Luke Pearson, Newcastle

[HilaryW]

I am trying to trace a transcription of a monumental inscription for Luke Pearson, a road surveyor, who died on 29 Jan 1843,  and was buried in Newcastle General Cemetery on 2 Feb 1843.

Unfortunately he was buried in the area of the cemetery where the headstones were cleared when a road widening scheme was proposed. This didn't go ahead, but I have been unable to find where the headstones went.  I am hoping that there may be a record of the transcription somewhere.

From the 1841 I know he was born about 1788, not in county, but have been unable to trace his earlier life, before his marriage in Alston to Jane Little on 26 Nov 1828, when he was about 40years old.

Any help appreciated

[diddymiller]

best thing about MI would be to contact the northumberland FHS library service below details:

Address and Telephone Number
NDFHS Library & Research Centre
2nd Floor
Bolbec Hall
Westgate Road
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
NE1 1SE

Telephone: U.K. (0191) 261 2159
Overseas +44 191 261 2159

E-mail: researchcentre(at)ndfhs.org.uk
 
also see website:
www.ndfhs.org.uk/info.html#bolbec

Diddy

[fred111]

I tried to find his wife & his elder son on the 1851 C thinking it's possible she could have moved to be with family.
Absolutley no sign. She could have remarried & changed the childrens names. . . . .
All the best with your quest.
Liz

[HilaryW]

Many thanks for the information. I will try the Northumberland FHS to see if the headstone inscription was recorded.

Unfortunately his wife didn't live long after Luke's death, as I found the notice in the local paper -

Death notice - Newcastle Courant 24 Nov 1848
In Villa - place, on the 17th inst, aged 43, Jane, widow of the late Luke Pearson, surveyor of roads.

Luke Pearson also died without leaving a will, and the letters of administration aren't very informative.

Still, will keep looking.

[anthony pearson]

hi luke

my name is anthony pearson i am doing my family tree my family starts in cumberland (cumbria)from 1790
then into lancashire then 1838
into blaydon/wickham/gateshead in around 1880
there are some pearson's that came over in about  the 1700 to northeast

have you tryed lancashire or cumberland

[Michael Dixon]

Hilary,

Newcastle City Council Bereavement Services are responsible for managing cemeteries within Newcastle ( 0191-232-850 )

If you haven't already tried them, they might have helpful info. e.g. site of grave, whether grave site purchased, whether headstone etc ...

Michael Dixon
Newcastle

[HilaryW]

Thanks for the suggestion Michael about the Council Bereavement Services - this is their reply -

"The grave where Luke Pearson was originally buried also had the burial of Jane Pearson in 1850.  The rights to the grave were not purchased by the family and it was used in 1922 for the burial of George Atkinson. It is highly likely that he is unrelated, as the rights to the grave would have reverted back to the council, and re used as an expired grave.
As the rights to the grave had not been purchased, there would never have  been a headstone.
When the remains were moved, they were re buried in Ward XXIX CON C2-1 along with remains from other unpurchased graves."

Looks like no headstone then!

Also thanks to Anthony, Cumberland is the next stop I think.

Hilary

[Michael Dixon]

 Hilary,  Well you got a good result in that you got some solid facts.

 I had a sort of vice versa case....

My grandfather was buried in 1942, in a "purchased" grave in the graveyard of a small church near Blyth. There was a headstone, which I remember seeing regularly as a child.

Later my grandmother in 1950s was buried in the civil cemetery, as the church cem was full.  ( This attracted many complaints from the family who said that the original grave site had been purchased and there was room for her!)

Later there was some roadstraightening which cut away about a quarter of the church graveyard. The tale was that all the folk in that section of the graveyard were reburied in the civic cemetery. About the same time, 1960/70s, many headstones were taken down/removed/broken though vandalism or whatever.

 Then at some time later my grandmother's headstone in the civic cemetery gained an inscription about my grandfather.

 When I started family history research,  I made enquiries about this, such as who had commissioned, paid for this etc, to be told by cemetery authorities that nobody was reburied from the Catholic cemetery and the road just goes over them.

So my grandfather is under the road, but his MI is in another cemetery.

Michael Dixon

[HilaryW]

Just an update about recent discoveries - only last autumn!

While I was looking through some online newspapers of the Newcastle area, I found this in the Newcastle Journal -

"At Bonsall Derbyshire, on the 16th inst in the 81st year of his age, Mr George Pearson, the beloved father of Mr Luke Pearson of this town
20 June 1840"

Well, the cheers could be heard all the way to Bonsall as it is about half an hour from where we live.
As a result of further searches, the family have been in the Bonsall area for generations,  going back through George to his father Luke and his father Anthony.

Hilary