Willington - Brown

[Radcliff]

The records for North Shields workhouse are held in Newcastle,and are available to look at with care,I would think if she was to be admitted to an industrial school it would have been at the guardians recommendation,rather than choice,

[Radcliff]

1851 census ,South Farm cottages Cowpen,
HO107/2412


James Gilhespy,aged 46, born Hallington,
Mary,aged 48, born Watton,husbandsman,
Jacob,aged 25, born Shilvington
Margaret,aged 20, born Callerton
James, aged 13, born Corbridge
Ruth, aged 14, born Great Saw
George,aged 10, born Ponteland
Mary Ann,aged 8, born Heddon on the wall
Sarah,aged 5, born Cramlington
Mary,aged 2, born Heddon on the Wall

[daverblondto]

I had suspected Ruth Gilhespy as being Sarah Ann's mother. Her age, however, would preclude Isabella Brown "niece and servant", from an earlier reply, from being her daughter. Being nine years old is a tad precociously fecund. lol  This gets back at my original question: where is her sister Isabella (or Jane Isabella) Brown? I'll have to keep plugging away.

-Dave

[Matilda1]

Hi Dave

Where did you get Sarah's sister's name from?  I.e. what are your sources for her existence, apart from the named photo you have?  In your posts you have referred to her as Isobel/Isabella as well as Ann Isabella & Jane Isabella.  Just to help the hunt 

Matilda

P.S. You will see above that I think the 1861 census entry I posted was wrong & that Radcliff posted the right one.  Plus I added the witnesses to the marriage that I had inadvertently left off earlier - not a good night last night

[Radcliff]

Also I would like to add my questions to Matilda's,

You think Henry died ,any idea when ,

and you say Ruth remarried ,where and when ,if you have that information ,please post it here for us to see,

also was Henry married before he marrid Ruth ,did he have a family prior to he and Ruth having Sarah,

[daverblondto]

I must apologize: I did make an error which I have confirmed by phoning my mother. One name is wrong. I'm bad! Sarah Ann's sister's name is Jane Isobel. I have no idea why I thought it was Ann Isabel.

The only evidence of Sarah Ann Brown's sister is the photo that I have of the two of them as adults. My mother referred to her as Isabel but on the reverse of the photo, written by my grandfather (Sarah Ann's son), it states "mother is seated and aunt Jane Isobel is standing. She migrated 55 years ago [which would make the date of emigration 1902] to Portland, Oregon with her husband and her married name is Gillis [which is crossed out] or Larson." That's all I know of her. My grandfather never mentioned her during his lifetime.

The last census that names Henry, Ruth and their daughter Sarah Ann is 1861. After that, I can't find them again. I had though, like Radcliff, that one of them remarried, or had married earlier [likely Henry since he was 25 when he married Ruth and she 18], and that "aunt" was in fact a half-sister. I don't know if he was married earlier. My family is very tight-lipped about everything. My mother doesn't even know the dates of her parents' marriage: they refused to tell anyone because they didn't want "a fuss".

[Radcliff]

Reading the little snippet,you posted I would lean towards Jane Isabell being a Gilespie and married to a Larson,

[daverblondto]

That is a very tempting theory: he started writing Gilhespy, stopped, crossed it out and wrote Larson. As far as I know, Ruth Gilhespy was one of 8 children (that I have been able to find) and Jane Isobel is not one of them. Of course, I could have the names all wrong. I also thought she could be an aunt on the other side. My great-grandfather had a half-sister, Isabella Mary, but that can't be her either. Eventually she'll turn up. She may also have been a dear friend of my great-grandmother and was referred to as "aunt" out of respect. I just wish that I had never seen that picture. lol  Thanks for spending the time to brain-storm with me.

-Dave

[Radcliff]

Hi Dave I went onto a and looked at the photo, they are so alike and to me there doesn't seem a great age difference, my thoughts were that they were indeed half sisters ,one a Brown one a Gilhespie, I would keep searching ,some thing will turn up ,