Kirkby of Harthill: help and input welcome

[John Whysall]

Some years ago I inherited a family Bible. Among other family memorabilia were [1] a news-clipping (undated and unidentified) and [2] a post-card.

I have been promising myself to reconcile these with what I know of the family history; but, I never seem to get around to them. This could be because, at breakfast, I am told I spend too much time on “my” side of the family, rather than “hers”.

So, your starter for ten … And any input and short-circuits are very welcome.

Ann Kirkby was born in 1840: that’s on the postcard: but, for confirmation, see also freebmd for the reference to GRO 15, 637 (Worksop District) for the March quarter 1840. That implies the news-clipping is from 1925.

She appears in the 1881 Census as “Annie Kirkby”, in the household of her widowed mother, aged 72, at Harthill-cum-Woodall. My particular interest ought to be (and given time …) in her sister, Elizabeth (“Mrs. Mellars” in the news-clipping), who was my great-grand-mother, mother of the “Mrs. Whysall” (Granny Sarah, of 32 Worksop Road, Aston) listed in the “principal mourners”.

Incidentally, isn’t it nice to have a literate junior reporter?

[1] The news-clipping:

MISS ANNE KIRKBY, HARTHILL

We regret to report the death of Miss Anne Kirkby, of Harthill, which took place yesterday evening week, after a short illness, at the age of 85 years. By her demise, another link has been severed with Harthill’s past. The deceased lady died in the same house in which she was born, and had resided in Harthill all her life. She was the fourth generation of the Kirkby family, the house having been tenanted by the Kirkby’s for upwards of 300 years. The only surviving member of the family, Mrs. Mellars, resides at Aston.

The funeral took place on Monday afternoon at Harthill Churchyard. The Rector, the Rev. P.E. Boswell, M.A., officiated. The principal mourners were: Mr. H. Kirkby, Mrs. G. Walker, Mrs. Unwin (Barlboro’), Miss M.E. Unwin, Mr. and Mrs. Orme (Poolsbrook), Mr. and Mrs. J. Unwin, Mrs. Whysall, Mrs. Steedman, Mrs. White, Mrs. Battersby, Mr. H. Unwin, Mrs. J. Emmerson, Mr. Albert Unwin, Mrs. J. Rose, Mr. Edgar Unwin, Miss G. Unwin, Mr. J. Kirkby, Miss M.E. Kirkby, Mr. and Mrs. G.H. Helliwell (Hackenthorpe), Mrs. Gretton (Thorpe), Mrs. Cass Smith, Mrs. Kirkby, Mrs. G. Thompson, Mr. J. Wainscoat, Miss Wainscoat, Mrs. Clarke, Miss Peat, Miss Lamb. There were many beautiful floral tributes from relatives and friends. The funeral arrangements were carried out by Mr. G. Thompson.

[2] The postcard, with a franked halfpenny stamp of George V, postmarked (I think) “Harthill, Sheffield, 24 DE 12”, with the following:
John Kirkby
Born Jan 1st 1834
William Kirkby
Born March 3rd 1836
Elizabeth Kirkby
Born Feb 21st 1839
[??]Ann Kirkby
Born July 21st 1840
Mary Kirkby
Born 1845 7th Oct
William Kirkby
Born Oct 15 1847
Henry Kirkby
Born Jan 2nd 1850
[on obverse]
George Kirkby
Born Nov 12th [no year]

Diggers in the wider garden may care to note that, by the marriage of [Granny] Sarah Mellars to [Grandfather] Thomas Whysall (son of John Whysall and Mary Cresswell), this connects to Beverley Nicholson’s thread in the Derbyshire forum: CRESSWELL, look up please at http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,8792.0.html [6855 readers and counting!]

[dennford]

You may be interested in this Harthill diary - your Kirkby 's do recieve a mention.

                                          Denn

http://www.j31.co.uk/walker_diary.htm

[John Whysall]

Thank you, dennford, for the heads-up on the diary. Interesting reading! And I love the photo in the side-bar: nice.

And, as a proof positive of my enduring ignorance, it took until yesterday for me to recognise the significance of the "J31" (as on the Motorway) website.

However, to the meat-and-two-veg, I was hoping that someone would contribute an idea of the Kirkbys' back-story. Despite the claim in the news-clipping that the Kirkbys go back 300 years, they do not seem to make a great impact on the church records of BMD at Harthill.

[dennford]

 as a proof positive of my enduring ignorance, it took until yesterday for me to recognise the significance of the "J31" (as on the Motorway) website.

I have known of the site for a long time - my family are from harthill and area; yet it is only now that you have pointed it out that I realise the J31 significance.

unfortunately even though I have some connections to the area, I can't help with your family.

                                               Denn

[unwinf]

Hi John

WOW..... 
As luck would have it, I stumbled across this during a Google search.

It too have a Family Book, given to me by my Father.
The book was my grand father's, the later George Chartress Unwin.

The inscription inside the book says, it was given to him by his god mother (one of the Kirkby sisters)
Forgive me, I had not handled the book in many years, to minimise any further damage.
But im fairly sure it was Anne

My Family Tree reveals that :-
William Unwin (b 1840) married Mary Kirkby (b 1846)
Their oldest Son John Unwin and wife Sarah would be the Mr & Mrs J Unwin in the cutting.
Horase Unwin (b 1872) his brother, Marion Unwin his sister (b 1876) and
Daughter Gertrude Unwin, would fit in with the initialled names.

I can only speculate that the Mrs Unwin was her sister Mary Unwin.

Unfortunately, we are not directly related.
But i too have a particular interest in this particular part of my tree, and maybe you can help.

Do you have any document, record or notes mentioning the "Maiden Name" of your great grand mother's Mother (also called Elizabeth b 1809)
This would draw a conclusion to many years of speculation. I know for sure, the two family's were very very close indeed.

If by any chance you read this message.
If you could post a JPG of the cutting, here, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to your post, I now have a fresh material to trace the marriage trails of my Unwin sisters

I know Four years is a long shot, to be chasing this up.
But i can wait another Four, or more, i guess

Many Thanks
Fraser Unwin.

[dobfarm]

Harthill PR's now on line

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/WRY/Harthill/

[Val-ellie]

Hi John, Are you still looking for information about Elizabeth Mellars (nee Kirkby)?    Hope to hear from you. Val Edwards

[unwinf]

I'm still following this thread. It's not abandoned.

The speculated maiden name was "Chartress"
I just wanted confirmation

[John Whysall]

By a remarkable coincidence, after years of neglect, I came back to this thread half-an-hour after unwinf's last post.

I'm trying to get up to speed on this branch of the tree.