Hi Gerry
My names Phillip Heap, I have just been reading your post about Tom Heap. and hopefully might have something for you. If Your William Henry Heap and Mary Ellen and mine are the same then we may be distant family. I am looking at Jack Heap who is my Grandfathers Father and also the son of William Henry Heap and Mary Ellen. Tom isn't on the 1891 census as he would not of been born as yet. but other brothers include George Tempest, Nicholas and William and they lived on Ashworth St in Baxenden, Lancashire at the time. Jack married Beatrice Sowerbutts of Baxenden and had my grandad John Garsden Heap(known as Jack) who married Ruby Westwell. of Acre Haslingden. at this time john was living at 420 Manchester road Baxenden.john Garsden and ruby had 3 children Anthony my father shaun and donna. Fred who married Doris had 3 children Brian, Dorothy and Roy.Harry married Mary and they had 5 children Fred, Barry, Stanley, Robert, and May. also just to complicate things for me, my Great grandmother Ruby Westwells Mother Was Clara Heap so that has gone from heap to Westwell and back to Heap again. Most of the Family now are dotted around the Rossendale valley. with me and my brother with our families in Rising Bridge just up the road from Baxenden and my parents and others living in Haslingden. I even have another family of heaps living accross the road from me and wouldn't even know if we where related in some way. One thing i did miss out was that Jack Heap who would of been your uncle toms brother died when my grandfather was only 9-11 from shrapnell from the first world war. maybe your uncle may have mentioned something like this. if he even knew about it, or maybe he didn't people were not the very best of communicators of family history back in those days.
