52 Ancestors #50 Nancy Hazel Hutton

Nancy Hazel Hutton was born on 1 September 1899 at Parkes, New South Wales. She was the second daughter of George Hutton and Annie Wilson Hardwick Weston. Eleonora Ruby Hutton had been born in 1892 and died in 1990. There was also an older brother, William Clifton Weston Hutton who was born in 1889 and died in 1893. George and his family owned a sheep station near Parkes called The Troffs and lived there until a prolonged drought forced George to sell the property in the early years of the twentieth century. George remained in the Parkes area working as a rabbit inspector but Annie decided to return to Sydney taking the girls with her. George visited them in Sydney when he could.

The Sands and Kenny Directories for 1903-1907 list Annie as living at 47 McLaren Street, North Sydney. This house probably belonged to Percy Weston, Annie's brother, who allowed the family to live in the house provided other family members could stay there when they visited Sydney. From 1910 to 1915 the directories show that Annie was living at Wyalla, at 46 Upper Pitt Street, North Sydney, which she ran as a boarding house.

Nancy therefore grew up in inner Sydney and would have attended school there. Wyalla was sold in 1916 when Annie and her eldest daughter decided to travel to England to help with the war effort. Nancy, who would have been 16 when they left was sent to stay with relatives. Apparently she was not impressed with this arrangement and the trip to England was never discussed in later years by the family.

View of Sydney Harbour

Nancy was an artist and enjoyed painting watercolours. The family has a number of examples of her work. Unfortunately she did not continue with her art. However many years later, on one of our family holidays to Queensland, I do remember her trying to teach me how to draw the trees growing on a hill on the other side of the creek. I did learn about perspective from her and to attempt to draw what I actually saw rather than what I expected to see, but unfortunately my artistic talents were limited.

On 1 February 1922 Nancy married Arthur Brougham Lord at St John's Church in Darlinghurst. Arthur and Nancy purchased a sheep station, Metavale, 39 kilometres south of Cunnamulla in south western Queensland and Nancy would have found life very different from her previous life in Sydney.

Metavale consisted of 55,000 acres. Cunnamulla is 200 kilometres miles from the major town in the area, Charleville. The nearest neighbours were at Waihora, 16 kilometres away. The property relied on bore water. Tank water was used for drinking. There was also a dam near the house. My mother remembers swimming in the dam and diving from the landing. The climate was hot and dry with only small clumps of vegetation near the house. Nancy planted a garden near the house and my mother remembers the flowers in winter and spring. There was also a bougainvillea growing on a trellis at the front of the house, a saltbush hedge and some oleanders. Arthur also planted a vegetable garden. As well as all the sheep, a few cows were kept for milk and there were lots of chooks plus ducks and turkeys. There were also lots of sheep dogs plus other dogs that were family pets. Bread and the mail were delivered once a week initially - later it was twice a week. Groceries and other ordered supplies would also arrive on the mail truck. The driver would continue on to other properties and then call in once more on his way back to collect any answers to mail delivered earlier in the day.

Nancy and Arthur had two children - Michael Arthur Balcombe Lord (1923-2010) and Rosemary Ann Lord born in 1926. The children initially had a governess until they were old enough to go to school in Brisbane or Sydney.

When the opportunity arose Nancy enjoyed entertaining friends from neighbouring properties. On one occasion Nancy organised a fancy dress party for her daughter and all the guests came dressed as nursery rhyme characters. Pink flowers and white blossom, made from crepe paper, decorated the garden. There would have been lots of food. I can remember parties held at Rosemount many years later where the day was spent cooking special food for the evening entertainment.Christmas was also a special occasion with a large Christmas tree decorated with special decorations.

Nancy and Arthur were at Metavale during the Depression and also a number of droughts and times were hard financially for many of these years. When a cousin offered to give Nancy the furniture that had belonged to her parents at The Troffs, she refused the offer as she could not afford the transportation costs and did not want to tell them of her financial difficulties.

However in 1936  Nancy and her sister, Eleonora, travelled together to Singapore and Japan for a holiday. They had received a bequest from a family member and the money was used for the holiday. They brought back camphor chests, kimonos and other souvenirs. The camphor chests were on the verandah at Rosemount many years later and contained clothes that my sister and I were allowed to use for dress-ups. The smell when a camphor chest was opened was always rather special. The camphor chests also stored pieces of fabric. I was allowed to keep a piece of cream lace which I incorporated into the design of my wedding dress many years later. I also have a beautiful beaded top from the 1920s that was stored in one of the camphor chests.

Eventually trying to survive in the outback became too difficult so in 1947 Arthur and Nancy sold Metavale and purchased a new property, Beriley, near Toogoolawah where they grew vegetables. In 1954 they moved to a dairy farm, Rosemount, between Kilcoy and Woodford. In the mid 1960s they sold Rosemount and retired to Buderim on the Sunshine Coast.

Nancy was very proud of her family history and my brother and sister and I have memories of being cornered so she could tell us stories about the Hutton family in India and the family items lost in a shipwreck on the journey from England to Australia. Now there are questions that I would like to ask but when we were children we were not really interested. I did however remember some of the stories and have since been able to piece together much of the Hutton and Mackillop story via other sources.

Nancy Hutton spent her final years in a nursing home in Toowoomba where she died on 5 September 1997. She was 98.

Nancy Hutton was my grandmother.

52 Ancestors #49 Henry John (Reginald) Moses

Henry John Moses was born on 4 May 1889 at 35 Church Street, Newtown, New South Wales. His father was George Moses (1838-1908), a clerk working in the Parcels Office at Bathurst Railway Station, and his mother was Elizabeth Pendergast (1846-1942). He had four sisters (two died before he was born) - Letitia (1866-1928), Parthenia (1869-1872), Elsie (1879-1879), and Constance (1882-1974) - and one brother, George Victor (1871-1951).  Two of his surviving siblings, Letitia 23 and George 18 would have been adults (or almost adult) when he was born while Constance was seven years older than Henry.   

Although the birth record shows his name as Henry John Moses he was known for most of his life as Reginald John Henry (RJH Moses). One assumes that his family changed their mind about his name sometime after the registration of his birth as Reginald John Henry was the name used in 1904 when he sat for the Junior Examinations.

In May 1894 George Moses and his family left Bathurst to live in Sydney. Reg attended the Bligh Street State Public School

1898 Bligh Street SPS - Reg is in front row, fourth from right

and later the Fort Street School. His exam results show that he was a good student. At the Junior Public Examination in November 1904 his marks were first class category for French, algebra and geometry, second class for English and arithmetic and third class for Latin. At the Senior examination in 1906 his marks for French, English and algebra were first class, ancient history, Latin, geometry, trigonometry and conic sections were second class and third class for mechanics. He then attended the University of Sydney where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Reg started working as a journalist at the Sunday Times in 1911 and later became associate editor in 1913. In 1913 he also became editor of the Saturday Referee, a weekly sporting newspaper. From 1916-1917 Reg was the drama critic of the Daily Telegraph and from 1917-1919 he was publicity manager for J C Williamson's Ltd. In 1919 Reg joined the staff of Smith's Weekly as a journalist and became literary editor in 1921. By 1928 he was associate editor and was editor from 1932-1935. In November 1935 Reg joined the staff of a new publication, The Australian Women's Weekly as an editor. The management of the Australian Women's Weekly took over the Daily Telegraph Reg transferred to that publication as consultant editor. The first edition of the newspaper was published on 23 March 1936.    

On 29 January, 1914, Reg married Agnes Campbell Thom (1891-1974) at St James' Anglican Church, Sydney. They had two sons, Reginald (1915-1977) and Kenneth Campbell (1918-1984).

The family lived at a number of locations including Turramuarra, Milsons Point and Killara. From 1933 to 1936 the family lived at 69 Wood Street, Manly.

69 Wood Street, Manly in 1934

It was at Smith's Weekly that Reg (or Mo - his nom de plume) became well known, particularly for his humorous articles. In 1920 he became famous for a series of articles that he and two other journalists wrote purporting to be from the Prince of Wales, who was visiting Australia, to his parents. These articles were published on the front page of the newspaper. Although many of the articles he wrote were signed he also contributed to the general running commentary on affairs published.

Fortunately it is possible to find a number of descriptions of Reg. In the book, Remember Smith's Weekly, George Blaikie provided this description of Mo -

A short, round, man, Mo had a very large and distinctive head. Claude McKay had George Finney draw a caricature of Mo's cranium and printed it with the comment, 'A magnificent head for a brain. Offers c/- this office. Please hurry.' A happy little bit of trivia that delighted readers.

The obituary for Reg that appeared in Smith's Weekly stated -

On the personal side, no one could resist Mo's merry smile and his adroit quips. Essentially a good 'mixer', his friendships ranged from vice-royalty to the copy boy. He seemed to know everybody, and the wide world of his friendships was not any more marvellous than their wide diversity. He was as equally at home with the Archbishop as he was with a politician.

Colin Wills in the Daily Telegraph obituary  about Reg wrote -

But outside his acquaintances, and outside his profession, there are many thousands who will miss this man, and will be much the poorer for his passing. For Reg Moses contributed something to the pages of the Australian press that no one else can supply. He was completely individual. He was mature and mellow of mind. He knew men and he understood events. He had tolerance without indifference, humour without buffoonery, wit without superficiality. (4 April 1936)

Through his work on a variety of Sydney publications, Reg worked with Robert Clyde Packer, the founder of the Packer newspaper dynasty, and a friendship developed between the two families.

Mo loved playing golf and was a member of the Manly Golf Club and The Lakes Golf Club.  He also wrote a small humorous book about playing the game of golf - Fore! Pa Golf.

Reg Moses second from left

He was also a Freemason being a member of the Literature Lodge. An article written about Reg when he joined the Australian Women's Weekly mentions that he was one of the pioneer administrators of the Boy Scout movement in Australia. Reg was a regular after-dinner speaker at the New South Wales Police Force annual dinner and was generally popular with the police.

Reg Moses died from pneumonia in a private hospital in Manly on 3 April 1936. He was only 46. The funeral was held the following day and was attended not only by members of his family, but by representatives from the Sydney press, the Masonic craft, the police, theatre, golf and business. That so many people attended the theatre at such short notice is a tribute to Mo. The account of the funeral in the Daily Telegraph (6 April 1936) included this description -

Nearly 100 wreaths covered the hearse when the cortege, almost a mile in length and headed by a squad of police motor cyclists, left T Waugh & Co.'s parlours at Manly for the Northern Suburbs Crematorium.

The Sydney Morning Herald (6 April 1936) also had an article about the funeral, listing a selection of the attendees.

Henry John (Reginald) Moses was my grandfather.

References:
George Blaikie. Remember Smith's Weekly: a biography of an uninhibited national Australian newspaper. Born 1 March 1919 Died 28 October 1950 (1966)

Who's Who in Australia (early 1930s)

Articles from Smith's Weekly, Australian Women's Weekly, Sydney Morning Herald and Daily Telegraph.

52 Ancestors #48 Agnes Campbell Thom

Agnes Campbell Thom was born in Burwood, New South Wales, on 4 July 1891. Her father was James Campbell Thom and her mother was Annie Smith. Agnes had an older brother, Alec Osborne Thom (1888-1970), and sister, Nellie Lamrock Thom (1890-1955). Her younger sister was Enid Campbell Thom (1897-1979) while a younger brother, William died as a baby in 1898. Initially the Thom family lived in a house named, Dunoon, in Eurella Street Burwood. They later moved to a house named Camelot in Forest Road, Rockdale. When Agnes was married in 1914 the reference to her father was that he lived at Glenbrook in the Blue Mountains (possibly in another house named Dunoon).

Agnes' father was a solicitor and for ten years was the Solicitor for Railways for New South Wales before returning to private practice. We do not know anything about Agnes' early life but can surmise that the family was comfortably off and that the children would have had, at the least, a basic education. We know that Alec attended Sydney University and became a school teacher.

Agnes was not the name favoured by my grandmother so she was referred to by most people as Fairy and to her grandchildren she was always Granny Fairy. I understand that Dutchie was a name also used by some family members. In a letter written in 1982 to my father, the cartoonist and friend of my grandparents, Syd Miller, wrote about the fury that would follow if he referred to my grandmother as Agnes instead of Fairy. He commented, 'She refused to be called Agnes by anyone'.

On 29 January 1914 when Fairy was 22 she married Reginald John Henry Moses (born Henry John Moses). They were married at St James' Church in King Street Sydney. Reg was a journalist and at the time of their marriage was editor of a Sydney weekly sporting newspaper, Saturday Referee, published from 1912-1916, when it became The Arrow.

On 5 January 1915 Fairy and Reg's first son, Reginald Moses, was born at The Towers Private Hospital, Forest Road, Arncliffe.

On 4 September 1918 their second son, Kenneth Campbell Moses was born at Montrose Private Hospital, Gordon Street, Paddington.

At the foot of Paddy's Hill, Cobbity 1921

At one stage the family was living at 49 Carabella Street in Milsons Point and in 1930 they were living at 91 Springdale Road, Kallara. Family holidays were often spent at Cobbity and Woy Woy. During the Depression there was a dispute with a family member concerning the house in which they lived resulting in the loss of money and the house. Consequently from 1933 to 1936 the family lived at 69 Wood Street, Manly.

Syd Miller wrote about some of the excursions that he and his wife with my grandparents used to take in a 1927 Buick Roadster.

We thought frequently of the families back home but at least one of us would say or think, "All that has been arranged, they are being looked after by sensible and mostly (if not relatives) well-paid people - you know, you look after mine, I'll look after yours. It often depended on who got in first with the request. Still works that way, I suppose - later as the years progressed we'd say or think, "They're old enough to look after themselves." In modern parlance: "She'll be sweet, mate."

In the 1920s Reg, referred to as Mo in many of his articles, worked for the satirical newspaper, Smith's Weekly. In the book, The sea coast of Bohemia, Peter Kirkpatrick commented that not all of the Smith's Weekly staff were, of course, Bohemians. "Still the paper remained a focus for many of those who chose to be unconventional in whatever way, and commentators have continued to group its push of artists and poets under the Bohemian label." (page 115)

We do not know for certain the extent to which Mo and Fairy were involved in Sydney's Bohemian scene in the 1920s and early 1930s however the tone of Syd Miller's letter, including the statement that the 'Mos' and the Millers frequently journeyed together in the car and liked to go 'from pub to club,' plus the fact that Kirkpatrick listed Reg Moses in the list of biographical sketches at the end of his book suggests that there was some involvement. Kirkpatrick's book also describes the activities of Smith's Weekly staff at hotels, balls, parties and other functions. Friends of Mo, including the poet Kenneth Slessor, were among those listed with involvement in the Bohemian scene in Sydney. The annual Artists' Masquerade Ball held at the Sydney Town Hall to raise money for the Red Cross and other charities was a major social event and it is probable that Mo and Fairy would have attended one or two of them.

At home at 68 Wood Street, 1935

On 3 April 1936 Reg Moses died from pneumonia. Fairy, now 45, needed a job to support herself and was offered a position at the Daily Telegraph library by Frank Packer. She worked in the library for many years and, as the photo below shows, had a team of women working with her. In the pre-computer age keeping and organising copies of all articles published in the newspaper was an important task. The articles were a valuable reference source for newspaper staff.

Agnes Moses, front right, in the Daily Telegraph library 1948

Fairy later lived at two other addresses in Manly before moving to 4 Fairlight Crescent, Fairlight in the 1950s. Later she lived in a house at 89 Raglan Street Mossman with her sister, Enid. A later address was 39 Boyle Street Balgowlah.

Fairy always dressed well and I have been told that wherever she lived she always had a well kept garden. As we lived in Melbourne we only saw our Sydney family for a few days when we were travelling to visit my mother's family in Queensland. Although Fairy did not see her grandchildren often she was always interested in what we were doing and kept track of all the milestones. I remember receiving on each birthday and at Christmas a card with a ten shilling note from Granny Fairy. She also wrote a letter of congratulations to me when I received my matriculation results at the end of secondary school and again when I completed my librarianship training. At the end of 1972 I received another letter saying how pleased she was that I had completed a Bachelor of Arts degree. She explained that my grandfather had a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney and, at that stage, I was the only other member of the immediate family to have attended university.

Two years later on 8 November 1974 Fairy died . She was 83.

Agnes Campbell Thom was my grandmother.

References:
Peter Kirkpatrick. The sea coast of Bohemia: literary life in Sydney's roaring twenties. 1992

Queenhithe family connections

Queenhithe is a section of the north bank of the Thames

Map 1561-1570

Map 1561-1570

Jewel Tower family connections

View of the Jewel Tower

Another view

The reading the Palace of Westminster official guide I came across this reference to the Jewel Tower and Edward III -
The Jewel Tower was built in the mid 14th century to house Edward III's treasures. At that time it was known as the King's Privy Wardrobe. It was later used to store parliamentary documents. It is not part of the parliamentary estate, but can be visited by the public and stands between the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey.

We went back the next morning to take photos.

Tower of London family connections

Panels around the fence provide a brief history of the tower.

Collapse at the Tower

52 Ancestors - thoughts on the project so far

Forty-seven posts have been added to the 52 Ancestors Project. The challenge was to write 52 stories about individual ancestors in 52 weeks. Having started the project on Australia Day the 47 stories that I have added to the blog have taken me six months. I guess this proves that family history is addictive.

All the stories so far have been about family members in my direct line. I started with the family twelve convicts that were in Sydney by 1808 and the project took off from there. The family lines of the free settlers that I also have as direct ancestors were also investigated. Consequently the first forty stories in the 52 Ancestors section of the blog are about my ancestors who came to Australia - from those who came with the First Fleet to my great grandparents. The most recent seven posts are about some of the ancestors who remained in England. The final five posts, stories about my four grandparents and my father, will be added after we return from holidays.

What is apparent when looking at this collection of people and their stories are the themes that link some of them. Exploring family stories helps provide a greater understanding of history of an area and of our county and the events that shape it. Writing stories about the themes will be a next step in the project.

Settlement is a major theme. Obviously we have the convicts who did not choose to leave England but once in Sydney helped establish the new colony of New South Wales. But eight of the convicts settled in the Hawkesbury area and their extended families lived in that area for many generations. Two of the convicts went to the first settlement at Norfolk Island and from there settled with their family in Van Diemen's Land, now Tasmania. The new Colony of Van Diemen's Land also attracted the children of New South Wales convicts looking for opportunities as well as members of ship crews who decided to try their luck in the new colony. The earlier settlers in Tasmania also looked further afield to a possible settlement immediately to their north which became the colony of Port Phillip and then Victoria. Gradually the family spread through eastern Australia from Tasmania to Queensland.

Looking for adventure and / or new opportunities may be another theme. Some definitely came to try to make their fortune. I do not have any ancestors who came to Australia specifically to try their luck on the goldfields but a number of them worked in goldmining communities in New South Wales and Queensland. One line of the family came to settle in Australia via India. After serving in the army or working as merchants in the Indian trade they came to Australia for opportunities they hoped the new colonies offered. Australia is a large country and many of my ancestors tried to make a living, some more successfully than others, on the land.

My ancestors came from many parts of the United Kingdom. Most came from different regions of England, a few came from Ireland but many came from Scotland. The Scots in the family appear to have been adventurous and spent their lives exploring new opportunities overseas. A surprising number of family members also spent time living in the city of Bath in the nineteenth century.

Religion is another theme throughout the stories.  Family members were predominantly members of the Church of England - the established church - but some family members were Catholic, a few were Presbyterian,  one was Jewish and in England one branch of the family were Quakers. The stories help show the evolvent of different religions and denominations in Australia. The stories in England also illustrate the development of  churches in that country and sometimes the intolerance that existed.

Writing the first 52 stories is just the beginning. There are so many stories about members of the extended family in Australia to be collected and told. There are also additional stories to be discovered about family in England. In one family line a 'gate-keeper' ancestor has opened the door to the peerage list and from there we have found links going back into many phases of English and Scottish history as well as links to France and to the Vikings.

A great bonus from the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is that it has helped me focus on writing what I know about individual ancestors. Writing the stories helps establish what additional research then needs to be undertaken. The stories now written can later be regrouped, expanded and arranged in different ways but at least there is now something to work from. Publishing the stories in the blog is a good way to share the information with others who may be interested and allows contact with other researchers. The project has therefore been the catalyst to start writing and not just collect information.

52 Ancestors #47 Joshua Fielden

Joshua Fielden was born in Todmorden in 1630. His parents were Abraham Fielden (1590-1644) and Elizabeth Fielden (d. 1639) - their marriage united two branches of the Fielden family. Joshua had two brothers - Abraham and John - and two sisters - Mary and Susanna.

On 21 October 1656 at St Chad's Church, Rochdale, Joshua married Martha Greenwood (1634-1608). Joshua had inherited the farm at Bottomley from his mother, possibly in 1637 and this is where he and Martha lived. Martha's family owned the farm North Hollingworth which was later owned and farmed by her son Thomas Fielden.

There were three main farmhouses at Bottomley plus a collection of small cottages and barns. A packhorse trail passed through the buildings and over the hill towards Deanroyd.

Sheep would have been raised on the farm and the wool woven into cloth on hand looms by families living in cottages at Bottomley.

Sometime after their marriage Joshua and Martha became Quakers. Joshua allowed his home to be used for Quaker meetings which at the time was not legal until the passing of the Toleration Act in 1689. A number of raids were made on the property and those attending meetings were fined or even imprisoned. As Joshua refused to pay the fines imposed bailiffs arrived at this home to seize goods they considered equivalent to the fine. In 1684 the bailiffs took bedding and a brass mortar because Joshua had not paid a 5 shilling fine. In 1865, when Joshua had been fined 17 shillings, pewter and a bible were removed from his home.

After the passing of the Toleration Act Protestant Christians had the freedom to own and operate their own places of worship provided that they signed a loyalty oath which the Quakers of the Todmorden area did in January 1695. A Meeting House was built at Shoebroad in Langfield in 1696 and a burial ground established near the Meeting Hall.

Additional information about Quakers in this region can be found on the Todmorden and Walsden website, especially the sections - The Quaker Fieldens of Todmorden and Walsden and Quakers in Todmorden.

Joshua and Martha had five sons and one daughter, that we currently have records for, who were all raised in the Quaker faith - Joshua Fielden (1654-1715), Nicholas Fielden (1660-1714), Thomas Fielden (1662-1725), Samuel Fielden (1664-1722), John Fielden (1665-1734) and Hannah Fielden (1738).

The five brothers successfully became successful farmers and clothiers in the region. Details about their farming and business enterprises can be found on Quaker Fieldens of Todmorden and Walsden.

Joshua died at Todmorden on 18 February 1693, aged 63, and was buried at Shoebroad Burial Ground on 21 February. Martha died on 5 March 1708, aged 74, and was also buried at Shoebroad.

Joshua Fielden and Martha Greenwood were my great (x7) grandparents.

52 Ancestors #46 Samuel Fielden

The story of Samuel Fielden provides an overview of many of the properties lived in by members of the Fielden family. The website, Todmorden and Walsden, is a valuable source of information for families and places in this region.

Samuel Fielden was born in Todmorden in 1664, the fourth son of Joshua Fielden (1630-1693) and Martha Greenwood (1634-1708). Joshua and Martha were married at St Chad's Church, Rochdale, on 21 October 1756 but shortly afterwards became Quakers and their children were brought up in a Quaker household. Joshua inherited land and the farm at Bottomley, Walsden, from his mother Elizabeth Fielden (d. 1639).

The farm comprised of a collection of stone buildings close together. The surrounding land was used for farming sheep. A packhorse track passing through the farm buildings and over the hill would have been used to take wool and / or woven cloth to market. The farm belonged to the Fielden family for approximately 200 years. This is where Samuel and his four brothers - Joshua, Nicholas, Thomas and John - and his sister, Hannah, grew up. The boys worked on the farm and as clothiers and "putters out'' of raw wool to the neighbouring cottage people to spin and weave. Consequently the boys learned the family business.

Nicholas Fielden lived at Edge End Farm and Samuel joined him there for a time where they farmed as well as operated the woollen clothier trade. Edge End Farm consisted of 38 acres on the hillside above the Walsden branch of the Calder River.

After his marriage to Elizabeth Veepon on 20 March 1703, Samuel moved into Todmorden Hall, which had recently been purchased by his younger brother John and together, John and Samuel started a clothier business. Samuel and Elizabeth's first son, Thomas (1704-1785) was born at Todmorden Hall.

After John married Tamar Halstead in November 1707, Samuel and Elizabeth moved out to Flailcroft Farm where their next three children were born - Joshua (1707-1781), Hannah (B. 1709 and John (1712-1781).

The following description of the farmhouse is provided on the Todmorden and Walsden website:

Flailcroft was a small house, with two rooms downstairs and two upstairs and a long corridor running the length of the house leading to a kitchen and other service rooms. The entrance was through a porch in the gable end, leading straight in to the living area, and was typical of these early homes.

The house, now in Parkin Lane, Todmorden, was recently sold and is being refurbished.

Another view of Flailcroft Farm buildings

The family moved back to Edge End Farm after Samuel's brother, Nicholas, died in 1714 and continued to run the clothier business that the two brothers had previously established. Ellen (b. 1715), Mary (b. 1717), Martha (b. 1719) and Samuel (1722-1788) were born at Edge End Farm.

Edge End Farm remained in the family for several generations. Samuel and Elizabeth's son, Joshua Fielden and his family lived on the farm with his children, including Ann Fielden (1745-1786), being born there.

View from Edge End Farm

Two of Samuel's sons, Thomas and Samuel, inherited farms at Allescholes from their Uncle, John Fielden.

Samuel died on 19 July 1722, leaving Elizabeth with eight children to care for, five of them less than 10 years old. Elizabeth remained at Edge End Farm until her death in 1747. Samuel and Elizabeth were buried at Shoebroad Quaker Cemetery.

Samuel Fielden and Elizabeth Veepon were my great (x6) grandparents.

52 Ancestors # 45 Ann Fielden

Ann Fielden was born in Todmorden, Lancashire, on 30 January 1745. Her parents were Joshua Fielden (1707-1781) and Mary Merrick (1706-1753). Like the Lord family, the Fielden family had lived in the Todmorden area for many generations. The direct family line with the Fielden name can be traced back to the mid 1500s.

Ann's parents married at Penketh, Lancashire, on 20 March 1743. The Fieldens were Quakers and there was a Quaker Meeting House in Meetings Lane at Penketh. A listing of names of Quakers in the Todmorden region includes many members of the Fielden family. Ann's great grandparents, Joshua Fielden and Martha Greenwood became Quakers in the latter part of the 1600s. Information about the Quaker Fiedens of Todmorden and Walsden can be found on the Todmorden and Walsden website.

Joshua and Mary had six children - Ann Fielden (1745-1786), Elizabeth Fielden (1746-1846), Samuel Fielden (1747-1831), Joshua Fielden (1748-1811), Thomas Fielden (born 1751) and Mary Fielden (born 1753).

The family lived at Edge End Farm and Joshua's occupation when he married was listed as a clothier - a person who makes or sells cloth. Edge End Farm consisted of 38 acres on the hillside above the Walsden branch of the Calder River. Joshua was a tenant of the farm owned by another family member.

In the book, the Fieldens of Todmorden by Brian Law (1995), the author initially discusses the beginnings of the family in the Todmorden area:

They were no different from many others inhabiting the small farms and associated cottages in the upland townships of the Pennine parishes of Halifax and Rochdale. They made a living partly by farming, partly by weaving woollen cloth, whether for others or for their own account. ... generally the family were farmer-weavers, leading a hard, frugal and simple life. (page 17)

Ann Fielden was 18 when she married Simeon Lord (1744-1787) on 28 February 1762. What Ann's family thought of her marrying a non-Quaker is unknown. Hopefully she was not cut off from her family as her father's cousin had been forty years earlier.

Ann and Simeon had ten children - John Lord (1765-1801), Mary Lord (1766-1790), Joshua Lord (b. 1768), Simeon Lord , Betty Lord (1773-1774), Samuel Lord (1774-1792), Thomas Lord (b. 1777), Richard Lord (1778-1778), William Lord (1778-1778) and Sarah (1778-1798). There may be some confusion about the date of birth for the last three children - hopefully some additional information will come to light as more records become available to the public. However it appears that Betty, Richard and William all died when babies. From the information currently available Sarah was 20 when she died and Mary was only 24. John died when he was 36. However their third son, Simeon Lord, was 69 when he died in Sydney, Australia, where after his convict beginnings he became a successful merchant and manufacturer.

In the nineteenth century the sons of Ann's brother, Joshua Fielden (1748-1811), became prominent and successful industrialists in the cotton industry operating the company, Fielden Brothers.  One of the sons, John, became a member of parliament and worked to implement factory reforms for workers.

Ann was 41 when she died at Todmorden on 14 March 1786. Her husband, Simeon died the following year.

Ann Fielden was my great (x4) grandmother.