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In Memory of Alan Phillips

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My dear cousin Alan who was born on 4th December 1935,  passed away from stomach cancer on 17th July 2012.

As soon as I learned the date of the funeral I changed my holiday plans so that I would be up ‘home’ at the time to enable me to attend his funeral.

Tuesday 24th July dawned bright and sunny, which was very welcome as Alan was to be interred at 11.30am and there is nothing worse than standing around a grave with the rain pouring down.

As Alan lived in Co. Durham and I was staying at my sister’s in Northumberland we had an hour’s journey before arriving at the Wear Valley Crematorium where there was to be a Humanist celebration of his life which would be followed by the interment at St. Paul’s Church, Hunwick.

Funerals are never happy, enjoyable occasions, however I must admit that this celebration of Alan’s life was so well thought out by his wife and daughters which made it a lovely occasion.  I certainly learned a lot about Alan’s early life from the reading which was done and as I am researching our family tree it was very interesting.  I have asked for a copy of the reading to put in the book I am writing. 

After this beautiful ceremony we got back into our car and set off for St. Paul’s Church.  The sun was still shining beautifully as we drove into the cemetery, there was just one road in which ended abruptly and just became a grassy field.  The setting was absolutely beautiful and so fitting for Alan who has worked on the land for so many years and was such an animal lover – there is a lovely view across the countryside with sheep bleating away in the background.  Soil to throw onto the top of the coffin, from Northumberland had been provided by Alan’s brother-in-law, as although he lived in Co. Durham he was born in Northumberland.

Next stop was The Red Lion pub, North Bitchburn which was there local and originally they lived in the little row of terraced houses behind there before buying a larger property with a few acres of land.  Inside was a display of old and new photographs of Alan and his family, plus of course hot and cold drinks and yummy food.

This has to be one of the nicest funerals I have ever attended and the memory of it and Alan will stay with me forever.

R.I.P. Alan – you will be sadly missed.

Another one bites the dust!

Another sad day for our family. My cousin Carol Simpson nee Phillips passed away this morning at 11a.m. This is the last of my Aunty Flossie and Uncle Anderson's family to leave this mortal coil. Carol succumbed to the dreaded cancer today - her stomach cancer had returned and had moved to her lungs and was rapid - the tube in her throat had collapsed and she was unable to breathe. Last time I saw Carol was at her brother Alan's funeral in July - she looked older than her 64 years and was still smoking! We now have very few cousins left - thankfully we are at the younger end of our family tree so hopefully have a few years left to enjoy our lives. R.I.P. Carol

Tom Dobson & Annie Kirby - question over her father!!!!

As I need to tie up some loose ends with my family tree so I can make a start on my book I decided to purchase the marriage certificate for my great grandparents. From the Mormon website I had gleaned the information that Annie's father was named James but all the Census returns I can find for the family give his name as John!!!! To be sure the information on the Mormon website was correct I needed to see the actual marriage certificate - oh dear - now I don't know what his name was!!!!!! Also the only marriage I can find for a Mary Ann to a Kirby is one to a John Kirby - no trace at all of a James!!!! I'm 99.9% sure that the family on the Census returns are the correct ones as Annie appears with them. I now assume that perhaps Annie didn't even know her father's name as she was only 2 years old when he died - why her mother didn't give her the correct name of John I don't know. I've discovered her oldest sister Jane died at the age of 18, her brother Thomas Hugh didn't marry until he was 50, her sister Alice Ann was 53 when she married - so I don't believe any of them had children except for Annie (my great grandmother). Tom Dobson and Annie Kirby married on August 21st 1887 in the Parish Church at Pickering, North Yorkshire, they were both 20 when they married - her father died in 1869 when Annie was 2 and her mother died in 1910. I think perhaps now I should purchase Annie's birth certificate to check out both parents' names!!!!! Instead of solving mysteries I've created more!!!!

Carole and Christine Dobson born 1961

Hope someone out there reads this post and can help me again in my quest for long lost relatives: Today I'm trying to find Carole & Christine Dobson born in the Durham area back in 1961. I believe the girls are twins and are the children of Thomas Henry Dobson aka Young Harry, born in 1932 and Jennie Blemings born 1935. I believe Thomas and Jennie married in 1958. If you know these people, or better still you are one of the people I am searching for please contact me, either on here or on Facebook.