STEVEN H. J. BICKERSTAFFE
MY FAMILY HISTORY SITE
updated 9 April, 2002

No kings, princes or dukes in this family. ..............although some of the Bickerstaffe family in England were a prominent lot (Sir John Bickerstaffe was instrumental in the building of the famous Blackpool Tower), I am afraid that our limb on the Family Tree was pruned or rather cut off for one reason or another.

There are many key pieces to our puzzle that seem to be missing. Each time I find a new lead, it opens the door to more mysteries.

As someone who has always been interested in family history, I welcome the opportunity of meeting others who may be able to provide some answers to my questions and who share a common interest in any of the following names:

My Father's side of the family:
  • BICKERSTAFFE/BICKERSTAFF - from the Blackpool, Lancashire area, in particular Marton and Bispham areas
  • CARDWELL - from the Blackpool & MartonLancashire area
  • HARRISON - from the Gisburn Forest area of England
  • HOPWOOD - in the Blackburn, Lancashire area
  • HORNBY - in the area of Accrington, Lancashire
  • LUND - from the Blackpool, Lancashire area
  • FOUBERT - from the Lac des Deux Montagnes, Oka & Vaudreuil, Quebec region and also, Williamstown, Alexandria and Cornwall, Ontario area
  • MILLER - from the St. Andrew's, Ontario area
My Mother's side of the family:
  • BOUCHARD from the Combermere, Ontario area
  • CAYER/CAILLER/CAILLE - from Marionville, Ontario
  • GAUTHIER from the Hawkesbury, Ontario area
  • LAFRANCE (DARAGON) originally from l'Ile d'Orleans, Quebec and then the Montreal area and finally, St. Eugene, Ontario
  • PELLETIER from Québec
  • PROULX mainly from the Hawkesbury, Cornwall & St. Eugene,Ontario area and Pointe Claire, Pierrefonds, Témiscaming and l'Ile Bizard, Québec

At the moment my main search is for information regarding my great-great grandparents, James Bickerstaffe and Ann Lund.

 James Bickerstaffe, was born 4 July, 1852, in the county of Lancashire, England. He married Ann Lund on May 10, 1873 at St. Paul's, Marton, Lancashire, England, near Blackpool. Ann was baptised 8 May 1853 in Marton. She was the daughter of Thomas and Jenny Lund. Witnesses to the marriage, were Betty Bickerstaffe and John Fisher.

(Interesting little note....the father of Thomas Lund was one, Robert Bickerstaffe. It seems the Bickerstaffe line was connected to the Lunds prior to James and Ann getting married.)

James and Ann had a daugher named Nancy who was baptised in 1873. A son, John Thomas (my great grandfather) was born on 16 December, 1875. A son William was born circa 1878-79.

In the 1881 UK census, Ann and her three children are listed as residing in the Kirkham Workhouse (Home for the poor). Where was James?

A daughter named Thomasine was born 2 October, 1885, in Blowing Sands, Marton, Lancs and baptised in 1887. A son Richard was also born 8 January, 1887, in Blowing Sands, Marton. The birth certificates lists Ann Bickerstaffe (formerly Lund) as a Charwoman. The name of the father is omitted from both of these birth records. In a 1891 census, Thomasine and Richard are listed as paupers in the Haslingden Union Workhouse. What happened to Ann?

A burial record at St. John’s Baxenden, indicates that Richard resided at 2 Alma Place, Baxenden and that he was buried 26 January, 1911, aged 24 years. His sister, Thomasine is listed as next of kin on the record. Her address at the time is listed as Back Parliament Street in Bury, Lancashire.

On 19 June, 1915, Thomasine (Thomasina), married married Joseph Hilton at the Warrington Register Office, Warrington County Borough, Lancashire. They had one son, George, who was born 19 September, 1916. George married Kathleen Gladys Rix on 16 April, 1942 in Blackburn, Lancashire.

No other information at this time about Nancy, William or Richard. I would be pleased to hear from anyone who can shed more light on these four children.

If you have any information or can add some pieces the above puzzle, please contact me.

I should also mention a wonderful Bickerstaffe/Bickerstaff site that Bruce Bickerstaff in Australia has put up on the web. Visit his site and have your name added to the list. This is a great source of information for people researching the Bickerstaffe/Bickerstaff/Biggarstaff names. The World-Wide Bickerstaff Home Page is an excellent site.


OTHER INTERESTING LINKS:

My cousin, Bill Harrison, in Giggleswick, North Yorkshire also has a family web site.
He has written the following books: "The Harrisons of Gisburn Forest", "Out of Aigden" and "The Lunds". You can obtain more information by visiting his site.

Patty Hopkinson, another distant cousin, has been researching the Cardwell family, the Wilkinson family and other names in Lancashire, England.

Pilon Internationalwill take you to another genealogy site linked to my family. Jacques Prou dit le Poitevin, my first Proulx ancestor in Canada, married Jeanne Pilon in 1706 in Lachine, Québec. The Pilon International site begins with Jeanne's parents, Antoine Pilon and Marie-Anne Brunet. Amazingly, the home of Antoine Pilon, circa 1706-1710 is still standing and can be seen on this web site.

Claude Ouimet is another new found relation!!! He has a wonderful site where you can find all sorts of information regarding our PROULX HERITAGE. When you go to Claude's site, follow the link for Gabrielle Johanna Ouimet is the daughter of Claude Gabriel Phillias Ouimet.


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