DAY 7 - Tea Time in Uttoxeter

Sept 9 - Bike Riding Day as I Get to Know My Ancestors

My cousins wanted to spend the day with Tim & Anne.  They had an outing planned, but I preferred to borrow Helen's bike and ride around where my ancestors would have walked, gone to church, and spent their school days.

Helen shows me her birthday gift -an authentic jukebox!

Helen and her daughter will meet me later and we'll all have lunch at a special tea place in a nearby town.

A daytime photo of the Roston Inn

I'm all ready, helmet and all for my bike excursion.

This is the bridge over the River Dove - divides Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

The beautiful River Dove...a popular fishing place and area to walk along.

Ellastone is situated close to the River Dove, on the border between Derbyshire andd Staffordshire. During WWII, the bridge over the river was an important crossing point, guarded by two pill-boxes, one on each bank. Both are still visible today, however the box on the western side of the bridge is harder to spot as it is currently serving as a shelter for the cows.

Maybe these cows use the shelter.

The village itself dates back to Anglo Saxon times and features in the Domesday Book,where it is listed as Edelachestone, Elachestone and Princestone (after the great Prince James who fought in the battle of Ashbourne (1066) against the attacking Bainbridge hoardes of the Northern territories.)

I had noticed in my records that many of my ancestors had lived in Ellastone, so I thought I'd check out the old parish church there.

The local church of St. Peter's dates back to the 16th century with the year 1586 displayed on the tower.

A nice monument in the middle of the churchyard.

Right away I noticed this gravestone.  It was pretty exciting as my great-grandmother, Dinah Harrison, (Mary Elizabeth's mother) had re-married Rowland Pratt, Jr. when her husband, John Clarke had died in 1866 at the age of 75.  Dinah was 28 years younger, so she was only 56 when she married again.

                                MY GREAT-GREAT GRANDPARENTS

John Clarke and Dinah Harrison Clarke - abt.1864 - ages 73 & 45

Dinah's mother-in-law when she re-married Rowland Pratt Jr.  Unfortunately, Elizabeth had died previous to their marriage.  Elizabeth died in 1875 at the age of 66.

Here is a "Clarke" - maybe we're related.

LOVE these old churches with the crooked tombstones.

I talked to a caretaker about finding some of my ancestor's tombs, but he said no one had made a map of the churchyard, like Della had at Norbury.  Also, the records in the Parish were now in nearby Uttoxeter as well as another town about an hour away.  So - I would just have to wander around and hope I could find the name of "Buxton".  John Clarke, my great-great grandfather, had a grand-mother whose maiden name was Buxton.  Her family came from Ellastone and went back to the 1500's. 

Maybe this chicken knows where the graves would be. (Gorgeous views!)

Here is another chicken (rooster) who happened to NOT like me being here!

She finally left this grave, but NO - this person is not related.

 He started following me around and definitely NOT wanting me to go near his hen friend.  I had said a prayer about finding some ancestor graves, so I felt I was closeby and didn't want to leave the area.










 Ah-HA!!!!   "BUXTON" - I've hit pay-dirt!  FANTASTIC!  He is not a direct relative, but a cousin, so this is great!  I copied down the poems of other ancestors.  There were several all in a row.  WOW!

I wonder why Benjamin died so young - at age 22 years in the year 1821?

He died in ardent hope of a happy immortality.

Of all the times on tombstones found       
Remember these, be sure.
Sin gives the conscience such a worth
As none but Christ can give.

So much history here!

Another grave of Bessy Buxton read:

The affectionate wife of JOHN BUXTON of Stanton.  She departed this life December 20th, 1846
 aged 25 years.

Husband, farewell my life is past
I loved you while life did last.
Think on my children for my sake,
And ever on them pity take.

We have several John Buxton's on our family tree, so no doubt, this is a cousin, also.  How sad to die so young, obviously leaving at least two children.

LOVE the way the ivy grows up around the tomb stone.

Bye Bye Ancestors of olde!  I know there are more of you here.  May we meet again in the hereafter.

The UK (and Scandinavia) use these stacked rocks instead of fences (pretty nifty!)

 I have many letters in my posession and one of them is written by Mary Elizabeth's oldest daughter, Annie Louisa, who stayed in England when the rest of them all went to America.

Annie Louisa Dinah Clarke - b. 1867; teacher in England; stayed with relatives while the rest of the family went to America.  This photo is probably around 1900.

 One of her letters, dated 1886 was written from Yew Tree Cottage in Ellastone. How exciting to see this home and know that my grandmother's oldest sister lived here.  They were almost 27 years apart in age, so I'm sure they only saw each other a few times in their lives.

Martha, Mary, Annie posing together - probably around 1897

My Grandma was born in  Kansas while Annie was teaching school in England.  Annie eventually immigrated to America in 1907, raising two sons with her husband in Boston, Colorado, and Kansas.  My Grandma Olson was 40 when Annie passed away.

Yew Tree Cottage where my Grandmother's sister lived for awhile.

 I had the pleasure of communicating with Annie's oldest son, Robert Row, while I was in my 20's.  He was an amazing man at nearly 80 years old.  He gave me a lot of information that I will always treasure.  Annie must have been amazing, too.  She was very spiritual as she writes in a letter to her father, Thomas Davis.

Another view of Ellastone on my bike ride.

 "We may get soo absorbed in worldly things and almost forget our Saviour who died for us.  Let us think about Him.  He was once on this earth; what good he did.  When we pray for what we don't expect our praying breath is spent in vain.  So be a Christian dear Papa now you may come to Him & be saved at once."

Evidently, my great grandpa wasn't as good of a church-going man as he could have been.

Mary Elizabeth and Thomas William Davis

It is quite sad, as he had an accident late one evening on his horse and buggy coming home from town in Kansas.  It was only 9 years after Annie's letter in 1895 at the young age of 57.  His wife, Mary Elizabeth, was left alone to raise their children - ages 21, 20,  13, 11, 7, 6, 5 months and then they had two daughters in England - ages 26 & 28.











 This is four years later with the 5 youngest children on the Davis Hill Top Farm in Atwood, Kansas.  The year is about 1898.

BACK ROW:  William, Esther, John  FRONT ROW:  Ruth, Mary Elizabeth, Martha DAVIS

 One little girl, Ellen, died and was buried in Norbury Churchyard in 1880 at age 2.  Harry is about 11 years old and it's unsure where he was at the time.  Annie Louisa was still in England, not married.  Mary had most likely gone to Nebraska with her husband and 10-yr. old daughter.  Arthur was living in San Diego and would be a bachelor the rest of his life.

Mary Elizabeth was 92 when she passed away.  She worked hard, teaching her children to succeed and also work at a very young age after their father passed away suddenly.

In her obituary, it was said:  "By her sacrifice and industry, by her English tenacity and perseverance and above all by her abiding faith in God and obedience to his teaching, she has been able to do a piece of work of which eternity alone can tell the value."   M.E. Davis was a very accomplished singer and pianist and shared her talent both in the church (Anglican Church of England and Methodist Church in Kansas).

I am very proud to say that I have some of her original music, including "The Holy City."   AND....I am fairly certain that I have her late 1890's old upright piano.  Her youngest daughter, Esther Olson (my grandmother) passed it onto me, but I think it was originally her mother's.  I am honored to be of such wonderful heritage!
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 Helen and her daughter, Emily, picked me up and after we threw the bike in the back seat, we were off to Uttoxeter, a lovely town about 20 minutes away.  They wanted to take me to Afternoon Tea.

I walked into the place and had an overwhelming amazement come over me.  Every table was busy with ladies visiting with each other over tea, snacks, and lunch.  The decor was very English, mostly white, flowers everywhere, and fancy china work galore.




 We went downstairs to find a table.

Mother and daughter enjoying a cup 'o tea together.

I am enjoying either mint or ginger-lemon tea.  I can't remember which.  It was refreshing!

What a fantastic lunch I had!  The table setting was so sweet!

Emily had a nachos lunch.

Helen had lentil soup which looked tantalizing, also.

Next to us, a couple was having high tea with snacks and desserts.  YUM!

Our waitress tried talking us into one of these desserts, but we were too full.

 We went upstairs to a beautiful room where they have private parties.  Porcelain, china, and crystal.  So fine!

Having fun next to an old phonograph!

I'll never forget this experience!

Thank-you so much to Helen and Emily - love you two!

 We drove around a little in the town and saw places where Helen's dad had worked as a young man.  Many of the old buildings are still there.  Not that much has changed in 75 years.

A place where Bill delivered potatoes as a young man.

Throughout the UK, people are remembering WWI - 100 years since its onset...such a terrible war!

 I went into the Uttoxeter Library to do some research.  I looked at records on the microfische machine.  I didn't find anything.  Guess I'll have to do it online later.

High school girls are in their uniforms as they finish their school day.

We went shopping to an economical dress shoppe.  It was fun seeing all the good prices.  I bought a skirt and top.  Very cute!

I have some records of other ancestors being from Uttoxeter.  I wish I had time to look them up.  Dinah Kirkland Harrison, my 3x great grand mother died here and is probably buried in this churchyard.  There are others, too.

This is probably where some of my ancestors went to church.

Another beautiful English Paris Church.

J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited, universally known as JCB, was founded in 1945 by Joseph Cyril Bamford, after whom it is named.  It is a British multinational corporation, with headquarters close to Uttoxeter... in Rochester, Staffordshire.

They manufacture equipment for construction, demolition, and agriculture.  It is the world's third-largest construction equipment manufacturer. It produces over 300 types of machines, including diggers (backhoes), excavators, tractors, and diesel engines. JCB has 22 factories across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America; its products are sold in over 150 countries.

The big JCB factory - we drove right by it.

 Helen dropped me off in Ellastone again and I continued to ride the bike for a couple more hours.  What a beautiful afternoon and so inspirational!

Helen and her husband, Mark made a great pasta dish for dinner.

 I just had to take a photo of how most Europeans eat, especially the English.  They hold their fork upside down in their left hand.  They use their knife the whole time, also, scooping up the food.  It really makes sense and it's such good manners...their fingers never get dirty and also they don't have to change hands as they put their fork down after cutting.  I love to watch them eat their "mushy peas" as they squish them into the forks upside down. 

Thank you, Helen, for teaching me to have good English manners while eating my food.

After dinner, Jayne took me for a drive around the area.  She had an 1881 census record for some reason and as we were looking at it, we noticed my great-grandfather's name living on Raddle Wood farm.  Jayne knew right where it was.  I LOVED the beautiful RED IVY!!

The Davis's - Mary Elizabeth, aged 34 and her husband, Thomas, aged 44 lived here in 1881.

The outbuildings of the farm.

 They had two young boys, William Thomas, 6, and John Clarke, 8, as well as a daughter, Mary, 11.  For some reason, Annie Louisa, 14, wasn't listed.  They did have a servant, Agnes Smith, age 21.  The census record lists Thomas as a farmer of 120 acres.  My father told me that he never really liked farming.  He had moved from the Wolverhampton area (about an hour away) where he and his father had a Brick and Tile Works business.

He later immigrated to America in 1884, first coming to Crete, Nebraska, and then settling near Atwood, Kansas, in 1885.

I wanted to talk to the owners and look around the place, but we didn't have time.

Another shot from the other side of the home.

 The village of Norbury has some interesting sites and old buildings.  Most everything is still inhabited by residents.  For their address, it's common to use the name of the farm and it's been done that way for hundreds of years.

This farm was very close to Raddlewood Farm - it's the Old Schoolhouse.

I imagine the Davis children attended this school back in 1861.  (my great aunts & uncles)

A little girl and her dad came running out of the house after I snapped this photo.  She kept telling her dad, "That's the lady who comes from a different company  that looks like an old easy chair."  He couldn't figure out what she was talking about.  So he recognized Jayne, a school teacher at the 5 yr. old's school.  The we realized that she had remembered yesterday's assembly.  (See DAY 6)  I had sung a song about Idaho, saying that it had "the shape like your old easy chair."  AND...I told her my two cousins and I were visiting from a different country.  HA!  How funny!

I had several old postcards from 150 years ago.  One was of Roston Hall, the community centre back in its time.  Now it's a private residence.

Roston Hall - 2014....now a residence.

Sent to my great grandmother probably around 1885.  It was the center of all community events.

An old farm, but I don't remember what it was called...help Jayne!

I was raised as a Methodist in Colorado.  Many of my relatives were Methodist in Kansas, so I imagine the Davis/Clarke families may have attended this Methodist Church in Norbury, Derbyshire, England.

Primitive Methodist Chapel and Sunday School - 1847...still in use today.

1867 - the Old Chapel

"A horse is a horse...of course, of course"

Helen has a lovely apple tree in front and are they GOOD!

It has been such a good week in Roston/Norbury with these wonderful people and they MAY be blood related!  As I met with a couple and their mother, we looked at some old letters I brought and it turns out that we are cousins and they are related to these wonderful people.  I haven't figured it all out yet, but I WILL!