A Wood family of Manchester

[JinxieFox]

Since Wood is a very common surname, I realize my family is just one of many Wood families in Manchester. Also, this isn't a brick wall, per se. I'm actively searching for living relatives in the UK, since we are living here until August 2013. I hope to try my hand at on-site research sometime this year, while I have the opportunity.

My great-great grandfather, John William Wood, was born 15 March 1874 in Manchester. He emigrated with his family in 1880 on the ship "Germanic" to the U.S. They settled in Willimantic, Connecticut, where he married Lulu Gertrude Lyman on 20 October 1897. John died of Hodgkin's Disease in Willimantic on 17 November 1928, at the very young age of 54.

But he had my great-grandmother (whom I loved very much - I was very fortunate to know her) and my great-great aunt and great-great uncle (fraternal twins).

John's parents were Thomas Wood and Sarah Ann Gray, both from Manchester. Thomas and Sarah were married 18 July 1869 in Manchester, and are in the 1871 census with their first child, Agnes at Ancoats, St. Philip.

Their 5 children were Agnes (1871), John William (1874), Mary Pauline (1877 - she married Clayton Royce, probably in Connecticut), Harriet Jane (1882), and Thomas Edwin (1885 - I am in touch with his descendants back home in the U.S.).

There were 8 children total, according to the 1910 U.S. census, but only 5 living.

I am particularly interested in the descendants of Thomas Wood's and Sarah Ann Gray's siblings, as they probably still reside in England.

Thomas Wood has been difficult to pinpoint in the 1851 and 1861 censuses, because there are a few Thomas Woods born about 1845. I think it is likely that he is the son of John and Ann, as a Thomas Wood appears with them in the parish of St. Philips in those two censuses. I keep trying to locate his death certificate in the U.S., since that should confirm his parents' names.

If my great-great-great grandfather Thomas is the son of John and Ann, then he would have many siblings, based on the 1851 and 1861 censuses. It's reasonable to assume that I still have cousins here in England, if these are my Thomas's parents.

Sarah Ann Gray was born about April 1848 in Manchester, and is most likely the daughter of William Gray and Ann Jane Mason.

William and Ann had at least 5 children:

1. Martha Jane Gray, b. abt. 1841 in Stockport, Cheshire, who married William Edward Hughes on 27 May 1860 in 1860. They had a daughter named Jane on 6 September 1863 in Manchester.

2. John Gray, b. abt. 1843 in Ireland.

3. William Gray, b. abt. 1846 in Ireland.

4. Sarah Ann Gray, my great-great-great grandmother.

5. Agnes Gray, b. abt. 1850 in Manchester and married Edwin Ashton in 1874 in Manchester. They had at least 4 children: Margaret (1875), Hannah (1878), Nellie (1886), and Fred (1891).

Most of the dates are still approximate, unless I've located a vital record. For greater details, you can visit my family tree at
http://worldconnect.
rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=stormphoenix2&id=I97

As I said, I'm still actively researching this family, especially trying to locate death records for Thomas Wood and Sarah Ann Gray in Connecticut (the town of Willimantic did not have one and I am searching neighboring towns).

If anybody has a connection to this family, I would certainly love to hear from you.

Wendy

[MarkJ]

If anyone can assist with living relative info, please use the PM system to pass that information on. It is not permitted to post details of living people on the open forum.

Thanks