Help Wanted

I’m researching a former occupant of my house called Miss Mary Alice Hackey.

She was born in Bootle, Liverpool in 1883 and worked in the Post Office from around 1910 where she became involved in trade union activities and also in the suffragette movement (we think she went to prison for her involvement but haven’t found a prison record yet).

Her father was a wharfinger on the docks and in around 1923 Mary, her parents and sister came to live in my current house.

In 1930 Mary was also appointed a magistrate in Lancashire and presided over some famous cases in Liverpool in the 1930s.

One by one Mary’s family members passed away and by 1935 Mary was on her own.

When we moved in all the deeds were left to us and in with the papers was a set of “War Damage” charges paid by Miss Hackey from 1941-44 for a property named as “Omptons, Ompton, Kneesall, Newark”.  The war damage receipt mentions a house, an orchard and land.  I can’t find any records for Ompton in the 1939 Register but I wondered if any members of the group may have any more tips about finding out where this house was and maybe even why Miss Hackey had it.

They weren’t a particularly affluent family – they lived in a small terraced house (Bibby’s Lane) near the docks for many years and then moved to this grander house in Liverpool (Litherland Park) and neither Mary nor her sister ever married.

I have read Mary’s diary from 1932 which is in the Lancashire Archives and it mentions buying shares so perhaps she invested some inheritance well and it allowed her to also invest in property.  I did wonder if she ever actually lived in Ompton and if she perhaps bought it as somewhere a bit safer to live given that the house in Liverpool is a mile from the docks which we’re targeted heavily in the war.  Any search advice gratefully received, many thanks, Becky Williams – 26highgables@gmail.com.

I’ve been working on a family genealogy for a friend.  His grandmother, Eileen (Eden) Shapiro, who was born in England, married a soldier and came to America, recently passed away.  In her possession was a very large and detailed Indenture document that lists every member of the John and Elizabeth Hopcroft family, including those that married in.  It’s a mystery how Eileen came to be in possession of this document.  The document appears to be the copy delivered to William Carter, who married Elizabeth Hopcroft, a daughter of John, possibly in the summer of 1863.  She died by Mar 1866, about 2 years before the Indenture document.  I have been unable to find much information about Elizabeth or William Carter, and I admit, this mystery intrigues me. Could anyone help me find some pieces to this puzzle?

Stacey Smoyer  – desertdreamer4ever@gmail.com

Jessop and Radford family

My grandfather Albert Pinner won a military medal in Mesopotamia in 1917.  Richard Jessop was also awarded one in the same action.  With remembrance day coming up, I thought I’d see if I can get in touch with any of his descendants.

It’s obviously harder to try to move forward into the ‘unknown’, rather than back from the known as we usually do, but this is what I’ve come up with –

Richard Jessop b. 1881 Ossett died 27/5/1918 France – remembered on Soissons memorial.
married 1905 to Lily Nutt, born 1885 Wakefield died 1932 Basford
1911 census in Pinxton, Blackwell, Notts.
Ada born 26/9/07 Ossett prob. married William Radford in Basford, Notts. 1928 died Chesterfield 1954 (1)
Harry born 1912 Mansfield prob. married Mabel Sewell in Basford, Notts. 1940 died Basford 1966
Richard born 1915 Mansfield poss. married Alice M Bales in Boston 1942
poss. Flora Underwood Burton 1947 died Nottingham 1993

(1) children Joseph E, Basford 1929; (all others Mansfield) Rose E 1930, Ronald 1932, James W 1934, Ernest N 1936
(2) child Janet L, Basford 1942
(3) no children

Joseph could have married Elsie Turner in Chesterfield in 1946
Rose could have married Walter Thompson in Chesterfield in 1953
and possibly had children Cheryl (1954), Paul (58), Melanie (64) and Julie (66) in Mansfield
Ronald could have married Edith Kimberley in 1954 or Mavis Marshall in 1956, in Mansfield
James could have married Marjorie Booth in Nottingham in 1952, Janet Armstrong in Belper in 1956 or Joyce Cobb in Mansfield in 1958.
I think Ernest married Jean Cotton in Chesterfield in 1954 and had children Ada (1954), Stephen (57), Kevin (60) in Chesterfield and maybe Theresa (69) in Mansfield.

Albert David Horn – albert.horn@btinternet.com