User:HelenSmithToo-296

I started researching my family history with my parents about 5 years ago (can't believe its that long!). I live in a town that was a collection of small hamlets 150 years ago. Iron ore was mined in the area, and the railway came. Because Barrow has a great natural harbour in the shape of coastal islands, it became a major iron, steel and shipbuilding town. This brought 10s of thousands of people to the area - from all over the British Isles. The first of my ancestors arrived in Barrow in the mid 1860s and the last in 1913. My husband's family came here in the 1960s.

This led us to want to find out more about where our ancestors came from. There's been a few surprises along the way. I've been fascinated by how many places in this country I've been on holiday in the past with my parents, that I now know my ancestors came from.

My family names

MORRALL - from North Warwickshire in the 18th and 19th Centuries.

WEBSTER, BUNN - Dudley area in the early 1800s.

HARRIS - from Nottinghamshire - Cotgrave and before that, possibly Arnold. Early 1800s and before.

HALLAM, BENNETT - from Bottesford area of Leicestershire. 1700s & early 1800s

NEEDHAM - from Tideswell in Derbyshire. Most of my Needhams moved to Halifax in the 1870s.

BROWN, SWAIN, GRAINGER - from North Cumberland - Cockermouth area in the 18th and early 19th Centuries.

CLARK/E - from the Worcestershire/Shropshire border area. Clark(e)s married Clark(e)s.

BOLER, FAIRHAM - from the Rotherham/Tinsley area of Yorkshire.

BLACKSMITH, HALLAM - from Rawmarsh, Yorkshire.

DUFFIELD, BATTY - from North Lincolnshire - the Isle of Axholme.

FOX - Ironbridge area of Shropshire. May have moved down from Shrewsbury area, link not proven yet.

RICHARDS - Church Stretton area of Shropshire in the 1700s and early to mid 1800s.

LEES, ROPER, SUMMERFIELD - from the Wolverhampton area, including Bilston and Willenhall up until the 1850s.

LEE - not a lot on these, but around the Tipton area.

MANSELL - moved from Wellington in Shropshire to Tipton.

CLEWS - from the Walsall Wood/Cannock area of Staffordshire, again early 19th century and before.

ANDERSON, LEWIS - in Poplar. Have no info on the Lewis family prior to the 1824 marriage of Mary Lewis to George Anderson. George Anderson came from South Hanningfield in Essex, but have no further info on his family before the marriage of his parents (Geo Anderson & Mary Ashfield) in 1799.