Gateshead Fell 1800's, 1900s. Can I help anyone?

[MIS]

I'm not researching my own family tree (my mother has beaten me to that one!) but I moved to Gateshead and started to look at the history of my house and found names of people who lived here over the last couple of hundred years.  Through that I got in touch with a man in New Zealand who was searching for his ancestors - one of whom used to live in my house about 150 years ago!

So now, I'm helping him out with the Gateshead side of his family.

As I'm here, I'm happy to help anyone else with Gateshead relatives, particularly if they lived near Gateshead Fell (Sheriff Hill, Sodhouse Bank, Old Durham Road, Church Road, Durham Road etc). I can wander around and photograph things if anyone has addresses or headstones that they want to see.


Similarly, if anyone knows of any Oliver's in the Gateshead area I'd be thrilled to hear from you!

[swallowtail]

Hi MIS

I have Olivers living in the area at that time they were of course miners:

William born in in 1796 married a Elizabeth Pattison in 1823 in Gateshead area
they are on the 1841 census as living in Blue Quarries they had 6 children
Frederick, Esther, Mary, George, Sarah and James my great grandfather so I do not know if this has any connection with your contact.

Swallowtail 

[MIS]

they are my olivers! well, not mine, but william oliver's son, robert, lived in my house! i can send you what i have. do you mind sending me anything else that you have. I'll pass it on to my friend in new zealand who is williams gggg ( i think!) grandson.

william had a son called robert, robert had a son who he also called william and that william emigrated to new zealand in september 1877.

I have :
william oliver, b 1850
married elizabeth pattison m. 21.12.1823
children: robert (and others) b. 8.10. 1824
robert married mary hall ( b. 1825) 26.7.1846.
they had children : mary oliver 1847, william oliver, b 29.01.1850, emigrated 21.3.1928 m. hannah bailey (b. 27.8.1873), d. 21.3. 1928
edward oliver, b. 1851

robert remarried, dorothy cook (b. 10.7.1834, d. 1911) and they had more children: ann cook oliver (b. 01.01.1881. ann committed suicide 3.8.1894), elizabeth b 1861, margaret sarah b. 1863, robert george b. 1868, susanna jane b 1872 and alfred joseph b. 1874.

I have a few more names if you'd like them.

I'm very excited - I must know one of your long lost relatives! i have photographs of robert's house if you'd like them?

cheers,
paula

[swallowtail]

Hi Paula, well I am certainly related to the same William Oliver this is also exciting news for me as I have never yet come across any more connections to the Olivers I have William and Elizabeth's marriage entry and his father and mother in 1780 and of course census returns. my line goes from William and Elizabeth from their son George born in 1827 who married a Mary Ann Brown in 1855 then their son James born 1860 who married Mary Wilson and then to my grandfather Frederick born in 1888 who married Jemima Richmond Pringle in 1917 to my mother Irene Mary born in 1918.

So this is my one of my Maternal side's and I still go to Durham as I have one aunt and two cousins living in the North, I myself live in Surrey.

I am more than happy to pass my line onto you, but will need a little time to get it together, are you prepared for me to email you directly? and yes I would appreciate any photos of the area or of the ancestors if you friend has any.

Best wishes Lyn (Swallowtail)

[rhall36]

Hi MIS,
You may be just the person I'm looking for!

I was born (1936) and raised on Windy Nook Road, right next to the Travelers' Rest (the cottage is pulled down now). My wife was born on Cannon Row, just north of the Old Cannon, and we were married at St John's.

After working all over the world, we have now retired in Texas, just on the west side of Houston, so It is difficult getting info of 'home.' I have a photo of my Great Grandparents gravestone in St John's; Joseph Foster Wales. It is lying on the ground right by the south-east corner of the church.

I'm struggling to find his father FORSTER WAILES (different spelling), but he at one time owned the original Three Tuns; not the one you see now. If you can find ANY information on FORSTER, or the family, I'd be greatful.

My grandmother was born on Sodhouse Bank, # 122, just up from the Three Tuns, (it's now a glaziers), but I have a photo of that.

Regards,   Rob Hall, Katy, TEXAS

[rhall36]

Hi MIS,

You must tell me where you live, (maybe just the street), I'm so curious.

But here's a one for you, my great great grandfather FORSTER WAILES - or FOSTER WALES, or any combination, died Jun 1879 in Sheriff Hill. Can you find where he was buried?

Regards,       Rob Hall, Katy, TEXAS

[MIS]

Hi!
I know that area very well - I live on what used to be Sodhouse Bank and am a regular at the Three Tuns! I walked past Windy Nook Road on my way home from work tonight and saw where your house must have been. I know the glazier's shop too. It's a little further down the hill.

A while ago I had to write a history of the Tuns for the present landlord and I have this one mention of Forster:

"... his crown passed to Forster Wales (sp?) in around 1856. Forster was to run the Three Tuns for over 30 years until his death, when his wife Isabella became the first lady to run the pub". I found his name by searching archives in Gateshead library.

I'd hazard a guess that Forster is probably buried at St.Johns - there were no other churchyards around in this area at the time he would have died. I'll certainly have a look. The name does sound very familar!

Do you have any other names or dates and I'll see what I can dig up for you?

Welcome back to Gateshead - it's a small world these days, but much colder here than in Houston I'd imagine!

Paula.

[rhall36]

Paula, that is good information.

On the 1871 census, he is clearly FORSTER WALES, and wife ISABELLA, but on the 1881 census the pub owner is "JABBA" WALES, so I've wondered if it is the same person (didn't even know if Jabba was male or female). Now on his death certificate 1879; he died in Sheriff Hill so is probably buried in St John's, but I know that graveyard like the back of my hand and there is no marker for him. Could you ask the Verger if they have plot records of where bodies were placed? Norman Harrison has been a 'fixture' at the church for 60 years and he may know.

And another one for you, at St Alban's, down Windy Nook Road, I took a photo of a tombstone in the north-west corner, some years back, thinking I could read it later but I can't - It's of Mary and ?William HALL. Could you copy that data some sunny day?

We left Sheriff Hill in 1964, but I have clear memories of it all.

Regards,      Rob HALL, Katy, TEXAS

[MIS]

Rob,
Unfortunately I have already spoken to the vicar at St. John's church - he said that any burial records before the 1960's were sent to Durham Record Office. He was also 'embarrassed to admit' that they don't have any plans at all so couldn't, given a name, tell you where in the churchyard that person was buried

You could email Durham Record Office : record.office@durham.gov.uk

Another option, but less likely is Gateshead East Cemetery, which was opened in the 1860's ... you'll probably remember it. It's on your right as you go into the town centre. The records there are held by Gateshead Registry office and they are incredibly helpful if you email them with a name, date of death (or burial), address and the name of the cemetery. When I asked them, they looked through their records straight away and emailed me back the next morning. You can contact them at :cemeteriesandcrematoria@gateshead.gov.uk

Please let me know if you manage to uncover anything and in the meantime I'll have a wander to St Albans this weekend and try and find the tombstone. Transcripts are held in Newcastle, but they're not posted online so it's easier to go down to the church and have a look!

Good luck!