Follow Friday - Family Tree Overload

The Inghamite Church, Wheatley Lane

In my last post (four days ago) I was travelling from York to Lancashire with my fellow family tree researcher, who armed with files, maps and family tree records had planned a intensive genealogy excursion.  

It is now time to catch my breath, and collate all the material we managed to collect.  In three and a half days, we visited 7 family homes/farms, 4 churches and tramped through 5 graveyards, and took over 250 photos.

Gravestone of William Rushworth 1773-1859

I am promised myself a family tree free day tomorrow, and then I will sit down and write about some of the amazing discoveries we made, and the serendipitous meetings, that has left us with so many new leads and connections to follow up. 

If I was to pick a highlight from the past few days it would have to be the discovery of William Rushworth's (Elizabeth Rushworth's grandfather) gravestone at St James, Briercliff. 

William was born in1773 and died on the 9 January 1859 at Pheasant Ford, near Burnley, Lancashire. At the time of his death he was living with his daughter Alice and her husband Joseph Wallbank.

  

The gravestone was in extremely good condition considering its age, and also confirmed that William's youngest daughter Alice and her husband were buried in the same grave.   It was interesting to note the change in the spelling of the name Wallbank.  At the time of his father John's death in 1856 to his death in 1898 the spelling of the name changed from Woabank to Wallbank.