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« on: Saturday 08 May 10 22:48 BST (UK) »
I am new to this forum, I live in Winnipeg, Canada but I have a direct connection to Crook, through my maternal grandparents. They were John George Beckwith, (Born December 29, 1872 at Bowden Close, Durham) and Edith Annie Fawell (Born February 24, 1877 at Crook). John was the son of James and Christiana Beckwith and Edith was the daughter of Mathew Fawell and Margaret Kidd. They were married on March 18, 1901, in St. Catherine's Church in Crook. On their Marriage licence, he is listed as an Insurance Agent. They had three children before leaving England however, the first two, Edna Mae and Lucy, died as infants. My mother was the third, Elsie Beckwith, born March 15, 1903 in Crook. In 1904, they immigrated to Canada and settled in Winnipeg. John worked for the Winnipeg Street Railway Co., as a trolley driver, first on horse-drawn trolleys then on the new electric Street Cars.
In 1912, John's wife Edith, along with their infant daughter Edith, made a trip back to Crook. While there, she contracted the flu and had to delay her return trip to Canada until she recovered. As a result, she had to take a later ship rather than the one she had originally been booked on, the maiden voyage of the R.M.S. Titanic. My aunt Edith remarked often that she was a survivor of the Titanic.
In 1916, John joined the army (221st Battalion, Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force) and went to Europe for World War I. During a battle overseas, the Germans used poison gas on his regiment and he then spent considerable time in an English hospital. As a result of this, he suffered lung problems for the rest of his life.
I have researched maps of Crook for some time, trying to get a sense of what my ancestor's life would have been like in those days. Since the advent of "Google Streets View" I am able to virtually walk down the streets they would have walked on and see the surrounding countryside, not quite as they would have seen it but it would appear that many of the buildings and houses of the late 1800s still exist. From my grand parent's marriage licence, I found that she resided at number 24, West Road and he is shown as living on Emmerson Street. I have looked carefully at both these streets on Google Streets View but unfortunately I cannot see any house numbers.
I have two questions; Would someone be able to identify for me the house that would have been at 24 West Road in1900 and would that be the same house that would have been there in 1900? I would very much appreciate any help you could give me on this as it is unlikely, at my age, that I would be able to visit England to see the area for myself.
Alan Nelson
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