One of the proudest moments so far in my genealogical search has been learning about the role my Great Grandfather William Browell Charlton had in bettering the lives of his fellow man.
This was made all the more special this past week by Roy Lambeth, Chairman of the Durham Mining Museum who very kindly sent [...]
On November 15, 1920 - eight months to the day from my grandmother Helen Charlton’s death, Frances Smurthwaite (nee McPherson) married my grandfather Robert Charlton.
The marriage took place at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Sunderland on the east coast. They likely left for Canada soon after the ceremony in order to make the ocean and [...]
In the previous post I described the early years of Frances McPherson. While the details are sketchy, we can follow her in place and time from her birth at Littleburn Colliery to her employment as a house maid in 1901 for a well to do family in Old Durham town in the shadow of [...]
As mentioned in the previous post, Francis McPherson was born October 16th, 1874 at Brandon Lane in North Brancepeth (a.k.a. Littleburn) Colliery, County Durham. Her parents were William and Margaret McPherson. In the 1881 Census, Frances was 6 years old and attending school in the Township of Brandon at Browney Colliery, County Durham. She [...]