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PM received saying the address was Fern Cottage

Have advised responding on the thread

Hopefully John will share what he knows

There's mention of Fern Cottage, Knitsley here (a Will from 1942):

SMITH of Fern Cottage Knitsley Consett -- County Durham (pt 1)
https://tinyurl.com/uy84rxo)


In 1939, there's a Smith family at a Fern Cottage In Consett, but in Templetown, not Knitsley Lane. Don't know if they're related to the person who died or not.:

Alexander R Smith
in the 1939 England and Wales Register
Name: Alexander R Smith
Gender: Male
Marital status: Married
Birth Date: 4 Nov 1878
Residence Year: 1939
Address: Fern Cottage Templetown
Residence Place: Consett, Durham, England
Occupation: Plumber
Schedule Number: 58
Sub Schedule Number: 1
Enumeration District: FFJP
Registration district: 550-2
Inferred Spouse: Isabel R Smith
Inferred Children: Elizabeth I Smith
Household Members:
Name
Alexander R Smith
Isabel R Smith
Elizabeth I Smith
John Smith

However, clearly neither they nor the person who died are Ramsden and/or Sarah.
(Alexander Smith's middle name is Rawson.)

AG

The 1891 you posted 11/04/20 is definitely John's family

He's shared his tree with me

Sarah J's eldest brother (Samuel) was John's great grandfather

Name: Samuel Joseph Ramsden
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 28 Oct 1861
Birth Place: Barnard Castle
Baptism Date: 18 Nov 1861
Baptism Place: Barnard Castle, Durham, England
Father: Allan Ramsden
Mother: Margaret Ramsden

Name: Samuel J Ramsden
Gender: Male
Marital status: Widow
Birth Date: 28 Oct 1861
Residence Year: 1939
Address: Pennys Hospital (Mens Houses) King Street -********** actually Alms Houses (know it well)
Residence Place: Lancaster, Lancashire, England
Occupation: Retired
Schedule Number: 286
Sub Schedule Number: 8
Enumeration District: NVND

Oh, good!
Thanks for letting me know, Erika!

So the letter is dated some time between Sept 1939 and 1975 (Ramsden's death).

so that is also making that winter of 1939/40 look even more likely

I wonder if there's any mention of war in the letter?

Have given John the link to this thread, so we can only hope he uses it and returns with answers

Hi all,
Sorry if I dint get back, couldnt find my way to here :). I do have a copy of the letter I would gladly send if I knew how to attach it somewhere? My research all started from discovering a small book an ancestor wrote called Life in a Caravan by Allan Ramsden of Consett. It has some fascinating stories about his travels around the area in his horse drawn photographers caravan. I though he was my grt grandads brother but eventually discover he had a son (Samuel Joseph my gt grandad) when he (Allan) was 19. He also had 5 daughters - Mary Alice 1864, Sarah J 1866, Margaret A 1868, Afda 1872, Eliza 1883, and 2 sons, Allan (1874 William 1875). These are the ones I am trting to follow to see if I can find the surnames of the ones named by first name only in the letter. One puzzle with the letter is that it is signed your affectionate niece and nephew Sarah and Ramsden. It also says Ramsden and I are keeping well and Uncle Allan is still going strong. I cant see anyone called Ramsden Ramsden so must assume he is generally called by his surname!!?

I will definitely post a copy of the letter if I can find out how.
Thanks for all the help. Please send me and ask to look at my tree if needed.

Hi ErikaH
That's most insteresting about Samuel being at Alms houses. I knew him when I was around 10/11 when he lived with Isabella (known as Isobel) in Barnsley (Sth Yorks) he was totally blind then. I remember him dying around 1955.

Looks like your family in 1871

1871 England, Wales & Scotland Census
Hunwick Village, Hunwick, Auckland, Durham, England

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Allen Ramsden Head - Male 29 1842 - Austin, Durham, England
Margaret Ramsden Wife - Female 28 1843 - Durham, England
Samuel Joseph Ramsden Son - Male 9 1862 - Durham, England
Mary Alice Ramsden Daughter - Female 7 1864 - Durham, England
Margaret Ann Ramsden Daughter - Female 3 1868 - Durham, England
Ada Ramsden Daughter - Female 0 1871 - Durham, England

Original shows Allen as a Photographer b Austin, Durham
Rest of family b Barnard Castle

John -

Read my posts on 11th April at 11:06 and 11:20.

"Ramsden" was John Ramsden Williams, the son of Sarah J Ramsden and James Williams.

John Ramsden Williams was known as Ramsden, and his wife's name was Sarah.

1881 - the Ramsdens of Ramsden Street

1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census
157, Ramsden Street, Barrow in Furness, Lancashire, England

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Allan Ramsden Head Married Male 30 1851 Photographer Hunston, Yorkshire, England
Margaret Ramsden Wife Married Female 38 1843 - Barnard Castle, Durham, England
Mary Alice Ramsden Daughter Single Female 17 1864 D Servant Barnard Castle, Durham, England
Sarah J Ramsden Daughter Single Female 15 1866 Scholar Barnard Castle, Durham, England
Margaret A Ramsden Daughter Single Female 13 1868 Scholar Barnard Castle, Durham, England
Ada Ramsden Daughter Single Female 9 1872 Scholar Barnard Castle, Durham, England
Allan Ramsden Son Single Male 7 1874 Scholar Durham, England
William J H Ramsden Son Single Male 4 1877 Scholar Durham, England
Abraham Luny Boarder Single Male 24 1857 General Dealer Germany

I'll gladly have a look at the letter, if you can scan it, and save it on your computer.

Click on my name at the top of one of my posts, then attach the scanned letter where it says "Attachments" - and click "Send".

If there's more than one page, I think you'll need to attach each page separately - ie - each page in a different message to me - as I don't think you can attach more than one document per message.

Thanks greyghost
That all looks correct, I need get to grips with how to find that on here. The site has altered since I used to use it in 2007. Can you explain how you got to that info on here. It's interesting to see Sam there as he seems to disappear quite quickly and move all over the place, I have him located in Consett, Maryport, Lancaster ... and eventually in Barnsley (Sth Yks) where I knew him.

I think Greyghost found those censuses on Find My Past - not on GR.

We helpers don't generally use GR for finding records.

Yes, on FMP AG.

However on here you can do it -
Click on Search at the top of this board and then under
All Categories to the left of the drop down box
Click on Census , Land and Surveys

Box now headed Search our Historical Records (try Ada Ramsden)
Input First name and Last name
Under event type, click on Other event
Put in a year i.e. 1881 for census
Click on Search now - there are 200 + results for Ada Ramsden so a lot to look through
BUT if you put Durham in the Optional Keywords box before Search now then you'll only get 7 results (her birth year is 2 out, her age must have been given wrongly)
Look at each to find correct one

Her sister Margaret A Ramadan,also shows because of initial A - both in Barrow in Furness - right age

No-one who gives help on here uses GR for research, John

John has sent me a scan of the letter.
Mabel's daughter's marriage should be a clue to the date of the letter [ if Mabel is a relative ], as well as the likely ages of Sarah's children.
There's no mention of the war.


Dear Uncle Sam,
You would know that I had lost your address when I did not write to you.
I am sorry to hear that your sight is so bad, also that Isobel is in poor health again.

I have had Uncle Will in the shop one or twice during the holidays, but had not time to talk to him as we were very busy.
Auntie Polly is suffering from rheumatic pains. I sent her some tablets to give her relief.

Mabel's youngest daughter was married a few week ago, so she has the house to herself once again.

Ruby has taken over the caretakers job at the Avenue Methodist Church. All her family is still at home. She will need them now, as there is plenty of work in a church.
For my own family, Edwin has taken over the printing works, and Ramsden is concentrating more on the farms.
Helen is expecting an audition for the Guildhall School of Drama & Music.
She hopes to go there for 3 years if she is accepted.

Ramsden and I are both keeping well.
Uncle Allen is still going strong and we have had Xmas cards from Aunt Maggie.

The weather is very tretcherous [sic] just now. The roads are dry and it is snowing heavily. We have had it like this for more than a month.

Well, I think this is all just now so I will close, wishing you the best of health during the coming year.
Your affectionate niece and nephew, Sarah and Ramsden.

Sarah & Ramsden's daughter Helen married in 1955, and was living in Essex in 2003.

I don't see her death, nor definitely that of her husband, so they may both still be living..

Going by her age on 1939 Register, if she was applying for the Guildhall School, the year of the letter must have been roughly 1949-ish, or early 1950s - but before 1955.

This is the death of S&R's son James Edwin:

Jams Edwin Williams
in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
Name: Jams Edwin Williams
Death Age: 59
Birth Date: 19 Nov 1921
Registration Date: Jul 1981
[Aug 1981]
[Sep 1981]
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration district: Durham Northern
Inferred County: Durham
Volume: 1
Page: 1250

His address was still Fern Cottage, Knitley Lane, Consett (per probate notice)


If he had taken over the running of the print-works, as per the letter, he must have been at least in his 20's, making the letter sometime in the 1940's or later, which fits with the info re Helen..