterious people who just plain disappear into the ether or appear out of nowhere.