Joseph Harrison

[Lil0]

THANK YOU ALL
This is great.

[TILLY_H]

Hi This is a long time after your original query about Joseph Harrison born about 1845 in Ashby de la Zouch Leicestershire but this person is my husband (Andrew Jospeh Harrison)'s great great grandfather so I was wondering what information you managed to find out and also your connection to him. Thanks for any help. We now live in Warwickshire and are planning to go to Ashby de la Zouch soon to see what we can find.

[Lil0]

Hi Tilly_H.  Great to hear from you.  I believe that Joseph Harrison is my grandmother's father.  Her name was Ada.  She was born in June 1874.  What do you know about your husband's grandfather or great grandfather?
Ada came to Canada around 1900.  [My father was born in Winnipeg, Canada in 1903]

[TILLY_H]

Hi,
My husband is Andrew Joseph Harrison whose dad was Betram Joseph Harrison born 1900 (died 1980) in Erdington, Birmingham. I got interested in Family History starting with my own family and then looked in to the origin of the Harrison name, partly for my son Michael Joseph (13) who will carry the name on. Bertram's father was Joseph Harrison who would have been Ada's brother. He had three children (Bertram, Ivy and Ethel) but died young of consumption / TB (1910). Bertram was brought up by his grandfather Joseph - the one born in 1845 in Ashby de la Zouch. Via census information we have pieced together how the family developed and moved about. Joseph's father was William Harrison, a tailor, born in Swannington, Leicestershire, not far from Ashby de la Zouch. His wife, Mary was born in Ashby and had four sons there (John, William, Herbert, Joseph) and then they moved to Birmingham (in about 1846) and had three daughters (Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah Ann). Joseph is listed as a maker of gas fittings at the age of 16 (1861). In 1871 he married Ann Maria Stringer on 8th April in St Philips Church Birmingham. The document puts her father down as James Stringer but the witness who signed was Joseph Wareing so I assume her mother had remarried after James' death and her step father witnessed her marriage. (Joseph Wareing turns up later on census returns as 'father in law' to Joseph). Joseph Harrison's occupation on the marriage certificate is 'machinist'. Joseph continued living in Birmingham but seemed to move around a lot - his trade continued to be Gas fitter or similar. In 1881 the census lists him and Ann Maria having 4 children, Joseph (9) - my husband's ancestor, Ada (7) your ancestor, Arthur G. (5) and Mary A. (1) with Ann Maria's mother and step father living with them. In 1891 Joseph age 19 and Ada age 16 are both listed as Elementary teachers. Staying with them was Lillian Stringer - the daughter of Joseph Stringer, Ann Maria's brother. In 1901, Joseph (now an iron monger) and Ann Maria are living at 18 Station Road in Erdington without any children living with them. Joseph (younger) and new wife (Eliza Louisa) are found for some reason in Sheffield with new born Bertram Joseph. In 1911 Joseph (elder) is living in 18 Summer Lane Erdington with Bertram aged 10. We have a chair that Bertram brought home from his grandfather's house on a tram across Birmingham 'the only thing he inherited from his grandfather's estate.'
All the information about Ada is fascinating and news to my husband's side of the family - I wouldn't be surprised if Bertram was never told since she (his aunt) left UK when he was born. Do you think she cut off completely from her family in UK? Is there any evidence that she had any contact? We have a letter written by Joseph (Bertram's dad) thanking his dad for looking after 'Bertie' while he was away working in Liverpool - it's quite poignant as he seems optimistic that his business will succeed if he can 'keep his health' - which he didn't of course.
Looking forward to hearing more about Ada!
Tilly Harrison

[Lil0]

Thanks for all that info!!  It is my understanding that Ada cut off all contact with her family because they tried to convince her she should return home.  I have heard lots of confusing and conflicting stories, so I am not sure what all to believe.  Apparently [contrary to the stories we heard] Ada and "Alan" changed their names while in London, since they do appear in a London census as brother and sister [Ada and Alan Muir], and that is how they are listed on the ship's passenger list sailing out of Liverpool.  [We had been told they changed their names after arriving in Canada.]
I am particularly interested in any information you might have about Sarah Harrison.  Who did she marry?  One of the family legends says that a relative of Ada's was a "Lady Sarah Dukesell".  I have not been able to find any such person -- the only Sarah I have found is Ada's aunt Sarah.  Does your husband's family have any information about this?


PS   I should add that "Alan's" original name was John Deakin and he was married to Emma Bolton.  Their daughter, Dorothy Leonora Deakin was born February 1897 and was brought to Canada with Ada and John "Alan".

[Lil0]

So, your husband Andrew is my second cousin.

[TILLY_H]

Hi,
That's all very interesting but sad that there was no contact and the family links were lost! If you let me have your e-mail email address removed by moderator,please use the private message function to exchange sensitive information then I can link you to my Ancestry.co.uk family tree and you can see a photo of Bertram and my husband in case you can spot a family likeness!! We don't have any information about Sarah as far as I know but Andrew has a cousin who is also interested in family history (Christine Fairman, daughter of Bertram's sister Ivy) so she might know something. It seems very unlikely that Ada's side of the family had any high-born connections - more likely to be his (Alan's) side of the family if at all. Or perhaps Lady Dukesell was a patron of some kind?
Can you tell me Ada's children's names? Thanks.

[Lil0]

Hi Tilly
I sent you an email message, but it went straight to an auto-response letting me know you were out of the office.
Lois

[Lil0]

Tilly,
I have sent [to your email address] an invitation to my Muir family ancestry.com site.  Let me know if that didn't come through or if you have any problems getting access.
Lois