Mary Eileen Johnson - Feb, 1917 - Dec, 1917

After reading Kate's post about Mona, I did some additional research on Ancestry and found that a Mary Eileen Johnson was born about March, 1917 in Kirkdale and the mother was listed as having a maiden name of Dowling.  On a hunch, I decided to order a copy of the birth certificate and indeed found that she was a child of Edward Johnson and Martha Dowling, born February 12, 1917.  The birth was registered on March 26, 1917.  I then found a death registered in December of 1917 for Mary E Johnson, registered in the West Derby registration district.  I presume this is most likely the "lost" Johnson daughter.  Would you agree?  I haven't ordered the death certificate and I will keep looking for documentation but I think this is probably the "May" that has been referenced.  What do you all think?   Derek

CLAIRE HOUSE

Thank you  cousin Derek for sending Barry the lovely cheese & wine hamper.He felt that it was only right to donate this to Claire House, which is a children’s hospice on the Wirral, in memory of his Dad Ted. [who supported this charity]
Thank you Derek for agreeing with this decision.
Here is a photo of Barry with the fund raising staff, they were delighted with the donation.
Thank you all for your good wishes & kind words expressed during this sad time. Barry & all the family are fine............Ray xx

Thank You

On behalf of  The Johnson family, I would like to thank everyone for all there cards and sympathy over the sad loss of dad, thank you to Kate, Andy,Sue ,Helen, Veronica & Jen for attending dads funeral, and thank you to cousin Derek who sent over a lovely wine & cheese hamper. I hope he won't be offended if we donate it to Claire house who look after terminally ill children on the Wirral so that they can raffle it, its a charity which was close to dads heart and which he has supported over many years.
Thank you to Susan in America and Tom in France and all of Martha' s family for there kind thoughts.
                                                                                                                                                    Ray xx

AT 10 RUSKIN AVE. OCT 2012 WEARING DAD'S HAT & COAT

Lost my lovely dad, Edward (Ted) Johnson. Passed away peacefully after a very short illness, 11th May 2013.  So pleased that I came home from New Zealand and spent six precious weeks with him last year. Incredibly proud of you Dad. Love you forever. Brian & Margaret

Mona Johnson Dec 1909 - Sept 1911

My Mum used to talk of two of Martha's  babies who died in infancy. Their names were Mona and May.
I have found Mona's birth and death records but have struggled to find anything about May.

Mona died just 21 months old. She was listed in the Births record in Dec 1909 and Death record in 1911. She was the 2nd child of Martha and Edward after Ida (Martha Elizabeth Ida) who was born in 1908 Then  Vera was born in 1912.

Can anyone help find more information about May?

I don't remember Grandma ever mentioning either Mona or May but Mum said that she remembers Grandma telling her that when the babies were laid out in the parlour that she (Martha)came downstairs and cuddled them. How sad and how touching. I asked Uncle Ted a while ago about the 2 babies and he didn't remember, but he was born a lot later and  maybe Martha didn't really talk about it.

I'd like to think that when we remember Martha's children that we include Mona, I'm sure Martha never forgot her even if she found it difficult to talk about her. Maybe we can also find a record of May.

A bit of history

Hi to all my family out there.
I have done a bit of ancestry digging in the past and this is the information I discovered about the Johnson line. You may want to draw out a family tree so that you can see it better. It is a bit tricky just to understand it from sentences.

Edward Johnson (Martha's husband and my Grandad) was the 3rd child of 8 children. Mary 1877, Joseph 1878, Edward 1880, James 1880, Grace 1884-1951, Stephen 1887, William 1888, and Margaret 1892

Their parents were William Johnson(1853) and Elizabeth Alice Cave (1857) William's parents were Joseph Johnson (1826) and Mary (maiden name I don't know) and this was as far as I got down Mary's  line.

However with Elizabeth Cave I got much further.

Elizabeth Cave was the 1st child of 6 children. Elizabeth 1857, John 1850 James 1852 William 1855 and Ann 1860 and Stephen 1863
Her parents were Stephen Cave (1827 - 1864) and Mary Palmer (1828)

Stephen Cave was the son of John Cave 1795 and Elizabeth Aspinall 1793- 1866.
Mary Palmer was the child of James Palmer but I have no information of her Mother

This is as far as I got.
If you do have access to www.ancestry.com then the family tree is listed as Johnson/Dowling and the owner is randjinoz (this is my sister in law's ID  who helped me pull the information together)
Interesting isn't it. let me know if you have any questions I may be able to search it out.

Martha Dowling Birth Certiificate

Martha Dowling and Edward Johnson Marriage Cert.

Martha Dowling and Edward Johnson Marriage Certificate. June 4th 1906

Teds Memorys

Susan asked how granddad died. Edward Johnson died in Walton Hospital Liverpool aged 57 of liver failure, dad seems to think it would have been caused by going in and out of the big ships freezers were the meat was stored and not wearing a coat to keep out the cold.
Dad can't remember Edward having any brothers or sisters but maybe Helen will be able to delve into that now that she has a bit more info which is on Martha & Edwards marriage certificate. Dad tells me that John Dowling, Marthas dad lived in Marmion st aintree and would call on dad who then lived in wallasey on his way to watch the cricked at the cricket club in Rake Lane wallasey. Dad remembers he wore either a bowler or a straw boater and was a very smart man. Regards to all Edward & Martha's family.
          Ray

Ted's Memorys

Spoke to dad today to try to answer some of Susan’s questions. Dad seems to think that Martha left Bob Poston because shall we say he was abusive towards her. Dad recalls things became so bad that he hit Bob Poston, at the time dad was only 16 and went to live with some friends who had a small holding in Maghull, but he cant remember who they were.
One of Bobs daughters  Karen Isaics? still sends dad a xmas card every year and lives in Cambridge.
In 1942 Martha took dad to sign up for the merchant navy with the White star line and signed up on the Laconia on which he did 2 trips, it was the second trip when the ship was torpedoed and dad was captured and sent to a prison camp in Casablanca in north Africa were he stayed for a few months untill set free by the Americans.
On the 31/12/42 dad had just got home from being a prisoner of war and walked into the Sefton Arms in West Derby were Martha and Bob were talking to 4 A.T.S girls, one being my mum Eileen, after the pub they all went to a party at one of Bobs daughters house, the next day my mum brought my dad over to the Wallasey to meet  her mum and dad Daisy and Jack Cooper [ who brought me up when I was born as the house was so small being a 2 up 2 down ] and the rest is history.
Uncle Billy signed up for the sea when he was about 17 and my dad 18, being so young was accepted in those days as they needed anyone they could get. Dad sends his love to all of Martha & Edwards family who are scattered all over the world.
                                                                        Ray

Discharge Book

My Granddad

It gives me great pleasure to be able to add a picture of Edward Johnson Martha's husband, a picture I know all of the family would like to see.
One of my dads regrets was that know one in the family had a picture of his dad, and as you can imagine it gives me great pleasure to be able to full fill his wish. The picture is taken off his I.D.and discharge book

a picture of which I will also include on the blog. Best wishes to all of Martha & Edward family who are all over the world. Seeing granddad for the first time has been very emotional for me.
                                                                    Ray

Butchers Shop

Talking to dad today about his dads shop in Westminster road the remains of which can still be viewed on google maps, its next door to Westminster news. It looks like the council has finally got round to building a wall to block off access to the site. Dad was saying how as a young boy he would work for his dad maybe after school and weekends, and would take orders out on a delivery bike with a basket on the front. Dad was saying his dad never owned the shop but paid rent, when he died in 1937 Martha had a manager in the shop for a while but that didn't work out so by the time it was bombed in 1939 dad feels that Martha would not have still been renting the shop. If anyone has any questions they would like me to ask dad please let me know. Dad will be 90 in October but still as sharp as a pin, so get your questions in. Regards to all Martha's family.

Ships

As asked for by Susan my cousin from North Carolina I have spoken to Dad about the ship information. Edward Johnson sailed on R.M.S Olympic which sailed from Southampton a journey made many times by Martha so as she could see her husband. For more info about the ship see wikipedia.
Uncle Billy was a waiter on the Reina del mar. info on wikipedia about ship.
My dad Ted Johnson Sailed on a number of ships including, The Laconia, Franconia, Alcantara, Georgic and the Athalone castle.
To see Martha's husbands butchers shop which was bombed in1939 see my post dated 20/11/10 and you will see dad walking across the road the bombed out shop behind him. Regards to all of Martha's family all over the world.  Ray

The Laconia survivors story.

The story of the sinking of the Laconia, as told by the survivors including Ted Johnson the son of Martha.