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Topics - tonyharrison

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Cheshire / Gibbons still living around the Minshulls, maybe Haslington?
« on: Wednesday 02 August 17 14:48 BST (UK)  »
I've very recently found out quite a lot about my maternal grandmother Ada Swain (nee Gibbons) and her family, farm folk who lived in different Cheshire locations. I wonder if there are Gibbons's still around places such as Church Minshull, Minshull Vernon and thereabouts - ? My great-grandfather William Gibbons is buried at St Bartholomew's, Church Minshull, with his wife Rachel; and the war memorial at Minshull Vernon bears twelve names from WW1 including that of a James Gibbons who was (I have concluded firmly) my great-uncle, killed at Gallipoli in 1915 aged 20 - he's also buried at Church Minshull. I learned from John Headon in Church Minshull that he was visited in the 1990s by a Canadian who was looking up Gibbons relatives there: he was very likely a descendant of my great-uncle Harold Gibbons (born 1902 at Shocklach near Malpas) who went to Canada with his wife Hilda and their children - they'd lived near Malpas, according to my mother's recollection. The Canadian apparently met some Gibbons folk at Haslington near Crewe.
Any of my Gibbons relatives out there, and on this board? And I'm a Harrison, eldest son of Robert William Harrison who grew up in Malpas - I used to have three sets of aunts & uncles in Church Street - so if this rings a bell with anyone...
rgds Tony

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Shropshire / Swain family (-ies) in and near Condover
« on: Wednesday 02 August 17 12:18 BST (UK)  »
There are a number of Swains in this area and I've contacted a couple so far, with no result except a couple of leads to follow. I wonder if there are any Swains on this forum who hail from the Condover area? My maternal grandfather was Louis Swain, born at Cross Houses (his army record suggests, barely legible!) in probably June 1893 - on joining the army 31st August 1914 he gave his age as 21 years and 2 months. He'd married Ada Gibbons in Malpas, Cheshire (he worked as a butcher at Hampton nearby) on 5th January 1914, survived WW1 with a couple of wounds, and lived thereafter in Cheshire, dying in the 1970s.
The photo might help: my best guess is it dates from about 1910. Seated front is my great-grandfather William Swain, with his wife (said to have been Welsh, maybe called Rachel) standing behind. At the back, centre, stands my grandfather Louis; at the front seated are his brothers Archie (L) and Charlie (R) with their sister Esther; the other four brothers are Tom, Will, Jack and Hugh, though not necessarily in that order. Hugh was a lorry driver, my mother (aged 89) recalls, and later moved to Blackpool; Archie started a coal business - I was led to believe a spot on the OS map south of Shrewsbury, on the railway line adjacent to a signal box, was named Swain's Field because of his business located there; Charlie stayed near Condover and had one child, Arthur; Tom later on lived at Shawbury. My mother says she always understood her grandfather William Swain had a brother who started a haulage/transport business.
I've had no luck so far in finding any further information, but perhaps someone here can help.
Thanks - Tony

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