Coming to Utica, New York toward the end of July 2010 a Broadhurst Families reunion for the descendants of the siblings–”The Eleven”–of Richard and Sarah Ann Broadhurst.

Plans are underway now for our gathering. It looks like we’ll get together centered around the weekend of 24-25 July in Utica. All are welcome and the more the merrier.  Let me know if you want to join in! Click here for a family tree of  ”The Eleven“

post updated 06 June 09

Karen Locke provided this great picture of various BROADHURST FAMILIES taken in the 1950’s. Karen is the child in the forefront of the photo. Thank you, Karen! Click on photo to enlarge.

1. Karen Sue Locke Fehr, granddaughter of Nellie Broadhurst (#6) and William T. (#4) daughter of May (#11)
2. William Arthur “Bill” Broadhurst (1897-1976), the youngest of the eleven siblings of Richard and Sarah Ann Broadhurst, died the day after his brother Percy (#15) husband of Emily (#3)
3. Emily Read Broadhurst (1898-1995), wife of Bill (#2)
4. William Thomas Howarth (1890-1957), Grandfather of Karen (#1) and husband of Nellie (#6)
5. Violet Broadhurst (1893-1982), youngest daughter of the eleven siblings of Richard and Sarah Ann
6. Nellie Broadhurst ( 1891-1967), wife of William T Howarth (#4) and Grandmother of Karen (#1)
7. Eva Broadhurst (d 1970), daughter of John Richard “Jack” Broadhurst (#12) and Edith Mary “Edie” Broadhurst (#8) wife of Lee (#16)
8. Edith Mary “Edie” Bailey Broadhurst (1887-1966), wife of John Richard “Jack” Broadhurst (#12)
9. Ruth Phillips Broadhurst, wife of Lawrence Broadhurst (#10)
10. Lawrence Broadhurst (1923-1991), husband of Ruth (#9) and son of Bill (#2) and Emily (#3)
11. May Howarth Locke (1914-1980), mother of Karen (#1) and wife of the Norman A. Locke, the photographer
12. John Richard “Jack” Broadhurst (1884-1962), eldest son of the eleven siblings of Richard and Sarah Ann Broadhurst, husband of Edith (#8)
13. Donald G. Broadhurst (1935-2009), son of Percy (#15) and Annie (#14)
14. Edith Annie Bradbury Broadhurst (1899-1996), wife of Percy (#15) mother of Donald G. (#13)
15. Percy Broadhurst (1895-1976), the younger brother of Bill (#2) husband of Annie (#14) died the day before Bill
16. Leland “Lee” Francis Wittenbeck, husband of Eva (#7)

Click on the picture to see a larger version of the photo. Remember, all photos are welcome and I’ll post them on the site for all of us to enjoy!

In 1841 Cheshire there are 522 BROADHURSTs listed in the England Census as found at FindMyPast.co.uk. 268 males and 284 females live in the 10 Registration Districts as shown in the chart below.  There may very well be more individuals that were perhaps not recorded in the Census or listed at FindMyPast. As an example, I know of one 96 year old William Broadhurst who shows up in the Ancestry.com records but not in FindMyPast. 

Violet BROADHURST was born in 03 Feb 1893 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, England. She was the youngest daughter and ninth child of Richard BROADHURST and Sarah Ann JONES. On 22 November 1917 she married James E. HUGHES in Lowell, MA. Sometime later she married William DAVIS. Violet is associated with one child in some records but it is unclear if she was the birth-mother:

1. Evelyn (b 1918 Massachusetts)

1901 England Census. Seven year old Violet lived in Heywood, Lancashire at the Peel Street family home.

To America – 1907. The S.S. Adriatic manifest indicates that Violet had been to America before, in 1907. The is an arrival record into Canada in February 1907 that lists a married Frank CROSSLEY and Violet CROSSLEY, perhaps was really Violet Broadhurst as other records show this family to be close and to travel together. The ship was the Empress of Ireland which arrived into New Brunswick, Canada on 16 February 1907 in from Liverpool. John J WOODWARD is also aboard; he is the husband of Sarah BROADHURST. I don’t find her listing on board.

To America – 1911. With her 35 year old sister, Frances M CROSSLEY nee Broadhurst and her nine year old daughter Elizabeth, 17 year old Violet head to America on the S.S. Adriatic. They leave from Liverpool on 26 August 1911 and arrive in New York on September 3^rd. They are headed to the Crossley house at 18 Second St in Lowell, MA. Next of kin in England is listed as her brother John Broadhurst at 17 (unintelligible) Street, Newton Heath. Violet’s occupation, at 17, is listed as “cutter.” Violet’s passage was paid by her brother-in-law, Frank CROSSLEY.

Lowell City Directory – 1917. Violet BROADHURST is listed: “operative bds 26 Read”

Evelyn – 1918. A daughter, Evelyn was born in 1918.  At this time, I cannot find any record of James and Violet being together beyond their marriage announcement in 1917. However, I have located a 1920 US Census record of a William T. Davis living with his sister and his 30-month old daughter, Evelyn. No spouse is recorded.

1930 US Census. By now, Violet (36) is Mrs. William DAVIS (he is 42) living in Whitestown, Oneida County, NY. They rented their place at 462 Main Street for $26 a month. Along with 12 year old daughter Evelyn Davis, Violet’s younger brother and his family live with them. William BROADHURST (32), his wife Emily BROADHURST (30) and their son Lawrence BROADHURST (6) share the household. Both Williams work at the gas and electric company, Davis as a machinist and Broadhurst as a laborer.  Violet is a “finisher” in a cotton mill. It appears that William DAVIS had been married before as it’s reported that he was 25 years old at his first marriage. Violet is reported at 24 at her first marriage.

The death of Violet and William. After a long illness, Violet died at the age of 88 in the Rome Hospital, NY, on Wednesday, 20 October, 1982. Surviving her was her daughter Evelyn, now Mrs. Evelyn FARR of Kissimmee, FL. Previously, she lived at 12 Curran Road, Whitesboro, NY. She is buried in Oriskany Cemetery. She was predeceased by her husband William Davis.

(updated 02 JAN 10 to include photo)

"Jack" and "Edddie" and maybe baby Eva

John Richard BROADHURST was the eldest son of Richard Broadhurst and Sarah Ann JONES and was born on 28 March 1884 in Leigh, England. He was baptized on 17 March 1885 in Newchurch, Lancashire. Richard lived with his parents until at least 1901.

In 1906 at about 22 years old he married 19 year old Edith Mary BAYLEY (abt 1887, Pendleton, Lancashire) in St Paul, Clitheroe, Lancashire. John Richard and Edith Mary had 3 children:

1. Harold (b 06 Feb 1908, Newton Heath, Manchester, d 30 Nov 1944 New York Mills, NY, married Emily COLLINS)
2. John George (b 03 Aug 1910, d 20 Nov 1923, Lowell, MA)
3. Eva (b 01 July [April?] 1914, Lowell, MA, d 17 Jan 1970, Rochester, NY)

To America – 1910. While the earliest indication of John Richard and Edith Mary visit to the United States is 1908 (1910 US Census, S.S. Canada manifest, S.S. Megantic manifest states: 2 yrs to Oct 1910″) the earliest recorded trip found thus far is aboard the S.S. Canada sailing from Liverpool, England on 03 March 1910 and arriving 10 days later in Portland, Maine on 12 March 1910 with infant son Harold. Along with them were John Richard’s younger sister Gertrude ADAMS (nee Broadhurst) and her daughter Jessie ADAMS. According to the ship manifest the group was headed to their sister Sarah WOODWARD’s (nee Broadhurst) house at 30 Payne St, Dover, New Hampshire. John Richard’s occupation is noted as “warehouseman.”

1910 US Census. By the time of the census, John Richard, Edith Mary and Harold lived at the residence of James WOODWARD, his wife Sarah and their two children, Sarah A. and Francis along with the Woodward’s 53 year old Irish servant, Margaret Scanlon. The residence was in Dover, New Hampshire at 130 Payne Street, now Henry Law Avenue. John’s occupation is listed as “Street Car, Meter Man.” James Woodward works as a laborer in a cotton mill and Sarah is a cotton mill “Carder.” After the census polling Edith Mary has her second child, John George.

1911 England Census. The family returned to England and at the time of the 1911 Census lived with Edith Mary’s father, George BAYLEY, a widower “domestic gardener.” Also in the household were two Bayley sons, George Frederick and William and their sister, Lonah.  The address was 37 Miriam Street, Failsworth, Newton Heath, Manchester.

Back to America -1912. A return trip for John Richard, Edith Mary, Harold and for the first time infant son John George is recorded on the S.S. Megantic from Liverpool. Leaving on 06 February, 1912 they arrived in Boston on Valentine’s Day. John Richard’s nearest living relative in England is noted as his mother, Sarah Ann BROADHURST living at 8 Gregsan (sp?) Lane, Newton Heath and Edith’s as her father George BALEY residing at the Miriam Street address as noted above. Their destination is Lowell, MA the residence of Mrs. Crossley (his sister “Fanny”) and brother, at 18 Second St., Lowell, MA. Also on board the Megantic is John Richard’s younger sister, Gertrude ADAMS nee Broadhurst with her children Jessie and Arthur.

Lowell City Directory – 1913. John BROADHURST is listed as a “driver” and his address is 5 Raymond Place.

Back to America – 1915. John Richard returns again to America in 1915 on the S.S. Bohemian, this time with his younger brother, Peter Ernest BROADHURST. The pair leaves Liverpool on New Year’s Eve, 31 December, 1914 and arrive Boston 14 January, 1915. No next of kin is listed for either brother but their destination is Lowell, MA. John Richard to 6 Hampshire Place and Peter Ernest to 4 Hampshire Place. John Richard remained in the US until 1916 (S.S. Tunisian manifest).

Lowell City Directory – 1915. John BROADHURST is listed as a furniture mover and his address is “17 W Third” and home address is 6 Hampshire Place.

Lowell City Directory – 1916. John BROADHURST is listed as a furniture mover and his address is 6 Hampshire Place.

Return to England. – 1916. Edith (“wife”) with her three children in tow, Harold, John George and Eva, returns to Liverpool on 06 September 1916 aboard Cunard’s Saxonia in from New York, NY. She list’s her address as the Miriam Street, Newton Heath residence as noted above.

World War I. On 18 November 1916, at the age of about 32, the 5′-8″ tall John Richard enlisted in the British Army. At the time the family lived at 16 Florence Street, Winton, Manchester. He listed his occupation as “Chauffer, Motor Driver.” John Richard was discharged 15 October 1917 as “no longer physical fit for War Service. Epilepsy”.

Back to America – 1919. Again from Liverpool, this time with four year old Eva, the family boarded the S.S. Tunisian on May 31^st and arrived in Quebec, Canada on June 10^th. This time they were going to Fanny and Frank CROSSLEY’s residence at 506 E. Merrimach (sp?) Street, Lowell, MA. John Richard’s occupation is listed as “Motor Car Driver.”

1920 US Census. At this time the family has not been found in this census.

Return to England – 1920. Just before Christmas, December 20^th, the entire family returned to Liverpool. This time they were accompanied by the Peter Ernest BROADHURST family: Peter, a mill worker, wife Elizabeth, son Ernest and daughter Amy. John Richard’s occupation at this time is “chaffeur.” They took The White Star Line’s “Celtic” from New York, NY.

To America – 1921. The family returns to the United States in 1921 aboard the S.S. Haverford. They set sail from Liverpool on July 27^th and arrive in Philadelphia on August 8^th. They’re bound for John’s younger brother’s house, Peter BROADHURST at 18 Jefferson Ave, Hillsgrove, New Hampshire. John Richard’s occupation is listed as “waterman.” Edith is noted as 5′-4″ with brown hair and blue eyes and a housewife. The family’s last address in England is recorded as 37 Miriam Street, Manchester, as above, and it’s now noted as the residence of his mother, Sarah Ann BROADHURST.

Lowell City Directory – 1922 John and Edith BROADHURST are listed in the city directory and their address is “48 Fourth.”

The death of a son – 1923. John George died Tuesday, 20 Nov 1923 at home, 77 West Fourth Street, Lowell, MA, at the age of 13 years, 3 months and 17 days. The funeral took place at home on Friday, November 23^rd and was conducted by Reverend Grannis from St. Anne’s Episcopal Church. John George is buried “in the family lot in the Lowell cemetery.” (The Lowell Sun 21 Nov 1923 and Lowell Courier-Citizen 24 Nov 1923)

1930 US Census. John Richard was a long time employee of the Utica State Hospital and in the 1930 Census is listed as an “attendant.” The hospital is listed as “Utica State Hospital for Insane.” At this time Edith Mary has not been located in this census.

1940’s. Edith Mary retires after having worked several years in the “former State Street textile mill.” (obit)

John Richard and Edith Mary Deaths. John Richard died in a Utica hospital on 21 September 1962 at the age of 78. John Richard is buried in the Waterville Cemetery. (obituary, Utica Daily Press 22 Sept 1962). About four years later, Edith Mary passed away, also at the age of 78, in the Waterville St. Elizabeth Hospital. She is also buried in the Waterville Cemetery. (obituary, Utica Daily Press, date unknown, 1966)

The Internet Surname Database web site provides this definition of BROADHURST

This interesting surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a habitational name from a minor place so called, perhaps from Broadhurst Manor Farm in Horsted Keynes, Sussex. The placename is derived from the Middle English (1200 – 1500) “brode”, from the Olde English pre 7th Century “brad”, meaning broad, given as a nickname for a stout or fat person, and the Olde English “hurst”, a wooded hill. The first element could also be a descriptive term for the broad wood. In the Middle Ages, to call a person broad or fat was considered to be a compliment, as it was looked on as a sign of grandeur. The surname, however, could also be locational from one of the seven to ten thousand villages and hamlets which have disappeared in Britain since circa 1100, due to such natural disasters as the Black Death of 1348, in which an eighth of the population perished, or to the widespread practice of “clearing” large areas of land to make sheep pastures during the height of the wool-trade in the 15th Century. The place is thought to have been in Cheshire, due to the large number of recordings in this county, and the name has the same derivation as the place in Sussex. Recorded in the Cheshire Church Registers is the marriage of John Broadhurst and Alice Wood, on October 8th 1594, at Prestbury. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger de Brodhurst, which was dated 1281, witness in the “Assize Rolls of Lancashire”, during the reign of King Edward 1, known as “The Hammer of the Scots”, 1271 – 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to “develop” often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling. © Copyright: Name Orgin Research www.surnamedb.com 1980 – 2010

Aloha Cousins,

Click on the image to the left to view a family tree of known descendants of William (abt 1782-1857) and Mary Broadhurst (abt 1786-1854) . William and Mary are my 3rd great grandparents. They lived many years in Sandbach, Cheshire.

To help find William BROADHURST, the father of John BROADHURST, I compiled a list of all William BROADHURSTs living in Cheshire that were recorded in the 1841 England Census (Ancestry.com). In total 37 Williams were listed (to include “Wm”) in 31 different households. The household distribution by registration district is: Macclesfield 10, Congleton 7, Stockport 5, Altrincham 4, Nantwich 2 and Ashton under Lyne, Runcorn and Stockton all with 1 household each.

For a number of reasons I believe “my” William ancestor is the family grouping living in Sandbach in the charts below (Household ID4).

The first chart below is a list of Williams with data and their household ID number. The second chart shows all household memebers of each William family grouping. Click on the images below to view larger.

As always, comments are welcome. Regards, Dick Broadhurst rmbfll@aol.com

click on image to view larger

click on image to view larger

The map below shows the households identified by civil parish.

View William Broadhurst in 1841 Cheshire in a larger map

Up until today the earliest family group I’ve posted has been John and Frances Adshead BROADHURST. John and Frances are my 2nd great grandparents. Their marriage certificate list’s John’s father as William Broadhurst and Edward Broadhurst as a witness. An 1841 England Census lists what I believe to be his family; William and Mary Broadhurst with children Elizabeth, Ann, Edward and Richard. I’ve recently found an older RootsWeb posting that perhaps better documents this family grouping. As of this date I still to confirm the sources with the original RootsWeb lister. Based on this infomation the family group would be as follows:

Farmer William BROADHURST (b abt 1781 Chelford) married Mary HARDERN on Tuesday, 10 February 1807 in St. Mary’s Sandbach. William and Mary may have had seven children:

1. William (b 3 Feb 1810 in Chelford, bap 04 Mar 1810)
2. John (b 27 Jan 1812 in Chelford, bap 23 Feb 1812)
3. Thomas (b 17 Apr 1814 in Chelford, bap 17 Apr 1814)
4. Edward H. (b 21 Apr 1816 in Chelford, bap 21 Apr 1816, married Ann WOOLLEY abt 1845, d 17 Feb 1885 buried in Wilmslow Parish Church Cemetery)
5. Richard (b 9 Mar 1818 in Chelford, bap 5 Apr 1818, married Mary UNKOWN, d 17 Mar 1884 in Broadwall, Sandbach and buried 21 Mar 1884 in St. Bartholemews, Wilmslow)
6. Joseph (b 10 Jul 1820 in Chelford, bap 06 Aug 1820)
7. Ann (b 1829 in Sandbach)

SEE A FAMILY TREE HERE

The earliest trans-Atlantic crossing we have for any of the Broadhurst Families relatives is aboard the RMS Empress of Ireland in 1907. The ship is shown above; look below to see who was aboard that voyage and how other relatives made the trip through the years.