Fontenoy St

[davee2004]

hello
I have my great great grandfather's birth certificate... William Francis Ballard b.1849. Address is 72 Fontenoy St.
His father..William Ballard and Wife Jane nee Dawson on it. His father was born in Ireland and I cannot find any evidence that he was Catholic. His surname is an English name...not anglicised Irish name. Was Fontenoy St. an Irish immigrant area at the time? His wife was born in Isle of Jersey.
Many thanks in advance.

Year corrected MA

[Bertieone]

Hi Dave and welcome,

Birth 1849, (Typo)?

Looking at the Electoral Register for Fontenoy st, 1840+/- 10 years.

there doesn't appear many Irish sounding names, the odd few.

Hopefully someone else will have greater knowledge.

[retiringtype]

William Francis Ballard b.1859

Should that read 1849?

[davee2004]

yes 1849

[retiringtype]

If you look at the 1851 census for 72 Fontenoy Street (Ho 107/ 2179 folio 42 page 9) you can see that the immediate area is a mix of English and Irish families. By 1861 it had become more Irish.

[davee2004]

many thanks

[davee2004]

thanks for the info about Fontenoy Street.
Further to this...do you know what kind of living conditions existed there...I am assuming from my research that they were back-to-back houses?
thanks in advance

[retiringtype]

There were "courts" in Fontenoy Street, quite near number 72 ( see https://www.liverpoolpicturebook.com/20 ... using.html to read about the courts). Number 72 itself would have been a terraced house. In 1851 it was occupied by Ellen Barton, a charwoman, her son John Caddick, and 5 lodgers. Either side of 72, there were two families living at number 68 and there were four families living at number 74.

[davee2004]

thanks for that. I live in Hants. My dad was a Yorkshireman but his mother was born in Liverpool and the family goes back quite a time. There is an Irish connection with one ggg grandad and a scottish ggg grandfather as well all in Liverpool. My g grandfather john richard ballard mm moved the family from Liverpool to wrexham area. he fought and died in somme in royal welsh regiment. i think his name is on roll of honour in liverpool town hall. the ballards seem to have been tinsmiths/coppersmiths. on another site...someone said that my ggg grandad from Liverpool william ballard b ireland circa 1817 was a romany. I'm not convinced. surely not all the tinsmiths and coppersmiths were romany gypsies???

[retiringtype]

Your great grandfather is listed on war memorials in Johnstown and Rhosllannerchrugog in Clwyd as well as Liverpool Town Hall.

http://www.clwydfhs.org.uk/cofadeiladau ... own_wm.htm

http://www.clwydfhs.org.uk/cofadeiladau ... gog_wm.htm

http://admin.cityhallsliverpool.co.uk/t ... ard&page=1

surely not all the tinsmiths and coppersmiths were romany gypsies???

Of course not.

[daggers]

Pte. J.R. Ballard seems to have been awarded the Military Medal, but I have not yet found details of this award. He also earned the 1915 Star, British War and Victory Medals. He was killed in action on the Somme on 16 Aug. 1916 and is recorded with many, many others on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, panel 'Pier and Face 4A'.

D

[davee2004]

many thanks for the information provided.

[davee2004]

i have a copy of liverpool evening express 24 nov 1916 with pic of john richard ballard mm.the mm was awarded posthumously. the article mentions that he is a nephew of captain j r ballard of the old 42nd black watch. i do believe a highland regiment...I can't find any info about the captain. After john richard died on the somme, his wife..florence mary nee sutcliffe and children returned to liverpool. his daughter..elenor ballard was my grandmother though she died when my dad was 14.

[retiringtype]

The only Captain J R Ballard I can find in the army lists (so far) is James Ritchie Ballard, who was an army paymaster. Born Toronto in 1835, son of John and Mary Ann Ballard.

[davee2004]

I couldn't find any info about him.
I have also had no luck locating marriage record of William Ballard and Jane Dawson. They are ggg grandparents...William b circa 1817 iteland and Jane b circa 1820..isle of jersey. I'm not sure whether they were married in Liverpool...but they definitely are found on census there. A distant relative in Liverpool informs me that they ended up moving to Boston USA from Liverpool after coming up to Liverpool from France. Not so sure about France...maybe jersey.

[retiringtype]

Possible older sister for William Francis: Elizabeth Ballard born Liverpool, birth registered Q1 1847, vol 20 page 384. Mmn Dawson.

[davee2004]

thanks for that