Bertha DOWNES m Henry SMITH 1911 Accrington

Subject: Bertha DOWNES m Henry SMITH 1911 Accrington Mon 2 Feb 2009 - 23:20

I've discovered another SMITH connection in my family tree!!

This is on my maternal side - ie not my main Smith line - my dad's side. (What a surprise!!
I never knew until now that my grandma Bertha Topping nee Hughes had a first cousin called Bertha Smith!!)

My great grandma Eliza Jane Hughes (nee Downes), her 4 sisters (Sophia, Bertha, Amelia & Ruth) and one brother Albert Charles Downes were all born in Shropshire. Some time between 1881-1886-ish they all moved, along with their parents William & Eliza Downes (nee Walker), and Albert's wife Lucy, from Bridgnorth Shropshire to Blackburn Lancashire.

On the 1901 Census Albert & Lucy Downes & their children lived in Oswaldwistle.
By 1911 they had moved to 28 Richmond Hill Street, Accrington.

On the 1911 Census, along with their other children, living with them are - their newly married daughter now called Bertha Smith and her husband Henry Smith (19 = b c1892)

Here's the marriage - from the LancashireBMD database.......
1911 Accrington, St Peter
DOWNES Bertha May & SMITH Henry
Preston Registry Office Ref: ASPE/3/151

(Accrington marriages at the time were registered in Haslingden Reg Dist, but those registers are now held at Preston)

GRO Index check to narrow down the date
(then I might be able to find it in Accrington St Peter Parish Register)
1911 Marriages: March Quarter
Haslingden Reg District - matching refs: Vol/page 8e/130
Downes Bertha M
Smith Henry

Mother's maiden names were introduced to the GRO Births indexes from September Quarter 1911. This entry looks as though it is most probably the child of my Bertha and Henry.......(probably others to be discovered yet)
1914 Births: March Quarter
Haslingden Reg District: Ref: Vol/page 8e 246
SMITH Lucy, Mother's Maiden Name - Downes.

Are there are any Smiths or Downes cousins of mine out there -
from these branches of my tree? :ck-smile:

Carole

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carole, Smith Project/Smith Chat Admin
Nothing is too small to know, and nothing too big to attempt (William Van Horne)

Subject: Re: Bertha DOWNES m Henry SMITH 1911 Accrington Wed 4 Feb 2009 - 17:45

They crop up everywhere these Smiths!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maxine
Friendship~
Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. - Oprah Winfrey

Subject: Re: Bertha DOWNES m Henry SMITH 1911 Accrington Thu 5 Feb 2009 - 22:12

Hi Maxine,

Yes they certainly do!! I have another Smith connection as well that's not my main Smith line, but attached to it. My gr.gr.grandmother Mary Shackleton who married my direct line James Smith - well, Mary's mother's maiden name was also Smith. She was Sarah Smith from Harewood/Otley area, b c1800. So I'll write about Sarah on our WRY Board another day.
Carole Very Happy