Wilfrid Kershaw - the chrysanthemum shows

Wilfrid Kershaw - the gardener

Derrick Kershaw continues his account of his father's life.

'Valley Garden' 1934

W.K.	Barbara - Overdale above

Chrysanthemums in greenhouse -1933

Barbara, Ada, Derrick - 1932

 

W.K.

 

Barbara - Overdale above

 

Chrysanthemums in greenhouse -1933

 

Barbara, Ada, Derrick - 1932

Wilfrid Kershaw - the sportsman

Littleborough Baptist Church Football team c1911
Wilfrid back row far left

Littleborough Baptist Church Cricket team c1911
Wilfrid (on the left) and Sam Holt opening batsmen.

Wilfrid Kershaw - the mill worker

Ealees Road in Littleborough, leading to Ealees Mill

Wilfrid Kershaw - early years

The next few posts look at the life of Wilfrid Kershaw.

Today's post covers the period  from his birth in 1886 up to the year 1914. Derrick Kershaw, Wilfrid's son, wrote the following about his father.

Wilfrid, aged 20

Littleborough Baptist Church, Durn, Blackstone Edge Road.
Closed 1953. Sold for use as an engineering workshop.
Destroyed by fire. Two houses built on site.

Wilfrid and Ada 13 April 1907

2 Pennine Villas, Limefield, Littleborough
(now 2 Halifax Road)
photo 2012

James Mitchell

James Mitchell was the youngest son of Robert Mitchell and Mary Clough, the parents of Jeremiah Clough. He was born in about 1849. He appeared on the Censuses of 1851 and 1861, working as a Cotton Doffer in 1861, by which time the family had moved to Newchurch in Rossendale.

Amongst Derrick Kershaw's papers was a group photograph featuring 36 people. This must have been given to him by his friend (mentioned in the last post). Nearly all the people in the photo are named, along with a few who were ‘known to have refused to be on the photo’. The photo shows the children of Jeremiah by his second wife Amelia (nee Jennings) except for Clara who was a granddaughter from his first marriage.

‘The occasion of the photo was James Mitchell’s return from Australia, taken in Littleborough Park about 1919.’ Most of the children from Jeremiah’s second marriage are on the photo along with spouses and children. Right in the middle of the photo is an elderly, distinguished looking gentleman and this is James Mitchell, the younger brother of Jeremiah.

On 25th July 1914 the following article appeared in The Rochdale Observer:  

The following year another article appeared in the same newspaper:

The sister mentioned in the article must have been either Elizabeth, born in 1839, or Susannah, born in 1853. James also had two brothers - William, born in 1837, and John, born in 1841.

The man on James Mitchell's left in the photograph may have been the Mayor of Rochdale (Alderman Redfern) who was instrumental in reuniting James with his long lost relatives.

And what happened to Mary Mitchell (nee Clough), the mother of Jeremiah Clough and James Mitchell? The last record we have of her is the 1871 Census where she appears as a widow, living near Blackpool with Susannah and working as a Lodging House Keeper.

The Clough branch of the family - Part 3 (Jeremiah Clough's early years)

In this post we trace Jeremiah's early years and upbringing.

A friend of Derrick Kershaw told him that ‘Jeremiah Clough was born out of wedlock and took his mother’s name of Clough. She later married his father Robert Mitchell and had another son who was James Mitchell.’

The Census records of 1861, 1881, 1891 and 1901 all give Jeremiah’s birthplace as Burnley. The 1871 record has not been located yet. The 1901 entry shows his birthplace as North Bank Extwistle, just east of Burnley. 

North Bank farm, Extwistle
(photo by Kris Baxter, the Briercliffe Society)

The Briercliffe Society has collected records of births, marriages and deaths including those in the Church of Briercliffe and Haggate Baptist Chapel. Using these I have established that William Clough (b 1786) and Nanny Clough (nee Jackson b 1786) had ten children between 1803 and 1826. Amongst these was Mary (b 1812), born whilst the family was living in Cockenden in Briercliffe. By the time of the birth of their last child Thomas in 1826 the family had moved to North Bank in Extwistle.

In about 1832 Mary Clough gave birth to a son Jeremiah. Mary was not married at this time. It appears that this son was born at the family home at North Bank, Extwistle and lived there with his grandparents William and Nanny and his mother Mary.

In 1837 Mary Clough married Robert Mitchell, a Carter from Todmorden, at St Chad's Church in Rochdale. The 1851 Census shows Robert and Mary living in Todmorden with Jeremiah, now 18 and a Picker Maker, and four other children, William, Elizabeth, John and James. Jeremiah’s surname is given as Mitchell, but this is the only record which doesn’t show him as a Clough.

The previous Census in 1841 had shown Mary and Robert with the three oldest children but no Jeremiah. At that time he was still living with his grandparents at North Bank. He is shown as Jeremy, aged 8.

Jeremiah married Grace King in 1854 - see the previous post.