Wow I hadn't realised it has been nearly three years since I wrote on this blog. The research into the family is ongoing and a lot of information has been added to the family website, more people involved in the research and we have found connections in South Africa, USA and Australia.
Since my last blog, my mum died, my daughter married and I have had another grandchild, so this adds extra research for the site, and I found my two half brothers, sons of my birth father, who also died, which is why I was able to contact them. A whole new family to add to an already large one of mine.
There really isn't anything of interest to those outside the family at the moment, just names and dates, but I will blog if anything of interest comes up.
Linda
Friday, 20 May 2011
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Belsen camp
My cousin David, has recently sent some information to the site re his father Abel, my great uncle.
David's mother divorced Abel and David grew up to hate his father, it was not until the end of his life that David and his father made contact and it was when he stayed with David and his family that the true story of his war activities were known.
Great Uncle Abel was one of the force that liberated Belsen. The affect of this, coupled with all the times he had been blown up and sent back for more, must have made a great impact on his life.
He never spoke of the war, he hated it, said Rememberance Sunday glorified it, and he recalled it was no glory. I was on parade one year for British Red Cross, and he said, go and make all the Broome's proud lass, for your old Uncle won't be joining you.
I marched proudly that day, for him, and for the other heroes of our, and of other's families, who gave their all for our freedom.
The full story about Great Uncle Abel, and all our other family history and stories is on the family website.
Linda
David's mother divorced Abel and David grew up to hate his father, it was not until the end of his life that David and his father made contact and it was when he stayed with David and his family that the true story of his war activities were known.
Great Uncle Abel was one of the force that liberated Belsen. The affect of this, coupled with all the times he had been blown up and sent back for more, must have made a great impact on his life.
He never spoke of the war, he hated it, said Rememberance Sunday glorified it, and he recalled it was no glory. I was on parade one year for British Red Cross, and he said, go and make all the Broome's proud lass, for your old Uncle won't be joining you.
I marched proudly that day, for him, and for the other heroes of our, and of other's families, who gave their all for our freedom.
The full story about Great Uncle Abel, and all our other family history and stories is on the family website.
Linda
Remembering
I couldn't go to our Rememberance Sunday parade this year as I was in Scotland, but before I went I put the crosses on our cenotaph at Earlestown for our granddad's three lost cousins, the rain smudged the writing on the crosses, but they are there. My brother Martin, nipped up to the cenotaph and took this photo for me.
In memory of John Peters, Peter Edwards and Walter J Stokes - all first world war.
Linda
Updates
Working alongside my cousin, who is also researching into her particular branch of our family, we have put together a link with Joseph Broome 1811 and a John Broome born 1808, as brothers, although I had previously disregarded this family. There are two John Broome's born to the same parents, which although unusual, could be quite possibly true. Both show on the census, with the same mother. So there is an entirely new branch of the family to research and confirm data on, also this links with another chap who has a family tree on ancestry with these names on, I emailed him a couple of years ago, but at that time neither he, nor I could find a connection, however this now connects the two, i have emailed him again, hope he replies, and we can view each other's trees to see what can be gained.
I have now got information on Martha Wainwright who married Thomas Broome, the father of the above, and managed to get quite a bit of information on her family, and another name has arisen from this i.e. her mother was Margaret Leyland - we are going back now into 1700's, and the info to find from that era is scant, but maybe we might get a breakthrough.
We now have 1421 names on our site - and adding to it weekly as more research is made and verified.
L
I have now got information on Martha Wainwright who married Thomas Broome, the father of the above, and managed to get quite a bit of information on her family, and another name has arisen from this i.e. her mother was Margaret Leyland - we are going back now into 1700's, and the info to find from that era is scant, but maybe we might get a breakthrough.
We now have 1421 names on our site - and adding to it weekly as more research is made and verified.
L
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
A bit of Lancashire History
From the Bolton Evening News, first published Tuesday 22nd Apr 2003.
Donkey stones were 'pride of the doorstep'
IT wasn't much to look at. A ramshackle old shed which looked as if it lived in dread of the next high wind. But the place was unique -- the last donkey stone factory in the world.
But in 1977, the clanking, creaking crushing machine, which had been made at the Bolton ironworks of T.T. Crook an unknown number of years before, shuddered into silence for the last time. It was the end of an era.
Anyone of perhaps more than 30 or 40 years old will remember donkey stones. Millions of housewives used to go down on their knees to rub the soft wet stones on doorsteps, windowsills, the flagged kitchen floor, and even the paving stones outside their terraced homes. "Doing the step" was an ideal occasion for gossip between neighbours, as well as a source of rivalry.
Women were proud of their donkey stoning. They would be disgusted if someone failed to keep her patch looking clean and fresh. They'd feel she'd let the whole street down.
At one time there were more than a dozen donkey stone factories in the Manchester area, but over the years demand felt to practically nil until in 1977, the last one, in Ashton-Under-Lyne, closed down.
The "rubbing" ritual was part of the lives of the housewives of old, in the Bolton district as much as anywhere. Like putting hair in curlers, cleaning out the rarely used front parlour once a week, sending the old man off to work with a sticky mix of tea, sugar, and condensed milk in the bottom of his brew can.
I am sure that some younger readers, though, are scratching their heads and asking: "But what were donkey stones?" Let me enlighten you. They were scouring stones originally used in the textile mills of Yorkshire and Lancashire which sprung up in the early 19th century, to provide a non-slip surface on greasy stone staircases.
They were available in three colours -- cream, brown and white. One type of sandstone came from Northampton which produced the brown colour, and a light-coloured stone came from Appley Bridge quarry near Wigan. Bolton women wanted white (Manchester, Oldham and Ashton preferred cream), and to get it a dollop of Dolly Blue went into the putty-coloured mash of crushed stone and water, and the colour changed to white. The crumbly stone applied to a greasy surface would give the area grip as well as a good lustre.
The special soft stone was crushed to a fine powder by steel-faced concrete rollers. Then sufficient water was added to make a toothpaste-soft mix for pouring into moulds to be stamped with the Ashton firm's "Lion Brand" imprint. In summer it took about four days for the stones to dry out, but in cold damp weather it could take up to a month.
The stone took its name from one of the earliest manufacturers, Reads of Manchester, who produced a stone with a trade name of Read's Donkey Brand, so named because of the hard work performed by the stone.
Yet by 1977 the donkey stone was on its last legs, so to speak. In its heyday, the Ashton factory turned out two and a half million blocks a year. Placed side by side, the annual output would stretch all the way to Blackpool -- and back again. In its last few months, it produced only the same number that it would have done in a morning previously.
Donkey stones were sold at every corner shop, and rag-and-bone men used to give them in exchange for jam jars and old clothes. One by one, the donkey stone factories closed down, thrown on the affluent society's scrap heap to join the dolly tub and the mangle, and other items overtaken by modern inventions.
It may be that on the high, back shelves of an old-style hardware shop somewhere that a donkey stone still remains, but it is unlikely. Another part of old Northern life which fell on stoney ground.
Donkey stones were 'pride of the doorstep'
IT wasn't much to look at. A ramshackle old shed which looked as if it lived in dread of the next high wind. But the place was unique -- the last donkey stone factory in the world.
But in 1977, the clanking, creaking crushing machine, which had been made at the Bolton ironworks of T.T. Crook an unknown number of years before, shuddered into silence for the last time. It was the end of an era.
Anyone of perhaps more than 30 or 40 years old will remember donkey stones. Millions of housewives used to go down on their knees to rub the soft wet stones on doorsteps, windowsills, the flagged kitchen floor, and even the paving stones outside their terraced homes. "Doing the step" was an ideal occasion for gossip between neighbours, as well as a source of rivalry.
Women were proud of their donkey stoning. They would be disgusted if someone failed to keep her patch looking clean and fresh. They'd feel she'd let the whole street down.
At one time there were more than a dozen donkey stone factories in the Manchester area, but over the years demand felt to practically nil until in 1977, the last one, in Ashton-Under-Lyne, closed down.
The "rubbing" ritual was part of the lives of the housewives of old, in the Bolton district as much as anywhere. Like putting hair in curlers, cleaning out the rarely used front parlour once a week, sending the old man off to work with a sticky mix of tea, sugar, and condensed milk in the bottom of his brew can.
I am sure that some younger readers, though, are scratching their heads and asking: "But what were donkey stones?" Let me enlighten you. They were scouring stones originally used in the textile mills of Yorkshire and Lancashire which sprung up in the early 19th century, to provide a non-slip surface on greasy stone staircases.
They were available in three colours -- cream, brown and white. One type of sandstone came from Northampton which produced the brown colour, and a light-coloured stone came from Appley Bridge quarry near Wigan. Bolton women wanted white (Manchester, Oldham and Ashton preferred cream), and to get it a dollop of Dolly Blue went into the putty-coloured mash of crushed stone and water, and the colour changed to white. The crumbly stone applied to a greasy surface would give the area grip as well as a good lustre.
The special soft stone was crushed to a fine powder by steel-faced concrete rollers. Then sufficient water was added to make a toothpaste-soft mix for pouring into moulds to be stamped with the Ashton firm's "Lion Brand" imprint. In summer it took about four days for the stones to dry out, but in cold damp weather it could take up to a month.
The stone took its name from one of the earliest manufacturers, Reads of Manchester, who produced a stone with a trade name of Read's Donkey Brand, so named because of the hard work performed by the stone.
Yet by 1977 the donkey stone was on its last legs, so to speak. In its heyday, the Ashton factory turned out two and a half million blocks a year. Placed side by side, the annual output would stretch all the way to Blackpool -- and back again. In its last few months, it produced only the same number that it would have done in a morning previously.
Donkey stones were sold at every corner shop, and rag-and-bone men used to give them in exchange for jam jars and old clothes. One by one, the donkey stone factories closed down, thrown on the affluent society's scrap heap to join the dolly tub and the mangle, and other items overtaken by modern inventions.
It may be that on the high, back shelves of an old-style hardware shop somewhere that a donkey stone still remains, but it is unlikely. Another part of old Northern life which fell on stoney ground.
Hi
These are the entries from my previous AOL journal, so all posted after this are my new entries.
I have removed some of the data from the last journal as it had photos and information that were private to the family and as this is a public blog, would not be appropriate without the consent of those family members.
I hope you enjoy reading my family story and the pitfalls and discoveries made in getting this far, and feel free to add comments.
Linda
I have removed some of the data from the last journal as it had photos and information that were private to the family and as this is a public blog, would not be appropriate without the consent of those family members.
I hope you enjoy reading my family story and the pitfalls and discoveries made in getting this far, and feel free to add comments.
Linda
A family wedding 1917
Taken from the Newton & Earlestown Guardian 2nd March 1917
REEVES-PETERS
An interesting and pretty wedding took place at St John's Church, Earlestown on Monday last, the bridegroom being Sergt. Ernest Reeves, of the Scots Guards (second son of Mr and Mrs. J. Reeves of Newton le Willows) and the bride Miss Mary Peters (daughter of Mr & Mrs Peters, of Earlestown).
The bride, who was given away by her father, was attired in a navy blue costume and grey hat trimmed with blue and pink roses. The bridesmaids were Miss Jane Green (bride's cousin) who was dressed in navy and white voile, leghorn hat with black velvet and pink roses and Mrs. Lee who wore navy and hat to match. The best man was Mr R. Bradshaw, and the Vicar (Rev. H. Moor) officiated.
Although the wedding was very quiet, the happy couple were the recipients of numerous valuable presents, for they are well-known and have many friends in the district.
They later left for Rugby, en route for London, where they will take up their abode.
REEVES-PETERS
An interesting and pretty wedding took place at St John's Church, Earlestown on Monday last, the bridegroom being Sergt. Ernest Reeves, of the Scots Guards (second son of Mr and Mrs. J. Reeves of Newton le Willows) and the bride Miss Mary Peters (daughter of Mr & Mrs Peters, of Earlestown).
The bride, who was given away by her father, was attired in a navy blue costume and grey hat trimmed with blue and pink roses. The bridesmaids were Miss Jane Green (bride's cousin) who was dressed in navy and white voile, leghorn hat with black velvet and pink roses and Mrs. Lee who wore navy and hat to match. The best man was Mr R. Bradshaw, and the Vicar (Rev. H. Moor) officiated.
Although the wedding was very quiet, the happy couple were the recipients of numerous valuable presents, for they are well-known and have many friends in the district.
They later left for Rugby, en route for London, where they will take up their abode.
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