Ann Williams lived at 27 Eccles Street in Liverpool from 1869 to 1874. Mark Kilshaw lived at this address from 1875 to 1877. Could Ann be Mark’s mother? I plan to find out!
Christopher Addison
Born: 26 JAN 1874 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
Father: William Addison (1829 to 1900)
Mother: Elizabeth Ashcroft (1837 to 1877)
Spouse: Elizabeth Ann Kelshaw (1876 to 1945)
Married: 29 AUG 1897 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
Child:
Hannah Addison (3 FEB 1898 to 1958)
Died: 29 JUN 1942 in Darwen, Lancashire, England
Probate:
Timeline:
1877 Death of mother, Elizabeth
1881 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1891 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1900 Death of father, William
1901 Darwen, Lancashire, England
1907 Death of sister, Hannah
1911 Darwen, Lancashire, England
1911 Death of sister, Nancy
1923 Death of sister, Elizabeth
1929 Death of brother, William
1932 Death of sister, Violet
1933 Death of sister, Mary
1939 Death of brother, Thomas
1939 Darwen, Lancashire, England
1942 Death and Burial
Occupation: cotton weaver (1891), iron foundry firebeater (1901 and 1911), scrap iron dealer (1939)
Records:
1861 to 1191 England Census Records
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
Lancashire, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1936
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
Variations of Surname: none
Christopher’s Wife:
Elizabeth Ann Kelshaw:
Elizabeth was born on 23 FEB 1876 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. She died on 16 MAY 1945 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.
Elizabeth’s father was Mark Kelshaw. He was born in 1832 in Burscough, Lancashire, England. He died in 1881 in Walton Park, Lancashire, England.
Elizabeth’s mother was Agnes Duncan. She was born in 1840 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. She died in 1905 in Walton Park, Lancashire, England.
Elizabeth had six brothers and sisters:
Mary Kelshaw (1860)
Agnes Kelshaw (1863)
Elizabeth Kelshaw (1866 to 1867)
Thomas Duncan Kelshaw (1870)
John Kelshaw (1872 to 1874)
Mark Kelshaw (1879 to 1880)
Henry Kelshaw (1881 to 1881)
Who was Christopher’s Wife?
The 1901 England Census shows that Christopher married a woman named Elizabeth Ann. She was born around 1876 in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England.
The 1911 England Census listed Elizabeth’s birthplace as Liverpool, Lancashire, England.
The 1939 England Census listed Elizabeth’s birthdate as 23 FEB 1876. This document did not include a birthplace.
Where was Elizabeth Born?
Fleetwood or Liverpool? Fleetwood is 60 miles north of Liverpool. This town was in Poulton le Fylde parish and included in the Fylde Registration District between 1894 and 1974.
The 1897 marriage record listed Elizabeth’s father as Mark Kelshaw.
I searched Ancestry.com’s baptism records using Elizabeth’s birth date and father’s name. I found a baptism record for Elizabeth Ann Kelshaw. She was born on 25 FEB 1876. Her parents were Mark and Agnes Kelshaw. Mark’s occupation was listed as a boatman. The family was living on Eccles Street in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.
NOTE: The two-day difference in the birthday may have been caused by human error on either of the documents.
Elizabeth’s birth record index can be found in Ancestry.com’s “England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915”. There was only one entry for Elizabeth Ann Kelshaw born in the first quarter of 1876 in the Liverpool Registration District. There was no entry for Elizabeth Ann Kelshaw in the Fylde Registration District.
Who Were Elizabeth’s Parents?
The baptism records for Elizabeth’s seven siblings listed their parents as Mark and Agnes Kelshaw. The information in these documents supplied two important details:
- Mark worked as a boatman until 1880. In 1881, his occupation was listed as a laborer.
- The family lived on Eccles Street until 1880. The burial records for their two youngest sons listed their residence as Hornby Street.
Mark and Agnes’ fourth child and only surviving son was named Thomas Duncan Kelshaw. His middle name helped me find Mark and Agnes’ marriage record.
The 1857 marriage record supplied Mark and Agnes’ ages, their fathers’ names, and their fathers’ occupations.
The 1851 England Census shows that Agnes was living with her widowed father, Archibald Duncan, and three of her brothers.
The 1881 England Census shows that Agnes and her four surviving children were living with her brother, Thomas Duncan. They were residing on Hornby Street. Her marital status was listed as married.
Where was Elizabeth’s Father?
The 1881 England Census shows that Mark was an inmate of the Brownlow Hill Union Workhouse. His occupation was listed as a dock laborer. He died shortly after the census was enumerated.
Mark may have suffered an injury or illness while working at the docks. Could this be why he no longer worked as a boatman?
Mark’s condition may have been too severe for Agnes to care for him at home. The Brownlow Hill Union Workhouse had an infirmary and a doctor in residence. As Mark could not work, he probably went to Brownlow Hill seeking medical care.
Who Was Elizabeth’s Father?
I had to consider two variables when I searched for Elizabeth’s father:
- Mark’s age varied from 28 years (1829) in 1857 to 48 years old (1833) in 1881.
- The surname was written as Kelshaw in 1857 and Kilshaw in 1881.
NOTE: The Internet Surname Database contains entries for Kelshaw, Kilshaw, and Culshaw. The first surname originated in Lincolnshire. The other two surnames originated in Lancashire.
I assumed that the names Mark Kelshaw, Kilshaw, or Culshaw would have been somewhat common in England. This was not the case.
I widened my search criteria for an individual born between 1820 and 1840. I did not include a birthplace. I did add that he lived in the Liverpool area.
It was the given name Mark, tied to the surname, that drastically limited the search results. Only two names appeared in the England census records. The name Mark Culshaw in this age range produced no results.
The 1871 England Census:
The name was listed as Mark Kelshaw. He was 36 years old (1835) and was born in Wigan, Lancashire, England. His marital status was listed as married. He was the master of a canal boat named “Ida” which was docked at the Leeds Street Canal in Liverpool.
Could this individual be Elizabeth’s father? I believe so. He was married. He was a boatman. He worked in the Liverpool area.
NOTE: In the 1861 England Census, most of the entries for Eccles Street were destroyed by erosion. The National Archives website notes that Pages 58 to 65 were “missing”. The Eccles Street entries can be found under Liverpool, St Martin, Enumeration District 44, Page 56. This would be Image 60 of 62 on Ancestry.com. This is probably why I could not find Mark and Agnes on the 1861 England Census.
The 1851 England Census:
The name was listed as Mark Kilshew. He was 15 years old (1836) and was born in Burscough, Lancashire, England. He was unmarried and working as a horse driver in Litherland, Lancashire, England.
The Baptism Record:
I then found a baptism record for Mark Culshaw in Ancestry.com’s “Lancashire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1911”. He was baptized on 29 JUL 1832 in the parish of Rufford, Lancashire, England.
Mark’s parents were listed as William and Ann Culshaw. His father was a boatman. The family was living in Burscough, Lancashire, England. Rufford is 4 miles northeast of Burscough, Lancashire, England.
Two other children were born to William and Ann Culshaw:
Ruth Culshaw was baptized on 7 JUN 1835 in Rufford. The family was living in Burscough.
Ruth Kelshaw married Hugh Cameron on 7 MAY 1856 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. Her father was listed as William Kelshaw, a laborer. She was living on Charles Street.
James Culshaw was baptized on 25 JUN 1837 in Lathom. He was buried on 12 JAN 1838 in Lathom, Lancashire, England.
NOTE: These three children were baptized in Rufford. That does not mean they were the only children born during William and Ann’s marriage. The family likely moved to another parish after 1837.
Could this individual be Elizabeth’s father? I believe so.
A young man in a boatman’s family would have started his career as a horse driver. He would haul goods to and from the boats docked at the canal. He would then work as a dock laborer or part of the crew on a canal boat. After gaining experience, he could become a captain of a canal boat or master of one of the docks.
Who Were Mark’s Parents?
I do not know.
The difficulty that I could not surmount was finding this family in the 1841 England Census. In 1841, the towns of Burscough and Lathom were included in the parish of Ormskirk. There were several entries for men named William Culshaw, Kilshaw, and Kelshaw. These entries did not include a wife named Ann.
The Towpath Treks website published an article entitled “Canal People“. The author explained that sometimes whole families would live on canal boats. This may be another reason I could not find Mark and his family in the 1841 England Census.
A Possible Lead?
I could not find Agnes or three of the children living on Eccles Street in the 1871 England Census. The Eccles Street entries can be found under Liverpool, St Martin, Enumeration District 44, starting on Page 44. This would be Image 45 of 53.
I did find the name Mark Kilshaw in Ancestry.com’s “Liverpool, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1970”. There were three other men included in these entries who were named Christopher, Thomas, and William Kilshaw.
The 1871 England Census shows that William Kilshaw was living at 31 Eccles Street. This was a few houses down from where Mark and his family lived.
William Kilshaw was born in 1828 in Burscough, Lancashire, England. He died in 1887 at the Brownlow Hill Union Workhouse in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.
William married Margaret Jane Thompson on 10 AUG 1856 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. His father was listed as John Kilshaw, a laborer. Her father was listed as Edward Thompson, a whitesmith.
Margaret Jane Thompson was born in 1831 in Manchester, Lancashire, England. She died in 1887 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.
Four known children were born during their marriage:
Edward Kelshaw (1858)
Sarah Jane Kelshaw (1861)
William Kelshaw (1864)
John Kelshaw (1865)
The Connection?
Mark and William Kelshaw, Kilshaw, or Culshaw were both born in Burscough, Lancashire, England. They were probably cousins.
If you know the answer to these questions, please contact me. My email is dlwakenight@yahoo.com. You can also leave a message in the Comments Section of this post.
One More Unsolved Mystery:
The 1901 England Census shows that Christopher and Elizabeth had an adopted daughter. Her name was Ellen Williams. She was born in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England. I could not find this individual on any document after 1901.
The electoral registers listed four different addresses for Mark Kilshaw from 1874 to 1878. Here are two excerpts from the 1871 England Census for 27 Eccles Street and 7 of 7 Court:
27 Eccles Street
7 of 7 Court
The electoral register for Ann Williams shows that she lived at 27 Eccles Street from 1869 to 1874.
The electoral register for Richard Williams shows that he lived at 7 of 7 Court from 1872 to 1877.
Although the surname Williams is very common in England. I wonder about a familial connection. Could Ellen Williams be the granddaughter of Ann or Richard Williams?
One More Lead?
Ann Williams may have moved from 27 Eccles in 1875. This was the same year that Mark was recorded at this residence.
The 1871 England Census shows that Ann was 53 years old. This would mean she was born in 1818. As sometimes happens, ages get over-inflated. Ann may have been born before 1818.
I mention this because of the Eccles Street address. Mark’s father may have died before the 1841 England Census was enumerated. Mark’s mother may have then married a man named Williams. Mark and Agnes may have lived with his mother in the early 1870s.
Housing was scarce and at a premium in this rapidly growing port city. It was not unheard of for multiple families to live together.
Could Ann Williams be Mark’s mother? I will keep searching until I find the answer to this question.
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!
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