In 1922, Joseph Gillibrand married a woman named Ellen Hodgkinson. She was 35 years old when they married. Was this her maiden name or her married name? I have ordered the marriage record from the GRO in the hopes of answering this question.

Christopher Addison

Born: 1846 in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, England

Father: John Addison (1820 to 1878)
Mother: Ellen Lambert (1822 to 1894)

Spouse: Margaret Sullivan (1844 to 1887)

Married: 1870 in Barton Upon Irwell, Lancashire, England

Children:

John Addison (1872 to Unknown)
Margaret Ellen Addison (1875 to 1918)
Ann Addison (1878 to 1918)

Died: 1908 in Darwen, Lancashire, England

Timeline:

1851 Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England
1861 Preston, Lancashire, England
1861 Death of first sister, Nancy
1865 Death of second sister, Nancy
1870 Marriage to Margaret
1871 Blackburn, Lancashire, England
1873 Birth of son, John
1875 Birth of daughter, Margaret
1878 Death of father, John
1878 Birth of daughter, Ann
1881 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1887 Death of wife, Margaret
1891 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1892 Death of half-brother, William
1894 Death of mother, Ellen
1901 Darwen, Lancashire, England
1908 Death and Burial

Occupation: cotton piecer (1861), cotton spinner

Records:

1851 to 1901 England Census Records
Lancashire, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1911
England & Wales Christening Records, 1530-1906
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1915

Variations of Surname: none

Christopher’s Wife:

Margaret Sullivan:

Margaret was born in 1844 in Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Wales. She died in 1887 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. Margaret was 43 years old when she died.

Who were Margaret’s Parents?

The 1871 England Census listed Margaret’s birthplace as New Town, Wales. I discovered that this place was Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Wales.

The 1881 England Census listed her birthplace as Ulverston, Lancashire, England.

NOTE: Having two different birthplaces listed on the census records was not uncommon. It depended on who gave the information to the census taker. Hazy memories also played a factor in this discrepancy. Margaret likely answered the question in 1871. Christopher may have answered the question in 1881.

I searched the early census records using both placenames. Here is what I found:

The 1851 England Census shows Margaret and her family were living in Ulverston, Lancashire, England. The surname was listed as Soloman.

The 1841 Wales Census shows that Margaret’s parents and the three oldest children were living in Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Wales. Their surname was listed as Sullivan.

NOTE: The surname Soloman has Hebrew origins. The surname Sullivan has Irish origins. The 1870 marriage record also listed Margaret’s surname as Sullivan.

Margaret Sullivan’s parents:

Florence Sullivan was born around 1807 in Ireland.

NOTE: The given name Florence is most commonly associated with the female gender. It was also given to male offspring. Wikipedia includes this entry concerning the name:

“Florence itself has also been used for boys (Latin Florentius), particularly in Ireland where it was used as an anglicization of Irish Finnian or Flaithrí.”

Margaret’s mother was named Margaret. I do not know her maiden name. She was born around 1810 in Ireland.

Margaret had four brothers and sisters:

Mary Sullivan (1837)
Catherine Sullivan (1839)
John Sullivan (1843)
Ann Sullivan (1848)

The 1861 England Census listed Margaret’s father as a female. This can be attributed to the given name Florence. He and his son, John, were living in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. Florence’s marital status was listed as married.

I could not find Margaret’s mother in the 1861 England Census. I also could not find a death record for her in the Ulverston or Blackburn Registration Districts.

There was one possible lead:

Their daughter, Ann, married Richard Slater in 1873 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. Her father was listed as Florence Sullivan, a bricklayer.

Ann would have listed her father as deceased if he had died before their marriage. This indicates that Florence was still living in 1873.

The 1871 England Census did not contain an entry for Florence Sullivan, male or female, living in the Blackburn area. There was also no death record for Florence Sullivan in the Ulverston or Blackburn Registration Districts.

There was one entry in London for Florence and Margaret Sullivan. They were living in Holborn St Andrew. Their birthplaces were listed as Kerry, Ireland. Florence’s occupation was listed as a porter.

There is also a death record index for Florence Sullivan who died in 1874 in the Holborn Registration District.

Could the individuals in the 1871 England Census be Margaret’s parents? I do not know. Florence could have changed his name before this census was enumerated.

If you are a descendant of this family and 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.

Christopher and Margaret’s Daughters:

Margaret Ellen Addison:

Margaret was born in 1875 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. She died in 1918 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Margaret married Joseph Gillibrand in 1898 in Darwen, Lancashire, England. Four known children were born during their marriage:

Margaret Gillibrand (1900)
John Gillibrand (1903)
Joseph Gillibrand (1908)
Anthony Gillibrand (1918)

Margaret died shortly after her youngest son was born.

Joseph Gillibrand was on 8 SEP 1871 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. He died in 1950 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

After Margaret died, Joseph married a woman named Ellen Hodgkinson in 1922 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. No known children were born during their marriage.

Who was Joseph’s Second Wife?

On October 29, 2023, I ordered the 1922 marriage record from the GRO. I should receive this document within the week and will update this post at that time.

UPDATE:

On 27 NOV 2023, I received a copy of the marriage certificate from the GRO. This document shows that Joseph Gillibrand married Ellen Hodgkinson on 7 JAN 1922 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

The information in this document helped me find Ellen in the 1891 to 1911 England Census records. Knowing her father’s name and occupation was a tremendous help in this endeavor.

Joseph’s Second Wife:

Ellen Hodgkinson was born on 29 OCT 1887 in Withnell, Lancashire, England. She died in 1960 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Ellen’s father was James Hodgkinson. He was born in 1853 in Wheelton, Lancashire, England. I do not know when he died.

Ellen’s mother was Margaret Farnworth. She was born in 1857 in Brindle, Lancashire, England. She died in 1902 in Withnell, Lancashire, England.

Ellen had five known brothers and sisters. The children were all born in Withnell, Lancashire, England.

John Thomas Hodgkinson (1878 to 1899)
Harry Hodgkinson (1880)
James Hodgkinson (1883)
Margaret Alice Hodgkinson (1884)
Alfred Hodgkinson (1893)

Ann Addison:

Ann was born in 1878 in Darwen, Lancashire, England. She died in 1918 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Ann never married. She was 40 years old when she died.

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!