Surname intrests in The Lye area

[jandap]

Linnell, as far as I can tell the names of the children in the photo are as follows:

The three in the darker clothes are Astons.  Father had them labelled as Esther, Harriet & Edith, going from left to right.  Correspondance with his granddaughter has now suggested that the one on the left is in fact Fred Aston.  Esther (known as Tet) was not born until 1899 and my Aunt Floss would have been at least 3 by the time the picture was taken and so would have been in the picture. If the picture was indeed taken in 1895/6 then Fred would have been 2 or 3 years old, which looks about right.

So, the Aston children are Fred 1893, Harriet (Hattie) 1889 & Edith 1891.  The Pardoe children in the lighter outfits are Azubah (Zu) 1887 on the left, Mabel (Maisie) 1889 at the back and Gertrude (Trudie) 1891 at the front. 
Both Maisie and Trudie emigrated to the States in the 1920s and lived there for the rest of their lives.  Dad always said Zu (the eldest) was the bossy one and doesn't she look the part in the photo!

If you have Astons, Pearsons, Cramptons & Bloomers then we have a lot more common ancestors.

If Phoebe Bloomer 1848 is there (she was my great grandmother) then I have her picture.  She married John Crampton 1846 in 1869.

Looking forward to your ancestors in these lines.

Arlen

[jandap]

Hello Vanessa,
you are doing eveything right.  I managed to sit down with both my mother and mother-in-law years ago and got them talking about relations.  This was before the internet and before computer programs, although these were useful later on.  Just get anything written down.  It may not always make sense at the time but even now, 25 years later, I look at the notes I made talking to my mother and see something new.  With the information I now have, from the internet and email correspondances, I would dearly love to go back and ask more questions but it is too late.  I do very much value what I did get at that time.  I know of people who have taped what their parents have to say - it always amazed me how much they could remember.  I have to scurry back to my computer to remind myself, maybe that's an age thing!

As far as putting it all together, there are a number of aids out there.  My Heritage is freely available.
http://www.myheritage.com/family-tree-builder

I started off using Brothers Keeper
http://www.bkwin.org/

I now use Family Tree Maker, a program you have to buy (though they do include access to Ancestry data for various lengths of time).  It all comes down to choice and what suits you. 

There will be other free programs out there as well.  Any of them will store your data and display a family tree for you, though as you add more people it will get quite complex. They will all be able to export a Gedcom file to use in other programs.

I would also encourage you to keep records for your sources of information.  I have scanned all the written notes I have, saved all the emails and kept a personal copy of all the census and IGI materials found online.  At first I printed them out but that became unmanageable (and expensive!) so I now keep electronic copies of everything.  It is then always there to consult again later.  Backups are also important!

Good luck
Arlen

[linell]

Hi Arlen, you do have a lot of lovely pictures, I do love the one of Fred, Edith, Harriett, Zu, Mabel and Trudie the best.  Love the name Azubah, new one on me, is it from the Bible?  I've not gone that far with my Astons, I only have them up to 1861, they are not my direct line, so not done too much on them.  You have to call a limit somewhere, I already have 8500 Ancestors in my tree, mainly because of all the connections, you know how they all marry into each others families.   I have Sarah Aston born 1834 her parents were Richard or John Aston born 1810 and an Ann, Sarah Married Joseph Elijah Yardley in 1855.  I don't have a Phobe Bloomer born 1848 or John Crampton born 1846, although I have other Phoebe and John's.  Were your Bloomers and Cramptons from Cradley?  Best Wishes from linell.

[vcsanderson]

thanks for the tips. 
best regards
Vanessa

[jandap]

Linnell
It looks like we don't have any common ancestors along these lines.  Fine on drawing limits, else you can go on forever.  It is probably more relevant to try to follow back the direct lines, especially those you feel should go back further but resist all attempts so to do.  Having said that, you sometimes need to follow back on surnames in two branches to see if they have a common ancestor.  It keeps you busy!

Yes, the Bloomers and Cramptons were from Cradley.  Phoebe was from Colley Lane, John from Lyde Green.  He originally worked in an Iron Works but they moved to Netherend and he was a farmer by 1901.  Here he is, later in life.

All the best

Arlen

[vcsanderson]

got 2 of the books you both mentioned by Pat Dunn - interesting to see old pictures of Lye.  It doesn't look a wonderful place - quite impoverished to say the least.  Arlen - do you have any photos of the Pardoe photographer shop?  It seems most of the portraits done shown in Pat's books are taken there - it was obviously the best photographic studio in town !!!!!
thanks Vanessa
ps. would be interested to see any other Pardoe photos you might have.  I now have all of Richard's siblings on the family tree (although I seem to be missing 1).  Am I right in thinking that Joseph (1758) and Jane Brook (1761) had 12 children?  If so, I only have 11 names (Joseph, George, John, Thomas, Betty, Mary, Richard, Jenny, Elizabeth, William and another Betty).
We have also found that out that great great grandmother (Rosanna Langham) worked as a servent for a Dr Adams in nearby Ombersley.  How she met John Henry Pardoe from Lye is anyone's guess but somewhere along the lines they met and their interesting relationship began. 
best regarsds

[linell]

Glad to hear you managed to get the books Vanessa.

Arlen, my Cramptons are also from Lyde Green Cradley.  I see that John 1846's parents were Henry born 1805 son of Wm and Phobe and wife Mary.  My line is Sarah Mansell 1805 (sister of my Gtx2 Grandmother Mary,) Married Jonathan Crampton born 1806, Sarah and Jonathan Married 1828.  Jonathan died young and Sarah re-married.  Going back to Jonathan born 1806, he was the son of Jonathan 1778 and Phoebe Parkes.  I then have Jonathan's going back to 1748 and 1720.  Your William, Henry's father must fit in somewhere, do you have anymore on his father William?  Lyde Green was a small community,  they were all related I am sure.  The Cradley 1782 Field Survey lists a Henry Crampton Light Green as renting a house, nail shop and garden from the Lord of the Manor.  I think the Henry's and Jonathan's must be connected.  Netherend is only the next field to Lyde Green, I used to work in Lyde Green!  Best Wishes from linell.

[linell]

Hi Arlen, I found some notes on Widow Mary Crampton Lyde Green 1857 written by the then Cradley Vicar Rev J.H. Thompson.  He says that Mary is the sister of Mrs Hingley, Mrs Edmunds and Mrs Harris, do you have them?   Son Wm is listed as aged 20 in May chainmaker attends Church.  Elizabeth aged 19 in August Nailer attends Night School at Church is walking out with a EW?  Phoebe aged 19 in August  Nailer (are Elizabeth and Phoebe twins?)  Sarah aged 15 August Nailer, Henry 12 August Chainworker attends Sunday School, John aged 10 Chainworker attends Sunday School, Thomas aged 8 August Chainworker attends Sunday School.  Strange how most the children all seem to have birthdays in August? 

Here are the notes for John Bloomer, Colley Lane 1857, John was a Foreman for Noah Hingley's Chain Works and a Methodist Wesleyan, Eliza also attends the Wesleyan Chapel.  Children Caleb a Wesleyan and a Chain Maker, Philip a Wesleyan and a Chainmaker, Mary Ann aged 14 Nov chainworker attends Wesleyan Night and Sunday School, Sarah 12 chainworker was Wesleyan School now C of E Sunday School, Phoebe 9 Nurse, (think this means she looked after her younger siblings) attends Wesleyan School, Ezra 6 attends Wesleyan School, Emma 4 and Amos 2.  In 1863, the notes are the same for John and Eliza, daughter Mary Ann is now in the same household Married to David Priest, a Horse Nail Maker, has taken the Sacrament, they have a son John 1 in July.  Sarah is also Married to David Harris with son Joseph.  Phoebe is aged 15 still a Nurse attends the Wesleyan Ragged Sunday School, Ezra 12 in Dec chainworker attends Wesleyan Night School, Emma 12 in Sep also a Nurse attends National School and the Ragged Sunday School, Amos 8 in Oct attends National School and Ragged School. Alfred 5 in March Lame attends National School, Edgar 2 in Nov.  You may already have some of this Arlen?  Best Wishes from linell.

[jandap]

Hi Vanessa
I have a lot of pictures of my father's generation but he did not get his father's photographic collection, that went to his elder sisters then their children and are now lost as far as I know. He was, I know, quite disappointed not to get them and of all the descendants of William 1862 I am the only one who has kept the line going, having two sons and two grandchildren.  Such is life.
William built three studios that I know of.  He had one when they lived in Vicarage Road, a timber building, and built another in timber when they moved to 179 High Street Lye in the early 1900s.  The final move to 175 High Street resulted in a more substantial brick building which is still there, albeit derelict.  As his business tailed off in the 1920s Bill Pardoe took over the building, renting it from his father and eventually purchasing it from William's estate in 1943.  I have a picture of the interior of the building in 1929 but it does not show anything of the photographic studio. 
There is also a picture of the house at 175 High Street in 1917 with Gertrude Pardoe standing in the doorway.  In the lower left corner of the photo there is a display case and I have added a close up - it shows men in uniform, an important part of the business during the first world war taking pictures of loved ones going off to fight.
In your list of siblings of Richard 1802 there should be two Williams.  William 1795 died 19 February 1798 and the next male child born later that year was also named William.

Regards, Arlen