Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

I have just started the process of tracing the Liverpool and Southport roots of the Blundell family. In the 1911 census I have found my grandparents living at 7 Ascot Road Liverpool and I believe that my grandmother Anastasia Blundell had a sweet shop in Smith St.
My father never returned to Liverpool after leaving in 1925 but he did remember, as a young child, visiting relatives in the Southport area. I am aware of the connection of the Blundell name with Ince Blundell but as yet I do not know if my branch originates in that area.

Because of my surnames association with the Liverpool area does anyone know of any archives where I can carry out further research..

Many thanks in anticipation


Mike Blundell

Hello Mike and welcome to the forum,
First, for the benefit of the members who will be offering help, there's a typo in your post. In the census where you found your family they are living at 7 Ascot Street, not Ascot Road.

There are several online research sources you can access for births, marriages, deaths, baptisms and censuses, and there's help aplenty here.

One slight problem I have come across so far is the apparent absence of a marriage for John and Anastasia. According to the census they had been married for 4 years which would put it between 1906 and 1908. Do you have birth certs for either of the two children listed, John and Robert, which would give their mother's maiden name?

Possibly these are their births from FreeBMD http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl
Births Mar 1909: Blundell, John James - Liverpool - 8b - 17
Births Sep 1910: Blundell, Robert E - Liverpool - 8b - 31

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I also have checked some online resources without success. Do you know what religion they were?

I agree with DS that your next step forward is the birth certificate of one of the children to ascertain Anastasia's maiden name.

I have looked also at the 1901 census and a possible John is living at 1 in 14 Court, Arkwright Street, North Everton, which is in the general area, well not too far away anyway from where he was living ten years later.

Robert and Elizabeth Davies and their son Thomas
Sarah Blundell Boarder Wid 69 Charwoman
Catherine Boarder daur S 16 Matchmaker
John J Boarder son S 14 Carter's Boy Port
All born Liverpool
RG13; Piece: 3473; Folio: 63; Page: 66.

They are living not far from the docks, local people even living next door are marine firemen who may have been able to help John get his job.

There are a couple of others, but this one has the middle initial and is nearest for age so worth keeping this entry on the back burner until we find more evidence anyway.

I thought I had found one half of the marriage....
From FreeBMD:
Marriages Dec 1907 - W. Derby - 8b - 518
BLUNDELL, John James; PLATT, Hannah; ROBERTS, George Albert.

But then, according to Lancs BMD, John married Hannah Platt.
BLUNDELL, John J and PLATT, Hannah - Everton, Christ Church, Liverpool.

Is Hannah a mistake for Anastasia?

While looking for Anastasia noted there was no death for her in the GRO Index. Then found these:
Death: BLUNDELL, John J
Registration district: West Derby
Year of registration: 1920; Quarter of registration: Apr-May-Jun
Age at death: 33
Volume no: 8B; Page no: 482

Anastasia Blundell married Nicholas J Miller
Registration district: Liverpool
Year of registration: 1925; Quarter of registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
Volume no: 8B; Page no: 384.

Death: MILLER, Anastasia
Registration district: Eastleigh, Hampshire
Year of registration: 1932; Quarter of registration: Apr-May-Jun
Age at death: 43
Volume no: 2C; Page no: 105

Perhaps Mike would confirm the above as correct or otherwise?

Taking up the marriage mystery for John and Anastasia/Hannah Platt... Assuming her age in the last census is correct, there is a Anastasia Platt bn in the right year.

PLATT, Anastasia
Registration district: Liverpool
Year of registration: 1888; Quarter of registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
Volume no: 8B; Page no: 27.

Looks like Hannah could be the 'familiar' form used by the family or there's an error twixt lip, ear and pen when the marriage was written into the register.

In 1901 she is with her parents and 5 younger siblings:
PLATT, Joseph - Head - Married - 38 - Dock Labourer - St Helens, Lancashire
PLATT, Margaret - Wife - 28 - Liverpool, Lancashire.
PLATT, Anastatia - Dtr - 12 - Liverpool, Lancashire.
Address: 29 Ascot Street, Liverpool. [She didn't move far when she married!]
RG13 - Piece: 3408 - Folio: 117 - Page: 65

The marriage of John James to Hannah is on Ancestry

6 Nov 1907 Christ Church Everton

John James Blundell 22 fireman 40 Howe St father Robert Blundell coal heaver deceased
Hannah Platt 20 46 Howe Street father Joseph Platt mariner

She signs as Hannah. As she's only 20 maybe she altered her name for the marriage!!

Anastasia Platt was born on 26 Sept 1888 and baptised on 8 Oct 1888 at St Sylvester RC parents Joseph Platt and Margaret nee Murphy

A note by the entry reads that she married Nicholas Miller on 18 Sept 1925 at St John RC Kirkdale. Her marriage to John is not mentioned - it was in a Protestant church! But I think this shows that Hannah Platt who married John is the same as Anastatia Platt daughter of Robert and Margaret Platt. I reckon she just used Hannah as it was a Cof E church.

Thanks for the 'confirmations' Hilary.

In the last census Joseph and Margaret Platt say they had been married 24 years which is a match for this:
PLATT, Joseph married MURPHY, Margaret
Registration district: Liverpool
Year of registration: 1888; Quarter of registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
Volume no: 8B; Page no: 347

And curious... where is/was "Pasley Cross" where Joseph is said to be from?

Education Officer wrote:Anastasia Platt was born on 26 Sept 1888 and baptised on 8 Oct 1888 at St Sylvester RC parents Joseph Platt and Margaret nee Murphy

A note by the entry reads that she married Nicholas Miller on 18 Sept 1925 at St John RC Kirkdale. Her marriage to John is not mentioned - it was in a Protestant church! But I think this shows that Hannah Platt who married John is the same as Anastatia Platt daughter of Robert and Margaret Platt. I reckon she just used Hannah as it was a Cof E church.

Robert Platt?

The Blundell family in 1891:

BLUNDELL, Robert - Head - Married - 38 - Labourer Dock - Liverpool
BLUNDELL, Eleanor - Wife - 38 - Liverpool
BLUNDELL, Mary Ellen - Dtr - 15 - General Servant Domestic - Liverpool
BLUNDELL, Sarah - Dtr - 13 - Scholar - Liverpool
BLUNDELL, Martha - Dtr - 11 - Scholar - Liverpool
BLUNDELL, Elizabeth - Dtr - 9 - Scholar - Liverpool
BLUNDELL, Kate - Dtr - 7 - Scholar - Liverpool
BLUNDELL, John - Son - 4 - Scholar - Liverpool
BLUNDELL, Robert - Son - 2 - Liverpool.
Address: 10 Burnett Street, Liverpool.
RG12 - Piece: 2903 - Folio: 88 - Page: 40

PLATT, Robert married YOUNG, Eleanor?
Registration district: West Derby
Year of registration: 1873; Quarter of registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
Volume no: 8B; Page no: 463

dickiesam wrote: And curious... where is/was "Pasley Cross" where Joseph is said to be from?

There is a Peasley Cross near St Helens.

MaryA wrote:

dickiesam wrote: And curious... where is/was "Pasley Cross" where Joseph is said to be from?

There is a Peasley Cross near St Helens.

That must be the one! In 1901 Joseph puts St Helens as his place of birth.
[RG13 - 3408 - 117 - 65].

There are a number of Blundell nee Platt births in Liverpool from 1911 to 1920 when the father John Blundell has probably died.
BLUNDELL, Joseph - Liverpool - 1912 - Sep qtr
BLUNDELL, James - West Derby - 1914 - Sep qtr
BLUNDELL, Joseph - West Derby - 1916 - Dec qtr
BLUNDELL, George V - West Derby - 1918 - Dec qtr

The naming of the child Joseph in 1916 may be connected with this, the possible death of Joseph born 1912, although the qtrs don't quite fit with age at death.
Death: BLUNDELL, Joseph
Registration district: West Derby
Year of registration: 1913; Quarter of registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
Age at death: 0
Volume no: 8B; Page no: 337.

Many, many thanks for the information,

I can confirm that my grandmothers maiden name was Platt and within the family it is believed that she originated from the St Helens area. All of the names of the boys, John, Robert, Joseph, James and George Victor ( born 1918) tally with what I know and I believe that Grandfather John James died in the early 1920's but as yet I haven't got a death certificate so I don't know the cause.

Anastasia did re-marry and have 3 more children ( all girls) 2 of whom are still alive ... an interesting note is that the eldest daughter of Anastasia's middle daughter ( who emigrated to Hollywood in the 1940's) is a film director and about 20 years ago, made a film centred on the life of the three daughters in a convent in Liverpool where they lived for a time in the 1930's after Anastasia's death. The film called 'Sacred Hearts' starred among others Anna Massey and a young Cathy Burke. It gives an interesting insight into the role of the Catholic church in the lives of ordinary people of the time.

It is interesting to find that Anastasia appears to be Catholic because I thought that the split within the family which caused my father and his brothers to see so little of their grandparents was caused by a mixed marriage. I am assuming here that James was Catholic and the evidence which you have found would bear that out so there must be another reason for the family split. The names of my fathers maternal aunts and uncles seem to relate quite well with the names of Hannah's siblings so it would seem that Hannah - Anna - Anastasia are one and the same.

So thank you again for your efforts which have certainly moved me along in my quest.

You are welcome! Glad to have been of help.

And just to confirm my earlier post this would appear to be John James' death. It's the only one with a match for his birth year.
Death: BLUNDELL, John J
Registration district: West Derby, Lancashire
Year of registration: 1920; Quarter of registration: Apr-May-Jun
Age at death: 33
Volume no: 8B; Page no: 482

I've spent some time today digesting all of the information so kindly provided. It would indeed seem that my Grandmother Anastasia Platt was pregnant with my father's eldest brother ( John) before she and Grandfather John James married. As they both came from Catholic families that could be the reason why they married in a C of E church and also why she chose to use the name Hannah which depending upon her level of literacy, could have been written for her if she described herself as 'Anna' the short form of Anastasia. My father remembered the religious intolerance prevalent in Liverpool during his childhood and so his parents could have fallen victim to this when they compounded ********** before marriage with getting married C of E; presumably John and Anastasia were shunned by one or both families and this would explain the reason why he only had contact with grandparents once a year.

It is interesting to note too that Anastasia herself was conceived out of wedlock with her parents only just managing to marry before her birth. It would appear that she had a very difficult life including the death of one of her sons, Joseph in 1912 as well of her first husband in 1920. I was aware of my uncle Joe who was born in 1916 but this earlier Joseph came as a bit of a sad surprise.

Anastasia's premature death at the age of 43 was as the result of problems resulting from the birth of my youngest step-aunt Josie and the reason for her being in Southampton at her death was of course, the sea. Her second husband was a seaman and by the early 1930's most of her sons, including my father, were based there and working on the transatlantic liners.

I must admit that I am finding this whole process absolutely fascinating.

Many thanks again to all my helpers


Regards

Mike Blundell

Hello Mike

Are you related to James Blundell who ran the Lowlands Jujitsu Club in Haymans Green West Derby Liverpool?

Best Regards
Allan

Hello Alan,

Only one of my father's brother's, Joseph (born 1916), remained in Liverpool and he died in the late seventies. He did have one son Tony with whom I have lost contact. Tony is my age (65) so I suppose he could have a son in his 40's who might be your 'James'. Uncle Joe incidentally fought in the Spanish Civil War as part of the Liverpool Brigade of the International Brigade.


Regards


Mike