Keenlyside/Wolens - Blyth - COMPLETED (for now)

[blythian]

[COMPLETED FOR NOW - Gonna try digging for a bit more myself, if i get stuck, i know where to come =) ty for all your help guys =D ]

Hi all

I've been reading this forum all night, amazing information about Blyth's History

I've been wanting to findout about my Fathers side of the family for some time now, there have been many stories about them (mainly from my Grandma lol), so, here goes. I'll start with what i know

My Great great grandmother was Margaret  Keenlyside(1874) and her Husband was (John)*Peter Wolens (1868)

They lived Mainly on Beecher Street in Cowpen, in the houses at the bottom of the street (demolished and replaced), which is still there opposite Aldi. They had 5 children.

Charles Thomas Wolens  1901
Thomas Henry Wolens 1905 
Alexander Wolens 1905
Mary Elizabeth Wolens (1911)
Louiesa Wolens (1916 my Ggrandmother )

(Theres two 1905, but they aren't Twins, i think it's just a mistake on the Census)

Peter was  from Estonia/Russia (His last name changed from Volenski to sound more 'English'), My Ggrandmother worked as a Secratary or Auditer at the Ship Chandlers** in Blyth and thats how they met.

Now onto what could be Myth and Legend...hehe

I've been digging on familysearch.org (1881 Census) and have found a Margaret Keenlyside living in Cambois (age 5) her Father being :

William Keenlyside
b. 1850 in Thiriton, North'land
Age 31 at time of Census
Occ: Coal Miner (were there any mines in that area, North Seaton or Bedlington?)

Mother:

Elizabeth Keenlyside
b. 1847 in Berwick on Tweed****

This is what my Gran also tells me.

Whats confusing me is the difference in ages/names for my Great great grandmother.
On the 1881 Census she is born in 1876, yet on the free findmypast site (1911 Census) it states 1874, could it be a mistake?

I know i have the right Person, because it fits with what my grandmother has told me and after digging some more on Familysearch, i found Mary Elizabeths birth record, with Margaret Keenlyside and this time a John Wolens.

As for the name, ever since i can remember, my Great great gran has been called Kitty/Catherine, could she be using her Middle name? - ignore that, i remembered it's my Grandfathers Mother...lol

However my Gggrandfathers name changes from John to Peter...i don't know why lol going to have to find that out! ignore that too...getting my greatgreats mixed up

Would love to know more about Jacob and Elizabeth =D i'm going to keep searching hehe
What i have so far is, the above parents and:

Thomas Keenlyside
b. 1870 North Seaton

Jacob Keenlyside
b. 1874 Cambois

My Gggrandmother
b. 1874(6) Cambois

Frank Keenlyside
b.1879 Dudley

If anymore info could be found out about the parents /children it would be much appreciated! I just hope i haven't got the wrong tree hehe

------

Other stuff that i could do with clearing hehe

By the River there was a building, the ship Chandlers, called Bell, Dunn and Keenlyside Ship Chandlers. My gran tells me that my gggrandmothers family owned a share in the Chandlers. I think so too, but only because of the name and because my Gggrandmother worked there.

It's also said that the Keenlyside branch are living in Bedlington/Ashington and own a shop there called Keenlyside's. If any info could be found, it'd be much appreciated =)

----

Little tid'bits

According to my Gran, my Gggrandma worked in the Tobaconists Booth outside the Train station in Blyth.

My Ggreat uncle Charlie worked at Blyth Shipyards

That entire branch of the family saw the german bomber come down over the river Blyth (landing in Cambois), apparently all my gran could hear while looking up was "Get ya heed doon, it's faalin!" hehe.

My Gran owned the Wool Shop in Cowpen so if you remember that, you may know my gran haha

Well, i hope you understand my drivvel, lol, any info much appreciated

martin

[Michael Dixon]

Martin,

 One bit at a time.....

 If you want info on coal mines, they are easy to research on-line.
 Cambois Pit lasted about 100 yrs closing in 1968.  And was bigger (capacity) than North Seaton pit.

Ages.  Folk got asked their age once every ten yrs for the census, and maybe when they  were marrying. So not surprising some were a little off. Also ages were recorded on censuses not birth years. So with censuses usually taken in March/April discrepancies were to be expected ( at census time I might be 20 yrs and say 8 months. Did enumerator record 20 or 21 yrs ? )

 Beecher St and John Street comprised a wee community that was called Cowpen Newtown.

 Other Cowpen communities were Cowpen Village, Cowpen Quay( today within town of Blyth)

 Where was wool shop in Cowpen. ?

Michael

[blythian]

hehe, yeah, that was a bit of a long post, newbie enthusasm i guess 

In all that ghasting of my flab, i forgot to search for Collieries online...and being a Blyth boy, you'd think i'd know about Mines...tut lol

I didn't realise they enumerated/denumerated the ages, also i noticed on another post, Sillgen mentioned that familysearch.org is all user based input, so discrapancies should be expected occasionally

For a small 'villiage' Cowpen has played host to many different names (cowpen village, Newtown, etc) I had a feeling Beecher was part of the Newtown, but wasn't sure.

As for the Wool Shop,i can't remember where she said, need to ask her again, though i think it was somewhere round the top of the estate, next to where Blyth Community College is.

[Michael Dixon]

Martin,

So he changed his name from Volenski to Wolens to " sound more English"
Does Wolens sound English to you ? It is not a known Elglish surname.

And another feature the civil records of his marriage in 1900 and the births of Charles William, Thomas Henry, Alexander and Mary E are under the name WOLENZ ( See FreeBMD website)

Also the birth of Thomas Henry Wolenz is registered in the June Qtr of 1902, with Tynemouth registration District ( which covered up to the River Blyth-BMDs on other side of river, e.g. Cambois would have been registered with Morpeth Reg District.

Louisa WOLENS is registered with Tynemouth RD in June qtr of 1916.

There is also the registration of a birth of John Wolens at Tynemouth in June Qtr of 1918. Unfortunately in March qtr of 1919 there is death reg of a John Wolens aged 0 yrs.

I also see the death registration of Peter aged 63 in dec Qtr of 1926.

until later

Michael

[Michael Dixon]

 Martin,

 After Bebside pit died in early 1950s, my family and others were rehoused to the fledgling Cowpen Estate ( we were put in first phase of Weardale Ave.)

Eventually shops were built in middle of Briardale Road- but no wool shop.

Michael

[2zpool]

I can just see the sign "Wolens Woolens" 

Janis

[Michael Dixon]

 Clever Clogs Janis !

 Maybe Wolenz Woolens first lol

Michael

[emmadog]

I lived in North Blyth in the fifties and there were some Kenlysides living there. I was very young so don't remember their names but they lived in the railway houses.

[Michael Dixon]

 Margaret Keenlyside was born in Cambois. On 1881 census ( 5119-49-50) her family were in North Seaton Colliery. On 1891 census they are in Boca Chica, Cambois. (4257-54-35)On 1901 census her widowed father William and brother Jacob are at 68 Disraeli St , Cowpen( 4813-66-53) (Disraeli St did not become part of Blyth until after 1907.

On 1901 census Peter and Margaret and 11 week old Charles W are in Turners Buildings, Cowpen ( 4813-182-38). Peter is recorded as born in Holland !


michael