My Mum Rene (Grace Irene O'Donnell) was telling me a story yesterday about her Auntie Grace - who she was named after. Grace Johnson was Martha's sister in law - Edward's sister. The story which is a really sad one goes like this.
Grace (born 1884) was married and had 6 sons. She was 33 when her husband died really young. With no widow's pension she couldn't support them and she had to place her boys aged 12, 10, 9, 6 and 2 younger boys in the Blue Coat Orphanage in Liverpool. How sad it that! Grace never remarried and died in 1951 aged 67. I wonder what happened to all her boys. I have added more info taken from the census and birth and death records - take a look in comments.
What is also amazing is that 2 generations later Mark and Simon O'Donnell and Stephen Powell (my son) went to the very same 'Blue Coat' which by then had become a boarding school.
She was born Grace Elizabeth Johnson in the first quarter of 1884. Grace Elizabeth Johnson married Robert North in 1904 in West Derby. Seh was aged 20.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1911 censuc Grace was aged 27 and Robert aged 32. They had four sons - Robert William North aged 6, Stanley J North aged 4, Victor H North aged 3, and Eric North aged 8 months. Robert North died, aged 37, in 1917.
I could not find records of any more children, but Mum says there were 6 boys. Robert North was a signwriter and painter. They lived at 53 Stockbridge Road with Robert's father and younger brother. Poor Grace was the only woman in a house of 7 (or 9) males. Imagine washing day!
Grace E North died aged 67 in 1951 in North Liverpool, so she did not marry again. Ties in with birth date of 1884.
Before she married Grace (aged 17) was working as a domestic in 1901 at 22 Sefton Road for the Holliday family (I think!)
This is wonderful,so interesting to hear the family history.
ReplyDelete