Elizabeth Lund was not the motherly type. She gave birth to five illegitimate children. Two died in infancy, one may have been adopted out, and the oldest two children were raised by their maternal grandparents.

Arthur Addison

Born: 20 JUL 1901 in Darwen, Lancashire, England

Father: George Addison (1860 to 1934)
Mother: Mary Entwistle (1863 to 1935)

Spouse: Jane Lund (1900 to 1991)

Married: 1920 in Darwen, Lancashire, England

Children:

Janie Addison (1 DEC 1920 to Unknown)
Annie Addison (1922 to 1936)
Doris May Addison (12 MAR 1924 to 1975)
June Addison (1926 to Unknown)
Alexander Charles Addison (20 FEB 1935 to 2001)

Died: 1970 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Timeline:

1909 Death of sister, Mary
1911 Darwen, Lancashire, England
1911 Death of sister, Alice
1920 Marriage to Jane
1920 Birth of daughter, Janie
1922 Birth of daughter, Annie
1924 Birth of daughter, Doris
1926 Birth of daughter, June
1934 Death of father, George
1935 Birth of son, Alexander
1935 Death of mother, Mary
1936 Death of daughter, Annie
1939 Luten, Bedfordshire, England
1970 Death and Burial

Occupation: electric welder

Records:

1911 England Census Record
1939 England & Wales Census Record
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007

Variations of Surname: none

Arthur’s Wife:

Jane Lund:

Jane was born on 1 FEB 1900 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. She died in 1991 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England.

Jane’s father was Thomas Lund. He was born on 25 JAN 1879 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. He died in 1959 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Jane’s mother was Mary Peers. She was born in 1878 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. She died in 1939 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Thomas Lund married Mary Peers on 7 JUL 1898 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. His father was listed as Thomas Lund, a laborer. Mary’s father was not listed on this document.

Jane had four known sisters:

Isabella Lund (1899 to 1904)
Margaret Elizabeth Lund (1901 to 1905)
Doris M Lund (1904)
Edith Alice Lund (1908 to 1910)

Did You Notice?

Three of Jane’s sisters died when they were still toddlers. I do not know what caused their deaths.

The Internet Archive website has two publications that provide insight into the common causes of death in Kirkham and Darwen. The medical officers also included their evaluations of housing, sanitation, food, water, and workplaces.

1.) The 1905 Annual Report for Kirham Urban District Council

2.) The 1910 Medical Officer’s Report for the borough of Darwen

Although the three sisters were not infants when they died, I found it interesting that the 1905 report included an article on infant mortality. You can view this section on Page 9 of the publication.

Shortly after giving birth, many of the women returned to work at the cotton mills. This led to a hectic feeding schedule. The medical officer explained:

“Too many infants are fed with the bottle, supplemented with a concoction of boiled bread, milk, and sugar – which they cannot digest – and then diarrhea and wasting ensues.”

The higher cost of living in these cotton mill towns forced many women into the workplace. The medical examiner inferred that this neglect may have resulted in some of the infant and childhood deaths.

The History Today website published an article entitled “A Working Woman’s Place“. The article concerns the transition of women working at home to working in the cotton mills of Lancashire, England. The author did mention that women worked 12-hour days with little time to care for their young children.

Jane’s Father:

The 1881 and 1891 England census records show that Thomas was living with his grandparents, Thomas and Jane Lund. His grandfather worked as a cotton weaver and batter’s laborer.

The 1881 England Census:

The 1891 England Census:

The baptism record listed his parents as Thomas and Jane Lund.

As I searched the earlier census records, I discovered that Thomas’ grandparents did not have a son named Thomas. This would mean the individuals listed on the baptism record were Thomas’ grandparents.

Thomas’ Grandparents:

Thomas Lund was born in 1831 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. He died in 1909 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England.

Jane Bamber was born in 1833 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. She died in 1906 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England.

Thomas Lund married Jane Bamber on 4 JUN 1853 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. Five known children were born during their marriage:

Robert Lund (1856)
Elizabeth Lund (1860)
John Lund (1862)
Henry Lund (1866)
Fanny Lund (1871)

Who was Thomas’ Biological Parent?

Of the five children, only Robert and Elizabeth would have been old enough to have a child in 1879. Robert would have been 23 years old. Elizabeth would have been 19 years old.

I eliminated Robert as Thomas’ father based on the 1891 England Census, shown above. The document shows that Robert and his wife had six children. Their fifth child was named Thomas. He was born in 1887 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England.

That meant Elizabeth was Thomas Lund’s mother.

Elizabeth Lund:

Elizabeth was born in 1860 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. She died in 1919 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England.

Elizabeth married Philip Oakes in 1903 in Burnley, Lancashire, England. No known children were born during their marriage.

Philip Oakes was born in 1856 in Westhoughton, Lancashire, England. He died in 1937 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England.

The 1891 England Census shows that Elizabeth was living with Philip Oakes in Burnley, Lancashire, England. They were both unmarried. Elizabeth had a daughter named Janie Lund who was one month old.

The 1901 England Census shows that Elizabeth was working as a housekeeper for a coalminer’s family. Philip was listed as their boarder. He was also a coal miner and probably worked with Alexander Perkins. His surname was listed as Hawks on the census record.

Elizabeth and Philip married in 1903 in Burnley, Lancashire, England. Sometime after that date, they moved to Kirkham, Lancashire, England.

The 1911 England Census shows that Elizabeth was a boarder of Agnes Lund. They were living at 7 Old Row in Kirkham. This residence was where Elizabeth’s parents lived for over 40 years.

The 1911 England Census shows that Philip was living at 6 New Row in Kirkham. The record listed Philip’s marital status as married.

My Thoughts:

Was Elizabeth showing her independent nature when she gave birth to five illegitimate children? Was she “snubbing her nose” at conventional society and traditions?

Could Elizabeth have suffered from bipolar disorder? That would explain her on-again-off-again relationship with Philip. It would also explain why she did not have custody of her surviving children.

Elizabeth Lund’s Other Children:

Richard Lund:

Richard was born in 1889 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. He died in 1889 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England

Richard was baptized on 2 JUN 1889 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. The baptism record shows that the cleric started to write the words “Thomas and [Jane?]”. He crossed these words out and wrote the name Elizabeth.

Richard was buried on 9 JUN 1889 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. The burial record indicated that Richard was one month old when he died.

Agnes Lund:

Agnes was born on 16 FEB 1889 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. She died in 1966 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England.

Agnes married William Henry Tyson on 16 APR 1913 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. No known children were born during their marriage.

William Henry Tyson was born on 29 MAR 1890 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. He died in 1940 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England.

The 1891 England Census listed Agnes as Thomas and Jane Lund’s granddaughter. The 1901 England Census listed her as their daughter. The baptism record also listed Agnes’ parents as Thomas and Jane Lund.

Sound familiar? Thomas and Jane Lund probably considered both Thomas and Agnes to be their children.

Jane Lund:

Jane was born in 1891 in Burnley, Lancashire, England. I do not know when she died.

I do not know if Jane was Philip’s daughter. She was not living with Elizabeth or Philip Oakes on the 1901 and 1911 England census records.

I did find a burial record for an infant named Jane Lund. She was buried on 30 SEP 1891 in Wigan, Lancashire, England. The document indicated that this individual was seven months old. I cannot confirm this burial record was for Elizabeth’s daughter.

Was Jane adopted out? Did one of Elizabeth’s relatives live in Wigan? Was Jane’s name changed when she was adopted? This is where my search ends . . . unless one of Jane’s descendants reads this post and knows the answer to these questions.

If you have information on Jane Lund, please contact me. My email is dlwakenight@yahoo.com. You can also leave a message in the Comments Section of this post.

Frank Lund:

Frank was born in October 1901 in Burnley, Lancashire, England. He died on 27 DEC 1901 in Burney, Lancashire, England.

On 7 JAN 1902, Elizabeth was taken into custody for suspicion of murder. The coroner thought that she killed her son, Frank. Elizabeth was acquitted of the charge and released on 28 JAN 1902.

UK, Calendar of Prisoners, 1868-1929, Page 1

UK, Calendar of Prisoners, 1868-1929, Page 2

Jane’s Mother:

The 1898 marriage record did not list Mary’s father but it did help me find her mother. An Ancestry.com hint led me to the 1891 England Census:

This entry shows that Mary’s mother had married a man with the surname Woods. One of the children was named Sarah J Woods.

The two witnesses to their 1898 marriage were Sarah Jane Woods and Henry Lund. Henry was Thomas’ uncle. Sarah was Mary’s half-sister.

Mary’s Mother:

Margaret Elizabeth Peers was born in 1857 in Manchester, Lancashire, England. She died in 1937 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Margaret went by her middle name of Elizabeth on most of the England census records. On John’s baptism record, her given name was listed as Margaret Eliza. Eliza Peers was the name listed on Mary’s baptism record.

Margaret married James Woods on 7 JUL 1881 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. Two known children were born during their marriage:

Sarah Jane Woods (1882)
John William Woods (1884)

James Woods was born in 1858 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. He died in 1915 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England.

The 1891 England Census shows that Margaret and her five children were living in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. Her marital status was listed as married. I could not find James in the 1891 England Census.

The 1901 England Census shows that Margaret and four of her children were living in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. A lodger named William Blackoe was included in this entry. He was 40 years old, unmarried, and born in Kirkham, Lancashire, England.

Page 1:

Page 2:

The 1901 England Census shows that James was living with his sister, Elizabeth, and her family. His marital status was listed as married.

Margaret and James must have separated shortly after the birth of their second child. James never remarried. The 1911 England Census confirms that he was the father of two children.

The 1911 England Census indicates that Margaret was married to William Blacow in 1887. I could find no marriage record for Margaret and William. As James Woods was still alive, she may not have officially married William.

Four known children were born during their cohabitation:

Joseph Edward Woods (1889)
James Blacow Woods (1890)
Isabella Blacow Woods (1893 to 1893)
Alice Woods (1904)

William Blacow was born in 1860 in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. He died in 1911 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Notes:

The surname Addison was common along the borders of Northern England and the eastern counties of Scotland. In the period known as the Middle Ages, these Addison ancestors migrated south to settle in Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Lancashire counties in England.

The progenitor of this family line was Christopher Addison. He was born around 1788 in Bolton, Lancashire, England. Who were his parents? That is still an unanswered question.

This family lived in the Walton-le-Dale area of Lancashire, England. The four oldest children were born in Moon’s Mill which is now Higher Walton. The two youngest children were born in the parish of Cuerden. The family finally settled in Over Darwen which is five miles south of Blackburn.

Timothy Addison created a family tree on Rootweb. His ancestors lived in the parishes of Kings Meaburn, Morland, Crosthwaite, Beathwaitegreen, and Levens in northwestern England.

Is there a connection between his ancestors and the ones who migrated to Lancashire? This is where my search begins . . .

If you know the answer to this question, please contact me. My email is dlwakenight@yahoo.com. You can also leave a message in the Comments Section of this post.

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for births, marriages, and deaths.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestors.

If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on.  There are also family trees that go “forward into time.”  Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty, and move forward into the present time.  The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline with that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!