136 high street dukinfield 1895

[smoggie45]

hi , wondering if anyone has any info or old pics of the above address . My great grand-dad Charles foster is on the 1891 census ass a furniture dealer at this address .Was wondering if this was their business or they just worked there . They moved to Middlesbrough area around 1898 and we don't know where great great grand-dad also called Charles went . The children are Charles Henry , Joseph , William Kemp and my grand-dad Raymond

Hope someone can help .

David

[Woody]

Hi David,

Happily, both Charles Foster senior (b 1822 at Coventry, Warwickshire) and his wife, Mary Ann (b 1824 at Willenhall, Staffs), can be traced with certainty back to the 1861 census and in 1881 they were still in Sedgley. Unhappily, there’s no sign of either on the 1901 census or later.

My guess would be that they died between 1891 & 1901 but with all the possibilities, it’s really pot luck as to where that would have been. Given the later connection to the Middlesbrough area, perhaps that’s where to focus first. It might be pure coincidence that there are possible 1890s death records for each of them in the Skirlaugh BMD registration district which borders south Middlesbrough - Charles Foster died, age 78, in 1899 and Mary, age 68, in 1892. These records are currently archived at Stockton on Tees.

In 1901, Charles Foster jnr (b 1856 at Sedgley, Staffs) is listed together with his own family at 53 Unthank Street, Middlesbrough - wife Frances (b 1855, Sedgley) and most of the children you mentioned. There was one other child, Arthur, born at Stalybridge in 1892 but he died in 1894, the year before your grand-dad was born. I must say that the information given on the various documents differs although some of the differences are plainly census transcription errors.

In 1891, one grandson is Charles Henry Foster (b 1886, Sedgley, Staffs), but in 1901 he is Charles Henry 'Broadhurst’ (b 1885, Princes End, Staffs). Frances Broadhurst married Charles Foster jnr at Middlesbrough, 1887 and Charles Henry Broadhurst’s birth is registered at Dudley, a district which includes both Sedgley and Tipton. Princes End is a district of Tipton.

In 1891, Charles’ wife is listed as ‘Ann’ and her relationship to Charles Foster senior is given as ‘daughter’, despite the original document clearly stating she’s his ‘daughter-in-law’. Then, by 1901, she seems to have become Frances and since none of the other ancestral details vary, it’s unlikely that these are two different people.

There’s no birth record for William Kemp FOSTER, whose place of birth is given as ‘Middlesbrough’ in the 1891 census. There is, however, a registration record in 1885 for ‘William Kemp FORSTER’ at Middlesbrough. I don’t think this one’s a transcription error and it’s more likely that your ancestor was the William Henry Foster whose birth was registered at Teesdale in 1885.

By 1911, Charles junior is a widower, wife Frances’s death having been registered at Middlesbrough in 1910. He’s living with sons Joseph and Raymond at 14 Stephenson Street, Thornaby on Tees. Charles and Joseph are labouring at Bridge Building Yard whereas Raymond is employed in the shipyard.

Interestingly, Thornaby on Tees is on the south side of the river at Middlesbrough which might lend weight to the possible death registrations for Charles’ parents mentioned earlier. The 1911 place of birth transcripts for all three of these people are so wildly inaccurate they’ll be difficult to locate using only search engines. For example, the transcriber would have us believe that Raymond Foster was born at Italy Bride, Lincoln rather than Stalybridge, Lancashire, and his father at Scolgley, not Sedgley.

Remarkably, 136 High Street, Stalybridge is still there, although most of the other buildings of the 1890s are now demolished and modern dwellings erected to replace them. The best news is that, thanks to Google’s digital wizardry, you can view the terrace of houses by pasting SK15 1TR into Google maps. It’s one of those references that provide a 360 degree ground-level view, so well worth looking at. The house you want is in the middle of the terrace, fourth from the right (white windows, door and lintels). You'll need to play with moving the small yellow icon of a man but I'm sure you'll work it out.

In the 1891 census, Charles snr stated he was neither employed nor an employer so it’s fair to assume he had a business, although not necessarily at the 136 High Street address. By 1901, for example, the place was obviously used as a dwelling house by a school attendance officer and his family.

The Tameside Image Archive has an old photo of High Street looking downhill from the Dukinfield boundary. It will at least give you a flavour (ref t00223) and you can use Google to get the link to the Archive.

Hopefully this will get you a bit further. I kept copies of the various census returns if you want them.

[smoggie45]

thanks for your reply and work , we are certain abt grandad as we have his birth certificate that states he was born at 9 Victoria Court Stalybridge in 1895 . It is William Kemp as we have his birth cert from Middlesbrough and his obituary from Canada where the 3 oldest brothers went in 1912ish on the obituary is brother in England Raymond , who is my gandfather. The wall we have hit is Charles snr and Mary Ann (nee Andrews) after 1891 and before 1861 , where they went is the mystery. We will look into the Skirlaugh connection . We have the census from 1861. 1871 . 1881.and 1891 for Charles Snr . including his first born Fanny in 1846 . There is family rumour that they were travelling people .

thanks for your help

David Galloway

son of Margaret Galloway (nee Foster) great grand daughter of Charles snr