Hi Sue
Thanks for your reply. My name is Kevin and Wildey is not far off my surname though Tanney was the maiden name of my Grandmother on my mother's side of the family. I grew up in Ashington surrounded by Tanneys or being introduced to Tanneys with the clear encouragement from my mother that one way or another I was related to them all. My Grandmother was a Margaret Nelson ( nee Tanney) daughter of John Tanney and I am now confident that the John Tanney you refer to in your blog was his father. My grandmother died in 1950 her father just before the war.
I have not made much effort to trace my roots previously though my Irish ancestory was very firmly instilled in to me by my mother even though through her father, she had Scottish connections. I contribute from time to time to Cree full of coals and had been asked by Mike Kirkup for something new. I decided to put together an item on the Tanneys because my mother had some documentation, letters and photographs connected with them going back to before the first world war, all of which had fascinated me. Her only remaining sibling now 94 years and living in a care home in Blyth provided details of all of her grandfathers offspring numbering 8 brothers and sisters. Cowpen featured very firmly in the background.
The article I put together which largely dwells on the Ashington connection is likely to be in the next cree full of coals and if you get it I shall not regurgitate the details here. Let me know if you dont and i will send you the contents. What I do think now from reading through your own data and having also discovered the census is that I may have inaccurately assumed that it was my great grandfather's generation of Tanneys who first came over from Pomeroy around 1870 but it seems it was his own father who much earlier brought his family and presumably his brothers over from Ireland.
I suspect your family ancestory may come from one of John Tanney's children but I havent sensed which. What I am aware of is that a young Gayle Tanney a second or third cousin of mine moved from Ashington to the Rothbury area 40 years ago and still lives there. Are you acquainted.?.
My article does mention the Patrick Tanney you refer to being the father of Arthur Tanney killed during the 1st world war a brother Daniel also killed in the 1st world war and another brother Joseph who was killed at Hartley pit in 1914. If all 3 died unaturally then they were indeed unlucky.
Finally there was yet another brother James who emigrated to Virginia USA at the turn of the century . I have a letter sent to his brothers just after he arrived. I wonder what became of him.
No doubt you will respond but nice to hear from you anyhow.
Kevin
