The 1851 and 1861 England Census records show that Christopher was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England. But, which Bolton? There are two parishes with that name in Lancashire, Bolton-le-Moors and Bolton-le-Sands.

Christopher Addison

Born: 1788 in Bolton-le-Moor, Lancashire, England

Father: unknown
Mother: unknown

Spouse: Ann Goldthorp (1791 to 1857)

Married: 6 NOV 1819 at St Leonard’s Church in Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England

Children:

John Addison (1820 to 1878)
George Addison (1822 to 1895)
Nancy Addison (1824 to 1888)
Christopher Addison (1826 to 1854)
William Addison (1829 to 1900)
Thomas Addison (1834 to 1896)

Died: 1864 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England

Timeline:

1819 Marriage to Ann
1820 Birth of son, John
1822 Birth of son, George
1824 Birth of daughter, Nancy
1826 Birth of son, Christopher
1829 Birth of son, William
1834 Birth of son, Thomas
1841 Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England
1851 Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England
1854 Death of son, Christopher
1857 Death of wife, Ann
1861 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1864 Death and Burial

Occupation: cotton spinner

Records:

1841 to 1861 England Census Records
Lancashire, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1936
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1915

Variations of Surname: none

Where was Christopher born?

The 1851 England census record listed Christopher’s age as 63 (1788). The 1861 England census record listed his age as 75 (1786). Both documents listed his birthplace as Bolton, Lancashire, England.

Which Bolton? The Genuki website has two parishes in Lancashire with that name. Bolton-le-Moors is 21 miles southeast of where Christopher was living in Walton-le-Dale. Bolton-le-Sands is 31 miles north of Walton-le-Dale.

Family Search has a database for Bolton-Le-Moors in this time period. It is entitled “Baptisms, marriages and burials, 1771-1809. Includes Turton, 1771-1789; Bradshaw, 1781, and Walmsley, 1789.” Most of these records are faded with age and unreadable. If Christopher’s baptism record is in this database, I have yet to find it.

Ancestry.com has a database entitled “England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975”. There is a baptism record for Christopher Addison who was born in 1785 in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. Bolton-le-Sands is 5 miles north of this parish. The record listed his parents as Christopher and Mary Addison.

The Addisons of Westmoreland:

In the “Notes” section below, I mentioned that the Addison ancestors came from Northern England or Scotland. I found Timothy Addison’s family tree on Rootsweb. His ancestors lived in the county of Westmoreland, England.

The progenitor of Timothy’s family tree was Robert Addison. He was born in 1560 in Morland, Westmoreland, England. Timothy also mentioned that there were other Addison ancestors who lived in Crosby Ravensworth, Westmorland, England.

As the Addison descendants migrated farther south, some of them settled in Lancashire, England. Finding a connection between Christopher and one of these descendants has proven futile. Without a birth record, I have hit the proverbial brick wall.

My Thoughts:

Christopher Addison was a cotton spinner. The making of cloth was a major manufacturing industry in Lancashire, England. Whole family groups would relocate to other cities seeking employment.

The proximity of Walton-le-Dale to Preston leads me to believe Christopher had relatives in that area. One of these Addison ancestors may have moved to Bolton-le-Moors in the 1780s in search of work.

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

Christopher’s Wife:

Ann Goldthorp:

Ann was born in 1791 in Shepley, West Yorkshire, England. She died in 1857 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Where was Ann born?

I obtained Ann’s birth information from the 1851 England Census. Ancestry.com transcribed her birthplace as Shipley, Yorkshire, England.

The GENUKI website shows that the town of Shepley lies within the parish of Kirkburton, West Yorkshire, England. The town of Shipley lies within the parish of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Shepley is 22 miles south of Shipley.

I could find no baptism record for Ann born in either parish. In fact, I could find no baptism records in Bradford for any Goldthorps. That is why I believe Ann was born in Shepley instead of Shipley.

There were two possible leads that did not “pan out“. These women appeared in the 1851 England Census and were married to different men.

Ann Goldthorp, born in 1794, whose father was Abel Goldthorp. She married William Ellis.

Hannah Goldthorp, born in 1797, whose father was George Goldthorp. She married Stephen Leather.

Two other scenarios occurred to me:

  1. Ann’s father could have died and her mother married a man with the surname Goldthorp.
  2. Ann married a man with the surname Goldthorp who died before her 1819 marriage to Christopher.

Without a birth record, I have hit another brick wall.

Christopher and Ann’s Daughter:

Nancy Addison:

Nancy was born in 1824 in Walton-Le-Dale, Lancashire, England. She died in 1888 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Nancy married Christopher Wainman in 1849 in Walton-Le-Dale, Lancashire, England. No known children were born during their marriage.

Christopher Wainman was born in 1826 in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, England. He died in 1874 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England.

After Christopher died, Nancy married William Caldwell in 1880 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. Nancy was 56 years old and William was 58 years old.

William Caldwell was born in 1822 in Lowton, Lancashire, England. He died in 1890 in Over, Darwen, Lancashire, England.

William had previously married Margaret Read on 22 JUN 1845 in Standish, Lancashire, England. Ten known children were born during their marriage. The oldest child was born in Standish. The other children were born in Over Darwen.

Stephen Caldwell (1846)
Thomas Caldwell (1848)
Margaret Ann Caldwell (1851)
Sarah J Caldwell (1853)
Maria Caldwell (1855)
Martha Caldwell (1857)
John Caldwell (1859)
Eleanor Caldwell (1862)
William Caldwell (1864)
Lydia Caldwell (1867)

Margaret Read was born in 1824 in Standish, Lancashire, England. She died in 1878 in Over, 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!