Ellen Ashforth (née Ellen Tomlinson 1855-1943)
For some time now the name Leah ASHFORTH (née Leah WEBB 1816-1901) has been niggling away at my mind. Each time I chat with my mother regarding the ASHFORTH line, and I mention Ellen ASHFORTH (née Ellen TOMLINSON 1855-1943), my mother reminds me she thought her forename was Leah.
With this in mind and thinking we may be talking about different generations I decided to carry out some serious research. Several hours later I seem to have established a number of leads worth following.
Some time ago while searching online I came across the death of one Leah ASHFORTH aged 85 years in the district of Ecclesall Bierlow, Sheffield.
Leah ASHFORTH is not a terribly common name, on the one hand this limits the number of results but on the other hand Ashforth is often interchanged with Ashford, Ashcroft, sometimes Ashworth and possibly other connotations.
George ASHFORTH 1814-Deceased and Leah ASHFORTH (née Leah WEBB 1816-1901) first appear as a family in the England and Wales Census 1861:
FHJ Ref: 030
Census: England and Wales Census 1861
Place: Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Household: George Ashforth
| SURNAME | FIRST NAME(S | REL | STATUS | SEX | AGE | OCCUPATION | WHERE BORN | REMARKS |
| Ashforth | George | Head | Married | Male | 47 | | Bradfield, Yorkshire | |
| Ashforth | Leah | Wife | Married | Female | 45 | | Kingswinford, Staffordshire | |
| Ashforth | Sophia | Daughter | | Female | 20 | | Manchester, Lancashire | |
| Ashforth | John | Son | | Male | 18 | | Manchester, Lancashire | |
| Ashforth | Emma | Daughter | | Female | 16 | | Manchester, Lancashire | |
| Ashforth | Susanna | Daughter | | Female | 12 | | Stalybridge, Cheshire | |
| Ashforth | William H | Son | | Male | 10 | | Sheffield, Yorkshire | |
To view this table full width please click here.
Almost certainly 'William H ASHFORTH' is my gg grandfather William Henry ASHFORTH 1851-1899. The other children have proved more difficult to research since these are the first individuals in my ASHFORTH line to be born outside of Sheffield.
Come the England and Wales Census 1871 and now only Leah and William Henry are listed:
FHJ Ref: 031
Census: England and Wales Census 1871
Place: Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Household: Leah Ashforth
| SURNAME | FIRST NAME(S) | REL | STATUS | SEX | AGE | OCCUPATION | WHERE BORN | REMARKS |
| Ashforth | Leah | Head | Widowed | Female | 54 | Seamstress | Staffordshire | |
| Ashforth | William Henry | Son | | Male | 20 | | Sheffield, Yorkshire | |
To view this table full width please click here.
There is no record of Leah ASHFORTH in the England and Wales Census 1881 and 1891 but she reappears in the England and Wales Census 1901:
FHJ Ref: 032
Census: England and Wales Census 1901
Place: Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Household: Leah Ashforth
| SURNAME | FIRST NAME(S) | REL | STATUS | SEX | AGE | OCCUPATION | WHERE BORN | REMARKS |
| Ashforth | Leah | Head | | Female | 87 | Living on own means | Kingswinford, Staffordshire | |
To view this table full width please click here.
Only to die shortly afterwards age 85 years abt. June 1901.
It would appear George ASHFORTH 1814-Deceased travelled around the Sheffield, Manchester and West Midland regions of England before possibly settling back at Sheffield, Yorkshire. I have established Leah ASHFORTH (née Leah WEBB 1816-1901) was born at Kingswinford, Staffordshire, England but despite all my research I am still missing Leah's maiden surname.
Updates:
2007-12-02 Once again I have spoken with my mother regarding Leah ASHFORTH. My mother definitely recalls Leah being around in her (my mother's) childhood, which means it cannot be the Leah of this article since she passed away in 1901. My mother recalls 'her' Leah being into her nineties before she passed away. I seem to be going round in circles on this one; who is this mysterious Leah ASHFORTH?
