Albert Percy Street 1886-1959

Street Family Photo.

From back left: Albert Douglas Street (known as Doug) sitting on fence with cap; Margaret Daisy Street nee Ashforth standing in front of fence; Gertrude Olive Graham (known as Olive) nee Ashforth standing behind fence with hat; Florence Graham sitting on fence; Hugh Douglas Graham (known as Douglas) being held in arms; ALBERT PERCY STREET (known as Percy) holding Douglas; Alexander Graham (known as Alec) kneeling looking down.

The above photo was taken around 1929 when the family were in holiday in Scotland. Alec & Olive and their family lived in Scotland and invited Olive's sister Margaret and her family for a visit.

ALBERT PERCY STREET was born on 27 July 1886 in Baslow, Derbyshire, and christened on 26 September 1886. (1)

His parents were JOSHUA & AGNES ELIZABETH (or ELVINA) HAIL.

He was usually known as PERCY and had nine siblings: EDWIN JOSEPH born 1878; EVELYN AGNES born 1879; FRANK born 1881; HARRY born 1882; FREDERICK VINCENT born 1885; EMILY FRANCES born 1888; MAY born 1890; CHARLES born 1893 and MARGUERITE ANNIE born 1897.

 When PERCY was 14 years old, the family were living at Cliffside, in Crich, near Matlock, and his father was the Publican at The Cliff Inn. His older brothers were working as stone mason's, except FRED who with PERCY was a carpenter/Joiner's apprentice. (2)  In 1911 PERCY was a general labourer and living with his widowed mother and siblings EDWIN, MAY, CHARLES & MARGARET still in Crich. (3)

 
On 2 June 1913 ALBERT PERCY married MARGARET DAISY ASHFORTH at the United Methodist Church on Shaw Road, South Shore, Blackpool.  Percy was recorded as a 26 year old 'General Labourer' living in Crich, Derbyshire.  Percy's brother Charles and Margaret's sister Olive signed as witnesses on the marriage certificate. (4)

Not much is known about ALBERT PERCY's military career. When he signed attestation papers at Ripley with the KOYLI Corps (Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry) on 3 December 1915, his answer to the question 'Have you ever served in the military' was 'Yes. 6 Batt Notts & Dbys, 3 years'. (5)

The dates on his service record are:
3 December 1915 - Attested. Age 29 years, 4 months. Trade: Slag loader. Address: Cromford Road, Ripley, Derbyshire.
6 July 1916 - KOYLI
31 July 1916 - Passed course in Transport Training
13 October 1916 - Was given leave for the death of someone. The papers are torn and burnt at this point and illegible as to exact reason.
8 December 1916 - 1st Garr Bn Yorks Regs
4 September 1917 - Good military character. 1st Garr. Bn Yorkshire, Regt Infantry
20 June 1918 - 4 days C.B. for inattention on parade at Sialkot
20 March 1919 - Disability, 32 years old. Sialkot "I do not claim to be suffering from a disability due to my military service."
12 April 1919 - Selected from Demobilisation - Sialkot
9 May 1919 - India, Bombay
5 June 1919 - Special Furlough Authority
16 July 1919 - Admitted to hospital
14 September 1919 - 28 days furlough
12 October 1919 - Age 33, Malaria 3-%, Weekly pension
15 May 1922 - British War Medal awarded.

'The Great War', also known as WW1, ended in 1918, but Pte PERCY ALBERT STREET's battallion were sent to Sialkot to assist in the 3rd Afghan War which lasted a couple of months.  He served therefore with both the Sherwood Foresters and The Green Howards.

He returned home from war relatively unscathed and worked in the lead mines, and was a Lead Smelter in 1942 at Lea Bridge. Family story relates that he fell from his horse at some time and badly injured his leg and walked with a limp from them on.  He also kept to himself at home and when his children were older he apparently sat in the kitchen listening to the radio. He took his only son, Albert Douglas, to football matches as a boy.(6)

In The Spirit of Crich, a book by Ken Jackson, there's a photo showing that he played football for Whatstandwell 3rd division, Matlock & District League, Division Cup in 1923.

 His name is also on the Crich Roll of Honour as "Street, Pte. Percy."

His daughter-in-law commented in a letter that ALBERT PERCY & his wife Margaret Daisy were buried not cremated (as other family members were), but she was unable to tell where the grave is.

As PERCY and his wife aged their families took it in turns to care for them and have them stay with them.  On 6th August 1959, while they were staying with their daughter Margaret Elvina (Elvie), in Dudley, near Birmingham, ALBERT PERCY STREET died, the cause of death given as 'lead poisoning'.

 

(1) familysearch.org
(2) 1901 Census
(3) 1911 Census 
(4) Copy of marriage certificate 
(5) ancestry.co.uk British Army WW1 Service Records 
(6) Family recollections; his daughter-in-law's memoirs. 







The above are the facts I have gleaned from various sources over a number of years. If any reader can add anything of interest regarding my ancestor, please contact me. Thank you.

© The information and photographs in this format may not be copied or pasted elsewhere without the author's written permission.

Joseph Ash 1856-1885

Joseph Ash 1856-1930

JOSEPH ASH was born in Matlock, Derbyshire, England on 24th March 1856. (1)

His parents were WILLIAM ASH & ELIZA HAYES.

He was christened at the Primitive Methodist Church in Matlock on 4th May 1856. (2)

His father died in 1860 when JOSEPH was just 4 years old.(3)

JOSEPH had two brothers: GEORGE, born 1858 and WILLIAM born in 1860 just six months before his father died.

At the age of 15 JOSEPH was working as a gardener (1871 Census), and  on 28th June 1879 he married CLARA TURNER from Matlock Bath, at the Bakewell Registrar's Office.(4)

JOSEPH & Clara had two children: MAUD LYDIA born 1879 and EDITH born 5th June 1880. (5)

On 27th December 1881, CLARA was buried at Matlock Bank age 23.

The 1881 and 1891 censuses record JOSEPH as a 'General Labourer' and a 'Painter & Paperhanger & Local preacher' respectively.

On 28th March 1885 JOSEPH married EMMA SLATER at the Primitive Methodist Chapel, Matlock Bank. (6)

JOSEPH & EMMA had four children: FREDERICK born 20 May 1886; GERTRUDE EMMA born 30th March 1888, died age 15 months in July 1889; WALTER born 30 September 1889; and BERTHA ANNIE born 6 October 1893.

The 1901 census records JOSEPH and Emma living at Matlock Bank and still a 'Paper hanger and Painter'. By 1911 the family had moved to Smedley Street, Matlock and JOSEPH's occupation is recorded as a 'Stage Carpenter'.  The 1916 Kelly's Directory of Private Residents has the following listing: ASH, JOSEPH, Meadow View, Smedley Street, Matlock.

In 1901, Joseph & Emma lived on Matlock Bank. Their neighbours were the Cooks, Holmes, Sellors, Kirby, Heathcote and Crossland families. They were a young community (24yrs - 45yrs) with Joseph being the eldest of the seven families around him. They were all employed artisans working as a gardener, stone cutters, and masons and all but Alfred Kirby were local, having been born in Matlock or the surrounding villages.

In the Derby Daily Telegraph, 7 September 1905, JOSEPH was named along with others as one of the passive resisters  to the Education Act 1902. (7):

  PASSIVE RESISTERS
Another batch at Matlock
On Wednesday at Matlock 15 passive resistance cases were heard. The defendants were all prominent residents as follows: Rev James Burton, the Primitive Methodist superintendent minister; Rev R.A. Foster, Congregational minister; Mrs Esther Stevens (sister of Sir George Newnes), Frederick H. Drabble, E. Drabble, D.M. Wildgoose,  Coun J.W. Wildgoose, W. Lill, H. Stocker, E. Samuel, sen and jun, J.L. Dean, JOSEPH ASH, Walter Slater, and Thos. Geldart.  Mr Ernest Drabble (Secretary for the local league) introduced the Rev R.A. Foster  as spokesman for the whole of the defendants.
The Rev R.A. Foster said the Education Act offered to them insuperable objections, and it had produced 60,000 objections, as many imprisonments, and a revolt in Wales, and it would go down to history as being due to injustice.
The Bench thanked the deputation for the defendants, and said they had nothing to do but to administer the law, and the usual distraint would be made, one warrant for the lot being granted.

He is described above as a prominent resident, and this was reiterated in the newspaper obituaries when he died on 1 July 1930:

Honesty and Integrity
At a memorial service on Sunday the Rev. J.B. Hardy spoke feelingly of the great loss suffered by the Primitive Methodist Church. Mr Ash, he said, was one of the last of the older generation with whom religion was life and honesty and integrity their one aim. Their very straightforwardness was misunderstood at times by those who could not see or think as straight as they. Any community was honoured by their presence. Matlock Bank Primitive Methodist Church had lost a great leader and the minister a personal friend. The outstanding characteristics of Mr. Ash were his alert mind and his readiness to accept new truths, even though it meant the abandonment of his older ideas. His passing was a call to the younger generation to face the tasks of the age. 'If we do as well by our age as these men and women did by their's, the future is assured and thurth is for ever triumphant.' 
     The organists were Mr L.G. Wildgoose and Mr H. Wildgoose, and a full choir attended. The special hymns were: 'At even when the sun had set,'  'For all Thy saints,' 'Son of my soul', 'Strong son of God'. Tributes to Mr. Ash were read from two former ministers - Professor Humphries and the Rev. Harryman Taylor. 

Leader Lost to Methodism
Funeral of Mr J. Ash of Matlock
Many friends of the late Mr. Joseph Ash attended his interment in the St. Giles' churchyard, Matlock, on Friday. The first part of the service was conducted by the Rev. J.B. Hardy at the Matlock Bank Primitive Methodist Church. Hymns sung by the choir included 'Crossing the Bar' and 'Jesu, lover of my soul'. Mr L.G. Wildgoose presided at the organ.
This article goes on to mention all the mourners and floral tributes.

JOSEPH ASH was my maternal Great Grandfather!

My own mother recalls her grandfather as follows:

     Grandad Ash was short with white hair and a little goatee beard. He would give us a 3d silver piece every Christmas in our stocking, stuck in an apple.  We used to sit with him in church on Sunday evenings and he gave us strong peppermints to suck and made rabbits with his handkerchief to keep us quiet! Grandad Ash was also a well loved lay preacher who worked at Smedleys hydro in his younger days." (8)
 

The above are the facts I have gleaned from various sources over a number of years. If any reader can add anything of interest regarding my ancestor, please contact me. Thank you.

© The information and photographs in this format may not be copied or pasted elsewhere without the author's written permission.

______________________________________________________________________________
Sources:
(1) Scanned copy of birth certificate received from family member (CL)
(2) www.familysearch.com 
(3  )www.freebmd.org
(4) Sheffield Independent Saturday 5 July 1879 (www.britishnewspaperarchive.com)
(5) www.familysearch.com
(6) Derbyshire Times & Chesterfield Herald 4 April 1885 (www.britishnewspaperarchive.com)
(7) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Act_1902
(8) Family Heirloom book and Life Story
Photo very kindly forwarded to me by email, by a distant family member (RA)