Martha was christened with the middle name Franduella. This given name may have originated in Eastern Europe. Which one of Martha’s ancestors carried this name? That is the unanswered question.

William Addison

Born: 1858 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England

Father: William Addison (1829 to 1900)
Mother: Elizabeth Ashcroft (1837 to 1877)

First Spouse: Mary Elizabeth F Greenwood (1857 to 1889)

Married: 1878 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England

Children:

Mary Elizabeth Addison (1886 to 1942)
Martha Ellen Franduella Addison (1888 to 1966)

Second Spouse: Elizabeth Jane Lonsdale (1857 to 1928)

Married: 1889 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England

Children: None

Died: 21 FEB 1929 in Darwen, Lancashire, England

Probate:

Timeline:

1861 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1871 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1877 Death of mother, Elizabeth
1878 Marriage to Mary
1881 Over Darwen, Lancashire, England
1886 Birth of daughter, Mary
1888 Birth of daughter, Martha
1889 Death of wife, Mary
1889 Marriage to Elizabeth
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
1928 Death of wife, Elizabeth
1929 Death and Burial

Occupation: cotton weaver (1871), cotton spinner

Records:

1861 to 1911 England Census Records
England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915
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 First Wife:

Mary Elizabeth F Greenwood:

Mary was born in 1857 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. She died in 1889 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. Mary was 32 years old when she died.

Mary’s father was William Greenwood. He was born in 1830 in Dowbridge, Lancashire, England. He died in 1900 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Mary’s mother was Martha Walsh. She was born in 1825 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. I do not know when she died.

Mary had three brothers and sisters:

Joseph C Greenwood (1853)
Hannah J Greenwood (1855)
Edwin James Greenwood (1860 to 1865)

After Mary died, William married a widow, Sarah Ann Johnson Hargreaves, in 1886 in Over, Darwen, Lancashire, England. One known child was born during their marriage:

Septimus James Edwin Greenwood (1888)

Sarah Ann Johnson was born in 1849 in Oldham, Lancashire, England. She died in 1923 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Sarah had previously married Christopher Hargreaves in 1871 in Darwen, Lancashire, England. Three known children were born during their marriage:

Johnson Hargreaves (1873)
Clara Hargreaves (1880)
Christopher Hargreaves (1885)

Christopher Hargreaves was born in 1848 in Darwen, Lancashire, England. He died in 1885 in Darwen, Lancashire, England. Christopher was 37 years old when he died.

Did You Notice?

William and Sarah named their son after Mary’s youngest child, James Edwin Greenwood. This was William’s way of honoring the memory of his son who died in 1865.

William and Mary’s Daughters:

Mary Elizabeth Addison:

Mary was born on 26 JAN 1886 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. She died in 1942 in Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England.

Mary married James Niccoll in 1912 in Darwen, Lancashire, England. One known child was born during their marriage:

Betty Niccoll (1922)

James Niccoll was born on 3 JUL 1880 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. He died in 1959 in Walton Le Dale, Lancashire, England.

NOTE: There is a ten-year gap between the marriage year and Betty’s birth year. The birth record index for Betty was the only one whose mother’s maiden name was Addison. Mary would have been 36 years old in 1922.

This reminds me of my maternal grandmother, Gladys May Oxborough. She gave birth to her youngest child in 1957 when she was 44 years old. This was 16 years after my aunt, Sheila, was born.

Was this a planned pregnancy? Probably not. Yet, my grandmother may have felt lonely with her husband “gone to sea” for months at a time. Her two teenage daughters were working and ready to “leave the nest”.

Mary and James may have decided not to have children. Maybe Mary could not carry a child through the full term of a pregnancy. For whatever reason, Mary became pregnant and gave birth ten years after they were married.

Martha Ellen Franduella Addison:

Martha was born on 17 OCT 1888 in Over Darwen, Lancashire, England. She died in 1966 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

Martha married Tom Allsopp in 1910 in Darwen, Lancashire, England. One known child was born during their marriage:

Alan Allsopp (1914)

Tom Allsopp was born on 14 JUL 1882 in Royton, Lancashire, England. He died in 1961 in Darwen, Lancashire, England.

An Unanswered Question:

William and Mary’s daughter, Martha, was christened with the middle name of Franduella. This name was listed in the 1891 and 1911 England Census Records. It also appeared in William’s probate record, shown above, and her son’s christening record.

Excerpt from the 1891 England Census:

Excerpt from the 1911 England Census:

Excerpt from the 1929 Probate Record:

Excerpt from the 1914 Baptism Record:

The name was transcribed as Franduella, Frandnella, and Frauduella. Deciphering the handwritten documents likely caused these variations.

When I searched the internet for this name, I came up with “goose eggs“. I tried all kinds of different spellings. Nothing!

I then searched Ancestry.com. There were no other entries, besides Martha’s, for this name in the databases for England. I did find variations in the United States, France, Austria, and Mexico. They included Frandela, Frandella, Frantella, and Frandelle.

This would indicate that the name originated in Eastern Europe. Could one of William or Mary’s ancestors have married a European? Maybe someone from France or Spain?

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 Comment Section of this post.

NOTE: William’s wife, Mary, carried the middle initial “F”. Could this letter have stood for Franduella?

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!