An only child and her parents rest here, next to the child’s grandparents and aunt and uncle. Graveyards are family affairs. Hannah Proctor’s early life story is told in the story of her parents and siblings next door, but a quick recap: Hannah was born in 1850 and became a dressmaker, living with her family …
Read more “46.50 – Mary Ingham, Frederick and Hannah Woodhead”
These four were in a grave with three Scholfields, and at first the connection wasn’t obvious. Thankfully the story of the Scholfields of Todmorden helped us figure out the missing link – William and Mary Scholfield of Church Street. This story will explain why an older stone has a more modern inscription on its lower …
Read more “47.58 – John and Alice Marshall, and Albert Edward and Mary Ann Alletson”
Another infant gets their name back; Mary Kay, who died in April 1878 only two weeks old. First, though, her parents. James Kay was born in Rochdale, Hopwood in fact, in 1835. His father John was a tailor and his mother Catherine was a silk hand loom weaver, and he grew up with seven siblings …
Read more “46.63 – Mary, James, Ellen, John and Elizabeth Kay”
It happens often that members of the same generation of a family can be buried in opposite ends of the graveyard, and sometimes even in drastically different style of grave. George Richard Morris’s father, George Samuel Morris, only has a small plot marker with his initials on it. George and his wife Alice Ann (Hiley) …
There’s nothing we like more than a plot marker – sometimes we mean that, but in this case we almost didn’t. Thankfully the sexton’s book filled us in on two of the inhabitants, although there was a cryptic note attached reading “also four interments of ashes”. Can we puzzle out who those might be? Reuben …
George’s brother in law John Mitchell lies just a few plots away, and we saw the connection while researching John’s story. John was married to George’s sister Grace and died a year before George, in 1915. Who was George? George’s story starts with his parents (as do most people’s stories). Joseph and Charlotte (Rawson) Hollinrake …
This musical family rests under a walkway, and there’s a mystery contained therein too – we think we know who Sarah is, but because there’s no formal transcript, there’s currently no way to be 100% sure, Lord Halstead – what a name! – was born in 1836 in Heptonstall to John and Mary (Lord) Halstead. …
Read more “SA.1 – Sarah, Susy, Tom, Lord and Jamie Halstead”
“To Mrs. Dean, with kindest regards from the People’s Warden of Todmorden Church, Jn Barker, May 5th /12” This inscription was inside a copy of Ramshaw’s “Concerning Todmorden Parish” belonging to one of our researchers, and they were curious who Mrs. Dean and John Barker were. Mrs. Dean remains a mystery, but John Barker has …
This grave was highlighted as part of our first Holocaust Memorial Day tour, due to Fred’s membership of the Freemasons – more information has been added to flesh out the lives of the others in this distinctive double vault, with its two identical crosses engraved with Celtic knots. Picture a summer dawn, 1862, Dobroyd. The …
Read more “V6.5 – Alan, Fred and Hannah Maria Dennett, and Thomas and Margaret Dennett”