Speaking Of Mines....

I know that I mentioned I was cleaning up some stuff on my hard drive on other places and I came upon some forgotten pictures and video clips.

Then, I happened to go through that mining town in PA and it linked some stuff back with me that I figured it was about time to share.

Its all MINE RELATION :) Get the double entendre :) Well, at least you will in a few minutes...

So, a few years back, mom, dad, Aunt June and I crossed the pond to jolly old England where we had the great fortune to be re-related with some of our relations.

Some of the really interesting ones that we were able to meet up with were the Askews in Bolton-Upon-Dearne in Yorkshire, England.

Bolton is an old mining community ... old being the operative word as it is no longer a mining community. All of the family worked in the mines there, including our cousin (I supposed he would be like my third cousin) Terence.

This is Terence, his wife Gillian, and myself. This picture is actually from a few years after the first visit when I was able to go back with a friend and we stopped over to see them again. Much of the Askew family still lives in and around Bolton-On-Dearne.

Let's see if I can get the family relations right...

This is Terence....

This was my (our) great-great grandpa and grandma... Sarah and Joseph Askew

Sarah and Joseph had 13 children....

They had John.....

...who was Terence's grandpa...

They also had Joseph -- who was my/our great-grandpa...

Joseph married Fanny - our great-grandma

Joseph and Fanny Askew ... I suppose I could say that I never got to kiss our Fanny :)

Great-Grandpa and Grandma had 6 children -- Grandpa Charles being the only boy.

GG Joseph worked in the mines and they lived in Bolton-Upon-Dearne in this cute little row house -- all 6 of them....

Grandpa and all the sisters went to this school right down the road....

One day there was an accident in the mine and Great Grandpa got severely hurt. They brough him home, barely alive, and laid him on the kitchen table where he passed away.....

Grandpa Charles was about 11 when great grandpa died. After this, gg Fanny took up laundry and such in their house for a while and then they ended up moving over to Rochdale, Lancashire so Grandpa Charles could work in the cotton mills.

I'll put a list of family at the bottom - Terence sent it over our way...

First, a few pictures of the old family stomping grounds....

As I mentioned before, there are no more mines in Bolton-On-Dearne. They were all turned into the lovely landscape you see below.

They do have paths around the area and you can go up and still see some of the caps that are over the old air shafts from the mines.

This is the cemetary that all the family is buried in....

Our first visit over when Terence brough us around and showed us the town.

Abraham was another brother of Great Grandpa Joseph. He was gassed in the trenches in WWI -- was never married.

I have to check who this Askew is -- he was one of the nephews of Great Grandpa as the dates would indicate.

One of Great Grandpa Askew's sisters - Elizabeth Clarkson

Another one of his sisters - Sarah Ann

Our Great Grandpa's headstone....

Incidentally - if you'll look at the before and after - when mom and all of us were there back in 2007, they were dingy looking. When Kim and I were back in 2008, some of the family had had some of the headstones cleaned off including Joseph's and Great Great Grandma's (look at the headstone at the top of the blog and then the one below for Sarah).

One more aside - another member of the family who lives in Bristol that we had visited was Doreen. Doreen is the daughter of Grandpa Charles' sister, Hetty. Its creepy how much mom and she not only look alike, but even their actions were very very similar.... Genetic????

Here's a little family table that Terence was kind enough to share.... As you can see - we have family in Australia too :)!

Children of Joseph and Sarah Askew.

William Never Married

John Married Catherine Hayes. My Grandparents

Joseph Married Fanny Heeson Your Great Grandparents. Children: Charles, Lucy, Hetty, Bertha, Doris, Ann

Abraham Never Married

George Married Elsie Pocklington. Emigrated to U.S.A Children: Lawrence, Betty.

Sarah Ann Married James Whitworth

Elizabeth Married Jack Clarkson

Polly Married Martin Swidells

Lucy Married Albert Cooper Emigrated to U.S.A.

Emma Married Herbert Swift Emigrated To Australia 1920s

Agnes Married William Burton Their son Billy went to Australia with his Aunt Emma.

Florence Married Jack Stephenson

Susan Married William Grainger

And last, but not least - here's a little clip (albeit sideways :)) of Terence talking about working in the mines -- it reminded me so much of grandpa when he talked, it was kind of eerie....