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One Grundy Family from Astley in Lancashire



Joseph Grundy Son of Fergus and Mary Ann nee Bromilow/Brimelow.


Sarah Greene Daughter of Samuel Green and Sarah Darbyshire.


Married on 31st December 1887 at St Stephen's Church in Astley.




The Grundy family at Park House Cottage Manchester Road Astley about 1903.


Sarah and Joseph with Annie, Jinnie, Sam, Gilbert and Fred. Arthur not yet born.



Location of Park House Cottage:


Manchester Road.

Where the road curves, on the opposite side of the road to [the new] St Stephen's School.

Between the back of the cottage and Coldhalhurst Lane is where Park House used to stand.

Park House was demolished long ago and new houses built on the site.


Photos of the Cottage and gate post taken in 1996 - nearly 200 years later!



Grundy Family with Hats !

Possibly props provided by the Photographer?


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Letter from Joseph Grundy:


The copy of this letter to his "Uncle" in America came to me from a descendant of Henry who was one of Joseph's Uncles.

Henry the Brother of Fergus who was Joseph's Father.


Joseph worked as a Coal Miner and died when he was 66 years old.

I do not know much more about him.

I hope to do another post about his Brothers and Sisters.

Joseph in the garden possibly at 200 Hen Fold Road as looks like terraced houses in the background.


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The Children of Joseph Grundy and Sarah Greene:


Annie, Jinnie, Nellie, Samuel Ferguson, Gilbert, Fred & Arthur.


Four Brothers:


Left to Right: Fred, Arthur, Sam & Gilbert


Annie standing and Nellie seated.


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Annie:

Wedding of Annie Grundy and Tom Green

Photo taken at Park House Cottage, Manchester Road, Astley

1 Possibly Lot Grundy

4 Auntie Peg [Tom Green's Sister]

5 The Groom: Tom Green

6 The Bride: Annie Grundy

8 Sarah's Grundy's Sister

- Annie nee Greene

9 Joseph Grundy [Father of the Bride]

10 Joe possibly Joe Crank/Grank

11 Lillie

14 Mercy Mann

19 Nellie Grundy [Sister to the Bride]

20 Sarah Grundy nee Greene

[Mother of the Bride]

21 Jinnie Battersby nee Grundy

[Sister to the Bride]

22 Norman Battersby


Tom died in 1924 age 33 from the after effects of the War and Annie died in 1930 age 42.

They are buried together in Leigh Cemetery.


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Jinnie [Janey]:


Jinnie married Sam Battersby. I believe his parents were Thomas Battersby and Elizabeth Arrowsmith but I have not verified this.


Their baby Norman died in 1916 and then Sam died in 1918.


Sam was killed in the War and buried in the Ramleh War Cemetery in Israel/Palestine.

He was 36 years old.


Inscription: REMEMBRANCE IS A FLOWER THAT NEVER FADES - HIS LOVING WIFE JINNIE


Photo: Jinnie and Sam Battersby and baby Norman.



After the death of her Sister Annie, Jinnie brought up Annie's two daughters and continued to run the shop. Jinnie did not have any surviving children.

While Tom was ill in hospital in Birkenhead from 1919 until he died in 1924, Annie, converted the front room of their house at 56 Manchester Road, Marsland Green into a shop.


In 1927, Annie, her girls and Janey moved to the shop in Bolton Road, Walkden.


Photo of - need to check ...



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Sam

Sam was an engineer in the Merchant Navy.

Apparently he was nearly buried in a coal bunker on a ship once: He managed to put his arm above his head and his shipmates saw his hand sticking out of the coal and dug him out.


The Japanese tea service mentioned in Sarah's will was brought back by Sam from his travels overseas.



Sam married Minnie Grundy.

[Ada} Minnie was the Daughter of Allen Grundy & Elizabeth Ormston.

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Gilbert:


Gilbert was already in the Army when the First World War broke out. He was with the BEP in the RAMC until he was wounded in April 1918.


He was evacuated to Hospital in Scotland where he met Lily who was a Nurse.



Gilbert married Lily Fraser in 1922

Back left: probably Jinnie, Will Blears & Nellie, unknown man & woman, probably Fred, Annie & husband Tom Green.

Front: Sarah Mother of the Groom, Gilbert, Lily and Lily's Sister Nell and Joseph Father of the Groom. The two little flower girls are Annie's daughters who would have been about 4 and 7 years old at the time.

Gilbert and Lily are buried together in Richmond and East Sheen Cemetery, Surrey.


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Nellie:

I was told that Nellie was engaged to a boy who was killed in the War.

She later married his Father Will Blears.

It appears from my research that they were only married for five years before Will died.

Nellie worked at Astley Green Post Office, near the Canal bridge and "was very friendly with the Lesters" who, I have realised from my visit to Astley Green, must have lived across the road from the Post Office.

Also, from my research, I have found the Lesters were related to the Grundy family because Ann Grundy, Joseph's Sister had married Thomas Lester. So Ann was Nellie's Aunt and Ann's children her cousins.

After Will died in 1925, Nellie lived with her Mother and Brother Arthur.


Then later on Nellie and Jinnie went to live at Arnside near their Neice Mabel.


After Jinne's death Nellie went to live with her Brother Fred in Yorkshire.


Nellie did not have any children.





Photo taken with the Canal Bridge behind the Photographer Harry Lester with Van outside the Butcher's Shop on the right. Location of Post Office opposite on the left.
















Below Photo taken late 20th Century. No longer a Post Office.
















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Fred:


Fred was a chartered surveyor by profession. He married Ella May Sherlock in Eltham in 1933. They lived in Teddington Surrey and later Harbury near Wakefield.


Ella - location unknown, Fred in the ARP [standing on the daffodils !] and Ella in the WRVS during the Second World War, Fred on the Pilgrims Way abt 1933 .


I am guessing this photo of Sarah and Ella with Fred and Ella's dog [who I seem to remember was called Nero? ] would have been taken by Fred who was into photography:

A photo of his Mother and Wife

Mother in Law/Daughter in Law relationships being what they are I also suspect neither of the sitters were completely happy about it.





Fred was interested in the Family History.

I was give a tree he had hand drawn up - in the days before computers.


He had also written on the back of many of the photos - for which I am forever grateful.


Photo on the Left: Fred in later life - showing his personality.




Ella died when she was about 58 and later Fred remarried to Mary.

Fred did not have any children.





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Arthur:


I don't know much about him other than, like Gilbert and Fred, he used to like sketching.

Apparently, he used to play the organ in the church and was involved in producing amatuer theatre plays.

He had originally been destined to go down the mines but had jumped out of the cage and never went back.

He worked for Higsons Flour Importers received a watch with inscription: Presented to A Grundy by E & W Higson Ltd for 25 years service 1922-1947.

Later he was Under Manager for a company called Greens who manufactured dry goods and confectionery.


The 1939 Register lists his Occupation as:

Director & Sec Foodstuff Manufacturing Co. Company

Account+

He lived with his Mother and Nellie first in Henfold Road, Astley and then he brought a house named "Ivy Mount" [demolished] in Worsley where I understand Jinnie also lived with them.


Below: Fred on the steps at "Ivy Mount"

Arthur never married and did not have any Children.


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Photo of Sarah with her children except for Annie who had died.


Back L to R Arthur, Fred, Gilbert & Sam

Seated left Nellie and right Jinnie with

Sarah in the centre.


The original photo was of poor quality.




Photos:

The family photos, I would imagine Jinnie's, and definitely Nellie's, collections all passed to Fred. After his death they came to my Dad, who had no interest.

I want to share them otherwise, when I die, they may well be lost forever

- which seems a shame.

So I post them in the, maybe vain, hope that if any descendants of Annie and Sam have an interest in the past they may find them here.


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Obviously on holiday, by the "Hotel Grounds"

Joseph and Sarah with I think Fred,

and Arthur standing on the right.




Below: Joseph and Sarah in Blackpool

The "Pleasure Gardens" maybe?



Sarah & Jinnie:













Below: On holiday in Torquay where Sarah had a Sister: One of the photos by the wall was annotated as being Torquay.

I presume, as they appear to be wearing the same clothes, the photo with the car is at least the same visit, if not the same day.

I also guess the owner and/or diver of the car was Arthur as Gilbert never learned to drive.


More Happy Holiday Snaps:

The girls - Sarah with Daughters Jinnie and Nellie and Daughter in Law Ella.

I would guess maybe the Big Dipper at the Blackpool funfair in the background of the first picture?

In Memoriam:


[Sam Battersby 1918], [Tom Green 1924], [Will Blears 1925], Joseph 1929, Annie 1930

Sarah 1954, [Ella 1959]

Sam 1971, Arthur 1978, Gilbert 1979, Jinnie 1982, Nellie 1983,

[Mary Fred's 2nd Wife 1984], [Minnie 1984], [Lily 1989], Fred 1990

The Grundy Family - badly affected by the First World War

Not Forgotten.

Sarah, Joseph, Annie, Jinnie, Sam, Gilbert, Nellie, Fred

and Arthur [not pictured]

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© 2020 bgrundy
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