Mary Josephine Ruston - Vale House training Home

[Emma27]

hello there - I'm new to this site, and to genealogy in general. I'm posting on behalf of my mother, Mary, who is 64 and from Liverpool. please do let me know if anyone could help with regards to her search:

"I would like some help with regard to my nan, Mary Josephine Ruston. she had to go into an orphanage early in her life as her step mother wanted her to be a prostitute when she was older. does anybody have any information about vale house training house in Liverpool? I know very little about the place other than knowing that my nan was given a deed box prize in 1908 for her cookery by Miss Fernic who would have been her teacher. I also know that my nan and the rest of vale house lined the steps of the St George's hall (along with other orphanages) on one of Queen Victoria's visits to Liverpool. Vale House girls had the distinction of not having to have short hair due to the fact that their home did not have nits!
If anyone has any information on this home I would love to hear from you.
many thanks for taking the time for reading this."

Thank you! Emma.

[dickiesam]

Hi Emma,
Lots of help here. I am sure we will come up with information about your Mary Josephine Rushton.

Are there any other dates and info to help... Mary's place and year of birth for instance, when and whom did she marry? If the family lore is correct and the fact that Queen Victoria died in the January of 1901 points to Mary being in Vale House prior to that. She would have been there before the 1901 Census.

To add to the mix the only record of Queen Victoria visiting Liverpool was in October 1851, accompanied by Prince Albert. http://www.queen-victorias-scrapbook.or ... s/5-5.html

Edited to remove incorrect census info.

[Blue70]

Hi

Welcome to the forum. In 1900 Vale House Training Home and Orphanage was at 135 St Domingo Vale Everton. The matron then was Miss Sydney Knight.


Blue

[Blue70]

The building was on the corner of St Domingo Vale and Oakfield Road. The site is now "The Liverpool Lighthouse":-

http://www.liverpoollighthouse.com


Blue

[Emma27]

Thank you so much for all of this information, and so quickly too!!

I will check with my mother for any other dates / information about her Nan's past, and will re-post.

Thanks again,

Emma

[Bertieone]

Prince & Princess of Wales visit Liverpool, 1881.

Inauguration of the new North Docks.

[Blue70]

You can look at old maps showing the location of the building on this website:-

http://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.html

Enter the following co-ordinates:-

336372

392772

You can change maps by using the panel on the right. Look at maps for 1890, 1891 and 1908. The 1927 map shows that the building has been replaced by a cinema ("The Gaumont" my Dad's local cinema when he was growing up!)


Blue

[dickiesam]

The only Lancashire birth registration between 1880 and 1911...

Birth: RUSHTON, Mary Josephine
Registration district: West Derby, Lancashire
Year of registration: 1890; Quarter of registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
Volume no: 8B; Page no: 493

This might discount the 1901 census finding above?

[Tina]

Hello Emma, a very warm welcome to the forum from the downunder crew.
Please can we have your Mum Mary's maiden to track the family back?

Good luck

[dickiesam]

Hello again Emma,
Do the following ring any bells for your mother?

Marriages Jun 1916: Rushton, Mary J and Stephens, John B - W.Derby 8b 703

Births Sep 1916: Stephens, Elsie C [Rushton] - W.Derby 8b 1157
Births Mar 1918: Stephens, Margaret A [Rushton] - Toxteth Park 8b 338

And re the surname Ruston, I may have been in error tracking Rushton, but I have not been able to find a Mary Ruston birth in Lancashire from 1875 to 1900.

[Emma27]

Thank you blue! Will pass on the location to my mum - i think she would like to pay a visit next time she is in Liverpool.

Dickiesam - yes those details certainly match up! From what we know, she was born in 1890, and yes, married 'Bert' Stephens. My mum's mum was Margaret 'Peggy' Stephens and and was born in March 1918. As far as we knew, she was an only child ... Using your sources, is there any way to find out whether 'Elsie' died as a baby / was stillborn? There was an Elsie in the family who was raised by a relation of Bert but she died before my mum was born, so she isn't sure that would be the same Elsie.

Most interesting!! I will be seeing my mum tomorrow, so will get her to give a bit more info. Thanks again!

[Bertieone]

The only Lancashire birth registration between 1880 and 1911...

Birth: RUSHTON, Mary Josephine
Registration district: West Derby, Lancashire
Year of registration: 1890; Quarter of registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
Volume no: 8B; Page no: 493

This might discount the 1901 census finding above?

Name:
Mary Josephine Rushton
Birth Date:
30 Aug 1890
Baptism Date:
22 Oct 1890
Parish:
Kirkdale, St Paul
Father's Name:
James William Rushton
Mother's name:
Sarah Ann Rushton

[dickiesam]

Thank you blue! Will pass on the location to my mum - i think she would like to pay a visit next time she is in Liverpool.

Dickiesam - yes those details certainly match up! From what we know, she was born in 1890, and yes, married 'Bert' Stephens. My mum's mum was Margaret 'Peggy' Stephens and and was born in March 1918. As far as we knew, she was an only child ... Using your sources, is there any way to find out whether 'Elsie' died as a baby / was stillborn? There was an Elsie in the family who was raised by a relation of Bert but she died before my mum was born, so she isn't sure that would be the same Elsie.

Most interesting!! I will be seeing my mum tomorrow, so will get her to give a bit more info. Thanks again!

Hi Emma,
At that time 'Still births' could not be registered as deaths. So the Elsie C Stephens would have been born alive. There is no matching death but there is a marriage that could be her...
Marriages Sep 1933: Stephens, Elsie C and Moore, Sandiland - Prescot 8b 1499

[Bertieone]

Marriage,


Name:
Mary Josephine Rushton
Birth Year:
abt 1891
Age:
25
Marriage Date:
23 May 1916
Parish:
Wavertree, Holy Trinity
Spouse's Name:
John Bertram Stephens
Father's Name:
James William Rushton, Railway Guard.
Spouse Father's Name:
John Alfred Stephens

James William Rushton, Probate 1906, died 1906, railway guard.

[dickiesam]

Thanks for that birth father info Bert.

Fairly sure this is the family in 1891....
RG12 Piece: 2975 Folio: 129 Page: 32
Address: 7 Ealing Road, Walton On The Hill, Walton, Bootle.
RUSHTON, James Head 31 1860 Goods Guard - Liverpool, Lancashire
RUSHTON, Sarah A Wife 33 1858 - Liverpool, Lancashire
RUSHTON, William T Son 6 1885 - Kirkdale, Lancashire
RUSHTON, Samuel Son 4 1887 - Kirkdale, Lancashire
RUSHTON, Joseph Son 2 1889 - Kirkdale, Lancashire
RUSHTON, Mary Dtr 0 (7M) 1890 - Walton, Lancashire

And the parents' marriage?
Marriages Dec 1882: Rushton, James William and HAWLEY, Sarah Ann - W. Derby 8b 827

[dickiesam]

This has to be Mary Josephine's mother and could have lead to a family 'breakup'.

Death: RUSHTON, Sarah Ann
Registration district: West Derby, Lancashire
Year of registration: 1896; Quarter of registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
Age at death: 39
Volume no: 8B; Page no: 329

[dickiesam]

Re family breakup...
This looks like the son William in 1901. The head of household is also a railway worker same as William's father.

RG13 Piece: 3451 Folio: 50 Page: 36
Address: 14 Rugby Road, Walton On The Hill, Liverpool.
MORLEY, Joseph Head 29 1872 Railway Signalman - Ormskirk, Lancashire
MORLEY, Alice Wife 26 1875 - Ormskirk, Lancashire
MORLEY, Constance Dtr 5 1896 - Aintree, Lancashire
MORLEY, Hilda Dtr 0 (1 MOS) 1901 - Aintree, Lancashire
RUSHTON, William Boarder 16 1885 Steward On Ship - Kirkdale, Lancashire

And his birth..
Births Dec 1884: Rushton, William Tate - W. Derby 8b 423

[dickiesam]

The father's death?
RUSHTON, James William
Registration district: West Derby, Lancashire
Year of registration: 1906; Quarter of registration: Apr-May-Jun
Age at death: 45
Volume no: 8B; Page no: 383

The plot thickens... Had he remarried?
Marriage: RUSHTON, James William married ROGERS, Martha [at Our Lady & St. Nicholas & St. Anne]
Registration district: Liverpool
Year of registration: 1897; Quarter of registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
Volume no: 8B; Page no: 166

[dickiesam]

From Blue:

In 1900 Vale House Training Home and Orphanage was at 135 St Domingo Vale Everton. The matron then was Miss Sydney Knight.

Almost certain this is Mary Josephine Rushton in 1901...

RG13 Piece: 3478 Folio: 20 Page: 32
Address: 135 Saint Domingo Vale, Everton, Lancashire
KNIGHT, Sidney Mary Supt u/m 28 1873 Superintendent Girls training Home - Keswick, Cumberland
WINTER, Jane Ann Industrial Matron u/m 35 1866 Trains Girls In Industrial Work - Hawes(?), Yorkshire
LEFEUVRE, Florence Laundry Matron Md 36 1865 Trains Girls In Laundry Work - St Heliers, Jersey.
RUSHTON, Josephine Inmate 10 1891 In School - Liverpool, Lancashire
Plus many other 'inmates'.

[dickiesam]

Mary Josephine isn't listed in the Vale House census for 1910+1 and probably left the school about 1905. It is very possible that the Liverpool Records Office holds some records from Vale House that SKP could look up?

I believe this to be her staying with her g.father William Tate Rushton... One of her brothers was a William Tate Rushton bn 1884.
1910+1:
Address: 38 Uxbridge Street, Edge Hill, Liverpool
RUSHTON, William Tate Head 76 1835 Retired Guard Railway - Liverpool
RUSHTON, Ellen Wife [Md 51 years] 71 1840 - Lancs, Scarsbrick
RUSHTON, Arthur Son u/m 34 1877 Railway Clerk - Liverpool
RUSHTON, Margaret Dtr u/m 28 1883 Railway Laiday Clerk - Liverpool
RUSHTON, Mary G.dtr u/m 20 1891 At Home - Lancs, Aintree

For the connection to Mary's father see the family at:
1871: RG10 Piece: 3842 Folio: 150 Page: 36
Address: Palmerston Street Primitive Methodist Chapel, West Derby, Liverpool.
RUSHTON, William Head 36 1835 Railway guard - Lancashire
RUSHTON, Ellen Wife 31 1840 Lancashire
RUSHTON, James Son 10 1861 Lancashire
RUSHTON, Alice Dtr 8 1863 Lancashire
RUSHTON, Joseph Son 7 1864 Lancashire
RUSHTON, Ellen Dtr 5 1866 Lancashire
RUSHTON, Mary Dtr 1 1870 Lancashire