After many, many days, researchers are stumped; how do these couples connect? The answer sees to be that they don’t. So here’s their stories, and perhaps someone knows the secret reason that they were joined together in death. William and Ann Oldroyd: The first two burials in this plot, the names facing outwards, are the …
Read more “V7.12 – William and Ann Oldroyd, and Willie and Olive Marshall”
It’s been two years and three months since we began Friends of Christ Church Todmorden…began cutting back the brambles and saplings, began researching the people buried here, began FOCCing things up for people who would have preferred this place rotted away…and we have never, never, been able to locate this single stone, which was present …
Following on from our story about Sarah Elizabeth and Mary Ann Hirst, enjoy another Hirst story. The story of these two is straightforward, but this grave contains a mystery: who was Maria Hudson? We’ll get to her at the end. Firstly, though, a recap on Arthur Hirst’s childhood. His parents George and Hannah Hirst came …
Read more “15.25 -Arthur and Hannah Hirst, and Maria Hudson”
We like giving unnamed infants their names back – “also five infants” is a challenge, and we LOVE challenges – but sometimes giving them their names back is a slow process. The register and Sexton’s book for this plot both read “Olga Smith”, who were we to argue? Except they were wrong. Trust Researcher Sally …
Read more “9.40 – Alga Smith, not Olga Smith (unmarked grave)”
This plot marker is marked W. D. for William Dawson (maybe), Mary Alice’s father and the owner of the plot…but she was buried first, and she and (probably) her sister and father are the only members of their family unit in Todmorden soil. Or even in British soil, as it turns out. And, finally, a …
Read more “47.59 – Mary Alice, Edith and William Dawson (and maybe Willie)”
The two adults in this grave share something: they’re invisible until 1871. A strange thing to say, but bear with us. We know that William Henry Greenwood was born at Blackshawhead around 1850; we know Grace Fielden was born around 1846 in Walsden. But until they’re adults, that’s all we know. In 1871 Grace and …
Read more “49.53 – Sam, Grace, Fred and William Henry Greenwood”
This plot marker started a spiral down countless search term variations and speculative rabbit holes, as we tried to trace the lives of the people most likely buried here – James, Elizabeth, and John James Laithwaite. Many thanks to the recordkeepers of the 1800s for their many creative spellings of this surname. We appreciate it. …
Read more “49.55 – The Laithwaites (or Leithwites, or Lethwhites…)”
The first thing you’d notice when reading this gravestone is the quick succession in which people were laid to rest here; the first three burials represent a span of less than 24 months, and all five (because there are five here, not just the four on the stone) cover 13 years from beginning to end. …
Read more “52.51 – Hannah, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah Jane and Amos Kershaw”
“Other than that, Jane seems to just vanish” – and that’s why we’re here. You could stop reading now, frankly, but you can continue if you want. This grave’s story is of a grandmother and grandson, one with a life and one whose life barely got started before it ended. Jane Kendall, or Kendell or …
Read more “52.54 – Jane Chalcraft and Frederick John Radcliffe”
When a stone has been nearly destroyed, it’s easy to make mistakes. And we made one! Thankfully, time spent at St Mary’s graveyard allowed us to be able to correct it. We thoughts this was Sally and Sarah Crossley, although that made no sense because of the supposed dates; after hours of research we’ve determined …