In 1932, Thomas Cummings was charged with murdering his wife, Violet. She was William and Elizabeth’s youngest daughter. Thomas was convicted of this crime but deemed clinically insane.

William Addison

Born: 1822 in Cuerden, Lancashire, England

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

Spouse: Elizabeth Ashcroft (1837 to 1877)

Married: 24 OCT 1857 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England

Children:

William Addison (1858 to 21 FEB 1929)
Elizabeth Ann Addison (1860 to 8 FEB 1923)
Nancy Addison (1862 to 1911)
Mary Addison (1865 to 22 AUG 1933)
Hannah Addison (1866 to 11 OCT 1907)
Violet Mary Addison (1870 to 1932)
Christopher Addison (1874 to 29 JUN 1942)
Thomas Addison (1875 to 22 APR 1939)

Died: 23 DEC 1900 in Darwen, Lancashire, England

Timeline:

1841 Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England
1851 Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England
1854 Death of brother, Christopher
1857 Death of mother, Ann
1857 Marriage to Elizabeth
1859 Birth of son, William
1860 Birth of daughter, Elizabeth
1861 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1863 Birth of daughter, Nancy
1864 Death of father, Christopher
1866 Birth of daughter, Mary
1867 Birth of daughter, Hannah
1871 Birth of daughter, Violet
1871 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1874 Birth of son, Christopher
1875 Birth of son, Thomas
1877 Death of wife, Elizabeth
1878 Death of brother, John
1881 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1888 Death of sister, Nancy
1891 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1895 Death of brother, George
1896 Death of brother, Thomas
1900 Death and Burial

Occupation: cotton piecer (1851), 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
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966

Variations of Surname: none

William’s Wife:

Elizabeth Ashcroft:

Elizabeth was born in 1837 in Penwortham, Lancashire, England. She died in 1877 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. Elizabeth was 44 years old when she died.

Elizabeth was born out of wedlock. Her mother was Hannah Ashcroft.

Hannah Ashcroft was born in 1815 in Penwortham, Lancashire, England. I do not know when she died.

Hannah married Thomas Nickson on 20 DEC 1840 in Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England. Three known children were born during their marriage:

Thomas Nixon (1844 Walton-le-Dale)
Hannah Nixon (1846 Walton-le-Dale)
Sarah Jane Nixon (1856 Over Darwen)

Thomas Nickson was born in 1806 in Preston, Lancashire, England. He died in 1884 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Thomas had previously married Emma Waring on 23 JAN 1826 in Walton-le-dale, Lancashire, England. Six known children were born during their marriage:

George Nixon (1825 Preston)
Jane Nixon (1826 Preston)
Ann Nixon (1828 Preston)
Mary Nixon (1836 Preston)
Alice Nixon (1838 Blackburn)
Sarah Nixon (1840 to 1840)

Emma Waring was born in 1801 in Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England. She died in 1840 in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, England. Emma was 39 years old when she died.

Their youngest daughter, Sarah Nixon, was born on 12 APR 1840 in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, England. She was baptized on 20 APR 1840 in the parish church.

The burial records show that Emma died about two weeks after giving birth to her youngest child. Sarah died four days later.

William and Elizabeth’s Daughters:

Elizabeth Ann Addison:

Elizabeth was born in 1860 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. She died on 8 FEB 1923 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England.

The probate record listed Elizabeth as a spinster. That meant she never married.

Nancy Addison:

Nancy was born in 1862 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. She died in 1911 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Nancy married William Kirkham on 19 MAR 1887 at St Cuthbert’s Church in Darwen, Lancashire, England. Three known children were born during their marriage:

Elizabeth Kirkham (1889)
Thomas Kirkham (1892)
William Kirkham (1897)

William Kirkham was born in 1862 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. He died in 1925 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Mary Addison:

Mary was born in 1865 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. She died on 22 AUG 1933 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Mary married Ichabod Waddington on 9 JAN 1886 at St Cuthbert’s Church in Darwen, Lancashire, England. One known child was born during their marriage:

Elizabeth Waddington (1887)

Ichabod Waddington was born in 1866 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. He died in 1917 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Hannah Addison:

Hannah was born in 1866 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. She died on 11 OCT 1907 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

As with Elizabeth, the probate record indicates that Hannah was a spinster. She never married and died when she was 41 years old.

Violet Mary Addison:

Violet was born in 1870 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. She died in 1932 in Church, Lancashire, England.

Violet married Thomas Cummings in 1893 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. Seven known children were born during their marriage:

William Cummings (1894)
John Charles Cummings (1896)
Mary Cummings (1899)
Lawrence Cummings (1904)
Annie Cummings (1907)
Thomas Cummings (1909)
Patrick Cummings (1911)

Thomas Cummings was born in 1874 in Kilmactigue, Sligo, Ireland. He died in 1951 in Prescot, Lancashire, England.

The baptism record listed Thomas’ parents as John Commons and Mary Rainsford. Thomas’ death record was listed under the surname Cummins. The census and marriage records listed his surname under the more English variation of Cummings.

What Happened in 1932?

A newspaper article in the Burnley Express, 9 APR 1932, indicates that Thomas was arrested for murdering his wife.

Another article in the Evening Sentinel, Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, 27 APR 1932, reported that Thomas was found guilty of murder but was insane.

The death record index for Thomas listed the registration district as Prescot, Lancashire, England. He was probably sent to the Rainhill Mental Hospital.

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!