Blyth Family Portrait

[Radcliff]

I think they are the Ferrel sisters of Bedlington,
would printing it in your local paper be of any use,
there is a Mary Ferrel in an ancestry tree,
but it is locked and private so I cant check if its the same one,

1881 census
Bedlington
4 Store Row
Cambois colliery
RG11/5116
David Ferrell aged 40,born Ireland,miner
Jane Fennell aged 38,born Scotland
Grace D aged 16
John aged 12
Agnes aged 9
James aged 7
Mary aged 5
David aged 3
Thomas aged 1
children born Bedlington
David dies in 1899,and left a tidy sum of money for a hard working miner with a large famly
His wife Jane dies in 1926
Ferrell Jane,widow of 19 Bondicar Terrace Blyth
died January 7th 1926
Probate Newcastle Febuary 1926
to Letitia and Jane Ferrel ,spinsters,
possibly  Mary Roberts Davidsons little sisters,

[Phodgetts]

there is a Mary Ferrel in an ancestry tree,
but it is locked and private so I cant check if its the same one,

Even though the tree is private, is it possible that you can contact the owner by sending them a message? You can send them a link to this forum and subject thread. It would be interesting to learn more.

P

[Radcliff]

Well Phodgetts as you were the person to bring this family portrait to Rootschat,and of course know the area far better than me,without my satnav I go around in circles in Northumberland, have you found any thing to link this photo to the Fennel sisters or have you another family   in mind,
I ruined the Sunday dinner following them around the Country,some ended up in Middlesex but the two spinster  sisters stayed unmarried as far as I could research,the middle names Dawson and Roberts are used by them to,and  I did send a message to the person on ancestry ,they havent returned a message as yet.The Davidsons seem to have disapeared,

[Frosty142]

The photo is of Isabelle and Mary davidson, their aunts Leticia and Jane Ferrell and the other lady is, I would guess the girls mother. My mother was the youngest of the 6 Ferrell sisters, daughters of Tom Ferrell a teacher in Blyth.

Could the owner of the photo contact me please. Most of my cousins are in Britain but as can be understood, all our surnames are those of our father's.

One cousin lives just outside Blyth.  Thank you.

I joined this site after coming across the photo while searching information regarding my Aunt Belle

[TriciaK]

My first teacher at Crofton Primary School in Blyth was called Miss Ferrell. 1951. I think she lived on Marine Terrace.

[Frosty142]

Hello,

Of the six girls, 5 were teachers including my mother. Margaret  (Peggy)  to me, lived on Marine Terrace as did her sister, Mary who was the non teacher. She worked for many years for the Blyth Co-op. Peggy became what we call a Principal, like her father. I attended classes at her school going to Form 1 and 2 while we were visiting  from Canada. If it was the same school, there was a model boat on display that had been used to pull people in another boat but i don't remember more than that. The two aunts on the right of the picture were also teachers who never married but I don't know where they taught.

As someone already said, the Davidson father had a music store in town.

[TriciaK]

The date I gave should have been 1941, not 1951.
I think the Ferrell sisters lived at 55 Marine Terrace. My maternal GPs  lived at no.59 and we lived with them there for a few years during WW2.
There were many unmarried ladies about in those days, so many men killed in both world wars.

[Frosty142]

Seeing as you were referring to 1941 I would guess it was either Lettie  who lived to be 102 years old or her sister Jjane. When I was a child my aunt Mary Dunn lived at 59 and Peggy Lynn lived at 57. My grandfather Tom lived down the street. I recall going down to play with the Fairbairn (sp) twins in the area.  There was also a round pond where we sailed our sailboats but if you were unlucky, they sailed against a stone column in the middle and were hard to retrieve. So long ago. I still have a "Star" sailboat like the one I used to have.

[TriciaK]

My grandparents left Marine Terrace around 1950, when Grandpa retired. So maybe that's when Mary Dunn moved in. I remember the house well, I used to sleep in the attic, a spooky place!
And someone called Lynn next door - I wonder if she was from the family of Lynn and Rutherford solicitors?
Amazing how these early memories come back, but for me the wartime memories are the most vivid. When they go I'll know I've entered my dotage