Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

I am trying to find more information out about a James Joseph Reardon, born in 1894, Liverpool to John Reardon and Bridget Campbell. James had 6 sisters and 1 brother. His eldest sister is my great grandmother and my mum remembers her great Aunts but was always lead to believe that the boys were killed in the world war.

I have recently been contacted by a daughter of James Reardon, as he died when she was about 7 and her mother never spoke of him. From what she does know, he was married and had 1 daughter (which I can confirm from our family tales, and ancestry, Florence Freer married 1918, daughters Maureen, Patricia and Honoria between 1920 and 1925), so she never knew she had 3 half sisters, but it then seems James Reardon deserted his family and set up home with a new lady, and lived with her as man and wife (although never married) and had 4 more daughters who did not bear the Reardon name.

This lady would love to know a little more about her father, and I am struggling with what else I can tell her, as his desertion was obviously never spoken of. Anyone got any ideas? Would someone deserting their family make the papers. I am in contact with a distant cousin of mine whose Aunt would be Maureen Reardon, and I think she may still be alive, but did she even know that her father had deserted them, as she would of been very young at the time it happened and for an old lady to hear things like this, would she want to? Difficult one, as she might also quite like to know her half sister(s).

Thanks in advance

It won't be easy since you don't think they bore the same surname, however I think some of the links that are posted here http://liverpool-genealogy.org.uk/phpBB ... php?t=8154 for tracing living people, might still prove useful if you were to post the names you know about on forums such as the Liverpool Echo, Genes Reunited etc.

Hi
I'm confused which doesn't take a lot!!
Back to basics, have you James in 1901 census?
I have found one with father John but mother is Alice not Bridget.
Florence Freer married in 1918, where does Freer come in?
You'll have to spell it out for me soz

Tina

Hi Guys hope you are all well..

Florence Annie Freer b c1894 b Liscard.. married James Joseph Reardon 1918 Birkenhead.

She is the daughter of Samuel & Lucy Ann Freer Samuel being a Solicitors Clerk both parents from Rutland..

Florence Annie Freer had one brother by the looks of it named Samuel Edgar Freer.. in 1932 his wife a Gertrude Annie SUTTERBY divorced him (source) Documents online.

I am confused too.. did James J Reardon have a daughter to a lady before he married Florence ?????

He goes on to have 3 daughters all Birkenhead to Florence .. then he ups and leaves her and has 4 more daughters to a lady who we have no name for ????

Who gave you this info on the four more daughters... ?

I cannot find John J Reardon in 1901 or 1911..


xx

Hi this could be something

1938 Liverpool Directory

JAMES JOSEPH REARDON occ BUTCHER address 164 CHATHAM ST Lpool 7

J.M Reardon BUTCHERS 89 & 89a ST JOHNS MARKET Lpool 1

John & Sons BUTCHERS 30 & 31 ST JOHNS MARKET Lpool 1

Frederick Reardon Butcher 9 KINGSLAND CRESCENT Lpool 11

dont know if all these Reardon's are connected could be coinsidense.

xx

Ok more to add

1911 Liverpool Directory

Mrs Bridget Reardon Butcher 30 & 497 St Johns Market residence 117 Mount Pleasant

James Reardon Butcher ( Mrs B.R ) residence 24 Maskell St Stanley.

John Reardon Butcher 91 & 26 Myrtle St

so in 1911 Bridget James's mum is at 30 St Johns Market in 1938 John & sons were at 30 St Johns Market..

Around 1911 117 Mount Pleasant

Bridget Reardon b 1847 Carrickmacross Butcher
Grandaughter Ellen Murphy b 1888 Lpool Assistant in Buisness

Around 1911 at Maskell Rd there is a James Reardon born 1862 Liverpool whos a Butcher wife named Ellen.

This was the address for the James Reardon Butcher 30 St Johns Market in 1n 1911 whos buisnes was Mrs B.R so Bridget Reardons... maybe this James is Her brother in Law.

1901 117 Mount Pleasant has Bridget Reardon Widow b Ireland aged 53 Butchers Shopkeeper & Grandaughter Ellen Murry age 13 born Liverpool

This Bridget is far too old to be James Joseph's mother.. GRANDMOTHER MAYBE ?????





xx

Hi

James Joseph Reardon was the son of John & Alice Reardon..

John was the son of Bridget Reardon the Butcher...

children of John & Alice

Mary B
Katherine
Alice
Norah
James
John
Margaret

John James's dad was also a Butcher..hes listed in 1911 directory at Myrtle St.. 1901 he resided at Grove St next street to Myrtle St.

about 1911ish John & Alice are living in New Brighton hes a master Butcher..

Daughters Catherine age 24, Alice age 22 & Nora age 20 are still at home James Joseph is not.

I cannot locate him in 1911.

xx

And Colette's back with a bang! welcome home Col

Hi,
If you have the cert for this marriage..
Marriages Jun 1918> Freer, Florence A to Reardon, James J - Birkenhead - 8a - 949.
What is James' occupation and what is that of his father John. Haven't found a match in any census yet for James, father John, or mother Bridget. I have to be missing something.
I assume this is his birth?
Births Jun 1894> Reardon, James Joseph - Liverpool - 8b - 102
What is his father's occupation and the family home address on the birth cert?

I see the butchery business in mentioned in Colette's very detailed posts. I had found a James, father John [butcher], but mother was Alice not Bridget so I discounted it.

Like Tina, I am now confused! And, though I say it myself, that takes some doing!

Dickiesam

Hi all

1871 shows 33 Gill St

James Reardon age 34 Butcher b Ireland
Bridget age 34 b Ire..
John age 13 b Lpool
James age 12 b Lpool
Cornelius age 12 b Lpool
Mary F age 10 b Lpool
Catherine age 8 b Lpool
Bridget age 8 Months b Lpool
Brother Edward age 40 Butcher b Ire...

so the James aged 12 is John's brother the Butcher we saw in Directory, the whole family were Butchers..

I think paxvls got mixed up with James Joseph's parents, James Joseph Reardon who this search was about is in Chatham St in 1938 Liverpool 7 so Fairfield Kensington area, so at least we have tracked him down up to that year..

I'll go check my 1962 directory to see whos at that address..

xx

Hi all

took a look on public member fam trees..

found James Joseph along with all the other Reardons on a SPENCER family tree.
Apparently he took up with a lady named Edna Singleton and he died age 48 of TB in Bath Somerset.

So he moved away from the area..so i guess any children he had would be Singleton's

There is also a Frost tree with Edna on it born 1902 Lancs no father mother named Ida Harrison Singleton, Edna died in Cheshire 1993 aged 91..one living child on tree..

xx

Oh my god, wow, thank you so much for all this! Sorry I was trying to be tactful about information, as I wasnt sure if someone might google the name, come up with this thread and be offended I had posted all their details! which has possibly added to the confusion. I AM the Spencer family tree! and will give a brief (although it may appear long!)

I am the great grand-daughter of Mary Bridget Reardon and Thomas Sampson, eldest daughter to John Reardon and Alice Kearns.

John was born 1860ish to James Reardon born 1836 and Bridget Campbell born 1837 both in Ireland so the family of Butchers Colette found in 1871 at 33 Gill St are my great great grandparents and the right family (children James, John, Cornelius, mary A, Catherine and Bridget).

It is this John who then married Alice Kearns and had:

Mary Bridget 1886 who married Thomas Sampson (who incidently was a butcher and owned Sampson and Barlow which was apparently quite a famous butchers / resturant in Liverpool and I believe was close to St Johns Market),
Catherine born 1887 married John F Cowhie
Alice born 1888 died 1931 (spinster)
Honaria (Nora) married Julian Duck, lived in Bath
Mary Roy born 1892 married John Stanley Flood - lived in Shanghai
Lucy born 1893 marriedT Marsh
James Joseph born 1894 THE MAN IN QUESTION!
John Edmund born 1896 possibly married Teresa Moorhead (have yet to confirm)
Margaret born 1898 married Edgar Evans.

Dickiesam has made the following comment 'I see the butchery business in mentioned in Colette's very detailed posts. I had found a James, father John [butcher], but mother was Alice not Bridget so I discounted it.' THIS IS MY jAMES i AM LOOKING FOR! SORRY ABOUT CAPS, WANTED TO MAKE MY COMMENT STAND OUT!

So the James Joseph born in 1894 in Liverpool ot John Reardon and Alice Kearns is the man in question.

My mum remembers her grandmother (Mary Bridget) and all the sisters, but like I said no-on ever spoke of james, although she has vague recollections of mention of John. She always assumed James, and possibly John were killed in the world war. BUT!

I have been contacted by an elderly lady who is the daugther of james Joseph Reardon and Edna Singleton, she also has 3 sisters (I dont know their names yet). She is the one that has told me the history of her father or this is what she has been told. James Reardon was married to Florence Freer (I know this for definate as I have a hand drawn family tree which references this) and they had 3 daughters Maureen, Patricia and Honaria between 1920 and 1925. However it then seems he deserted this family and set up home with Edna Singleton, living as man and wife (but never divorced Florence), and he had 4 more daughters with Edna, one being this lady who has contacted me asking if I know anything or if there are any family tales. Her father died in 1942 in Bath (he was living with his sister Nora at the time), when she was only 6 or 7, and her mother Edna refused to talk about him. My mum has no recollection of a Florence or the daugthers Maureen, Patricia and Honaria, even though they would of be her mother's cousins, and the family was a very close knit one.

I have found the obit for Thomas Sampson though (husband of mary Bridget) and interestingly one of the mourners listed is Flo Reardon.

The whole of this family is very complicated as it is very intertwined. from this hand-drawn family tree I have, it seems going back to the early 1800's Bridget Campbell was married in Ireland and widowed, and she then married James Reardon as a 2nd marriage. One of her daughters from the first marriage actually married into the Sampson family, and it was a son of this marriage Thomas Sampson that married Mary Bridget Reardon. However, to complicate further Maureen Reardon married a Richard Fennell, and his sister married Mary Bridget reardon's grandson!

the whole family is a nightmare to try and trace as you can see, but despite all this knowledge, we have little or no information about James.

I have no clue why James and John are not on the 1901 or the 1911 census but they were a wealthy family and I know the girls are found in a convent school in some census's so it is possible the boys were also sent to boarding school. My great grandmother, mary Bridget, was sent to finishing school in Switzerland, which might explain absences on the census records.

I have probably confused you all the more and for that I am sorry.

I truely cant thank you enough for all the info on the Reardon's though, as this is a great help to all my research

Vicki

Sorry meant to edit above war and peace effort, and say that the 4 daughters born to James Reardon and Edna Singleton, never took the Reardon name as their parents were not married.

Col
Fantastic...
Tina

Hi Vic

I guess John & James could be away at a school in 1911 as i cannot see either lads in 1911..


xx

Hi Colette, many thanks for trying to look for them, I think you might be right, they are probably away at school and possibly abroad if that is what happened to the sisters.

I guess my next steps now are to find out who Frederick Reardon is, listed as a butcher in 1938, of 9 Kingsland Crescent and possibly check the electoral role to see if he married.

I am guessing he is the son of John Reardon born 1895 (to John and Alice) or a son of James or Cornelius Reardon both born in 1860 (to James and Bridget).

I do know Cornelius died in 1929.

James Reardon born 1836 husband of Bridget Reardon died in 1877.

Finally again something the electoral role might tell me is who James Joseph Reardon was living with in 1938, when he is listed as residing at 164 Chatham Street, Liverpool.

Can I check electoral roles on-line and if not, is this something one of you very kind people have access to? It would be appreciated.

Once again, thanks to everyone for contributing to this thread.

Vicki

Hi Vic

You would have to visit the Lpool Records Office for Electoral Rolls..looks like they are all connected in one way or another, their name must have been well known in Liverpool Reardons Butchers.......my 1962 directory doesnt give occupations pity realy as i would like to see if there were still Readons as Butchers then.

xx

I think the Electoral Rolls will be at the Satellite in Sandhills when they have been moved over. Keep a watch on this post http://liverpool-genealogy.org.uk/phpBB ... php?t=9679 which hopefully will be kept up to date when the archives are available.

The Electoral roll for 1938 is on Microfilm at The Microfilm section in the World Museum

Hi Colette

That's a shame about the electoral roles, I might see if anyone on genes visits there a.d can do a look up as I currently live down south, although should be back in Yorkshire by November, so maybe a day trip over could be done, if I can be patient enough.

My mum should remember if there were any Reardon butchers still in the 1960s, as she was a teenager then and use to visit Liverpool. Her grandmother, Mary Bridget Reardon married Thomas Sampson owned Sampson and Barlow's restaurant and butchers which was on London Rd. In the 1960, it was being run by their son Sonny (Gerald) Sampson. I will give my mum a ring and ask if she can remember, however like I said at the start of this post she always thought James had been killed in the war and has few memories of John (born 1894 and 95 respectively).

What I find really strange is I lived in the halls of residence in the grounds of the Anglican Cathedral, and use to walk along Mount Pleasant daily, and regularly walked up Myrtle st to a friends, and never knew I was walking past ancestors homes. The Kearns also lived on Clarence St where again I passed daily, and even had exams in the buildings now owned by the University. Wierd! Would love to revisit. 117 Mount Pleasant is now a hotel.