National Women's Friendship Day--sort of

[mumsisdaughter]

While sorting through Birth and Wedding certificates for a lesson about census data later this week, I came across the oldest photograph I possess.

This is Ann Rimmer, born 1839, who was married to an ancestor of mine named James Ashcroft. He worked for the railway. In 1861 they lived with her mother, Alice, in Altcar Lane. By 1871, Alice Rimmer was dead and Ann and James had five children.

In 1881, they lived in Ivy Cottage, Hills Lane (now called Clieves Hills Lane--the cottage is still there, barely five miles away); the older children had moved out and there were two younger ones. Children's names, eldest first: Jane, Alice, John, William, James, Alfred, Cornelius.

Ann grew herbs for sale in Liverpool market, travelling there and back on the back of any cart going that way. It would have taken quite a few hours.

Cornelius was my great-grandfather. I remember him, just, and my Mum has a photo of him holding me when I was new-born. My Mum just remembers Ann, my great-great-grandmother.

Not exactly a female friend but surely I owe her and all my ancestors a huge debt of thanks for bothering to procreate :)

Comments

[versailles-rose.livejournal.com]

I LOVE this!

[gairid.livejournal.com]

What a fascnating little story and a wonderful picture. Thanks for posting it!

[pinigir.livejournal.com]

Nice to know the history of your family like that. And to have some photographic evidence to go along with it. My mother has been digging into her family history recently and, though I haven't been paying that much attention, it's interesting to see what you can learn from it. I believe she got as far as an ancestor in 1727 or somewhere around that time.

[mumsisdaughter]

I've got back to the late 18th century so far. Yet another hobby for my retirement. Our ancestors must have been a tough bunch to have survived long enough to have children.

[pinigir.livejournal.com]

Yes, it seems that they were. Conditions were so different in the past, I'm not sure I would have survived. The ancestor I was talking about, apparently lived to be over ninety years old. I've got no idea how he did that.