Genealogy with George

Revisiting G. A. Dale

I started my family history research on 13 March 2020, just before the first Coronavirus Lockdown. It was somewhat of a false start; the flashy hints that usually end up inaccurate did not help. However, one of the hints struck my attention. I remember it so distinctly. It was late on, and a photo popped…
Fanny Fletcher: A Life Anything but Ordinary

Fanny Fletcher, later Tasker, was born in the July or August of 1844 in the village of Minting in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, about 6 miles northwest of Horncastle. She was baptised on 13 August 1844 at the Village’s Parish Church and was the daughter of John Edward Fletcher and his wife, Louisa…
Heckmondwike Grammar School’s Opening: 17th January 1898, 125 years ago.

On what was likely a cold and crispy January Monday morning, specifically on the 17th of the month, around a thousand children, workmen, a few parents and many esteemed members of Heckmondwike’s community descended on High Street. A momentous occasion was to occur; after five years of labour and heavy debate, the Heckmondwike School Board’s…
George Stead: Peace in Death

My name is George. I was named after my Great Grandfather, the lovely George R. Dale, who died many years before I was born. He served during the Second World War, then worked as a Gardner at Batley Park for most of his life. He was most likely named after his uncle, George Alfred Dale,…
Heckmondwike in 1881

A simple, modest book, tucked away nice and safely in the corner of Cleckheaton Libary’s excellent local studies section, can give a profound and interesting account of Heckmondwike in its prime – an up-and-coming town on its way to make history. The aforementioned book is the 1881-1882 Heckmondwike Local Board Handbook. It clearly has a…
Two years volunteering in a Cemetery?

When I tell people that I volunteer at Liversedge Cemetery and also Morley, I typically get similar responses – raised eyebrows and a look of confusion. That is not unjustified as it can, at first glance, seem strange to someone who doesn’t understand what we do and why we do it. I would like to…
Mary Jane Fell: Courage and Perseverance

My ancestry has many stories of true tragedy, unimaginable loss and difficult and, to some extent, traumatic childhoods. But there are also remarkable stories of love, survival, and unimaginable perseverance. Sometimes, these stories come hand in hand, and my Great Great Great Grandmother, Mary Jane Fell’s story is perhaps the epitome. Mary Jane Fell was…
Anthony Metcalfe: Miner, Dog Owner and Survivor

In order to know someone’s life story, you do not need to know everything, and Anthony Metcalfe’s story, my Great Great Great Great Grandfather, proves this concept. We know a great deal about his character via a telling account of his demise and a few other key events of his life and can tell his…
Bridget Cook: Bravery Lost to Time

Sadly, historically, women have been overlooked and sometimes intentionally dismissed and ignored, especially working-class women. In the field of genealogy, I suppose there is less of a chance of this discrimination, at least to an extent, as there is always a desire to trace back as much as physically possible, but when maiden names are…
Harriet Keighley: The Widow

Born into a turbulent childhood shrouded in mystery, Harriet Keighley found herself lucky when she married Jeremiah Hall in 1830. But, struck by Jeremiah’s loss only fifteen years later, she started a widowhood that would last over twice the length of her marriage and have profound consequences for the generations of Halls ahead. Harriet’s parents…