Pettits of Glemsford and Bury

Just to prove that this web site, and this page in particular, actually does work, I was delighted to receive the following from Andy Morley:

I thought you would like to know that since you forwarded James Pettit's contact details to me earlier in the year, I've been in touch with both James and another cousin once removed, Mel Pettit.

From them I had a scan of an obituary from the Bury Free Press dated around 1930. It relates to an earlier James Pettit, my own great-great-grandfather :

Another link with the local past has been severed by the death, on
Sunday, at his residence, "Jesmond," Sparhawk Street, Bury St Edmunds, of
Mr. James Pettit. Mr Pettit, who was in his 89th year, will be recalled by
the older generation of our readers as the proprietor of the coach-building
business in Mustow Street, which had a great vogue years ago, when the horse
and carriage was a familiar sight in our streets...

Mr Pettit, who was a genial and generous man, was born at Glemsford, and he
was one of four brothers who have each lived to be over 80 years old. Mr.
Pettit started work at eight years of age, and as a young man he obtained an
appointment in Bury St. Edmunds and used to walk home to Glemsford on
Saturday nights and return by the same means the following evening.

Afterwards he built himself a bicycle with wooden wheels and iron rims, and
on this weighty machine he continued his week-end journeys to his native
place. He used to relate that on one occasion he had a mishap when
descending Chedburgh hill, which ended in the need for a new suit. He
forsook his bicycle for a three-wheeler of the same type, which he also
constructed. After steel tricycles came into Bury, he took to one of these
for many years, and he was a familiar figure riding it through the town
until he was over 84 years old.

Mel Pettit tells me that the diversion to Chedburgh, cause of the tumble, would probably have been to visit my great-great-grandmother who came from there, and who James was courting at about that time.

Mel and I have since been to look at a ralli cart (similar to a trap) built by James and Clement Pettit at their workshops in Mustow Street, for the then Rector of Hartest cum Boxted.

It is still in that family, but is for sale, and I would cheerfully buy it if I could find a suitable place to keep
it. If any of your website readers have any ideas on that score, I'd be grateful to hear their suggestions.

Over to you, dear readers.

Craske Family Search

I've been having some fun over the last few days chasing the Craske family of Glemsford and Leigh (Lancashire) around the Censuses and elsewhere, partly because Alan Bell asked me if I knew anything, and partly because there is a slight link to the Brown family, of whom, as we all know, there were many in Glemsford - 144 in 1901.

At one stage of my search I remembered having contact, back in 2004,with Sandra Farrimond, who was researching a separate (but related) branch of the Craskes. The email address I have doesn't work any more, so, if Sandra wants to, a quick note to me could put her and Alan in touch with each other.

Meanwhile, just for general interest, these notes appear in Glemsford School logbooks:


26 July 1897

The attendance officer having obtained date of Julia Craske's birth, her name has been removed from the books, as she will not be three years old until December next. She had made 11 attendances, and these will be subtracted from the total for the quarter.

20 October 1897

Finding that a false date of birth was sent when Arthur Craske was admitted on the 16th of July last, his name has been removed from the register, as he will not be 3 years old until Dec. 3rd. His attendance will be deducted from the totals at the end of the quarter.

17 December 1897

Attendance a little improved this week, three or four children who have had Measles being allowed to return. Arthur Craske, aged 3 years was admitted yesterday afternoon.

21 February 1902

Kate and Muriel Craske left school to-day, on account of the removal of their parents to Lancashire.

Kate, Muriel and Julia were the daughters of Charles Craske and Kate (nee Bird), while Arthur was the son of Mark and Adelaide (nee Hartley). Charles and Mark were the sons of Thomas and Georgeanna (Georgina, Georgianna). George Craske (an older brother of Mark and Charles) was married to Joanna Maria (nee Brown) and was already living in Leigh, Lancashire by 1901.

So, another Lancashire: Glemsford connection, to go with the travels of another branch of the Brown family, researched last year, and written up on these pages.

If anyone has further details, or questions ...

Hempsteads

Hi,
I am reseaching my father's family tree, and I have lots of information on the Hempstead side, including copies of the Hempstead gatherings.

My grandmother's name was Alice Hempstead (1895), her father was Harry Hempstead (1861) and mother Florence? (1866).

They were all born in Sudbury, Suffolk.

Alice had a sister called Florence (1892) and Gladys (1899) and a brother, Bertie (1886).

Harry's father was George Hempstead (1829), wife: Hannah Murrells (1830); they had 6 children.

I can go on: is this relevant to any body else's family?

Annette, nee Hancock

I already know of several Hempstead researchers (and associated families) - and will obviously put people in touch with each other - but, if anyone else has something to add ...

Humm and King

I am looking for any information regarding a few ancestors of mine who were all from Glemsford.

They are : Daniel Humm - Christened 24 Feb 1771 Glemsford

John Humm - Born 1745 Glemsford. Married Elizabeth King 1749 Glemsford.

Elizabeth King was born 1749 Glemsford

Any information would be appreciated.

Regards,

Kylee

As always, I have Kylee's email address if anyone can help with this search

Oakley and Turner: Sydney, NSW

Could anyone having info on James Oakley (England) or Jane Turner (Scotland) who married at St Andrews Scots church in Sydney NSW, 1849, witnesses George Brown and Helen McGray, please contact me?

There were a few James Oakleys transported from England to Australia, including James Oakley from Glemsford in 1829.

There was a James Oakley of Dudley, Worcestershire, born 1810 who was tried at age 22 at Stafford Assizes for stealing fowls.
He sailed for Australia onthe "Parmelia" on 16 November 1832.
He had been married and had two male children. Does anyone know more about their family line?

Regards,

Susan Lamberton (nee Oakley)

As always, contact me (Steve Clarke) in the first instance, and I will put you in touch with Susan.

Nelson of Glemsford

I am searching for a William Nelson who was born in 1791 in Glemsford. He married Hannah ? Maiden name and moved to Stoke. He had four children James, Sarah, Caroline, Mary Ann. Sadly he died in 1868 in Stoke. I would like to find information on his parents and if he had any siblings.

Detail:
G. G. grandad WILLIAM NELSON was born 1791 in Glemsford, he married HANNAH, don't know her maiden name but she was born 1791 in Cavendish.
They had four children: Mary Ann - born 1822, Caroline - born 1827 , James - born 1830, Sarah - born 1832.

Mary Ann had a child called Emily, from the census she didn't marry the father.
EMILY married WILLIAM MASON, they had a child called GEORGE MASON - born 1868. Emily died soon after.

Caroline married DAVID MEERS or MEARS who had a child called ELIZABETH born - 1849

James married ELIZA DAVIES in 1853 moved to West Ham, Essex

Sarah married ? WALTER CARTER or CATER - born 1842.

If anyone can help with the above names I would be truly grateful.

Kind Regards

Caroline

Usual contacts through me, the site owner, please.

Idle Surfing

Apologies if what follows is the internet equivalent of grannies sucking eggs (not that that means much in these days of NHS Dentistry ... er... hang on ...), but I've been indulging in a bit of random surfing lately, partly in pursuit of my own family (Devon and Norfolk) but partly to assist with some Glemsford queries.

And ...

One of the sites I've never really indulged in before is the National Archives site (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/).

I've always previously found it a bit too posh and intimidating, but in the last couple of days, its "Search" mechanism has proved invaluable.

Having just put "Glemsford" in as the search word, I was amazed at what came up, including a whole crop of material - Wills and such-like - available for download online (at a price, of course).

Lots of fascinating snippets, but one struck me in particular.

In 1919, the Foreign Office produced a report of visits by (what I take to be French or Swiss) observers to a set of Prisoner of War camps around the country, including one in Glemsford.

In my ignorance, I didn't know there was such a thing.
Does anyone out there in cyber-land know anything about it?
Where was it?
When was it set up?
When did it close?
Who administered it?
Did any inmates stay behind?

I wait to be further amazed.

Who Do You Think You Are?

I've been a fan of the programme since its first instalment, and have enjoyed some of the most unlikely people's discoveries. For instance, I detest Clarkson and everything he stands for (except his loathing of caravans on the road), but his programme was fascinating.

Conversely, I have always enjoyed Robert Lindsay's work (and "Citizen Smith" in particular) but I thought his programme in the new series of WDYTYA this week was a major let down.

If the BBC really are trying to encourage people to get into Family History, surely they should be showing how to do it properly. Robert Lindsay was allowed to get away unchallenged with every mistake in the Family History handbook - mostly putting 2 and 2 together and making something in excess of 73.

No cross referencing, no correlation, just "it must have been grandad's boat." We've all done it, but I don't think it should be shown as an example of research on tv - unless of course it's another example of dumbing down for some imaginary BBC1 audience: then, even more so, it shouldn't be shown.

Simply, it was Bad History and moist-eyed television. Which is more important?

Which brings me to Barbara Windsor, or "Deeks" as she should be called.

Now, that was a good programme. And there we were back in the Suffolk Record Office in dear old BSE.

And did you catch the fleeting reference to Glemsford? Home of both Golding and Deeks of course, and now, it seems, an ancestral homeland for dear Barbara.

So: "Carry On Up The Family Tree". Great Stuff.

Cooks and Pages

Several members of my mother's family (Cook) were given the middle name "Page" but no-one knew why and my husband & I have been trying to find out for the past 40 years but got stuck with great grandfather William George Cook born in Poplar, London.

A few weeks ago I discoverd that his father, William Page Cook was born in Woodbridge, Suffolk.

This weekend we have made a remarkable break-through and found a Page Cook getting married twice in Sudbury in 1780 and 1788.

From there we have traced a long line of Cooks in Glemsford back to George Cook, son of Henry, who was born in 1581 and married Elizabeth Lawrence in 1609.

We wonder if any Cooks, Pages, Swans, Crissells, Everards, Jeffries, Lawrences or Holboroughes remain in the area.

Betty Davies

Betty has added:
I attach a file which shows this long association with your parish.
Mind you, it is based on IGI records and is as yet un-verified by reference to the original registers. Local experts may immediately spot obvious flaws, if so please do disabuse us.

If anyone would like to contact Betty, obviously it can be done through me. I'm also holding the details of Betty's research as shown in the tree, if anyone would like to have sight of it.

Help needed for the Oakley family.

I am trying to find out when my Great Great Grandmother Mary Ann Oakley was born in Glemsford and any information that would help me to take the line back further.

The census information gives birth dates of 1835-1842 and I can find no suitable entries on the birth, marriage and death indices.

Her parents were Timothy who married Amelia Edwards in 1831 in Glemsford.

On the 1841 census she is shown living with 2 older bothers, William and Hezekiah, and one younger brother Thomas at Creeksea in Essex.
Timothy died in 1849 and the family fell on hard times with Amelia being sentenced to a year in prison in 1851 and Mary Ann ending up in Rochford Union Workhouse, Rochford, Essex.
There are 3 Oakley brothers born between 1843-1846 also in the workhouse at this time who may or may not be connected to Mary Ann.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Angela Levett

As usual, if you can help Angela, contact me and I will put you in touch.