This
is a summary of the results I have had so far in researching my possible 19th
century relatives of the Parker family living in the Bradford area of
Yorkshire.This
is a summary of the results I have had so far in researching my possible 19th
century relatives of the Parker family living in the Bradford area of
Yorkshire.
Searching for Townsley and Sheeky relatives was not so bad but searching for Parker connections has proved to be much harder. However I have found the following entries for relatives in the Parker family and, through them, links to the Jennison and Knighton families in Nottinghamshire as well as possible Parker origins in Suffolk.
Isaac Parker and his family were living at 29 Wilfried Street. The full list of occupants, as recorded on 3 April 1881 is;
| Name | Age | Occupation | Born | |
| Isaac | 54 | Wid | Farm Labourer | Bradford |
| Frank | 21 | Son | Brick Maker | Bradford |
| John W | 18 | Son | Warp Washer | Bradford |
| Sarah A | 16 | Dau | --- | Bradford |
| Thomas | 14 | Son | Worsted Spinner | Bradford |
| Benjamin | 13 | Son | Worsted Spinner | Bradford |
| Isaac | 9 | Son | --- | Bradford |
According to the information I already have from my mother and the family birth / marriage / death certificates, this should be the family containing my great grandfather and great, great grandfather. Because Isaac was already a widower in 1881, I had no clue as to the name of my great, great grandmother.
If I am right then, the Sarah A on the census is the same Sarah Ann who was a witness to the marriage of John William and Margaret Jennison on 26/10/1884; even though she was probably no more than 20 at the time. Margaret came from Eastwood, Nottinghamshire and also appears in the 1881 Census at 8 Lancaster Street, Bowling as -
| Name | Age | Occupation | Born | |
| Ann Jennison | 47 | Wid | Laundress | Eastwood, Nottingham |
| Margaret | 13 | Dau | Scholar | Eastwood, Nottingham |
| James | 11 | Son | Scholar | Eastwood, Nottingham |
So again we have a widowed parent and need to search further for clues.
John William Parker, son of Isaac, and his family were living at 81 Bolling Street. The full list of occupants, as recorded on 5 April 1891 is;
| Name | Age | Occupation | Born | |
| John William | 28 | Head | Worsted Factory Hand | Bradford |
| Margaret | 23 | Wife | Eastwood, Notts. | |
| Robert | 6 | Son | Bradford | |
| Edith | 4 | Dau | Bradford | |
| William | 2 | Son | Bradford | |
| Joseph | 3mn | Son | Bradford | |
| Fanny Jennison | 19 | Sis-L | Worsted Factory Hand | Eastwood, Notts. |
| Frederic G Bendig | 25 | Lodg | Worsted Factory Hand | Manchester |
| Alice M Bendig | 22 | Lodg | Worsted Factory Hand | Eastwood, Notts. |
| Ernest Bendig | 2 | Lodg | Bradford | |
| Albert Bendig | 4mn | Lodg | Bradford |
It seems that John William and Margaret had staying with them - Margaret’s un-married sister and another family that included either another sister or a friend from Eastwood. The surname looked to be Bendig but the handwriting was unclear - however subsequent research confirmed this was correct. The presence of Fanny here as sister-in-law confirms the links with Robert Armiston (1856) that start from the 1861 Census; since she was staying with his family at Hucknall under Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire in 1881.
Isaac (1826) may have died before this census but certainly some more of the children survived; since Isaac (1872) is known to have married a Frances and had at least two children - James and Agnes. Also the Jennison family should still be in the Bradford area. More searches of the 1891 Census are clearly needed.
But in the same census the following related entry was fouund at 9 Carnation Street, Bradford Moor.
| Name | Age | Occupation | Born | |
| Joseph Kershaw | 30 | Head | Wool Sorter | Bradford |
| Elizabeth | 29 | Wife | Bradford | |
| Caroline | 8 | Dau | Scholar | Bradford |
| Mary Ann | 5 | Dau | Bradford | |
| Eliza Ann | 3 | Dau | Bradford | |
| John Ernest | 1 | Son | Bradford |
This should be the family of Jane Kershaw, who later married Herbert Parker – son of John William.
Some time later, I was able to search the 1871 Census for Isaac Parker. Unfortunately Wilfried Street was not in the index and so I had to search by name through 5 or 6 reels of microfilm - to find at 5 Back Spinkwell Terrace, Bolton Road, East Bradford:
| Name | Age | Occupation | Born | |
| Isaac | 47 | Head | Labourer | Bedingfield, Suffolk |
| Catharine | 34 | Wife | - - | Dublin, Ireland |
| Frank | 11 | Son | Scholar | Bradford |
| John Wm. | 8 | Son | Scholar | Bradford |
| Sarah Ann | 6 | Dau | Scholar | Bradford |
| Tom | 4 | Son | Scholar | Bradford |
| Benjamin | 3 | Son | - - | Bradford |
This provided the name, age and place of birth for Isaac's wife. It also gave a different age and place of birth for Isaac - see Parker Families in Suffolk>>>
Following the Jennison line in the 1861 Census found Christopher and Ann at 130 Church Street, Eastwood with three children from Ann's previous Armiston marriage - Mary (1851), Ann (1854) and Robert (1856). A subsequent check through the 1881 Census found that by then Robert had married a Mary and was living in Hucknall under Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire. Despite this success it has not been possible to find the birth references for any of these three children nor the marriage reference for Ann. Even searches of the 1851 Census have failed to find the couple - but it is thought that a Robert Armiston (age 24 and working as a servant in Sandiacre, Nottinghamshire in 1851) is Ann's elusive first husband.
My first attempt at getting the birth certificate for John William was not a success. The Bradford Register Office sent me the details of another John William born around the same date in Sun Street, Shipley. It was not until October that I managed to find another possible entry while searching in the Family Records Centre, London. This was the right one and gave me the maiden name of Isaac's wife - Catherine Cosgrove.
If this research is correct it means that this branch of the family tree came to Bradford in the 1850's along with millions of others who moved to find work in the booming cities of the Industrial Revolution.
Looking for the certificate for Margaret Jennison was more successful and provided the details needed to follow the Jennison line further. Her parents were Christopher and Ann (nee Knighton) - the name note of "late" Armiston indicated that Ann had been married before.
A trip the Family Records Centre in London resulted in a busy day that only covered part of the long list of relatives I was searching for. However I did find an entry for the marriage of Isaac Parker and Catherine Cosgrove. The main details on it were -
| 23 November 1861 at Parish Church, Bradford | Isaac Parker (age 35, bachelor, labourer, father: David Parker) | Catherine Cosgrove (age 20, spinster, spinner, father: Patrick Cosgrove) | Witnesses: William Holmes, Christopher Gibson |
Unfortunately the addresses of the bride and groom are not given but some names for the earlier generation of ancestors are confirmed.
Checking through the records on the Family Search web site was productive. There was a "family tree" entry for Christopher Jennison and Ann Knighton which established a link back to earlier generations (even though the earlier researcher had not picked up Ann's first marriage). There was also a parish register entry for Ann which provided a way of confirming her parents - Sampson and Elizabeth Knighton - and opened up an extensive Knighton family tree of several hundred individuals from Ilkeston, Derbyshire and Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. This family requires a page of its own!
There should be a number of family entries recorded in the Bradford Roll of Honour for being in military service during the Great War. The one found, so far, is that for Robert Parker, of 140 Caledonia Street, Bradford, who served in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment from October 1916 to until his death in May 1917. However, even from the limited work done so far, it seems that the Roll of Honour is far from complete - missing some known family members and those with the family surnames that appeared in press cuttings from the time.
The result of these searches is the following outline Parker family tree -
1 David Parker b: abt 1796 Bedingfield, Suffolk ?
. +x
... 2 Isaac Parker b: abt 1826 Bedingfield, Suffolk d: abt Nov 1884 Bradford, Yorkshire
...... +Catherine Cosgrove b: abt 1841 Dublin, Ireland m: 23 Nov 1861 Parish Church, Bradford, Yorkshire d: abt Feb 1881 Bradford, Yorkshire Father: Patrick Cosgrove Mother: x
........ 3 Frank Parker b: abt 1860 Bradford, Yorkshire d: Aft. 1881
........ 3 John William Parker b: 12 Jan 1863 Undercliffe, Bradford, Yorkshire d: 28 Jul 1918 39 Exeter Street, Bradford, Yorkshire
........... +Margaret Jennison b: 10 Apr 1867 Eastwood, Nottinghamshire m: 26 Oct 1884 Parish Church, Bradford d: 28 Oct 1912 26 Edward Street, Bradford, Yorkshire Father: Christopher Jennison Mother: Ann Knighton
............. 4 Robert Parker b: abt 1885 Bradford, Yorkshire d: 03 May 1917 Arras, Pas-de-Calais, France
................ +x b: abt 1885 m: abt 1907
.................. 5 x Parker b: abt 1910
.................. 5 x Parker b: abt 1912
............. 4 Edith Parker b: 11 Nov 1886 81 Bolling Street, Bradford, Yorkshire d: 30 Dec 1956 St Lukes Hospital, Bradford, Yorkshire
................ +Harry Sheeky b: 07 Sep 1893 18 Northbrook Street, Bradford, Yorkshire m: 29 Nov 1913 St Josephs RC, Bradford, Yorkshire d: 13 Nov 1970 Hospital, Deniliquin, NSW, Australia Father: John Henry Sheeky Mother: Mary Ann Foreman Burial: 16 Nov 1970 Roman Catholic Cemetery, Deniliquin
............. 4 William Parker b: abt 1889 Bradford, Yorkshire d: 30 May 1949
................ +Nellie Dossett b: abt 1889 m: abt 1910 d: 19 Jan 1949
.................. 5 Gerard Parker b: abt 1915
............. 4 Joseph Parker b: abt May 1891 Bradford, Yorkshire d: abt Nov 1891 Bradford, Yorkshire
............. 4 Herbert Parker b: 13 Oct 1892 81 Bolling Street, Bradford, Yorkshire d: 02 Apr 1947 St Lukes Hospital, Bradford, Yorkshire
................ +Jane Kershaw b: 21 Dec 1892 9 Carnation Street, Bradford, Yorkshire m: abt 1912 d: abt 1969 Father: Joseph Kershaw Mother: Elizabeth Gott
............. 4 John Parker b: abt 1898 Bradford, Yorkshire
................ +Margaret x b: abt 1898 m: abt 1920
.................. 5 x Parker b: abt 1925
............. 4 Edward Parker b: abt Aug 1900 Bradford, Yorkshire
................ +Edith x b: abt 1904 m: abt 1925
.................. 5 Harold Parker b: abt 1927
.................. 5 Dorothy Parker b: abt 1929
............. 4 Frances Parker b: 15 Oct 1902 24 Edward Street, Bowling, Bradford d: 05 Mar 1924 St Lukes Hospital, Bradford, Yorkshire
........ 3 Sarah Ann Parker b: abt 1865 Bradford, Yorkshire d: Aft. 1881
........... +x
........ 3 Thomas Parker b: abt 1867 Bradford, Yorkshire d: Aft. 1901
........... +Ellen x b: abt 1868 Todmorden, Yorkshire m: abt 1889 d: Aft. 1901
........ 3 Benjamin Parker b: abt May 1868 Bradford, Yorkshire d: abt May 1882 Bradford, Yorkshire
........ 3 Isaac Parker b: abt Nov 1871 Bradford, Yorkshire
........... +Frances Jennison aka: Fanny b: abt 1872 Eastwood, Nottinghamshire m: abt May 1905 Bradford, Yorkshire Father: Christopher Jennison Mother: Ann Knighton
............. 4 James Parker b: abt May 1906 Bradford, Yorkshire
............. 4 Agnes Parker b: abt Nov 1907 Bradford, Yorkshire d: Aft. 1964 Beeston, Leeds ?
................ +Sidney Holbrook b: abt 1902 m: abt 1928
Despite various approaches to the problem there has been no luck in finding any likely David Parker or the birth of Isaac (around 1826) in the Bedingfield area of Suffolk.
The other result is an outline Bendig family tree -
1 x Bendig b: abt 1800
... 2 Maria Bendig b: abt 1826 Prussia d: Aft. 1861
...... +Franz Bernard b: abt 1827 Prussia d: Aft. 1861
........ 3 Amalia Bernard b: abt 1845 Prussia
... 2 Carl Emil Rudolph Bendig b: abt 1842 Berlin, Prussia d: abt Aug 1880 Bradford, Yorkshire
...... +Ellen Jane Ovey b: abt Aug 1842 Chorlton, Manchester, Lancashire m: 09 Sep 1863 Manchester, Lancashire d: abt Nov 1884 Bradford, Yorkshire Father: Frederick Ovey Mother: Eliza x
........ 3 Albert Rudolph Bendig b: abt Nov 1864 Manchester, Lancashire d: Aft. 1901
........... +Ann Larkin or Hanson b: abt 1864 Mirfield, Yorkshire m: abt Nov 1883 Pontefract, Yorkshire d: Aft. 1901
............. 4 Ada Ellen Bendig b: abt May 1885 Pontefract, Yorkshire d: abt May 1885 Pontefract, Yorkshire
............. 4 Nellie Bendig b: abt Aug 1887 Pontefract, Yorkshire d: abt Aug 1887 Pontefract, Yorkshire
............. 4 Alice Bendig b: abt May 1889 Pontefract, Yorkshire d: abt May 1894 Dewsbury, Yorkshire
............. 4 Annie Bendig b: abt Nov 1890 Pontefract, Yorkshire d: abt Feb 1892 Pontefract, Yorkshire
............. 4 Mary Bendig b: abt Aug 1892 Pontefract, Yorkshire d: abt Aug 1892 Pontefract, Yorkshire
............. 4 Albert Bendig b: abt Aug 1894 Dewsbury, Yorkshire d: abt Aug 1894 Dewsbury, Yorkshire
............. 4 Edith Bendig b: abt Feb 1898 Dewsbury, Yorkshire d: abt May 1898 Dewsbury, Yorkshire
........ 3 Frederick George Bendig b: abt Feb 1866 Chorlton, Manchester, Lancashire d: Aft. 1901
........... +Alice Maud Armison b: abt 1868 Eastwood, Nottinghamshire m: abt May 1888 Bradford, Yorkshire d: abt Aug 1911 Bradford, Yorkshire Father: Joseph Armison Mother: x
............. 4 Ernest Bendig b: abt Nov 1888 Bradford, Yorkshire d: Aft. 1901 Australia
............. 4 Albert Bendig b: abt Jan 1891 Bradford, Yorkshire d: Aft. 1901
............. 4 Harry Bendig b: abt Nov 1892 Bradford, Yorkshire d: abt May 1893 Bradford, Yorkshire
............. 4 Frederick George Bendig b: abt Feb 1894 Bradford, Yorkshire d: Aft. 1901
............. 4 Nora Lousia Bendig b: abt Aug 1895 Bradford, Yorkshire
............. 4 William Bendig b: abt Feb 1897 Bradford, Yorkshire d: Aft. 1901
............. 4 Hilda Bendig b: abt Feb 1898 Bradford, Yorkshire d: Bef. 1901
............. 4 Alice Bendig b: abt Nov 1898 Bradford, Yorkshire d: Aft. 1901
............. 4 Arthur Bendig b: abt May 1900 Bradford, Yorkshire d: Aft. 1901
............. 4 Harold Bendig b: abt Aug 1902 Bradford, Yorkshire
............. 4 Edward Bendig b: abt May 1904 Bradford, Yorkshire d: Australia
................ +Lilian Searls b: Bradford, Yorkshire m: abt 1931
.................. 5 Joan Bendig b: abt 1933
........ 3 Ada Ellen Bendig b: abt Feb 1868 Chorlton, Manchester, Lancashire
........... +Jesiah Bailey? m: abt Feb 1888 Bradford, Yorkshire
........ 3 Franz Bernard Bendig b: abt Aug 1870 Chorlton, Manchester, Lancashire d: abt Aug 1876 Bradford, Yorkshire
........ 3 Edward Ernest Bendig aka: Bending b: abt Nov 1872 Bradford, Yorkshire
........... +Sarah Elizabeth Senior b: abt 1873 Bradford, Yorkshire m: abt Aug 1891 Bradford, Yorkshire
............. 4 Norah Bendig b: abt 1896 Bradford, Yorkshire
............. 4 Hilda Bendig b: abt 1898 Bradford, Yorkshire
........ 3 Herbert Bendig b: abt Feb 1878 Bradford, Yorkshire d: abt Feb 1879 Bradford, Yorkshire
Any clues anybody? Also there any many gaps in the 20th Century records that someone could have links to. Send me an e-mail if you think you do.