William and Joseph Addison were born in 1904 and 1905 in Preston, Lancashire, England. Where did they go? Only a descendant of this family can answer that question.

Joseph Addison

Born: 14 DEC 1877 in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, England

Father: John Addison (1854 to 1930)
Mother: Catherine Taylor (1856 to 1942)

Spouse: Elizabeth Alice Woodruff

Married: 1903 in Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England

Children:

William Addison (1904 to Unknown)
Joseph Addison (1905 to Unknown)

Died: 1959 in Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England

Timeline:

1881 Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England
1891 Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England
1901 St George Hanover Square, London, England
1903 Marriage to Elizabeth
1904 Birth of son, William
1905 Birth of son, Joseph
1908 Death of brother, John
1911 Rivington and Anglezarke, Lancashire, England
1921 Death of sister, Catherine
1926 Death of brother, Christopher
1930 Death of father, John
1939 Preston, Lancashire, England
1942 Death of mother, Catherine
1954 Death of brother, William
1959 Death and Burial

Occupation: cotton creeler (1891), gamekeeper (1939)

Records:

1881 to 1911 England Census Records
1939 England and Wales Registers
British Army WWI Pension Records 1914-1920
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007

Variations of Surname: none

Joseph’s Wife:

Elizabeth Alice Woodruff:

Elizabeth was born on 23 SEP 1875 • Preston, Lancashire, England. She died in 1958 in Preston, Lancashire, England.

Elizabeth’s father was Richard Woodruff. He was born in 1850 in Preston, Lancashire, England. He died in 1919 in Preston, Lancashire, England.

Elizabeth’s mother was Eleanor Gardner. She was born in 1852 in Preston, Lancashire, England. She died in 1929 in Preston, Lancashire, England.

Elizabeth had seven brothers and sisters:

Mary A Woodruff (1872)
Richard Woodruff (1878)
John Thomas Woodruff (1880)
Eleanor Woodruff (1882)
Jane Woodruff (1884)
Emily Woodruff (1887)
James Woodruff (1890)

Hitting the Brick Wall:

William and Joseph appear on the 1911 England Census. The family was living in Rivington, Lancashire, England. Their father listed William’s age as 6 years and 9 months and Joseph’s age as 5 years and 6 months.

In 1911, census personnel delivered questionnaires to every household in England. The respondent was to list each person living at the residence as of 2 APR 1911. I then used the calculator on the Time and Date website to find Joseph and William’s approximate dates of birth.

I could find no baptism records for William and Joseph in Ancestry.com’s databases. The “England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915” included the following entries:

William Addison

Joseph Addison

The few family trees that included William and Joseph had no additional information. A search of other websites produced no results.

There was one individual named Joseph Addison living in Preston on the 1939 England Census. Which Joseph Addison? Remember, the BMD listed two entries under this name.

There was no person named William Addison living in Preston on the 1939 England Census. Did he move to another parish?

There is one death record entry in the BMD for William Addison. He died in 1929 and his death was registered in the Chorley Registration District. The village of Rivington was in this RD until 2005.

There were two death record entries for Joseph Addison in the Preston Registration District. One died in 1961 and the other died in 1985.

There is also the factor that England entered WWII in 1940. William and Joseph could have been conscripted into the British Army. They may also have enlisted with England’s naval or air forces.

William and Joseph could also have immigrated to Canada, Australia, or the United States. In another post on the Family Tree Insider, I explain that William and Joseph’s grandparents and many of their children immigrated to Fall River, Bristol, Massachusetts.

Only a descendant of William and Joseph Addison can break through this proverbial brick wall. If you have information on these individuals, 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!