Category: Family Stories
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The Stirzaker Family – A Life Along the Lancaster Canal
The story of Robert Stirzaker (1855–1934) and Elizabeth Ormand (1856–1926) takes us into the heart of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Lancashire, following a family whose lives were closely connected to the land, the canal, the mills and the busy dock at Glasson. From Robert’s early years as a farm servant around Cockerham, and Elizabeth’s childhood…
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The Alcock Family – A Story of Sunderland, Shipbuilding and Family
John Alcock and Sarah Broom The story of John Alcock and Sarah Broom takes us into the heart of nineteenth-century Sunderland, a world shaped by the River Wear, shipbuilding and the hardworking families who made their homes among its busy streets. Born in Wolsingham in 1825, John came to Sunderland as a young man and…
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The Life of William Ferry and Dorothy Mustard
The story of William Ferry and Dorothy Mustard is very much a story of Sunderland itself. Their lives spanned a period of enormous change, from the busy Victorian streets of Bishopwearmouth and Ballast Hills to the shipyards of the River Wear, and eventually to South Wales. Through their homes, occupations, marriage and children, we can…
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Life of Thomas Laidler and Sarah Alcock
Remembering Thomas and Sarah The story of Thomas and Sarah Laidler is much more than a list of census entries, addresses, occupations and dates. Their records provide a window into the lives of an ordinary working family living through an extraordinary period of change. Thomas’s life followed the path of a nineteenth-century industrial worker. From…