Violet Priscilla Weldon April 1923 - June 2017

It was a sad email, I was informed that the last of my dad's surviving sisters, Violet, died on June 18th, 2017 in residential care in Lytham St-Annes, Lancashire.

Violet Priscilla Weldon, born April 27th, 1923 in Huyton Quarry (registered in Prescot), Lancashire.  She was the daughter of Arthur Sandiland Weldon and Margaret Rebecca Edwards.  She married John Phillips in September 1947 at Huyton Congregational Church (United Reformed) at the Junction of Victoria and Seel Roads.  He was born August 15th, 1925, and died February 25th, 1990

Margaret Rebecca Weldon (nee Edwards) had an older sister called Priscilla (Pricilla E Edwards, born abt June 1884) and Violet was named after her. It was a common practice for names to permeate through generations of a family, however, Violet never used her middle name.

Shortly after the end of the second World War, Violet met John Phillips, a tall handsome chap, he was a very athletic person and reputed to be an excellent rugby player.

They married in September 1947 at Huyton Congregational Church.

Groom, John Phillips, Bride Violet Priscilla Phillips (nee Weldon), next to the bride her mother, Margaret Rebecca Weldon (nee Edwards) and Arthur Sandiland Weldon.

Arthur and Margaret

People see this blog and want information and contact me by email, others are reading the book and it triggers memories and make a real connection. I consider that is reward enough for all the research I've done over the last fifteen years.

Every now and again though, someone sends me photographs of my own Grandparents that I have never seen, and that is magical moment for me.

Here's one of Arthur Sandiland Weldon and his wife, Margaret Rebecca Edwards, doing the dishes in the way that working class people did the dishes when people visited back in the 1960's, you know, both with their Sunday best on.

A postcard from almost a century ago.

Barely a month after Remembrance Day and the following scan of a postcard arrived in my email. It is from my granduncle John (Jack) Welding to his sweetheart Ellen Overend and was sent while John was serving with the West Lancs Royal Field Artillery during the first World war. John's grandson told me :

"Joan Welding's daughter Barbara (nee Cook) was visiting my father, Thomas Welding recently and along with her she brought a photo that I can remember. How she came to have it I'm unsure as I think it was part of the large pack of missing photos. It may be they were not lost on the Aberdeen visit but given to Barbara for her to show her children. I'll find out some time in the future.

The photo is actually a post card the troops in WW1 could send home. Its John (Jack) Welding in uniform with Nellie picture inlaid into the photo. (How they did it in those days I don't know). On the revers side is a message from John to his Ellen, my grandmother"

Here it is, I am so proud of our family and their wartime service.

Remembrance Day

In my research of the family tree, I found out about my grandfather's brothers Richard and John and was proud, yet saddened of what happened to them in the first world war. I began, around 2008, to attend the Remembrance Day activities at our local Canadian Legion, I was surprised how much emotion was inside me, for two people that I had never met.

In recent weeks, through this blog and a facebook page for Prescot Geneology, I have found relatives of Ellen Weldon who remember their Gran, Nellie, very well and have told me that every year, on Remembrance Day, Nellie would cry for her lost brother, Richard.

I will carry on the tradition and I will also include Ellen in my thoughts on Remembrance Day and raise a toast to another family member.

I have a couple of pictures of Ellen and hope in the next months to obtain more from her grandchildren in the UK, here's one of my favorites, Nelly, with her daughter Evelyn.

Lets do our best to remember them all.

Mary Wright and Derek Hennin marriage

In 1954, a year or so after my mum and dad's wedding, Mary, who had been maid of honor at their wedding, married a footballer called Derek Hennin.

The above photograph had been written on the back, by Mary Wright, she listed the participants from right to left :

Uncle Tom, Jenny, Bill Watkinson (best man), June, Mum, Me (Mary Wright), Derek, Derek's mum, Pat, Derek's sister, Ann, Alda's daughter, Derek's dad.

So, I'll expand on the list as the Weldon family is well represented, it is interesting that Mary Wright's Uncle Tom (assuming Thomas Wright) is on the far right of the photograph, but not her father John Wright, (I have not yet established if he was alive in 1954) Jennie Lunt is next, the daughter of James Lunt and Jane (Jinnie) Weldon. Bill Watkinson the best man and then June Phillips, the daughter of John Phillips and Violet Priscilla Weldon.  Rachel Weldon is next, Mary's mother who was married to John Wright, the bride, Mary Wright, the groom, Derek Hennin and then his mother followed by Pat Hennin, his sister, Ann Lewis, daughter of Robert Lewis and Alda Weldon and then, at the far left, Derek's father.

Australia links to Huyton

I received the following email, while not linked directly to the family, it does no harm to include it here :


Hi Dave,

I came across your name today when I googled Tushingham’s Brickworks. I was just spending some time on my family history.  My late father was Dennis Rogers born 1920 and his uncle Frank Short and family had a carting business hauling coal slack to the brickworks.

Also,  my great Aunt Rhoda Short lived in Byron Ave, Whiston.

I believe my Dad attended Huyton Quarry Infant School in Seel Street. His grandparents lived in Elm street, they were Job known as Fred and Martha Short.  My grandparents and great grandparents were married at St Michaels Church in Huyton.

Dad left school at 14 and used to help at the brickworks then the family moved to Wavertree. It was my grandfather Edwin Rogers who sparked my interest in family history many years ago. Edwin refused to discuss his family so it was always a mystery. Sadly I don’t know very much about them even though I have been searching for many years.  Edwin was born in Newport South Wales so his family were not in Liverpool.

We emigrated to Australia in January 1962 – sadly my parents Joan and Dennis (actually Denis – this was discovered when he obtained his birth certificate to emigrate) have both passed away.

I hope this finds you well and it will be nice to hear from you.

Kind regards
Elaine Rosenberg nee Rogers


Emails, like photo's just seem to be lost and stored away in a "drawer" somewhere, so having this here for a reference for future days just seems to make sense.

Frank Weldon. Vancouver. 1950s.

Taking a break from construction work in Vancouver, Canada. Frank Weldon (Youngest Son of Joseph Welding and Rachel Hardman).

Frank is seated in the centre of the photo.

Frank Weldon. 1962

This is a great family photo of Frank, taken in 1962.

Photo provided by his daughter, Doris.

Groom, Bride and Bridesmaids.

Extreme left is 'Chic' Gorry, real name Edith, Thomas's cousin, her mother was Nellie's sister Edith Overend (Thomas's father, John Welding married Ellen Overend, aka Nellie)

Next to her is Frances's school friend Mary Ronan, now Mary Keen, Mary is still alive in Aintree, they are still in touch. Another enduring friendship.

Thomas Welding of course, and the blushing bride, Frances.

On the extreme right of the photo is Joan Welding, Thomas's sister.

Thomas Welding and Frances (Mcardle) Wedding Day

Thomas Welding (b. 1924) and Frances Mcardle (b. 1925) were married in the September quarter of 1945 at South Sefton Register Office, Liverpool, Lancashire.

They are still together. A testament to the enduring power of love and friendship.

Many thanks to his son, John Welding and his Grand-daughter, Karen Welding, for taking the time to scan the above photo.

Joseph Leslie Welding : Dispatch Rider WW2

Another treasure from the family military heritage. Although there was a lot of creasing on the image, none went through critical areas so the photo cleaned up very nicely.

This is Joseph Leslie Welding, who preferred to be called Leslie. In uniform as a fresh faced dispatch rider during the war, Leslie was born abt March 1923 and I would estimate that this photo was taken around 1941.

Joseph Leslie Welding

I was born in 1957 and my dad, Arthur Weldon, had this van when we were nippers, he used to take us over to Ainsdale to the sand dunes, many a happy picnic, setting up a little camping spot in a secluded area, thermos flasks and cheese butties. The van was a multi-purpose arrangement and had a removable seat in the back.

This picture that John Welding sent me brought all that back, this is Leslie Welding and his wife Jean, the familiar van and removable seat, parallel lives on the same coastline.

Joseph Leslie Welding and Thomas with Ronald Cooke.

I'll upload several family photographs now, taking a break from the Military theme.

This photograph introduces the faces of three more of the clan, one by marriage. This is Leslie and Thomas Welding and their brother in law, Ronald Cooke.

Joseph Leslie Welding (b. abt March 1923) and his brother Thomas (b. abt March 1924) and Ronald Cooke who married Joan Welding (b. abt Decemember 1926). Joseph who was known as Leslie, Thomas and Joan were the children of John Welding and Ellen (nee Overend).

Stanley Weldon, Loyal Regiment, Lancashire

Stanley Weldon. (b. August 1928) Served with the Loyal Regiment between 1946 and 1948.

This photo was provided by John Welding (b. abt 1947), son of Thomas Welding (b. abt 1924). Thomas is the son of John Welding (b. abt 1893). Stanley Joseph Weldon is the nephew of the older John Welding, the 1st cousin of Thomas and the 1st cousin once removed of John.

Arthur Weldon, Royal Irish Fusiliers.

Arthur Weldon

All this activity regarding military records made me realize that there are a couple of photographs of my dad that need to be uploaded to the blog.

Arthur Herbert Weldon (b. September 1926) who served in the Royal Irish Fusiliers with the Middle East Force in Palestine.

He was about twenty years old when this was taken.

The Commerce of Ancestry

I included those (so far) none related medal cards in the blog because at some point they will be of interest to someone out there in blogosphere and available here for free as long as the blog survives.

I have been researching my family tree for almost a dozen years now and one thing I have found to be very common are the number of organizations out there who wish to capitalize and monetize the whole process, not only the commercial sites, but also our official, record keeping sites like the Census and the National Archives.

This can be frustrating at times, mainly because you cannot "see" the information and often have to purchase multiple times to find the correct ancestor or family records. I have a suspicion that some of the more organized ancestry type commercial sites capitalize on exactly that.

I have already listed the free sites that I frequent, but it does not harm to repeat them:

Free Births, Marriages and Deaths. UK.   :    http://www.freebmd.org.uk/
Lancashire BMD   :    http://www.lancashirebmd.org.uk/
Online Parish Clerks : Lancashire   :    http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/

And very recently, when I was researching John Welding, I discovered the London Gazette, a searchable archive that is surprisingly free   :   http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/

Some of the other free sites that I started with a decade ago appear to have been hijacked over the years by those interested in money.

Acting Corporal Leslie Welding, Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

The National Archives Medal Card, obtained when I downloaded the John Welding card. Catalogue Reference WO/372/21 Image Reference 16844.  I believe R.W.Fus stands for Royal Welsh Fusiliers and Leslie Welding was an acting Corporal, regiment 73074. 

John Welding, Driver, Army Service Corps.

The National Archives Medal Card, obtained when I downloaded the John Welding card. Catalogue Reference WO/372/21 Image Reference 16844.  I don't believe it is the same John who was a Gunner in the Royal Field Artillery, this John Welding was a driver in the ASC or the Army Service Corps, serving in Egypt. Regiment number T4/143646.

Corporal Joseph Welding, Royal Army Pay Corps.

The National Archives Medal Card, obtained when I downloaded the John Welding card. Catalogue Reference WO/372/21 Image Reference 16844.  This Joseph Welding is not the same as discussed so far in this blog. This Joseph was a Corporal in the Royal Army Pay Corps, regiment 14421.

Sergeant Joseph Welding, Royal Fusiliers.

The National Archives Medal Card, obtained when I downloaded the John Welding card. Catalogue Reference WO/372/21 Image Reference 16844.  This Joseph Welding is not the same as discussed so far in this blog. This Joseph was a Sergeant in the Royal Fusiliers, Regiment number GS/11766.

Private Henry Welding, Liverpool Regiment.

The National Archives Medal Card, obtained when I downloaded the John Welding card. Catalogue Reference WO/372/21 Image Reference 16844.  This Henry Welding who has not been linked with my family yet was a Private in the Liverpool Regiment, Regiment number 332204.

Private Walter Welding, West Yorkshire Regiment

The National Archives Card, obtained when I downloaded the Richard Welding card. Catalogue Reference WO/372/21. Image Reference 16845.  This Walter Welding who has not been linked with my family yet was a Private in the West Yorkshire Regiment, Regiment number 57905.

Private William Lionel Welding, Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

The National Archives Card, obtained when I downloaded the Richard Welding card. Catalogue Reference WO/372/21, Image Reference 16845.  This William Lionel Welding who has not been linked with my family yet was a Private in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Regiment number 242886.

Private Samuel Welding, Lancashire Fusiliers.

The National Archives Card, obtained when I downloaded the Richard Welding card. Catalogue Reference WO/372/21, Image Reference 16845.  This Samuel Welding who has not been linked with my family yet was a Private in the Lancashire Fusiliers, Regiment number 5417.

Driver William Welding, Royal Field Artillery.

The National Archives Card, obtained when I downloaded the Richard Welding card. Catalogue Reference WO/372/21, Image Reference 16845.  This William Welding who has not been linked with my family yet was a driver in the RFA, Royal Field Artillery, Regiment number 116658.

A driver of that time was a soldier trained in the management and use of horses. The six horses drawing the gun, or wagon, were driven by three drivers, all on the nearside horses, and much training was required before drivers would be rated as competent. The drivers, of course, also looked after the horses and the management, condition and state of health of these animals was regarded as one of the most important functions in the battery.

Private Richard Welding, South Lancashire regiment.

This is the National Archives medal card for Richard Welding who died, defending his King and Country, on the 30th November, 1917 at the Battle of Cambrai. He is on record as being a Private in the South Lancashire Regiment, Regiment numbers 3717 and 241411.

I should extract the other records for the Welding surname from the two National Archive records I purchased for the brothers John and Richard, the archives charge for a single card, yet entries have five or six cards with similar surnames.

London Gazette. 17th September, 1917 : Announcement

If you want to see this, take a look at the London Gazette, 17th September 1917, Pages 9604 thru 9613. I have copied the header from page 9604 and added it to the John Welding announcement for the Military Medal for bravery in the field on page 9613. The inset is the actual medal awarded to John.

2/3 West Lancs R.F.A. 14th Battery

The West Lancashire Division was a formation of the Territorial Force. It was formed as a result of the reforms of the army carried out in 1908 under the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane and was one of 14 Divisions of the peacetime TF.

I've done a little research and will add it here, the R.F.A. stands for Royal Field Artillery and information shows that John Welding was a member of the 14th battery. A battery would be responsible for up to six artillery guns, trailers and a team of horses.

A search on the National Archives (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) shows ref WO 372/21 for John Welding, Royal Field Artillery Corps, Regiment number 686026. The following is his card:

Rank shown as GNR or Gunner. National Archive catalog reference for Roll RFA/115B will be WO 329/45 and page 2890

John Welding. Brickworks

I've discussed the family links to the Whiston pottery, mining, the "cables" and the brickworks and the following is a fantastic photograph of John Welding (b. abt 1893) who, in 1911, prior to his national service worked at the cables as a drum guider, then following his return from the war, worked at the brickworks.

That's John on the left, playing a hand shovel fiddle with a workmate accompanying him on the guitar.

John worked on the kilns in the brick fields, the pair of them look to be holding coal shovels and of course, they are standing in front of a pile of coal. It was the hard work of men like these that created the very building blocks that Lancashire needed to grow and prosper in the 1930s.

In typical fashion, a camera appears and a Welding must perform!

1911 Census for 11 Hall Lane, Huyton Quarry

1911 Census data.
Address : 11 Hall Lane, Huyton Quarry, near Liverpool
District : Prescot - Subdistrict : Prescot
Enumeration district : 17 - Parish : Huyton with Roby
County : Lancashire

John WILDON *** Head (M) 52 years old. (abt 1859) Chip Dealer. Born : Prescot, Lancashire
Rachael WILDON Wife (F) 49 years old. (abt 1862) Married 27 years (abt 1884) Born : Whiston, Lancashire
Arthur WILDON Son - single (M) 24 years old (abt 1887) Cable Measurer Wire Worker Born : Whiston, Lancashire
Richard WILDON Son - single (M) 22 years old (abt 1889) Insulator Wire Worker Born : Whiston, Lancashire
Amy WILDON Daughter - single (F) 20 years old (abt 1891) Maker Globe Maker Born : Whiston, Lancashire
John WILDON Son - single (M) 18 years old (abt 1893) Drum Guider Worker Wire Born : Whiston, Lancashire
Ellen WILDON Daughter - single (F) 17 years old (abt 1894) Lamp Packer Globe Maker Born : Whiston, Lancashire
Jane WILDON Daughter - single (F) 15 years old (abt 1896) Lamp Tester Globe Maker Born : Whiston, Lancashire
Rachael WILDON Daughter - single (F) 11 years old (abt 1900) School Born : Whiston, Lancashire
Jo WILDON Son (M) 9 years old (abt 1902) School Born : Huyton Quarry, Lancashire
Alice WILDON Daughter (F) 6 years old (abt 1905) School Born : Huyton Quarry, Lancashire
Frank WILDON Son (M) 4 years old (abt 1907) Born : Huyton Quarry, Lancashire

Source : www.1911census.co.uk

*** Note. This is Joseph Welding (b. June 5th, 1859) the John Welding we have been recently discussing is the 6th entry in the census.

Weldon, Welding, Wildon and Well Done....

The name game, I've discussed it before and my Weldon family firmly has documented roots with the Welding name, so today I have officially expanded the blog title to include, and rightly so, that surname.

John Welding, son of Thomas Welding, grandson of the John Welding highlighted in the last few posts, recounted a family story of the name:

"The whole tribe used the name Weldon until an Aunt in St Helens died leaving money, but the funds were only left to 'John Welding'. That led to a clarification that indeed the name was 'Welding' and John used the name from there after, those that didn't receive any money continued with 'Weldon'."

Graeme, my Scottish friend who kindled my interest in the family tree process, saw that and said to me: "So, that must mean that you come from the poor side of the family!"

The 1911 census gave me a particular puzzle, no sign of Joseph and Rachel Welding or Weldon, so I cross referenced some addresses, paid more to the census service and finally discovered the family again, this time, the enumerator had wrongly entered the surname as Wildon.

So as you can see, this research can be tricky.

I'll add that data in the next entry.

Memories in books and drawers

When I was a kid, growing up in Liverpool and Whiston in the 1960s, I would occasionally ferret out the black book that was in the Welsh dresser in the front room, it was a photo album with most of the family snapshots.

This photo, received today, reminds me so much of those lost pictures. It is of John Welding and, if I can read the photo correctly, was taken in September 1915 and shows the 2/3 West Lancs R.F.A. 14th Battery. John Welding is fourth from the left, back row.

I usually photoshop creases out, but the danger with this photo is that I alter people and they lose what is left of their identity, so this picture is presented as is, in all it's creased glory. What a great bunch of young men, about to fight for their King and Country.

I will focus on John Welding and his military service as soon as I have verified the facts.

John Welding (b. abt 1893) and Ellen Overend (b. abt 1896)

This is a photograph of John and Ellen on their wedding day. They married in West Derby, Liverpool, in the second quarter of 1921

John appears to be wearing his Military Medal ribbon, something we will talk about later.

John Welding (b. abt 1893)

I will link a new set of information with the last post, here is a very important photograph to the archive provided by Thomas Welding (John's son) and John Welding (John's Grandson) who have provided that valuable "real" information that extends the people from just an item in a database.

The photograph shows two sons of Joseph and Rachel Welding, on the left side there is John Welding (b. abt 1893) and his older brother, and I was excited when I found this out, William Welding, William Hardman or Billy Weldon (b. abt 1884).

It is rare to be able to put names to faces, but this photo, from around 1924, is the exception.

Left. John Welding (b. abt June 1893) with his wife Ellen (nee Overend. b. abt June 1896) and their son, Joseph Leslie Welding (b. abt 1923)
Right. William Welding (b. abt 1884) with his first wife Lilian May (nee Turner. b. abt 1886) with their daughter Catherine (b. abt 1922)

The name game is in full force with this group, besides the surnames of Welding, Weldon and Hardman (all from the same parents, Joseph and Rachel Welding) the first names shifted, Ellen was affectionately called Nellie, Joseph Leslie went by the name of Leslie, of course we have already discussed William and then there's his daughter, Catherine, who was always called Carrie.

More to come!

William Hardman

I've discussed my great-great grandfather, William Hardman (b. abt 1831) in this blog and his wife, Jane Barron (b. abt 1843).

I tracked most of their children, via census data, birth records and more recently the OPC (Online Parish Clerks) website where I discover baptism records.

The key to creating a family tree is not to be too twitchy about things and the baptism records at the OPC show numerous William Hardmans in the county, so, I tracked the baptisms for the children I knew and found baptisms that matched church criteria and where the father was William Hardman and the wife, Jane. The OPC is great in that respect as it allows filtering

It was with some excitement that I discovered that at the age of 50, William and Jane had one more child and they named him William. William was baptised on 27th May, 1881 at St Mary the Virgin Church, Prescot, Lancashire. However, in the future years, there is no sign of this person (ie, 1891 census onwards) and I investigated further and discovered that on the 26th October, 1882 at the same church, William Hardman was buried at the age of 18 months.

There are often other reasons why things happen and we can only speculate, but about a year later, their unmarried daughter, Rachel, fell pregnant (to Joseph Welding) and when the child was born, it was named William. The grandparents took this child into their home and raised him, allowing the young Welding family to establish itself.

I also recently found a baptism record for this child.

Baptism: 30 Mar 1884 St Mary the Virgin, Prescot, Lancashire, England
William Welden Hardman - [Child] of Rachel Hardman, Single Woman
    Born: 6 Feb 1884
    Abode: Whiston
    Baptised by: H. A. MacNaghten
    Register: Baptisms 1879 - 1887, Page 118, Entry 938
    Source: LDS Film 1657584

William Welden Hardman (born 6 Feb 1884) aka William Hardman, aka Billy Weldon, not only had a grandfather called William Hardman, but a lost uncle, William Hardman, that he would never know.

"God be with you till we meet again"



(link to OPC : http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/)

Mary Ann Bird and the Bird dealer

There is an interesting coincidence in the family history and it was highlighted by one of my real Aunties, and, with my research, is not uncommon.

The Auntie that informed me, and started a line of research was my dad's sister, Margaret. She told me that her mum's maiden name was Edwards, which was strange, as my mum's maiden name was Edwards. ie, my Dad's mum's maiden name was the same as his wife's.

Simply put, my mum's maiden name was Edwards and my Grandmother's maiden name was Edwards, but on my dad's side of the family. The logic here is that, I had two great grandfathers with the surname Edwards. Confusing, so a tree diagram is required:

Margaret Anne Weldon (b. April 26th 1912) who was my dad's oldest sister, told me that her mum's maiden name was Margaret Rebecca Edwards and that her grandmother's maiden name (on her mum's side) was Mary Ann Bird. In addition, an interesting fact was that she married twice.

In Margaret's own words, she told me "Gran married twice, and I think her second husband's name was Houson" she went on to say that around 1920, Mary ran a small pet shop on Tunnel Road in Liverpool. The young Margaret would spend a lot of time with her, often staying over for exciting nights. She said that her Gran was a lovely lady and she always got on smashing with her.

And that was that. So, I decided to put my detective hat on and do some digging. The first clue was the following information from Gore's Liverpool Directory for 1919:

The list of trades does not include 'Pet Shops' but under 'Animal Dealers' it says 'see Bird Dealers' and under Bird Dealers it lists: Huson, R.F., 176 Tunnel Road

Tunnel Road was in the West Derby area of Liverpool.

A resulting search then revealed that Ralph F Huson married Mary A Edwards in 1915. This was at Toxteth Park, St.Bede, Liverpool. Reference 2049TP/2/62 - A certificate was obtained. The stated age for Mary was 52 years old, which would confirm the 1862-1863 timeline for her birth. It is noted that her son-in-law (Margaret's father) Arthur Sandiland Weldon, was a witness at the marriage.

Ralph Frith Huson was shown as a widower on the above marriage certificate, a subsequent search shows that his first wife, Frances, was still alive when the 1911 census was taken and that they both lived at 176 Tunnel Road. Ralph was a house painter at the time and Frances, a Bird Shop owner. This would indicate that Frances died between 1911 and 1915.

A satisfying detective story.

Frank, Doris, Stan and Billy

The travellers Frank Weldon (b. June 25th, 1906) and his wife Doris Byron (b. August 8th, 1909) returned from Canada in the 1970s to visit Stanley Weldon and his wife Marjorie "Billy" Dickinson in Huyton, near Liverpool.

Frank was the youngest son of Joseph Welding and Rachel (nee Hardman).

Left to right, Frank, Doris, Stan and Billy.

Frank was Stan's Uncle.

Jane Weldon, a few more pictures.

I discussed Jane previously on the blog, here are a couple more photo's. I wanted to add these because I believe there may be some new exciting material for the blog in the coming months, relating to the family Fish and Chip shop on Hall Lane in Huyton that Jane took over in the 1920s.

New Information that resulted from this blog existing.

Keep Posted.

Those little special things

A page from a little book of my mum's shows expenses from October, 1965. It is a little time capsule of happy thoughts and links to another life and part of this continuing reality.

Dorothy Margaret Weldon, October 1965 :

Looks like Arthur's mum and dad received slippers, Auntie Eva, flowers, Bill, well nothing as of October and then "nan" which is a clue to something, a tiny little thing that for a family tree researcher can give light. Especially so that the particular "nan" follows Eva and Bill, so, my belief is that this refers to Charlotte Cottrill (nee Knight) who was the mother of Betsey (my mum's mother) and Eva (my mum's Auntie from the previous post).

Therefore, an amazing clue that Charlotte, my mother's grandmother, was still alive in October 1965 and that George Cottrill, my mother's grandfather, wasn't. I know that mum's grandparents on her dad's side had died in 1935 and 1940.

Charlotte, born around 1886, would have been almost 80 years old that Christmas. It redefines the visits to see Auntie Eva at the weekends when I was eight years old, because I believe Charlotte was living at that same house with Eva and Bill. Dorothy was visiting her nan.

All that from one line in a Christmas presents list.

Looks like I received some books (probably Dandy or Beano annuals) a battery operated Motor Bike (which I can remember) and a Mars Stocking, a selection box full of chocolate goodies.

Thanks for writing it all down mum.

Eva Cottrill

I feel as though I forgot I had a grandmother on my mother's side of the family, the reason being that she died when I was three years old. I've talked about her before on the blog, her name was Betsey Edwards (nee Cottrill) born December 17th, 1907 and she died tragically on May 31st, 1961

She is there in the photo, the adult on the right with the dark coat and what appears to be a banana on her head.

The mysterious Auntie Eva is there too, she is the lady on the left with my Uncle Bob to her right. He actually was my Uncle Bob, married to my dad's sister Alda.

It was the 1911 census data that unlocked her relationship, her name is Eva Cottrill and she was Betsey's sister. Therefore, my Auntie Eva was actually my mum's Auntie Eva.

The lady standing next to her is another mystery, it could be her mother, Charlotte, but for some reason I believe it is Auntie Flo (Florence Edwards, my Grandfather's John Edward Edwards sister. Another of my mum's Aunties). In between this lady and Betsey is Mary Wright.

Eva Cottrill was married to William Copeland, who of course, we called, Uncle Bill.

I remember weekend visits to see Eva and Bill, they lived in a modest, bay windowed, terraced house, well furnished with wood floors and carpet runners, solid wood furniture and dressers, a chiming clock (in the best room) and that wonderful atmosphere of a coal heated dwelling.

The Big Picture

I've returned to a larger group picture of my mum and dad's wedding because I want to focus in on a couple of individuals and fill in a few blanks. The lady in the front row, second from the left, was known to me when I was a lad as "Auntie Eva" and we would visit her occasionally on a Saturday or Sunday.

As a child I lived in an odd world, things seldom in focus and I never really knew who she was and always assumed that she was related to my grandfather Edwards, which after research was partially true. I will discuss her in the next post.

As an aside, rationing was being phased out when Dorothy and Arthur were married and over on the far right of the front row, the man linking my dad's mother's arm, has a strangely large bag.

It was full of coal.

John Welding (b.1870) and Elizabeth Beesley (b.1871)

This hourglass tree with a generation above and below shows the John Welding (b.1870) and Elizabeth Beesley (b.1871) household with four known children.

John was a Watch Case Polisher in the town of Prescot that wasT dominated by Watchmaking. There are many references within this industry for the Welding family. John and his brothers Sandyland and William all had occupations related to watchmaking.

John and Elizabeth married November 20th, 1893 at St Mary the Virgin Church, Prescot, Lancashire

The census data shows that John Welding lived at the following addresses in Prescot (with dates in brackets).

5 Kemble Street, Prescot (1881)
36 Kemble Street, Prescot (1891)
16 Beaconsfield Street, Prescot (1901)
48 Beaconsfield Street, Prescot (1911)

The marriage information shows he was living, at that time, at 28 Kemble Street, Prescot.

I will post some information about the Beesley family.

Whiston Union

In the 1970s I would usually walk from my home in Pottery Lane, up Dragon Lane to the junction with Warrington Road, take a right, then a left up Delph Lane to my school, Whiston County Secondary. The school has been demolished for quite some time now, but the large building on the corner of Dragon Lane and Warrington Road, Whiston Hospital, is still there.

In the parish records I find numerous references to Whiston Union, usually associated with a very young, or very old death. I am making an assumption that Whiston Union is the workhouse that was also referred to as Prescot workhouse that eventually evolved into a County Hospital in the 1930s and then Whiston Hospital in the 1950s. It is now St.Helens and Knowsley Hospital.

This old extract shows the workhouse to the right of Dragon Lane (the vertical road) the tee-junction with Warrington Road and then a right and left into Delph Lane.

It is strange to think that for all those years of secondary school I was oblivious to the importance of the site to the Weldon history (besides the birth of my younger brother Paul in May, 1969) and I think, given time, I hope to document all the Welding/Weldon entries from the Whiston Union.

From 1904, to protect them from disadvantage in later life, the birth certificates for those born in the workhouse gave its address just as 1 Warrington Road, Whiston.

James Welding (b.1836) and Alice Stockley (b.1840)

The parents of Joseph Welding (b.1859) are James and Alice Welding.

They are my great-great grandparents, or the simplified 2nd great-grandparents term used in the family tree discipline.

The research collated from certificates, BMD sources, census data and church records shows four sons with Joseph being the oldest. I will add their respective occupations, with related dates in brackets:

James Welding. Collier (1859 thru 1884)
Joseph Welding. Potter (1884) Collier (retired)
Self employed Fish and Chip shop owner (1911)
William Welding. Potter (1881) Watch case Polisher (1901) Potter Thrower (1911)
Sandyland Welding. Watch Hand Maker (1891) Watchmaker balance staffs (1901)
General Shopkeeper (1911)
John Welding. Brass Finisher (1891) Watch Case Polisher (1901) Brass Moulder (1911)

I have more information for Joseph Welding and the family shop on Hall Lane in Huyton Quarry which I will upload as a new article.

St Mary the Virgin, Prescot, Lancashire

There is another popular church in the Weldon history and I will borrow some information from the Prescotian website.

PRESCOT PARISH CHURCH. Originally the church was dedicated to All Saints, but was later re-dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, probably when the present church was built in 1610. It is believed that the site was a religious sanctuary even in pre-Christian times and that a Christian church of timber and clay was built there by Celtic monks. However, there is very little evidence remaining of the previous buildings. The base of the south wall may be ancient, and the clergy vestry is probably of the fifteenth century. The floor of this vestry is actually two feet below the level of the chancel, but a wooden floor has been constructed four feet above this. The tower and spire, 150 ft. high, were added in 1729, and there is a peal of eight bells, cast by Mears of London in 1845, and quarter-turned in 1934.

I was directed to a website which is the OPC (Online Parish Clerks) for Lancashire and it is an amazing resource for anyone interested in their family tree in the Lancashire region. There is a searchable database for baptism, burials and weddings prior to the "official" records. I found a lot of data for the Weldon/Welding family for the 1800-1900 period, plus, in the future, if I can verify information, I will use it for information prior to the year 1800.

This is the link:

http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/

Alda Lewis (nee Weldon)

Alda Weldon born abt. September 1916 (birth record is for December period, 1916 in Prescot, Lancashire). Married Robert Lewis in 1938 at Prescot, Lancashire.

I can recall visiting them in Prescot as I grew up living "down the road" in Whiston, usually visiting on a Saturday afternoon, memories of cups of tea and battenburg cake with the sound of laughter and the football results in the background.

They had two daughters, Margaret (born 1938) and Ann (born 1943) and the pair carried on the Lewis sense of humour even after Bob's death (October, 1993), Ann, recounts that she and her sister, Margaret, were waiting in the funeral home when the funeral director left them alone for a short while. They heard knocking and thought it was Bob trying to get a message through. They were creased with laughter as the knocking and tapping continued, when the funeral director got back, she apologised for the noise as they were having some maintenance done.

Bobs family was buried in St.Helens Cemetary and Bob had wanted a cremation instead of a burial. After the funeral, there had been some discussion about where his ashes would be scattered and Margaret and Ann thought it would be nice if his ashes were brought back to Prescot (only a few miles from St.Helens). Alda was unaware that they were making these plans and when she found out she thought they were bringing them back to the house! , Ann jokingly said that she could put them around her roses, in the end Alda wanted them scattered in St.Helens so the ashes were returned.

Alda died in July 1999 after a brief illness, Ann, recounts that her mum wasn't feeling too well and had turned yellow (jaundiced) so they took her to hospital, she was in no pain but within nine days she died.

Ann had visited Alda just before she died, she said that her mum was "like a marigold" with the jaundice but in no pain. Alda had said that it was probably something she'd eaten and that "it'll pass through", when Ann got home there was a phone call asking her to come back to the Hospital. She knew as soon as she saw the nurse that something was wrong.

Alda was diagnosed post-mortem with Cancer of the Pancreas.

Robert Lewis

Robert Lewis was born December 8th, 1913 in Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

The town of Sydney Mines grew up around the rich coal fields of Sydney Harbor and one pit, Princess Colliery, operated continuously for 100 years, from 1875 to 1975. In that time, Princess produced 30 million tonnes of coal.

The first mining took place in 1766 along the exposed seams of the harbour cliffs. When the General Mining Association took over Cape Breton coal mining in 1827, the area was simply known as "The Mines."

By the turn of the century, Sydney Mines was one of the top coal producing communities in North America. Workers came from Italy, Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Austria, England, Scotland and Wales to work in the mines.

Many of the workmen imported by the General Mining Association were English or Scottish. I visited the town and found that the Lewis's are listed as English in the 1917 Sydney mines census for ward 3. The census lists them living at "new houses" and this would have been Guy Street and Cottage Street. They called these new homes miners cottages and this is how Cottage Street got its name.

They lived right on the Atlantic coast, breathtaking views of the sea contrasted with the darkness of a mining community. I stood there on streets that perhaps Bob played on, the Atlantic breeze in my face and I imagined that it was a hard life for the families who existed there, often owing all to "the company store" and for those that arrived in the Spring or Summer, a cold bitter Winter would await them.

I never knew this history of my Uncle Bob when he was alive, it would have been fascinating to hear of his childhood spent on the East coast of Canada.

There is a lesson there, talk to your relatives while you can.

Stanley Weldon and Arthur Hill

A great picture of Stanley Weldon and Arthur Hill.

There is no direct relationship besides the fact that Arthur Hill was the brother of Thomas Henry Hill (born October 12th, 1921) who married Marjorie Davies (born February 21st, 1923) on September 27th, 1945

Marjorie was the daughter of Alexandra Davies (born January, 1892) and Amy Gertrude Weldon (born abt. September 1890). Stanley Joseph Weldon was her 1st cousin.

Botanic Road, 2010

I was born in Liverpool and in 1957 we lived at 53 Botanic Road, time has not been kind to the old place and here is a very recent photograph. It is surviving while all around it become dust and developments, my infants and primary school, Clint Road is long gone, along with the rows of terraced houses parallel to Botanic Road, the shops on Wavertree Road have vanished and even the famous Botanic Pub is gone.

The only feature left from the picture below is shown here, I wonder how long the old house will survive?

The approximate world as I knew it 1963

A combination picture I created for a now defunct website, showing approximate locations of our house, the local pub, our shop and Clint Road School.

The Botanic Gardens

This old aerial photo shows Botanic Road on the right with Edge Lane running along the bottom from left to right. There is clearly quite a large pond seen at the top of the picture.

The ordered square area is the botanic gardens, paths and flower beds, walled off from the rest of the park and the gates were locked at dusk.

Botanic Park

In those days, Botanic Road wasn’t a busy road, not a main one. It was (and still is) a link between Wavertree Road and Edge Lane. We lived at number 53 and owned number 51 which mum and dad rented out. I never thought about them being landlords as we, the kids, were never included in any talk about money or business.

So, here I am, standing still in a nappy and rubber pants in the park in front of our house on Botanic Road. In was probably spring or summer 1959 and I was about 20 months old.

It was a fantastic park, plenty of space for mothers walking prams and kids, a botanical gardens area.

The maps I will add show a water feature in the park, but I cannot recall that being there as I grew up.

There was a rock garden in the botanical garden area, this was walled off though. In later years we would climb into the botanical garden area to play as it was locked up at night.

John Edwards

John Edward Edwards (centre) or 'Jack" as he became known to family and friends went to School in central Liverpool. In 1919, at the age of 13 years he was attending Tiber Street Council School.

He was born on May 27th, 1906 in West Derby, Liverpool.