Tag Archives: William Henry Ashforth

Leah Sarah Ashwork: Leah Sarah Ashforth: England and Wales Census 1881

Published: February 15, 2017    Last modified: February 16, 2017

I traced Leah ASHFORTH (née Leah WEBB 1816-1901), my ggg grandmother, through the England and Wales Censuses of 1851, 1861, 1871, 1891 and 1901, the exception being 1881.

Unable to find any record of her in the 1881 census was somewhat exasperating, so I set to with a few wild card searches. It is the case quite often that Ashforth becomes Ashworth, or Ashcroft or as I recall in one census, Ashforth becomes Ashford; I was not expecting Ashwork! So the mystery is solved eventually and I can complete the sequence of census returns.

Leah has now become Leah Sarah, changed her place of birth to Sheffield and taken a lodger, one William ROYSTON. Son William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 has married Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943 and left home finally.

FHJ Ref: 045
Census: England and Wales Census 1881
Place: Cromwell Street, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Household: Leah Sarah Ashwork

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
Ashwork *Leah SarahHeadF65Lodging House KeeperSheffield, Yorkshire
RoystonWilliam LodgerM22Sheffield, Yorkshire
Note: Transcription error: for Ashwork read Ashforth

To view this table full width please click here.

Register of Inmates, Ecclesall Bierlow Workhouse

Published: October 30, 2016    Last modified: February 21, 2024

Florence Ashforth (née Florence Flowers 1876-1973)

It has been quite a while since I carried out any family history research. So searching online, in response to a comment posted regarding the Ashforth families in Sheffield, I found I was in for quite a surprise. Searching for 'Ashforth' and 'Sheffield' I came across this entry for my great grandmother Florence ASHFORTH (née Florence FLOWERS) 1876-1973 and my grandfather Ernest ASHFORTH 1905-1990: in the Register of Inmates for Ecclesall Bierlow Workhouse 1883 - 1907 (Surnames A – C).

FHJ Ref: 200
Index to Register of Inmates, Ecclesall Bierlow Workhouse, 1883 – 1907 (Surnames A – C)

Date of admissionLast nameFirst nameDate of birthTradePage number
1 Oct 1905AshforthFlorence15 Dec 1879Wife3
1 Oct 1905AshforthErnest24 Feb 1905Wife3

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Ernest Ashforth 1905-1990

Ernest ASHFORTH 1905-1990 was born on the 24th February 1905, he had an older brother William Henry ASHFORTH 1896-1916 born on the 28th June 1896 at 38 Burton Street, Sheffield (William died at the Battle of the Somme, 10 July 1916, aged 20 years). Florence married William Henry ASHFORTH 1873-1926 on the 25th December 1895 at the Church of Saint John the Baptist, Owlerton, Sheffield.

Florence's mother Harriet Flowers (née Harriet LAW 1836-1903) died 1903 and her father George FLOWERS 1839-1891 died 1891, so Florence had no parents for support. I can only surmise the addition of another child forced her to seek help from the workhouse.

William Henry Ashforth, The Missing of the Somme, Thiepval Memorial, Thiepval

Published: September 16, 2010    Last modified: November 14, 2016

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The Missing of the Somme, Thiepval Memorial, Thiepval, Picardie, France: W.H. Ashforth

During June and July 2010 we visited Burgundy, France but broke our journey at Arras in order to spend a few days visiting the memorials dedicated to the missing of the Somme. So after many years of wishing to, I finally made time to visit the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

On a summers day with perfect weather it was hard to imagine the horrors that took place across this beautiful landscape and distressing to surmise how William Henry ASHFORTH 1896-1916, my great uncle, met his death.

This beautifully maintained memorial rises defiantly above the French landscape only needing the inscription of 73,367 names to instantly bring home the horrors man politicians can inflict on man.

Samuel Tomlinson 1826-1854 and Rhoda Ridal 1826-Deceased

Published: September 11, 2010    Last modified: May 22, 2022

Certificates

In this article I mentioned a suggestion by KW that I was possibly following an incorrect line in my search for ancestors of Ellen ASHFORTH (née Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943). In a number of emails KW provided data outlining an alternative line through one Samuel TOMLINSON 1826-1854 and one Rhoda RIDAL 1826-Deceased. I agreed that this seemed much more plausible than the line I was following through William and Rebecca NEWBOULD.

To read my earlier article regarding William and Rebecca NEWBOULD please click here.

Eighteen months later I have picked up on this again. Re-studying all the data KW provided I decided to explore some of these lines of research with regard to Samuel TOMLINSON 1826-1854 and Rhoda RIDAL 1826-Deceased.

Now one of the problems I have had with Ellen ASHFORTH (née Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943) is her constantly changing forename. Ellen, Eleanor, Ellenor and Helena have all appeared in various documents, yet as my mother recalls the family knew her as Leah. A further problem is that of never having found a birth or baptism record for Ellen, though I would expect her date of birth to be circa 1855. Many hours of searching has never provided enough concrete evidence to warrant requesting a birth certificate.

Searching the census for Ellen ASHFORTH (née Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943) (including all of Ellen's likely forenames) eventually lead to the household of William and Rebecca NEWBOULD at Totley, Sheffield, Derbyshire. Now this area of Sheffield is not one I would ever associate with my line of ASHFORTHs. So I was always a little sceptical about this research and never really took it much further. This scepticism increased when I received a copy of the marriage certificate for my gg grand parents William Henry ASHFORTH 1873-1926 and Ellen ASHFORTH (née Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943). This records Ellen's father as Samuel TOMLINSON 1826-1854 which of course adds more doubt to my research.

Some time later I was contacted by KW whose research also included a need to find the ancestors of Ellen ASHFORTH (née Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943). KW was also sceptical about the line I was following and suggested an alternative line of Samuel TOMLINSON 1826-1854 and Rhoda RIDAL 1826-Deceased. Eventually KW emailed an outline of the reasoning for this alternative line, though I must admit at the time I was not totally convinced, I think partly due to Samuel and Rhoda having married at Rotherham, another location which had never figured in my ASHFORTH research.

I noted KW's research, intending to eventually get along to the archives in Sheffield and examine the parish records. Unfortunately at the time I was very busy with research into my Jacklin line and life in general, and finding it difficult switching from one line of research to another (my brain seems not to cope with interchanging sets of names, dates and places), I never did make the time and it got placed on the back burner.

So back to the present and having considered all of KW's research I agree that the line of Samuel TOMLINSON 1826-1854 and Rhoda RIDAL 1826-Deceased is almost certainly correct and will update my GEDCOM to reflect this. I will gradually go through this journal and add updates to my previous articles. I will also try and book some time at the archives office in Sheffield.

Updates:
2010-10-09 My mother is convinced Eleanor was in her early nineties when she died. I expected her date of birth to be 1855 give or take a couple of years but searching earlier than 1855 may produce results.

Thomas Marsden Landers: Perseverance pays off

Published: January 24, 2010    Last modified: November 18, 2016

While researching the previous article I re-examined the marriage certificate for William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 and Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943. I had been unable to fully decipher the witnesses' names, yet I am aware sometimes knowing the names of witnesses can provide a breakthrough in research brickwalls. With this in mind I took another look at the witnesses' names:

This marriage was solemnized between us: William Ashforth, Ellen Tomlinson her X mark
in the Presence of us, Thomas Mars??? Sanders, Sarah H??????? her X mark

I have always been convinced Thomas Mars??? Sanders is in fact Thomas Marsden Sanders. With this in mind and realising Thomas Marsden would not occur very frequently I ran a few searches. Eventually I found for the Sheffield region a single birth and a single marriage for one Thomas Marsden Landers. This is almost certainly one of the witnesses at William and Ellen's marriage.

Thomas Marsden Landers born abt. 1839
Thomas Marsden Landers marriage abt. 1860

Knowing the England and Wales Census 1861 records Sarah TOMLINSON age 15 together with Ellenor TOMLINSON age 5 in the household of Rhona TOMLINSON, then if I could only decipher the name of the second witness Sarah H???????, this too could help with my research. Was Sarah TOMLINSON a witness at her younger sister's marriage? If so, could this be Sarah's married name? All very frustrating!

Whether or not this all leads somewhere remains to be seen.

Ellen Ashforth (née Ellen Tomlinson 1855-1943): A brick wall

Published: January 24, 2010    Last modified: January 12, 2017

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Ellen Ashforth (née Ellen Tomlinson 1855-1943)

My gg grandmother Ellen ASHFORTH (née Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943) is at this moment the family history proverbial 'brick wall'. A quick scan of the 1841, 1851 and 1861 England and Wales censuses for the Sheffield region reveal little more than I know already. According to my mother her grandmother Ellen lived into her nineties and so probably died in the early 1940's. My mother knew her as Leah, yet in various documents she is also known as Eleanor, Ellenor and Helena.

Before I obtained her marriage certificate I carried out some rudimentary research documented in this article, this seemed to indicate her father's name would be William TOMLINSON. When I received her marriage certificate I was surprised, as expressed in this article, to see that her father's name was Samuel TOMLINSON 1826-1854. At the time I didn't give this too much thought since my paternal grandmother's marriage certificate gives her father's name as George DIXON when quite clearly it was Samuel DIXON. It was only when, in 2009, I was contacted by KW in response to this article regarding Clara ASHFORTH 1895-1932 and Jessie RENWICK 1908-1982 that I took a more in-depth look at the facts.

Though conjecture never seems to be far away when researching Ellen ASHFORTH (née Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943) KW puts forward a strong case for following another line of research and having spent some time considering his reasoning, I believe, unless we make some major discovery, this line (as put forward by KW) is the more likely to be correct.

The marriage certificate for William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 and Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943 records:

Registration District: Sheffield
Date: 1876
Marriage solemnized at: St Stephens Church in the Parish of St Stephen, Sheffield in the County of York
No.: 191
When Married: 15th January
Name and Surname: William Ashforth, Ellen Tomlinson Age: 24, 21
Condition: Batchelor, Spinster
Rank or Profession: File Cutter, _____
Residence at the time of Marriage: Bellefield St, Hammond St
Father's Name and Surname: George Ashforth, Samuel Tomlinson
Rank or Profession of Father: File Cutter, Sawmaker
Married in the: Church of St Stephen according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church, by____or after Banns by me ????
This marriage was solemnized between us: William Ashforth, Ellen Tomlinson her X mark in the Presence of us, Thomas Mars??? Sanders, Sarah H??????? her X mark

This would suggest Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943 was born about 1855 and at the time of the England and Wales Census 1861 would be about 6 years of age. Ellen's father should be Samuel TOMLINSON, a saw maker by occupation.

During this period almost all of my ASHFORTH line resided in an area west of Saint Phillips Road, Sheffield and as far as Burton Street and Cuthbert Bank Road. Thus I have always been apprehensive regarding Norton as Ellen's place of birth, even though Norton falls under the administrative region of Ecclesall Bierlow. The following tables transcribed by me from the England and Wales Census 1861 outline this issue:

FHJ Ref: 016
Census: England and Wales Census 1861
Place: Norton, Derbyshire, England
Household: William Tomlinson

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSTATUSAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
TomlinsonWilliam HeadMarried43Derbyshire, Dronfield
TomlinsonRebeccaWifeMarried41Derbyshire, Totley
TomlinsonElizabethDaughter12Derbyshire, Norton
TomlinsonWilliamSon9Derbyshire, Norton
TomlinsonEllenDaughter7Derbyshire, Norton
TomlinsonJosephSon3Derbyshire, Norton
TomlinsonJaneDaughter1Derbyshire, Norton
NewboldJohnBoarder71Derbyshire, Holmesfield

To view this table full width please click here.

FHJ Ref: 017
Census: England and Wales Census 1861
Place: Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Household: Rhoda Tomlinson

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(S)RELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
TomlinsonRhodaHeadWidowMale34Sheffield, Yorkshire
TomlinsonSarah AnnDaughterFemale15Sheffield, Yorkshire
TomlinsonFanny DaughterFemale14Sheffield, Yorkshire
TomlinsonAnneDaughterFemale11Sheffield, Yorkshire
TomlinsonJane DaughterFemale9Sheffield, Yorkshire
TomlinsonEllenor DaughterFemale5Sheffield, Yorkshire

To view this table full width please click here.

With reference to William and Ellen's marriage certificate the only census data that 'fits' is the names Ellen and Ellenor and the ages 7 and 5. If names are anything to go by then I am inclined to favour Ellenor, my reasoning for this is Ellen's mother-in-law was Leah ASHFORTH (née Leah WEBB) 1816-1901 and my mother's name is a variant of Leonora and as I have stated before my mother always refers to Ellen as Leah. I think the way forward is to take a chance on some more certificates, the problem is knowing which ones. I think an educated guess is in order.

Updates:
2010-01-24 Regarding the Marriage Certificate for William Henry ASHFORTH and Ellen TOMLINSON. After some online research I am certain 'Thomas Mars??? Sanders is in fact Thomas Marsden Landers. Please click here to read more.

Frank Stuart Ashforth 1892-1918: Yet another casualty of war

Published: January 12, 2010    Last modified: October 14, 2017

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Frank Stuart Ashforth 1892-1918

My mother identified this photograph as Frank Stuart ASHFORTH 1892-1918. Frank was an uncle to William Henry ASHFORTH 1896-1916, my grandfather Ernest ASHFORTH 1905-1990's brother. William Henry ASHFORTH 1896-1916 was killed in action, 1916, France, during World War I.

Rank: Private
Service No: 15858
Date of Death: 22/03/1918
Regiment/Service: Yorkshire Regiment 13th Bn.
Panel Reference: Bay 5.
Memorial: ARRAS MEMORIAL
Additional Information: Son of Mrs. E. Ashforth, of 42, Burton St., Hillsborough, Sheffield.

The reverse of this photograph / post card reveals it was sent from Frank Stuart ASHFORTH 1892-1918 to his nephew and my great uncle William Henry ASHFORTH 1896-1916.

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To view my previous post regarding William Henry ASHFORTH 1896-1916 please click here.

What I hadn't realised was that Frank also died in action in France during World War 1. I was searching on the name "Frank Ashforth" when I came across an entry on a 'pay to view' military genealogy website. The entry was simply:

'Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914 to 1919', Frank Ashforth, Hillsborough, Sheffield.

Not wishing to subscribe I merely checked the Commonwealth War Grave Commission website and quickly located a Frank ASHFORTH of 42 Burton Street, Hillsborough, Sheffield.

During this period the Renwicks lived at 41 Burton Street and Ellen ASHFORTH (née Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943) lived at 42 Burton Street, her husband William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 having passed away in 1899. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission database confirms Ellen ASHFORTH's name and address under the heading 'Additional information':

Son of Mrs. E. Ashforth, of 42, Burton St., Hillsborough, Sheffield.

To view the Commonwealth War Graves Commission entry for Frank Stuart ASHFORTH 1892-1918 please click here.

To read about the Arras Memorial please click here.

Updates:
2010-09-14 I visited the Faubourg d'Amiens Cemetery and the Arras Memorial at Arras, France during June 2010. I will eventually post an article and an album of photographs.

Wycliffe 11 Football Club 1908-9

Published: February 1, 2009    Last modified: November 10, 2016

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Wycliffe 11 FC 1908-9

The caption on the reverse of this photograph reads:

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"Dear brother just a few lines to you..." illegible... "present..." illegible... "from your sister Jessie and Harry."

This is almost certainly a photograph sent by Jessie ASHFORTH 1887-1954 to her brother (my great grandfather) William Henry ASHFORTH 1873-1926. Harry is almost certainly Harry RENWICK 1885-1959, Jessie's husband.

Jessie and Harry were married at Sheffield during June 1908. The photograph is dated 1908-9, so I suspect they were already married when this card was sent, and since I am certain one of the words is "present" then it could well be thanking William for his wedding present.

Mrs Ellen Ashforth: Shopkeeper

Published: September 7, 2008    Last modified: November 18, 2016

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Ellen Ashforth (née Ellen Tomlinson) 1855-1943

Looking through my notes I came across an entry I made but never commented on.

This entry is to be found in White's Trade Directory, Sheffield, 1911:

Mrs Ellen Ashforth, Shopkeeper, 41 Burton Street

At the time of her son William Henry ASHFORTH 1873-1926's marriage to Florence FLOWERS 1876-1973 in December 1895, Ellen ASHFORTH (née Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943) is residing at 172 Cuthbert Bank Road, Hillsborough, Sheffield, Yorkshire. Cuthbert Bank Road cuts across Bamforth Street and Burton Street.

I cannot confirm this is my gg grandmother Ellen ASHFORTH (née Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943) but it could well be.

Updates:
2009-01-25 I had completely overlooked the fact that the Renwicks / Ashforths were known to be living at 41 Burton Street.

2010-09-21 The death certificate for Ellen ASHFORTH (née Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943) records her death as 10th July 1943 at 41 Burton Street, Sheffield. I think it is safe to assume that the entry to be found in White's Trade Directory, Sheffield, 1911 for Mrs Ellen ASHFORTH (née Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943) is that of my gg grandmother.

George Ashforth 1814-Deceased and Leah Webb 1816-1901

Published: August 31, 2008    Last modified: February 15, 2017

A couple of days ago I recieved an email from a gentleman researching George ASHFORTH 1814-Deceased and Leah ASHFORTH (née Leah WEBB 1816-1901).

This aroused my curiosity and I decided it was about time I updated this site and provided a few more articles.

Looking at my research notes for my ASHFORTH line I am acutely aware that for the time being at least I have gone no further back than George ASHFORTH 1814-Deceased and Leah ASHFORTH (née Leah WEBB 1816-1901).

According to my research George and Leah raised 5 children:

Sophia ASHFORTH born abt. 1841 Manchester, Lancashire, England.
John ASHFORTH born abt. 1843 Salford, Manchester, Lancashire, England.
Emma ASHFORTH born abt. 1845 Salford, Manchester, Lancashire, England.
Susannah ASHFORTH born abt. 1849 Stalybridge, Cheshire, England.
William Henry ASHFORTH born 20th February 1851 Bacon Island, Nether Hallam, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.

This is confirmed by the England and Wales Census 1861:

FHJ Ref: 030
Census: England and Wales Census 1861
Place: Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Household: George Ashforth

SURNAMEFIRST NAME(SRELSTATUSSEXAGEOCCUPATIONWHERE BORNREMARKS
AshforthGeorgeHeadMarriedMale47Bradfield, Yorkshire
AshforthLeahWifeMarriedFemale45Kingswinford, Staffordshire
AshforthSophiaDaughterFemale20Manchester, Lancashire
AshforthJohnSonMale18Manchester, Lancashire
AshforthEmmaDaughterFemale16Manchester, Lancashire
AshforthSusannaDaughterFemale12Stalybridge, Cheshire
AshforthWilliam HSonMale10Sheffield, Yorkshire

To view this table full width please click here.

My interest is in my gg grandfather William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899 and I have already obtained his birth certificate in order to establish the maiden surname of his mother. I carried out further research and discovered the following marriages:

ASHFORTH, Sophia (Spinster, age Full, residing at Cromwell St).
Married James CASSON, on September 5, 1863, by Chas Sisum Wright (Banns) at
St Philips Church, Shalesmoor. Father's name is George ASHFORTH (Filesmith).
Married in the presence of Thomas J YATES, Mary Ann YATES.

ASHFORTH, Harriet (Spinster, age 18, residing at Penistone Rd).
Married Herbert WOODCOCK, on December 24, 1876, by C R Killick (Banns) at
St Philips Church, Shalesmoor. Father's name is John ASHFORTH (Metal Smith).
Married in the presence of Joseph BAILEY (mark), Betsy MORTON (mark).

ASHFORTH, Emma (Spinster, age Minor, residing at Cromwell St).
Married William BRAMELD, on February 21, 1864, by F. Williams (Banns) at
St Philips Church, Shalesmoor. Father's name is George ASHFORTH (File Smith).
Married in the presence of George ASHFORTH, Susannah ASHFORTH.

ASHFORTH, William Henry (Batchelor, age 23, File Cutter, residing at 172 Cuthbert Bank Road).
Married Florence FLOWERS, on December 25, 1895, by H.A. Goodwin (Banns) at
St John the Baptist Church, Owlerton. Father's name is William Henry ASHFORTH (File Cutter).
Married in the presence of Charles Henry STEVENSON, Mary REVINGTON. (Note: This is REMINGTON on the actual marriage certificate).

The researcher I mentioned at the beginning of this article is interested in the descendants of John ASHFORTH and hopefully we may be able to help one another with our research.

Updates:
2017-02-15 At the time of writing this article I was not aware of the family being in the England and Wales Census 1851. The census of 1851 shows the eldest child being Joseph ASHFORTH 1837-Deceased born at Birmingham, Warwickshire. To view the England and Wales Census 1851 for the household of George ASHFORTH 1814-Deceased please click here.