Yates family from Lancashire

[heatherjulie]

Thomas Robert Yates
Event Type:   Burial
Event Place:   Leigh, Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Cemetery:   Leigh Cemetery
Latitude:   53.49342
Longitude:   -2.48071
Death Date:   17 May 1917

[colee]

How wonderful is that, thank you!
I will go and find them in December when I'm in Manchester, perhaps take my daughter too. Not sure if it's really done on these sorts of sites, but I could post a photo of the gravestone too, sort of like the end of that bit of the trail. there will probably be rather a lot of Yates in that cemetery, I will have to see how many relatives I can positively locate before I go there.
PS I have sent a message to my mother's cousin Margaret asking for any more info about the New Zealand emigration, with the news that Joshua is in fact Samuel. I have been promised a reply over the weekend. Maybe they'll even hunt for the elusive photo of the twins they talk about. So fingers crossed on that one.
Meanwhile, William Thomas still remains a mystery, so if anyone can think of a way of locating someone who died in a brawl, I'd be eternally grateful - not sure i could be any more grateful than I am now, but anyway!!!

[heatherjulie]

Hi Colee
There must still be lots more to explore!
I will keep looking.

Heather 

[heatherjulie]

There is a stone,

https://billiongraves.com/grave/Clara-Jane-Yates/5748520

[colee]

WOW - and seems to say in that cemetery there are over 300 Yates if I've read that right

[sallyyorks]

How wonderful is that, thank you!
I will go and find them in December when I'm in Manchester, perhaps take my daughter too. Not sure if it's really done on these sorts of sites, but I could post a photo of the gravestone too, sort of like the end of that bit of the trail. there will probably be rather a lot of Yates in that cemetery, I will have to see how many relatives I can positively locate before I go there.
PS I have sent a message to my mother's cousin Margaret asking for any more info about the New Zealand emigration, with the news that Joshua is in fact Samuel. I have been promised a reply over the weekend. Maybe they'll even hunt for the elusive photo of the twins they talk about. So fingers crossed on that one.
Meanwhile, William Thomas still remains a mystery, so if anyone can think of a way of locating someone who died in a brawl, I'd be eternally grateful - not sure i could be any more grateful than I am now, but anyway!!!

Some sad local history here I am afraid
I notice from previous posts that your family were coal miners at 'Bedford', Leigh (not 'Manchester'), Lancashire.
In August 1886 there was a large explosion at Bedford pit, sadly resulting in the deaths of 38 miners. There is a memorial to the miners in the same Leigh cemetery you mention. I looked at the list of those who died and couldn't see any Yates or Skeltons, but I expect they would have known some of the deceased and their families, as they lived and worked in the same area at the time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford_Colliery_disaster

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-35560819

[colee]

Gosh that's really really interesting, thank you so much. Their lives were full of tragedy. Certainly one of the Yates was a miner, most of them were in the cotton industry it seems. But I am curious to find out why my great great grandmother and 4 of her 5 children left Lancashire and came down to Kent. A change in the industrial landscape may have had something to do with it. An Ancestry relative (the one who recommended Roots to me) also discovered on the 1939 register that a Charles Yates (my grandmother's cousin) was working in the Docks minding the Butterworth automatic tank cleaning machine. William Thomas Butterworth was my great grandfather whose death after 1903/4 we can't find - so maybe there's a hint there to explain the migration.
I will read up on the history of the mining tragedy and certainly look out for the memorial when I visit the cemetery.
Actually, thinking about all of this, I may not be able to wait until December to go to the cemetery, I may have to visit in a couple of weeks at half term!

[Grace Escudero]

Hello,

I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I found this book five years ago in a used bookstore here in Vancouver, Canada. I am hoping to return it to the family to which it belongs.

Here is what I know:

William Yates was awarded this book as first prize for regular attendance to Bedford Wesleyan Sunday School in Leigh, Lancashire on October 11, 1896. I know this as there is a sticker in the front that says so.

A few pages in, there is a newspaper segment titled “Another Leigh Sacrifice.” Prívate Thomas Yates of the 16th Manchester Regiment was missing in battle as of March 21, 1918.

He lived at 18, Mill-Lane, Leigh.

He enlisted in August 1917 and went to France in December.

He was the youngest of four sons, all soldiers.

One was wounded and another was gassed.

He was 23 when he died.

He worked at the Kermishaw Nook Pit, Tyldesley.

On the Roll of Honour at Bedford Wesleyan School.

[colee]

Hi Grace
What a great mission to try and find his family. I have located Thomas and William on Ancestry, but don't think they are on my branch of Yates.
This is the initial info I have found on Ancestry: The family living at 18 Mill Lane was headed by Alfred Yates, an underground coal miner, married to Mary Alice. Their children in the 1901 census were William aged 18 who also worked in the mines, Margaret aged 15, Annie aged 13, Joseph aged 11 (listed as an underground miner in 1911), Fred aged 8 (listed as a brewer in 1911), Thomas aged 6 (a mill worker in 1911) and Alice aged 3. They were all born in Leigh, Lancashire.
William wasn't listed in the 1911 census which is why I've quoted the info from the earlier census.
I will let you know when I have located Alfred's specific line, then can move forward to any living members of that part of the family.