Genealogy Chat

My JEFFCOAT family were Quakers and the family sent them to Ackworth school in the late 1700s. Six siblings went there. They didn't even come home for Christmas and stayed for a couple of years. The Society of Friends has records of attendance for the school. I think it was pretty grim there. There is a very famous tapestry : http://www.friends.org.uk/quakers/qschools.htm One of my family - Rebecca Jeffcoat - did one of them. See: http://www.thecrewelgobelin.com.au/shop/store/whatsnew.htm She was there from 1798-1800. My great-great-great grandfather Daniel Jeffcoat was there from 1798-1802. When he married he gave up his Quaker religon - he was baptised the day he was married. The family had huge trouble tracing the Jeffcoats until from a will it was realised that they were Quakers from the phrase 'my friend ...'. Then it was possible to find the records for them through the Society of Friends. Hope this interests those of you with Quaker ancestors.

I heard back from Martin. He said thanks for the info. but Edmund was a bit too distant a cousin to be of great interest. Rose

My brother hangs about in Manchester Reference library and heard about another long-standing researcher there, who had been caught flogging rare books on E-bay that he had stolen from the library. I always feel uncomfortable when important documents come up for sale. They should of course be in the National Archives. But I suppose that selling them is better than throwing them away, and the buyer will probably be motivated to look after them properly - perhaps even donate them, after taking photocopies, of course! OC

Great minds thinking alike, Charmiane! I phoned the same place first thing this morning and spoke to the lady in charge of the library. She is going to consult with her colleagues and keep me informed of what they decide to do. I got the impression that for such organisations to get involved with bidding for items on Ebay is very much an ethical grey area. They do not wish to encourage a trade in important documents. Surprisingly, a lot of museums and libraries do not even search Ebay to see what is out there and so are quite unaware of national treasures potentiallly vanishing from the public domain. Does anyone remember that news article about a member of the public uncovering an Ebay seller auctioning maps which had been razored out of antique books belonging to a national library? The fact that the seller hadn't even bothered to conceal the library ID stamps is amazing - the images were screaming out that the items had almost certainly been obtained by illicit means. With the Rowntree stash, I am learning that the family produced prolific documentation so every now and then legitimate items will come out of the woodwork. I'm hoping that the ones online at the moment do find their way into a national collection for their future preservation. Interestingly, the growing popularity of genealogical interest means that requests made to Libraries to view such documents are also increasing.

Looks like someone beat me to it (it wasnt you was it Tracey?) I've just had a reply back from the JRFL to say someone rang this morning, but that they were grateful for the details I had included and would be following them up. So definitely a worthwhile exercise.

Hi Tracey, Couldn't agree more with you, I have emailed the Library Manager of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Library and informed him of these items, requesting him to forward my email on if he knows of anyone connected to the Rowntrees who would be interested, if not the Library itself. Charmaine

Barbara, it is amazing just how much information can be accessed with a combination of Ancestry census records, BMDs and Google! And the good news for any insomniacs out there is I have found that ebay death manuscript I mentioned earlier. It is Item number: 290096047404 and offered by the same seller with the Broadhead material. 'QUAKER MEMORIAL This is a handwritten memorial by Sarah Robson being “ A few Memoranda respecting the illness & death of Esther Seebohm” Inscribed “ not to be copied”. Written on 15-pages, 8 x 5 inches, loosely contained within old wrappers dated 1864.' Lovely distinctive name. I found her death registered in 1864 DecQ Hitchin 3a,1?6. I am wondering whether the items formed part of someone's private collection of Quaker material which is now being broken up. What is really beginning to worry me now I have googled Esther Seebohm is that all that material really ought to be part of a public archive. It IS the family of Joseph Rowntree the famous philanthropist founder of the chocolate company. As his work was so important historically, surely these documents should form part of a museum collection or be lodged somewhere where researchers and members of the public can freely access them. Anyone out there with any ideas about this?

None of this has anything to do with me, and I haven't anything to add..... Just thought I'd write to say how jaw-droppingly gobsmacked I am at the amount of stuff you amazing people manage to find out! I'm still struggling with the basics! Respec to you! Bx

On 17th August 1853, the foundation stone of Leeds Town Hall. was laid by John Hope Shaw, the mayor of Leeds, in the presence of a vast crowd, and amid great ceremony and celebration. The members of the Town Council, Magistrates, the Vicar of Leeds, the architect, the town clerk and other officials and dignitaries walked in 'a procession of enormous length' from the Coloured Cloth Hall Yard to the site of the new Town Hall. The inscription on the brass plate covering the cavity in the foundation stone read as follows: 'The Corner Stone of this Town Hall, erected by the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough of Leeds, was laid on the 17th August 1853, in the 16th year of the reign of Queen Victoria , by John Hope Shaw, Esq., Mayor. Building Committee:-Chairman, Alderman william Edward Hepper; Aldermen John Wilson, John Darnton Luccock, William Kelsall, Charles Gascoigne Maclea, Francis Carbutt; Councillors Richard Bissington, John Marshall, George Brook, John Ardill, David Newton, Joshua Garsed Heaps, JOSEPH BROADHEAD, John Croysdale, William Kettlewell, James Smith, Robert Wood, Robert Meek Carter, William Illingworth, John Lister, George Skirrow Beecroft, Robert White. Town Clerk:-John Arthur Ikin. Architect:- Cuthbert Brodrick.' Could this be our Mary Annes dad - good chance I'd say? I've found him in Whites Directory for Leeds 1853 listed as a Councillor for the North East Ward (also a John Broadhead was an Alderman). At that time he was a Corn Miller at No 1 Skinner Lane, Mabgate, Leeds

What an amazing bunch of sleuths you are! I got booted off the computer by the kids before I got a chance to investigate MA Broadhead's identity. Thanks for contacting the GR member who might be connected. Somebody (Thank you Paul Barton!) contacted me via this site when they found a family bible on ebay with one of my names and I was really chuffed. Incidentally, the ebay seller who is selling the diary also has several other Victorian diaries written by girls at the same school. One mentions a Lucy Broadhead. There are also manuscripts from the Quaker Rowntree family. The most interesting ebay document was a handwritten account of the sickness and death of a woman who died in 1864. I found the death registration and had hoped to see if the name belonged to a GR member, but my blooming kids have moved my notes and I haven't been able to refind the item.

Blimey, only went to get a cuppa, and you provide all that in my absence!! Its lovely knowing all that, makes you wonder what happened to her afterwards, what she looked like etc. No doubt she'd be amazed to have strangers showing this sudden interest in her. She must have been devastated by her sisters death.

Someone called Martin has Edmund in his tree. Have emailed him. Rose

Here she is at the school in 1861: 1861 England Census about Mary A Broadhead Name: Mary A Broadhead Age: 13 Estimated birth year: abt 1848 Relation: Scholar Gender: Female Where born: Leeds, Yorkshire, England Civil parish: Ackworth County/Island: Yorkshire Country: England Registration district: Hemsworth Sub-registration district: Hemsworth ED, institution, or vessel: Ackworth School Neighbors: View others on page Household schedule number: 1 Household Members: Name Age Margaret Bott 13 Agnes Bradshaw 14 Sarah A Bradshaw 12 Frances Brady 11 Hannah M Brightwen 12 Mary D H Brightwen 13 Mary A Broadhead 13 Rose

According to their entry in the 1861 Census Joseph was a Master Corn Miller

Hi Rebekah, M.A. stood for Mary Ann. She was born c1848 in Leeds. 1851 England Census about Mary Anne Broadhead Name: Mary Anne Broadhead Age: 3 Estimated birth year: abt 1848 Relation: Daughter Father's name: Joseph Mother's name: Sarah Gender: Female Where born: Leeds, Yorkshire, England Civil parish: Leeds Ecclesiastical parish: Leeds Town: Leeds County/Island: Yorkshire Country: England Registration district: Leeds Sub-registration district: North Leeds ED, institution, or vessel: 1w Neighbors: View others on page Household schedule number: 50 Household Members: Name Age Sarah Arundel 23 Joseph Broadhead 46 Joseph Broadhead 7 Louisa Broadhead 9 Mary Anne Broadhead 3 Robert Broadhead 5 Sarah Broadhead 40 Sarah Broadhead 1 Mary Ann Watson 18 Rose

Lol, I was going to look it up too, Portland Rose. It's strange how we're interested in things that have nothing to do with us :-) Sounds quite posh, Gilpin.

Looks like a double wedding: Marriages Jun 1862 Broadhead Henrietta Leeds 9b 535 Broadhead Maria Leeds 9b 535 Gilpin Edmund Octavi* Leeds 9b 535 Priestman Edward Leeds 9b 535 Maria dies shortly later: Deaths Dec 1863 GILPIN Maria Ecclesall,B 9c 136 Rose

nudge. The £30 starting bid is a bit much.

Item 290096041814 'This is the handwritten diary, for 1862, of M. A. Broadhead, a schoolgirl boarding at, almost certainly, Ackworth School, Yorkshire (she mentions going shopping at Pontefract and Ackworth is at Pontefract). The diary recording Meetings and who spoke, her responsibilities at school – one week she will be Pie Maker, another Room Sweeper or Towel Inspector, Pavement Tidier, or Bathroom Tidier, sleeping arrangements “had to sleep with the selfish & anoy. disagreeable Susy Davis , Oh I was so cold” etc. Also of course recording her “doings” when at home in the holidays. Very fully written up in a small hand in a “Universal Pocket Diary and Almanack”. 4 ¼ x 2 ¾ inches bound in limp leather with tuck-in flap. All but 30 days written up. First few leaves detached but present. Inscribed at front “M. A. Broadhead from her precious sister Maria 12 mo 14th 1861”. She records and attends the marriage of her sister Maria to Edmund Gilpin in June of this year.'

I've just spotted this fascinating item on Ebay and thought I'd post a message about it here in case it is of personal interest to anyone. I'm not bidding for it myself but did enjoy looking at the page scans the seller has included. Details below...