RootsChat.Com

I've just got a death cert for Thomas Dunbobbin, who died aged 4 months at "Workhouse Walton" on 6 Oct 1874. It's in Runcorn RD.

I did not know of a workhouse in Lower Walton or Higher Walton. I know about the one at Dutton. but that is some distance away. workhouses.org only shows the Dutton one.

The informant, "M A Holdcroft" doesn't seem to be around in 1871 or 1881. That's unfortunate because they gave their address as "Workhouse Walton" too.

Anyone know where this workhouse was?

I've been looking into Benjamin Spencer Russell for someone else.

He married Ethel Annie Sheffield in 1893. In 1901 and 1921, and at the baptisms of his 2 children, he claims to be a journalist. In 1911, he unexpectedly is a draper's traveller. The age at his death in 1930 matches too.

In all these censuses, he claims to have been born around 1861 in Handsworth, Staffordshire, which is north west of Birmingham (close to the M6-M5 junction).

I can't find him reliably before his marriage. There is no Benjamin Russell born in the area at the right time, nor is there a Benjamin Spencer. No possible journalists in 1891.

So I coughed up for the marriage cert.
St. Bride, Stretford, 9 Sep 1893:
"Benjamin Spencer Russell, 32, Bachelor, Printer, 150 Oxford Street, John Russell (deceased), Engineer
Ethel Annie Sheffield, 26, Spinster, , 150 Oxford Street, Thomas Sheffield, Decorator
Witness: Frederick Page, Eliza Jane Caulton"

So I searched 1891 for anyone with surname Russell and occupation Printer.

There IS a Benjamin Russell, printer, born Birmingham around 1866, with John as father. John is a shoemaker, and has been consistently from 1871 to 1891.

Despite the "deceased" declaration, I looked up John in 1901. He has retired to Cheltenham, but is now a Retired PRINTER.

Is this Benjamin the chap? Did he have some argument with his parents and run north to Manchester, add some years and a middle name and live an entirely different life?

I'm following up on a family who lived in the Colton area in the first half of the 19th century.

Richard Crewdson, born at Ridding Side, south of Colton, married Isabella Nelson at Colton in 1809.

They have 12 children, 11 baptised at Colton. The first 5 are born at Green Head, close to the church.

The next 5 are born 1817 to 1827 at Snaith House, and it is this place I'm trying to locate.

The last child, Joshua, is born 1833 a mile to the east at New Hall, Bouth, and that is where the family were in 1841. In 1851 they are at Cringle Mire, adjacent to New Hall.

Does anyone know where Snaith House is/was? I can't locate it on the 1840s OS map, so suspect it may be one of the buildings in the village near the church.

I knew that my dad's uncle Tommy had been in the army during WW2. I remember a head-and-shoulders photo of him in tropical gear, but it's not with our branch of the family. I knew nothing of his regiment, and he would not speak about the war during my childhood.

This afternoon mum was digging in a cupboard for something sewing-related. She then said "Here. Have you seen this? Uncle Tommy's cap badge".

An original Royal Artillery badge!

It is surprisingly clean. I'm usually the person who cleans brass and copper. My granny, who I'm sure was the previous holder, was of the "plaster it in Brasso and let it dry before wiping" school. Everything else she "polished" has taken me years of extracting caked-on metal polish from the recesses.

Were they originally coated in some magic solution to repel grannies?

Now, with a known regiment, I can consider sending off a cheque to the MOD for his service record!

Caught this one yesterday. If covers the experiences of a woman in the south of the USA as she attempted to find out more about her family's past.

Quite a lot of the feelings expressed resonated with me, and I'm not American, female, or black.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001b435