Finally! I have managed to find your address in the Internet. I have been wanting to write to you since I discovered your fabulous home page in December. I came across it quite by accident while "surfing the net" one day at work. Unfortunately, there are some problems with our system (probably me not knowing how to use it yet) and I am unable to send messages at this time. I was so hoping to be able to add my name to the Honour roll list.
As you can see, our surname includes the spelling with the "e". At least our branch of the family does. I have cousins in the United States (none on your list that I know) who have dropped the "e" years ago.
I too was fortunate enough to visit the parish of Bickerstaffe in September 1995. I had taken Mom on a trip to England with me. It was our first visit. The main purpose of the trip was to meet with some Harrision and Hornby relatives with whom I had been corresponding for several years, but had never met. Recently, a cousin of mine, Bill Harrison in Giggleswick, North Yorkshire, wrote and published a book entitled "The Harrisons of Gisburn Forest". It begins in the late 1600's and includes descendants to present day. My great grandmother, Malinda Hornby married my great grandfather, John Thomas Bickerstaffe in 1900. There descendants are listed in the book.
Unfortunately I had very little information of any Bickerstaffe descendents in England at the time of our visit. On the day before we were to leave England, a cousin asked if there was any particular place I would like to see. I mentioned the parish of Bickerstaffe and he kindly drove us to the parish. We were fortunate to meet Mr. Merrick Rimmer, the present owner of Bickerstaffe Hall. The present house was built around 1750 and is a magnificent three storey structure. Also on the property are some of the original barns from the 1500's as well as an old chapel. Mr. Rimmer was kind enough to allow us to take photographs and to tour the estate. He has recently sent me historical articles about the parish of Bickerstaffe, written by Owen Taylor, a local historian. If you are interested, I would be pleased to share the findings.
We also had the opportunity of meeting the minister of Holy Trinity Church in Bickerstaffe, Reverend Keit Leiper. Reverend Leiper took us through the church which was built in 1843. Prior to this structure being erected, he told ud that Bickerstaffe residents attended services in nearby communities. There was also a strong Quaker movement in the area at one time, and according to some information written by Owen Taylor, the Bickerstaffe's were involved in the movement.
We also went to Blackpool for a drive one evening, mainly to see the illuminations. It was only after we had been to Blackpool and we were getting ready to return to Canada, that I discovered a book entitled "The Blackpool Tower" written by Bill Curtis. It made mention of a Sir John Bickerstaffe, mayor of Blackpool at the turn of the century who was instrumental in the financing and construction of the Tower. His brother, Alderman Thomas was also a Chairman of the Blackpool Tower Company.
My grandfather often spoke of an uncle who was Mayor of Blackpool and who was instrumental in the building of a clock tower. In the face of the clock were the letters to the name BICKERSTAFFE instead of numbers. Apparently, the family also had some involvement with a steamboat company.
Since returning home, I have written to the Blackpool Library to obtain more information about Sir John Bickerstaffe and his family. A few weeks ago I received a package that contained various newspaper articles about Sir John Bickerstaffe and Alderman Thomas Bickerstaffe. One of the articles spoke of a building built around 1898 that stood in Foxhall Square in Blackpool. The article stated it was an impressive structure, three storeys tall called the Bickerstaffe building. In the facade of one of the turrets was a clock with the letters BICKERSTAFFE instead of numbers. Unfortunately, we did not see the building and I am afraid never will now. The building and other businesses were completely destroyed by a huge fire in September 1995.
I have written to the Lancashire records office and I am awaiting information regarding the 1851 and 1861 census reports. I hope that I will be able to confirm the names of my great great grandfather's brothers and sisters, as well as my great grandfather's sister (s) and brothers. I have reason to believe that James Bickerstaffe and Ann Lund may have died at fairly young ages. My great grandfather lived with the Hornby's before his marriage to Malinda.
I have enclosed a quick family chart to show you some of my ancestry. I am not sure if this will connect with any of the Bickerstaff/Bickerstaffes on your page thus far.
Let's see, what else can I tell you? I have written to Douglas Dupree Bickerstaff, jnr. last week and mentioned that I could not reach you directly. I have also written to several Bickerstaff families in the Windsor, Ontario area as well as Bickerstaff and Bickerstaffe families in Toronto and area. Oh yes, the Blackpool library sent me a copy of the telephone directory for Bickerstaff and BIckerstaffe names in the Blackpool area and I have written to them as well. Last Thursday, I received a letter back from a William Bickerstaffe in Blackpool, a gentleman of eighty-seven years. He was quite pleased to hear from me and it is quite possible that we may be related.
Genealogical information provided by Steven now follows:
James Bickerstaffe, great-great-great-great grandfather, born 1773, died 1848. He married Margaret Bickerstaffe on 12 June, 1819. Margaret was born in 1781 and died in 1857. They were first cousins. They had a son named John who was born 6 August, 1820. Margaret also gave birth to a daughter, Betty, in 1812. According to a register of the birth, the father is listed as Richard Parr.
John Bickerstaffe, great-great-great grandfather, lived in Marton, England.
He was born 6 August, 1820. His wife was Nancy Cardwell, born 1818, the
daughter of Thomas Cardwell. They had nine children;
Margaret born 1844,
Thomas, born 1845, died 1866,
Grace, born 1848,
Betty, born 1850,
James, born 1852,
William, born 1854, died 1855,
Agnes, born 1857, married James Butcher on March 14, 1891, at St. Paul's,
Marton,
Bridget, born 1863, married Robert Watkinson on July 14, 1886, at St.
Paul's, Marton,
William, born 1861, married Elizabeth Butcher on April 27, 1886, at St.
Paul's Marton, England, near Blackpool.
James Bickerstaffe, great-great grandfather, born circa 1852, married Ann Lund on May 10, 1873 at St. Paul's, Marton, England. Witnesses to the marriage were Betty Bickerstaffe and John Fisher. They had a daughter named Nancy who was baptised in 1873. Also a daughter named Thomassina. A son, John Thomas was born on 16 December, 1875. No other information at this time about Nancy or Thomassina other than Thomassina also lived with the Hornbys in Accrington, prior to John Thomas' marriage to Malinda. Do not know if James and Ann had other children.
John Thomas Bickerstaffe, great grandfather, born 16 December, 1875 in Blowing Sands, Sub district Poulton-Le-Fylde, England. Married Malinda Hornby on April 14, 1900 at St. John's Church, Baxenden, near Accrington, England. John Thomas lived with the Hornbys before his marriage to Malinda. They immigrated to Canada and the U.S.A. circa 1905. John Thomas died May 26, 1946 in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. One son James, was born July 29, 1901 in England. Four daugthers were born in Bentleyvill, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.; Elizabeth on August 14, 1920, Lena, date unknown, died in infancy, Anna, date unknown, died in infancy, Isabelle on December 24, 1913. One son, Harold, was born December 10, 1907 in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.
Harold Bickerstaffe, grandfather, born December 10, 1907 in Cornwall, Ontario. He worked for many years in the United States and held dual citizenship, U.S. and Canadian, until he moved to Cornwall permanently to marry my grandmother, Pearl Foubert, on October 22, 1928. Harold died on January 7, 1980. They had four sons, Harold Thomas born January 3, 1930, Kenneth Barlow, born October 30, 1932, Ronald James, born May 26, 1936 and Lawrence Eugene, born April 18, 1941.
Ronald James Bickerstaffe, born May 26, 1946 in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. He married Marie Rose Annette Proulx on February 27, 1954. Ronald died on November 15, 1986. They had five children; Daniel Armand born November 27, 1954, Michel Harold born December 16, 1955, Steven Harold Joseph, born January 16, 1958, Joy Anne Pearl, born November 13, 1959 and Kim Marie Marlene, born September 15, 1962.
Bruce
The good news is, I heard from Joe Bickerstaff and apparently my test mail did reach you. The bad news is, I understand that you can't seem to send a message back to me. It is this crazy server that we have at the office, something called the X400. I am beginning to think that 400 refers to the number of times the system crashes in a day. Unfortunately, this is the only account I have until they decide to do something more concrete. If you continue to experience problems in sending a reply back, don't worry. I will keep checking in on your Homepage for any updates.
Your letter arrived earlier this week. It was great to hear from you. Joe and I did meet for beer(s) after work on Wednesday. We both became quite wrapped up in giving each all sorts of information and even uncovered some deep hidden family secrets. Joe is a great guy and I will be meeting his Dad soon for lunch one day.
I am still receiving quite a bit of correspondence from various Bickerstaff(e) families in England, mainly in the Blackpool area at the moment. Actually, a letter that I mailed over to England was placed in the Blackpool Citizen Newspaper last week and it has generated some interest amongst the local folk. On Sunday, the phone rang and it was a delightful woman by the name of Mrs. Clara Whitehead ringing from Blackpool. She noticed the article and called to tell me that she once worked for Miss Flora and Miss May Bickerstaffe, both daughters of Sir John Bickerstaffe. She has offered to provide me with information regarding the family.
I also received a letter from a local Blackpool historian, Mr. Terry Regan, who stated that he has much information regarding the Bickerstaffe family in Blackpool and he would like to share it with me. The family was apparently quite prominent and respected.
Another gentleman who wrote to me said that he had forwarded my letter to a Robin Bickerstaffe, the great grandson of Sir John. He has done and continues to work on a family tree and may be able to provide me with some information.
I have recently been in touch with a family of Bickerstaffs' in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Their family originated in Belfast, Ireland. I mentioned this to Joe as I know his family background is from Belfast. I will be giving him the name of the woman who wrote me in case he or his Dard would like to pursue.
Well, Bruce, as you can see, I am quite involved in this family history business. If any of the Bickerstaff or Bickerstaffe people who write in are interested in some of the connections that I have made, I would be more than pleased to share my findings. I am getting copies made of some of family pictures and will send some off to you soon. I will also be sending you snippets of the Bickerstaffe Parish information that I have. You can probably use some of it at the beginning of your Homepage.
P.S. If you hear from Andrew in Yorkshire, I would really like to get in touch with him. And yes, I have started to inform people that I write to, regarding the Homepage. Keep up the great work!
22 March, 1996/ Hi Bruce. A quick note to say hello and to give you an update. I am sending you a package via snail mail with some family photos and information regarding the Parish of Bickerstaffe that I promised to you in my last note. The articles on the parish, I am sure you will find interesting and they will compliment the information you already have at the beginning of your page.
I heard from Joseph Mencarini III via E-mail and he thinks we mail be related. Unfortunately, when I replied to his note, it went to someone else. Not sure if there is a problem with his server, in any event, I mailed him my note and hopefully he will be getting back to me.
Still receiving lots of information from England and now it seems the letter I placed in the Lancashire newspapers, has made its way back to America. I received a call last week from a lady in Richmond, Indiana who is also tracing her Bickerstaffe family. She is the granddaughter of Alderman Tom Bickerstaffe, brother of Sir John Bickerstaffe of Blackpool Tower fame.
I also received some great census information from a lady in Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. She has managed to trace information about my great-great-great grandparents in a census of 1861, so if you want to update what I sent to you previously, here goes (new information added ... BB)
Well, that's it for now, hopefully the package should arrive within a week or so. Let me know if any of it is use to you. Take care, my best wishes for Easter to you and yours. Steven H.J. Bickerstaffe.
Re: New addition to the Bickerstaffe clan
Hi Bruce
Just a brief note to let you know that my sister Kim gave birth yesterday to a little girl. Actually, she weighed in at 9 pounds and 11 ounces! It was tense for Kim as she was in a very difficult labour for twenty three hours. However, after some complications everything worked out well and Chanelle Joy Lalonde is the newest addition. I visited them both in hospital this evening. The baby had to stay an extra day as she had a high fever and infection, but it seems to be clearing.
Rather busy at work these days. They have me involved in setting up the job postings for our region, advertised on the Internet. It is giving me good experience working with html.
I hope all is well with you and family.
Hi Bruce. I hope this letter finds you and family enjoying good weather down under. It's been some time since I have written to you so I thought it was time to give you an update.
Let's see......to begin, the great grand daughter of Sir John Bickerstaffe, Ann Beardwell, will be coming to Canada to visit in October. She will be spending ten days with me and I plan on taking her to Cornwall to meet the family. We have been corresponding back and forth quite a bit these past few months. She and her husband have sent me some great pictures of one of my ancestral homes in Lancashire, Midgeland Farm.
Robert Schoppe sent me a note in June and I wrote back to him. He was looking for some information on some of his Bickerstaffe ancestors. I sent him another note this evening to let him know the historian in England who is doing some research for me, is interested in getting in touch with him.
Speaking of the historian; Terry Regan and his wife have unearthed scads of information on the Bickerstaff(e) family in Lancashire, England. Not only have they found dates and names, they have uncovered some rather interesting stories about some of the people. They are planning on publishing a book in the near future which will probably cost about eight pounds British Sterling. It will have general information about the Bickerstaff(e) name, origin and my family descent as well as Sir John's will be included. The interesting thing about the book will be an index of church records, etc...they have uncovered with reference to where they can be obtained in many cases. This will be of interest to other Bickerstaff(e)s who may have originated in the Lancashire area. By the way, I think they have managed to trace my line back to the 1600s at this point. They are just waiting to confirm one more piece of information. Any way, the book sounds quite interesting and I told him I would try to put something on the NET to alert other Bickerstaffes. I guess I will have to get working on a home page.
Today, at the office, I received an email from someone named Penny who was trying to get to your homepage of Bickerstaff. She was having difficulty. I gave her the address as well as your email address so you should be hearing from her. Seems to me she is one of the people I contacted for you way back when.
I am still trying to get the information on the Bickerstaff who wrote to me in the early spring and said he had brothers in Ireland who did some family research. I have not been successuful but will try to reach him by phone this week.
I received a call from my cousin in the States last evening. She was visiting her Mom and Dad over the weekend. Her mother was my grandfather Bickerstaffe's sister. Well, it seems that our Bickerstaffe family was all set to move to Australia instead of Canada at the turn of the century. Some other relative had gone to Australia first was doing some prospecting. My great grandfather was going to follow, however, he got word the relative who did go to Australia was somehow killed with others near the mine. This was probably between 1900-1905. I'm going to see if I can find out any more and let you know.
Well, I guess that's it for the moment. When you get a chance, drop me a line. Oh yes, I have been checking in on your homepage and was interested to see the entries for Mark Bickerstaffe and Mark Bickerstaff. I will be getting in touch with them as well. The one from Maidenhead is quite close to Blackpool.
Take care,
Steven
22 March 1997. Hi Bruce.
I just had a call from my historian friend in Blackpool, Terry Regan. He related an interesting find in his search of the elusive Bickerstaffe clan (my clan). While going through some old records, he located three Bickerstaff(e)s namely, E. Bickerstaff(e), J.B. Bickerstaff(e) and W. Bickerstaff(e) who, in 1849, boarded a ship called the "Gypsie Queen" bound for Port Phillip, Australia. Terry was wondering, if by chance in the research of your family, you may have come across this record in Australia.
A great aunt of mine, still living, stated that my great grandfather had originally planned to go to Australia before coming to Canada. He was going to join family who had already gone to Australia to do gold mining. Not sure how accurate the rest of this story is, but, apparently, John Thomas, my great grandfather, did not go, as the family had heard the relative they were going to join had been mysteriously killed (murdered?) near a gold find.
If by chance you have come across any other Bickerstaffes in Australia and you may have information regarding them, I would be most interested in hearing from you. My great great grandfather, was James Bickerstaffe as you know and it is he, that we are trying to track down. Seems he disappeared some time in the 1880's and we can't seem to find him anywhere.
Steven
To contact Steven, write to shj.bickerstaffe(at)sympatico.ca
To go to Steven's home page
Snail mail to:
Steven H. J. Bickerstaffe
Colonial Woods T.H.#11
150 South Service Road
Mississauga ON L5G 2R9
Canada
