Mary Ormerod, in this triple-sized grave, gets a story page all of her own. Why? Because Mary is a unicorn in the graveyard, and because she is the quintessential “lost woman” in her family’s story. Mary was born Mary Stansfield, in 1815, to corn miller William Greenwood of Scaitcliffe Mill and…well. This is why she’s …
The three Wilson children in this grave are another example of children whose families moved on and never came back – and also a reminder that access to medicine or medical knowledge wasn’t enough to save you back then. It’s also a mystery all of its own for other reasons… Matthew Wilson was born in …
Have you ever known someone who had the same name as you, who you wish didn’t? Samuel here did. Samuel Stell, one of several Stells of Todmorden, was born in 1831 in Shade. He was the youngest son of his parents, Sam and Mary (Ingham) Stell. Mary was Sam’s second wife, so Samuel had quite …
This is another multigenerational grave: this time it’s a grandmother, grandson, and a beloved sister and aunt who spent most of her life in service to others, one way or another. Mary Holt, or Mally as she’s known on this grave and in the record, was born in 1785 on the Lancashire side of the …
Here’s one of those tricky graves where the most popular surname in Todmorden’s past runs into two of the most popular forenames; we did our best, and we can’t be certain of every detail, but this is – hopefully – the true and accurate story of a mother and son. Mary Jackson, as she was …
A stonemason, a woman with two names, and young losses, one (hopefully) redeemed by some grandparental love. First, the mysterious aforementioned woman. Not that she’s mysterious really, but for reasons we’ve never gotten to the bottom of, she had two names. Betty Crossley, as she was christened, was born in June 1850 in Midgley near …
Read more “41.55 – Sam, Harry, William Henry and Betty Atkinson, and Lily Bramley”
Stansfield: one of the most common names in Todmorden, and one which supposedly originates specifically from Todmorden. This story was difficult to research at times for that very reason, as you will see. First, our man Thomas. Thomas Stansfield was born in 1807 on the Lancashire side of the border. He was probably from Walsden. …
Read more “41.56 – Thomas, Betty, George, Ann and Greenwood Stansfield”
Six children, some only young, some grown; the Wood family suffered some terrible losses which are masked by this ornate “wooden” cross. Who were they? Edwin Wood was born in Ashton under Lyne in 1853, the son of John Wood, a baker and German yeast dealer and his wife Sarah (nee Booth). The yeast was German, …
Two adults and two little ones. Even the adults weren’t that old though… Liverpool is our first port of call on this story. John Johnson Jr. (the Jr. is important, it’s on his gravestone after all) was born there in 1846, in Kirkdale parish. He was the second of five children, all boys, born to …
Read more “41.57 – John, Ruth and Mary Elizabeth Johnson, and Ruth Varley”
The Denhams were an unlucky lot, all with early deaths – even by the standards of the day. They’re possibly the most unlucky family in this graveyard, even those who aren’t buried here. The fact that their stone was roughly laid flat by shattering the base only underlines the point. Olive Webster was a year …
Read more “41.58 – John, Olive, Sam, Tom, Sarah and Annie Denham”