Kick start - LETCHER & STEPHENS - Millom

[johnszymala]

Help - Pam, my wife's grandparents James LETCHER born c1894 and his wife Annie (nee STEPHENS) born 12 July 1896 both lived in Millom, Cumbria. That is about all we know about them other than they had a daughter Marjorie (Pam's mum) b11/02/20 from Millom, Cumberland. Any information to get us started on this thread would be very much appreciated. Error name in title should read STEPHENS not Stevens - sorry.

Moderator note: Spelling changed in title

[Jan1954]

First step: get their marriage certificate as it will tell your the names and occupations of their respective fathers, plus where they were living. The former will help you to nail their birth registrations.

June quarter 1919, Bootle registration district, volume 10b, page 1776: James LETCHER and Annie STEPHENS

[Jan1954]

This looks like the birth registration for James:

Bootle registration district, June quarter 1894, volume 10b, page 688 shows the birth of a James LETCHER

Please note that the reference to Bootle in both this post and the one above is an alternative name for Bootle Cul, which is in Cumbria and not the Bootle in Lancashire/Merseyside.

[grisel]

Hello there

There are records for this part of Cumbria online at Cumbria BMD which may help you. It shows the 1894 birth of James Letcher (which Jan found already )with his mother's maiden being Thompson.

[johnszymala]

Grisel, Thank you I was not aware of the Cumbria BDM site which is most helpful. John

[geneius]

LETCHER
I have seareched in this village for 35 years......this is not a common name in Millom,
1901 census RG13 4900 111 25 has a James b 1895 with parents
Thomas b 1847 Iron Ore Miner St Annes Cornwall
Katherine b 1854 Amlwch Anglesea, living on Redhill Millom ( same address 1911)

If you look at the others on the street you will note most have Cornish connections! they were most perobably employed at the Hodbarrow Mine.

A lot of cornish miners migrated to Cumbria around the 1860's

[geneius]

STEPHENS

RG13 4900 189 16
Cleator Street Millom

Annie is with her parents
George b1857 Iron Ore Miner Coniston Lancs
Sarah 1863 Lowick Green Lancashire

Lowick Green is on the road form Torver ( south end of Coniston Water...to Spark Bridge) map co ordinates, what are they ?????

Coniston had its copper mines...

[moli23]

Hi. I am a descendant of Matthew Thompson b1757 Wirksworth/Middleton who came to Amlwch to work in the copper mine, brother to Elizabeth who married Jonathon Roose mine agent, many of the Thompsons in Amlwch are descended from MT...

[johnszymala]

oli23

Thank you for your reply. Sorry for not getting back to you as I have just returned to this site. I have since done some digging and discovered Catherine Thompson 1853 Amlwch (4 siblings) married James Letcher in 1853.

Catherine I believe was the daughter of William Thompson b1824 and Ellen ? (nothing known).

William was the son of Thomas Thompson b14.8.1790 Amlwch and Jane Morris ? (nothing known)

I believe Thomas was the son of your Matthew Thompson b1757 and Elin Rowlands b1765 (nothing known) other than they had eight children. On your suggestion I discovered about Jonathan Roose (mine agent) but little else of the family or whence they came. Any further information would be very helpful.