In 1910, John’s namesake immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They settled in Fall River. His descendants may have been the first in this Addison line to populate America.

John Addison

Born: 1820 in Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England

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

Spouse: Ellen Lambert (1822 to 1894)

Married: 15 MAR 1845 in Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England

Children:

Christopher Addison (1846 to 1908)
Mary Ann Addison (1850 to 1922)
John Addison (1854 to 1930)
Nancy Addison (1860 to 1861)
Nancy Addison (1864 to 1865)

Died: 1878 in Bamber-Bridge, Lancashire, England

Timeline:

1841 Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England
1845 Marriage to Ellen
1846 Birth of son, Christopher
1850 Birth of daughter, Mary Ann
1851 Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England
1854 Death of brother, Christopher
1854 Birth of son, John
1857 Death of mother, Ann
1860 Birth of daughter, Nancy
1861 Preston, Lancashire, England
1861 Death of daughter, Nancy
1864 Death of father, Christopher
1864 Birth of second daughter, Nancy
1865 Death of second daughter, Nancy
1871 Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, England
1878 Death and Burial

Occupation: cotton spinner

Records:

1841 to 1871 England Census Records
Lancashire, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1911
Lancashire, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1936
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
Lancashire, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1986
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1915

Variations of Surname: none

John’s Wife:

Ellen Lambert:

Ellen was born in 1822 in Preston, Lancashire, England. She died in 1894 in Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England.

Ellen’s father was William Lambert. He was born in 1802 in Preston, Lancashire, England. He died in 1860 in Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England.

Ellen’s mother was Isabella Elliott. She was born in 1802 in Preston, Lancashire, England. She died in 1865 in Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England.

Ellen had four known brothers and sisters. The three oldest children were born in Bolton. The youngest child was born in Walton-le-Dale.

Michael Richard Lambert (1829) *
William Lambert (1834)
John Lambert (1837)
Rose Lambert (1841)

(*) The 1841 England Census listed his name as Michael. The 1851 England Census listed his name as Richard.

Ellen gave birth to one child out of wedlock:

William Lambert was born in 1843 in Cuerden, Lancashire, England. He died in 1892 in Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England.

William married Margaret Higginson on 2 JUN 1861 at Saint John’s Church in Preston, Lancashire, England. Eleven known children were born during their marriage. All the children were born in Lancashire, England.

Ellen Lambert (1862 Preston)
James Lambert (1863 Preston)
Mary Ann Lambert (1866 Preston)
Maria Lambert (1867 Bamber Bridge)
John William Lambert (1868 Bamber Bridge)
George Lambert (1870 Walton-le-Dale)
Isabella Lambert (1872 Walton-le-Dale)
Thomas Lambert (1876 Brierfield)
Martha Alice Lambert (1876 to 1877 Walton-le-Dale)
Martha Alice Lambert (1877 Walton-le-Dale)
Christopher Lambert (1878 to 1879 Walton-le-Dale)

Margaret Higginson was born in 1843 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. She died in 1885 in Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England.

After Margaret died, William married Jane Alston on 28 AUG 1889 at St Leonard’s Church in Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England.

NOTE: The marriage record did not include the name and occupation of William’s father. This document also confirms that John Addison was not his biological father.

Three known children were born during their marriage:

Elizabeth Lambert (1888 to 1891)
Mark Alston Lambert (1890 to 1891)
Mark Lambert (1892)

Jane Alston was born in 1857 in Preston, Lancashire, England. She died in 1939 in New Bedford, Bristol, Massachusetts, USA.

After William died, Jane and her son immigrated to the United States of America. They arrived in Boston Harbor on 30 JUL 1893 and settled in New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA.

I discovered the reason for Jane’s decision to immigrate. In 1891, her older sister, Elizabeth Alice Alston Sharples, her husband, and two children immigrated to New Bedford. After her husband died in 1903, Elizabeth operated a boarding house. The 1910 US Census shows that Jane and her son, Mark, were staying with her sister.

In 1907, Elizabeth’s daughter, Margaret, married George Wilding in New Bedford. George was born in 1884 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. George and Thomas’ parents were George Wilding and Ann Marsden.

Could this Wilding family be related to Mary Ann Addison’s husband?

John and Ellen’s Surviving Daughter:

Mary Ann Addison:

Mary Ann was born in 1850 in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, England. She died in 1922 in Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England.

Mary Ann married William Wilding in 1879 in Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England. Five known children were born during their marriage. The oldest child was born in Bamber Bridge. The other children were born in Walton-le-Dale.

William Wilding (1880)
John Wilding (1885)
George Wilding (1888)
Henry Wilding (1891)
Ellen Wilding (1895)

William Wilding was born in 1856 in Cuerden Green, Lancashire, England. He died in 1930 in Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England.

From what I could ascertain, William’s father was Henry Wilding. He was born in 1824 in Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England. I do not know when he died. Henry’s father was Richard Wilding. He was born in 1789 in Longton, Lancashire, England. He lived in Cuerden, Lancashire, England.

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

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!