George and Mary’s three oldest children did not survive to adulthood. Elizabeth and George were buried on the same date. Could the Cholera Epidemic of 1846 to 1860 have been the cause of their deaths?

George Addison

Born: 1822 in Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England

Father: Christopher Addison (1788 to 1864)
Mother: Ann Goldthorp (1791 to 1857)

Spouse: Mary Salisbury (1822 to 1894)

Married: 27 FEB 1843 in Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England

Children:

William Addison (1843 to 1847)
Elizabeth Addison (1848 to 1853)
George Addison (1851 to 1853)
George Addison (1860 to 1934)

Died: 1895 in Darwen, Lancashire, England

Timeline:

1841 Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England
1843 Marriage to Mary
1848 Birth of daughter, Elizabeth
1851 Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England
1854 Death of brother, Christopher
1857 Death of mother, Ann
1861 Birth of son, George
1861 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1864 Death of father, Christopher
1871 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1878 Death of brother, John
1881 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1888 Death of sister, Nancy
1891 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1895 Death and Burial

Occupation: cotton piecer (1841), cotton spinner

Records:

1841 to 1891 England Census Records
Lancashire, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1911
Lancashire, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1936
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1915

Variations of Surname: none

George’s Wife:

Mary Salisbury:

Mary was born in 1822 in Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England. She died in 1894 in Darwin, Lancashire, England.

The 1843 marriage record listed Mary’s mother as Betty Salisbury. This would indicate that Mary did not know her father’s name. It also means that Mary was born out of wedlock.

The clergyman included the word “bastard” on the 1822 baptism record.

Elizabeth Salisbury was born in 1797 in Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England. She was the illegitimate daughter of Grace Salisbury.

Grace Salisbury was born in 1774 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. She died in 1799 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. Grace was 25 years old when she died.

George and Mary’s Children:

I found the baptism and burial records for George and Mary’s children in Ancestry.com Lancashire databases. The three oldest children did not survive to adulthood.

What I found intriguing was that Elizabeth and George were buried on the same day.

The burial records did not include the causes of their deaths. There was a Cholera epidemic that spread worldwide between 1846 and 1860. The Wikipedia article explains:

“In 1853–1854, the epidemic in London claimed over 10,000 lives, and there were 23,000 deaths for all of Great Britain.”

Mary was 38 years old when she gave birth to their youngest child:

George Addison:

George was born in 1860 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. He died in 1934 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

George married Mary Entwistle on 31 JAN 1886 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. Seven known children were born during their marriage:

John Addison (1886 tp 1886)
Alice Addison (1887)
George Addison (1889 to 1899)
Elizabeth Ellen Addison (1892)
Sophia Addison (1894)
Mary Addison (1896 to 1909)
Arthur Addison (1902)

Mary Entwistle was born in 1864 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. She died in 1935 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Did You Notice?

I used the names Over Darwen and Darwen in this post. These names are interchangeable. Prior to 1894, the town was called Over Darwen. When the new registration district was created in 1894, the name was changed to Darwen.

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!