Hayes Family of Leigh, Lancashire




Revised

May 5, 2013


 

Hayes Family
of Leigh, Lancashire, England


by Neil A. Boyer




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               This section focuses on the Hayes family of Lancashire, England, with roots in Pennington, Leigh, Lowton and Prescot. It begins with William Hey, born in 1634. This report benefits from the extensive research into this family carried out over many years by Keith Hayes, a descendant of the individuals addressed here. While much of the original research into the Hayes family focused on Ellis Hayes (1784-1869) and his wife, Ellen Bent Hayes (1788-1869), the dedication of Keith Hayes to this research has pushed information about the family history back almost 150 more years. As indicated in the sections below, some doubt remains regarding the connections of these ancestors to the Hayes family members of later generations, and researchers should take this into account.

           The original stimulus for this page was research into the ancestors of William (Bill) Jackson (1879-1944) and Sarah Wilkinson Jackson (1879-1942), grandparents of the author. Bill and Sarah were both born in Lancashire. Bill moved to America in 1923, followed by Sarah and her children in 1924. Bill Jackson's family originated in Cumberland, England, and was joined through marriage to the Cumberland family of Francis James (1793-1865).  Bill and Sarah were among only a few in their families to go to America.  Details of the lives of Bill and Sarah Jackson and their descendants are provided in another section of this account.  This section looks at Sarah Jackson's ancestors in the Hayes family and the confluence of events that led the Jacksons and some of the Hayes family to travel to America. 

           This presentation includes information on:
 

William Hey (born 1634) and Alice Hey of Pennington

Ellis Hey (1658-1705) and Margaret Hey of Pennington

James Heyes (1692-1741) and Catherine Heyes of Prescot and Pennington

Ellis Hayes (1728-1760), of Lowton, Lancashire

John Hayes (1759-1836) and Ann Houghton Hayes of Lowton

Ellen Hayes (b.1782)
Ellis Hayes (1784-1869) and Ellen Bent Hayes (d.1864)
John Hayes (b. 1786)
Ann Hayes (b. 1792)
James Hayes (1794-1795)
Elizabeth (Betty) Heyes (1796-1862) and John Williamson
James Hayes (b. 1800)
Mary Hayes (b. 1801)

Ellis Hayes (1784-1869) and Ellen Bent Hayes of Lowton

Hayes Family Travel to America

Genealogical Charts on these Families
Note on Researching the Hayes Family


OTHER LINKS:

The Jackson Family of Cumberland
The Family of William and Sarah Jackson in America
The Family of Francis James of Cumberland
The Wilkinson Family of Leigh, Lancashire
The Casson Family of Ulpha, Cumberland
The Boyers of Easton
Neil Boyer's Home Page

 

      
William Heye, born 1634

William Heye is the earliest member of the Hayes family with an apparent link to the descendants below. William was baptized at Leigh Parish Church on August 14, 1634. The records do not identify his parents. There is no record of his death, but there is a record of the burial of Alice, identified as the wife of William Heye of Pennington, on January 11, 1694. It is not certain that this was the same William Heye, but given the relatively small community attending Leigh Parish Church, the probability seems great that this Alice was his wife.

Baptismal records show two people of the Heye name associated with Leigh Parish Church, and It is believed that these were children of William. 


-- Ellis Hey was born about 1658, as has been estimated. Leigh Parish Church records show that he was buried there on June 10, 1705, when he would have been about 45. Church records show seven children of Ellis. The baptismal record of his son James Heyes says that Ellis lived in Pennington, which is part of Leigh. If Ellis lived there, speculation is that William Heye, probably his father, lived in Pennington as well. Part of the reasoning is that Ellis named his first son William Hey, and it was common that first sons were named after their grandfathers. Also, the first William Hey who was a child of Ellis, did not live long, and thus Ellis had a second son named William Hey. This tends to support the theory that the father of Ellis was named William Heye. Ellis wanted a son named William. See more about Ellis below.

It will be noted that many members of this family bear the name "Ellis Hayes."

-- The baptism of Alice Heye was shown in Leigh Parish Church records on February 11, 1665. The record shows she was the daughter of William Hey of Pennington. The mother's name was not given. Given that first female children tended to be given family names, it is possible that the mother of this Alice was also named Alice and thus that William Heye's wife was named Alice Heye.
 


Ellis Hey (1658-1705) and Margaret Hey

Ellis Hey is estimated to be the only son of William Heye. Keith Hayes speculates that Ellis was born about 1658. His death is recorded at Leigh Parish Church. The burial was on June 10, 1705, which would mean Ellis was 47 if the birthdate is correct. There is a burial record at the same church for Margaret Heys of Pennington on January 11, 1708, and it is likely that this was the wife of Ellis. This is probable because James Heyes, a son of Ellis, named his first-born daughter Margaret and, after she died in infancy, named the next daughter Margaret as well. It is believed that James did this because Margaret was the name of his mother. There is a burial record at Leigh for Margaret Heys on January 11, 1708. If this was the wife of Ellis and mother of the children listed below, her son James would have been only 15 when his mother died.

        Records indicate that Ellis Hey had seven children, presumably all by Margaret. The children were:


-- William Hey. Records at Leigh Parish Church show that William, son of Ellis Hey of Pennington, was baptized on June 25, 1682, and buried on September 2, 1682, almost three months old.

-- Thomas Hey was baptized at Leigh Parish Church on November 25, 1683. He was buried on October 15, 1686, almost three years old.

-- William Hey, son of Ellis Hey of Pennington, was baptized on October 26, 1686, eleven days after his brother Thomas died. This is the second child of Ellis to be named William, leading researchers to believe that William Hey was probably the name of the father of Ellis Hey.

-- Ellis Hey, son of Ellis Hey of Pennington, was baptized on January 18, 1689, in Leigh, and buried on October 6, 1690, at the age of 21 months.

-- James Heyes, a son of Ellis Hey of Pennington, was baptized on June 19, 1692. His wife was Catherine, as known from the baptisms of two children. James was a shoemaker who lived at one time in Prescot and later in Leigh, about 15 miles away. James and Catherine Heyes had eight children. James and Catherine both died in 1741. He was 48. More details are below.

-- Ellen Hey was baptized on September 20, 1696.

-- Mary Hey, another daughter of Ellis Hey of Pennington, was baptized on January 14, 1699.



James Heyes (1692-1741) and Catherine Heyes

James Heyes is believed to be the fifth child of Ellis and Margaret Hey. James was baptized on June 19, 1692, the son of Ellis Hey of Pennington, as reflected in the Leigh Parish Church register. James was married to Catherine, as known from the baptisms of two of their children. Although James lived in Pennington when he was born, his early life with Catherine in Prescot, about 15 miles southwest of Leigh, suggests that Prescot may have been the original home of Catherine.

The father of James, Ellis Hey, died when James was only 13, and his mother, Margaret, died when he was 15. While this is speculation, it is possible that as an orphan at 15, James was placed in an apprenticeship or otherwise took up the shoemaking trade. (This was almost the same circumstance that occurred to Ellis Hayes, the son of James, after James and his wife died in 1741). Shoemaking then was centered in Liverpool, southwest of Leigh. Perhaps in the outlying areas of Liverpool, James met Catherine and they took up residence in her home town of Prescot, about eight miles from Liverpool. It appears that James and Catherine lived in Prescot at least until 1725 and then moved to Pennington, the birthplace of James. Records indicate that James and Catherine Heyes had eight children. Baptisms of the first five (between 1717 and 1725) were in Prescot Parish Church. Baptisms of the later children (between 1728 and 1735) were in the Leigh Parish Church, and the burial of Alice was in Leigh was in 1726. This suggests the family moved from Prescot to Pennington about 1726. James Heyes and his wife Catherine died within six weeks of each other in 1741. Catherine was buried on November 25, 1741, and James six weeks later, on January 2, 1741 (the years do not change in January under the Julian calendar, which was used at that time.)

A question of whether this James Heyes was the father of the Ellis Hayes family below can be addressed in this way: The church records in both Prescot and Leigh show that James was a shoemaker whose wife was named Catherine. They show that he was baptized in Leigh and later lived in Prescot and then again in Leigh. He had a daughter Alice who was baptized in Prescot and buried in Leigh. And James had two sons named Ellis, one born in each place, likely named after the father of James. The evidence seems clear that this is the same James Heyes family, having moved from Prescot to Pennington.

The children of James and Catherine Heyes, as recorded in church registers, were as follows:

-- Margaret Heyes, possibly named after the mother of James, was baptized on March 27, 1717, and buried on March 30, 1717, three days later. Records of both events are in Prescot Parish Church.

-- John Heyes was baptized in Prescot Parish Church on November 12, 1718.

-- Margaret Heyes, a second child with the same name, was baptized on February 16, 1720, at Prescot Church.

-- Alice Heyes, daughter of James Heyes, shoemaker, and his wife Catherine, was baptized at Prescot Church on June 3, 1723. She died three years later and was buried in Leigh on June 18, 1726.

-- Ellis Heyes, son of James Heyes, shoemaker, and his wife Catherine, was baptized at Prescot Church on June 27, 1725. He was buried at Prescot on July 4, 1726, one year old.

-- Ellis Heyes, the second son of James Heyes to bear this name, was baptized on September 2, 1728, at Leigh Parish Church. The record said he was the child of James Heyes, shoemaker, and Catherine, his wife, of Pennington. This record suggests that the family had moved from Prescot to Pennington between the births of the two sons named Ellis. This Ellis Heyes married, first, Martha Astley, and then a woman named Phoebe, and he had two children with each. Ellis died at the age of 32 and was buried on December 26, 1760, in Winwick. More details are below.

-- Mary Heyes was baptized at Leigh Parish Church on May 8, 1732.

-- James Heyes was baptized at Leigh Parish Church on August 17, 1735.



Ellis Hayes (1728-1760) of Lowton

This Ellis Hayes was baptized on September 2, 1728, at Leigh Parish Church. He is believed to be the fifth child of James Heyes.  His mother, Catherine Heyes, died on November 25, 1741, and his father six weeks later, on January 2, 1741 (years numbered by the Julian calendar). Ellis was only thirteen and a half when his parents died. Two months after the death of his father, Ellis was entered into an apprenticeship. A document discovered by Keith Hayes at the Leigh town hall showed an agreement between "Ellis Heyes, son of James Heyes, a poor child of Pennington, of the one part, and James Lowe of Lowton . . . chapman, of the other part." (A chapman was an itinerant seller.) The apprenticeship was to last seven and a half years or until Ellis became 21, whichever came first.

It appears that, as soon as Ellis turned 21, he married Martha Astley of Golborne. The wedding was on February 19, 1750. It is estimated that Martha was born about 1730. Keith Hayes speculates that Ellis, at the age of 13, became an orphan, moved from Leigh to Lowton to serve an apprenticeship as a husbandman (farm worker caring for animals), met a girl from Golborne, about two miles from Lowton, and got married at St. Luke's Church in Lowton when he turned 21. He and Martha had two children, then Martha died and one of the children also died. Ellis remarried and had two more children, and then he died himself at the age of 32.

The records indicate that after Ellis married Martha in Lowton, they moved to Bedford in Leigh, and that is where their two children were born, James Hayes in 1752 and Catherine Hayes in 1754. The family then apparently moved back to Lowton, where Martha Hayes died on November 30, 1756, when she must have been about 26. Their daughter Catherine also died in Lowton, in January 1757, two months after her mother died. In the record of Martha's burial at Leigh Parish Church, she was described as the wife of Ellis Hayes of Lowton. The burial record of Catherine at Lowton St. Luke's identified her as the daughter of Ellis Heyes of Lowton. Thus, Ellis Hayes lost both his wife and daughter when he was only 28. (See 1842 map of Lowton and Lowton Common.)

After Martha's death, there is indication that Ellis was married to a woman named Phoebe, although no record of the marriage has been found. Her maiden name is unknown. Phoebe appears to have been the mother of two of the children of Ellis, John Hayes and still another Ellis Hayes. Records showed that Ellis the father was buried on December 26, 1760, when he was 32. See a genealogical chart on the Hayes family. 

Records showed these children of Ellis Hayes:

-- James Hayes was baptized on February 8, 1752, the son of Ellis and Martha Hayes. It appears that Ellis named his first two children after his parents.

-- Catherine Hayes was baptized on October 2, 1754. The baptismal records showed her as a daughter of Ellis Hayes of Bedford, part of Leigh.  She was buried at St. Luke's Church in Lowton on January 30, 1757, at the age of two, just two months after the death of her mother, Martha.  

-- John Hayes was baptized on May 11, 1759, indicating that Ellis Hayes had remarried after Martha's death in 1756. John married Ann Houghton and they had seven children. John died in 1836. (See more below.)

-- Ellis Hayes was born on August 7, 1761, and baptized on August 30, 1761, at St. Luke's Church in Lowton. His mother's name was shown as Phoebe Hayes, indicating that she was the second wife of Ellis. Phoebe was probably also the mother of John Hayes.  A record in Winwick Church showed that Ellis Hayes, the father, died and was buried on December 26, 1760, at the age of 32, about eight months prior to the birth of his son Ellis on August 7, 1761. Records showed that Ellis the son did not live long, and he was buried on December 21, 1761, only four months after his birth. Both the baptism record and the burial record showed that his mother was named Phoebe.

Phoebe Hayes
, apparently the second wife of Ellis Hayes, was remarried on October 7, 1765, at Winwick Church, to Thomas Dickinson. It may be assumed that Phoebe and Thomas raised John Hayes, who had been born in 1759, only six years earlier. Phoebe Dickinson was buried on August 13, 1818, at Winwick Church. The burial record said she was 82, which would indicate her birth in 1736 or 1737.

Genealogical Persistence. Related to the information on this page is a fascinating account by Keith Hayes of how he discovered much of this Hayes-family information. It is a lesson in how creative persistence can break through genealogical brick walls.  See his account.



John Hayes (1759-1836)

Research shows that Ellis and Phoebe Hayes had a son, John Hayes, who was born on May 11, 1759, and baptized on May 25, 1759, both events in Lowton. No record has been found specifically showing the name of John's mother, but another Hayes child, also named Ellis, was born on August 7, 1761, to Phoebe Hayes, and it is likely that Phoebe was also John's mother. John Hayes was married on August 8,1780, in St. Oswald's Church in Winwick, to Ann Houghton, who was born about 1760. Both John and Ann were buried at Winwick, John on January 6, 1836, Ann on April 8, 1840. 

There are records showing that John and Ann Hayes had seven children, possibly eight. Except for Elizabeth, all were shown as born in Lowton, offspring of John and Ann Hayes, and baptized at Leigh Parish Church.

-- Ellen Hayes was born in 1782. Unmarried Ellen had a son, John Hayes, who was born in 1803 and died in 1866. John and his wife Sarah (c.1804-1850) had a daughter Mary Hayes, born on October 23, 1841. (See tombstone below.) Mary was baptized on January 4, 1846, the same day as her sister Sarah Heyes, who had been born on June 5, 1845.

-- Ellis Hayes was born in 1784. He married Ellen Bent in 1807. Both were silk weavers. Ellen died in 1864, Ellis in 1869. They had nine children. See more about Ellis and his family below.

-- John Hayes was born about 1786.

-- Ann Hayes was born in 1792.

-- James Hayes was born in 1794 and died in 1795. His parents gave the name James to their next-born son as well.

-- Elizabeth (Betty) Heyes was born on December 9, 1796, and baptized at St. Luke's Church in Lowton on January 6, 1797. There is some doubt as to whether she fits within this family. The baptismal record names "Elisabeth daughter of John Hays of Lowton born December 9th and baptised January 6th 1797." The record does not mention the name of the mother. The others in this family were identified as children of both John and Ann Hayes. Also, this would be the only child of John not baptized in Leigh Parish Church. Further, there was another John Hayes living in the area, and Elizabeth might have been his child. However, if baptized in Lowton, it is likely that Elizabeth would have been born in Lowton, as all of the other children in the family had been, and her birthdate in 1796 falls within the five-year gap between the births of the two boys named James Hayes. Also, records of St. Oswald's Church in Winwick show that "Betty Hayes" was married there on January 4, 1819, to John Williamson, and census records show that John and Betty lived on Lowton Common. These facts increase the likelihood that Betty was one of the children in this Hayes family. John had been born about 1799, probably at Leeds or Doncaster in Yorkshire, and died in Lowton on May 3, 1872. Betty died in Lowton on March 15, 1862.  Their tombstone in St. Luke's Church Burial Ground in Lowton shows the date of death and age for Betty but not for John. The stone also records the burial of their daughter, Margaret Williamson, and her husband John Prescott

Betty Heyes Williamson and husband John Sarah Heyes and John Kearsley, St. Luke's
St. Luke's grave for Betty Hayes Williamson (1796-1862),
her husband, John Williamson,
and daughter Margaret Williamson  Prescott
(1837-1869) and husband John.
Grave of Sarah Hayes (1824-1849), the daughter of Mary Hayes (b. 1801),
Sarah's husband John Kearsley,
and their son James, who died at 16.
Sarah's mother was a sister of Betty Hayes Williamson and Ellis Heyes (b. 1784)

-- James Hayes, a second James, was born in 1800.

-- Mary Hayes, last-known child of John and Ann Houghton Hayes, was born in 1801.  She was not married. Mary had a daughter, Sarah Hayes, who married John Kearsley of Lowton. John had been born on October 23, 1825, in Leigh, Lancashire. He was a son of James Kearsley, who had been born about 1800 in West Leigh, Lancashire, and died on September 13, 1867, in Atherton, Lancashire, and of Elizabeth Livesley, born about 1802 in Leigh, buried on September 11, 1833.

Although John Kearsley is named on Sarah's tombstone, no date of death is given. Sarah died in 1849 at the age of 25, according to her tombstone in St. Luke's Cemetery (above). Sarah and John Kearsley had four sons, in 1844, 1845, 1846 and 1848. All of them died before their mother Sarah. No information has been uncovered about John Kearsley after his wife Sarah died. Family reseachers Keith Hayes and Al Williamson developed this information on the Hayes and Kearsley families. The known children of John and Sarah Kearsley were these:

James Kearsley was born on November 27, 1844, in Lowton. He died on May 1,1861, at the age of 16. He is mentioned on Sarah's tombstone, above.

Thomas Kearsley was born in 1845, also in Lowton. He died in October of the same year and was bured on October 14, 1845.

Samuel Kearsley was born on September 27, 1846, in Lowton. He died in June 1848 and was buried on June 21, 1848.

Thomas Kearsley was born in February 1848, in Lowton, and died in June of that year. Thomas was buried on June 18, 1848, three days before the burial of his brother Samuel.





Ellis Hayes (1784-1869) and Ellen Bent Hayes

Ellis Hayes, the second child of John and Ann Hayes, was born in 1784 and baptized on January 1, 1785, at Leigh Parish Church.  His wife, Ellen Bent, was born in Kenyon in late 1788 or early 1789, the daughter of Henry and Ellen Bent. She was baptized on February 14, 1789, also at Leigh Parish. Ellis and Ellen were married at Wigan Parish Church on February 9, 1807. Ellis appears in the 1861 census, age 78, identified as a former silk weaver.  His wife, age 76, is also identified as a former silk weaver. They lived on Lowton Common, Lancashire, apparently on the same street as two other Hayes family members, their sons Samuel Hayes and Peers Hayes. (Lowton Common probably was an area of common land where people who graze their animals. When a cluster of dwellings arose nearby, the settlement would have taken on the name Lowton Common as well.) Ellis died in 1869 and Ellen Bent Hayes in 1864. A photo of a silk weaver is at the end of this page on Lowton history.

Ellis and Elen Bent Hayes formed an important focal point for the family of Annie Jackson Boyer in America, who was the mother of this writer and the stimulus for this research into the Hayes family. Of key importance was the family of one of the children of Ellis and Ellen Hayes: Peers Hayes, born April 12, 1828, and his wife, Anne Hatton.  At least three of the ten children of Peers or their offspring went to live in the United States, and all stayed in close touch with each other.  When Anna Jackson Boyer's father, Bill Jackson, took the courageous decision in 1923, at the age of 44, to change job and homeland, he went first to Rhode Island to stay with the family of his wife's mother's sister, a branch of the Hayes family.  And it is from descendants of the Hayes and Wilkinson families that we know the most about the Jacksons.



Children of Ellis and Ellen Bent Hayes. Most of the information below on the Ellis Hayes family focuses on Samuel and Peers, but some information has been developed on nine children:

1. Henry Hayes, was baptized on May 30, 1807, at Leigh Parish Church, and thus probably was born during the month of May 1807. That would have been three months after Ellis and Ellen were married. Henry died on February 2, 1881, in Lowton. He and his wife Alice had no children.

2. William Hayes was born in 1810 and died in 1901 at the age of 91.  He married Margaret Prescott in Winwick Church on New Year's Day, 1833, the same day that his brother John Hayes married Ann Morris. Margaret died in 1854 at the age of 42, and in 1859, William married Ellen Westwell. She had been born about 1819 and died in 1907. William did not have children with either wife.

3. John Hayes was born on May 30, 1813, and died in 1864 at the age of 50.  On January 1, 1833, he married Ann Morris, with whom he had at least six children. The tombstone for John and Ann is below.

4. Ellis Hayes was born on September 18, 1815, and died in 1886.

5. Hannah Hayes (spelled "Heyes" in one record) was born in 1818 in Lowton and baptized on August 22, 1818, at Leigh Parish Church. She died on August 1, 1861, in Lowton. On June 2, 1844, in Winwick Warrington, Hannah married Henry Morris, who had been born in 1818 in Lowton. He was a cotton weaver, and Hannah was a silk hand loom weaver. Their son William Morris and his son Henry Morris (1876-1958) both worked in the chemical industry in Widnes. Hannah's husband, Henry Morris, died on March 6, 1855, in Atherton, Lancashire. Henry and Hannah Morris had three children: Samuel Morris, born in 1846, William Morris (1847-1899), and Elizabeth Morris, born in 1850. Josephine Morris O'Neill, a descendant of Hannah and Henry Morris and their son William, provided information on this section.

6. Samuel Hayes, the sixth child of Ellis and Ellen Bent Hays, was baptized on July 28, 1821, at Leigh Parish Church. He first married Esther Morris of Lowton on December 13, 1847, at Lowton, St. Luke's Church. She had been born in 1825, but she died in 1848, not long after their wedding. Prior to their marriage, Samuel and Esther had a daughter, who was known initially as Ellen Morris and later as Ellen M. Hayes. Ellen was born August 28, 1844, and baptized on March 10, 1845, at Lowton, St. Luke's. The 1861 census made clear that "Ellen M. Hayes" lived with the family.

On April 21, 1851, after Esther died, Samuel married Mary Ann Lowe at Tyldesley Top Chapel. Mary Ann had been born in 1831 and she died in 1891 at the age of 59. On her marriage certificate, Mary Ann said she had been born in Liverpool and that her father, Ellis Lowe, was a shoemaker. Samuel and Mary Ann Lowe Hayes had five children: Mary E. Hayes, born in 1853; Ellis Lowe Hays, 1855; Thomas Hayes, 1859 (died in 1863); Esther Hayes, 1863; and Harriet Hayes, 1866. The 1861 census showed that Samuel and his family lived at 9 Lowton Common, in Lowton, Lancashire, near his parents, Ellis Hayes, 78, and Ellen Hayes, 76, who were at 7 Lowton Common. Samuel, 38, born in Lowton, and his wife, Mary Ann Hayes, 28, born in Liverpool, were both described as silk weavers. Samuel's son Ellis, named after his grandfather and his great-great-grandfather, was listed in the census as a male named "Ethel," but this was clearly a bad reading of the census-taker's writing. In the 1861 census, the Samuel Hayes family included Samuel, 40; wife Mary Ann, 30; Ellen M. Hayes, 16 (daughter of Samuel's first wife), a silk weaver; Mary E., 7; Ellis, 5; and Thomas Hayes, 2.  Samuel died on October 19, 1898, at the age of 77. Samuel and Mary Ann Lowe Hayes were buried with Thomas Leather (1778-1860) and his wife Mary (see tombstone below). The 1851 census showed Mary Ann Lowe living with Leathers and described her as a niece.

Much of the information in this report on the early generations of the Hayes family was developed by Keith Hayes, born in 1961, a descendant of Samuel and Mary Ann Hayes. Keith's father was Thomas Hayes (1928-1993), his grandfather was Ellis Lowe Hayes (1889-1962), and his great-grandfather was Ellis Lowe Hayes (1855-1911). In 2011, Keith Hayes lived in Leigh and worked for Lloyds Banking Group.

Ellis Lowe Hayes Grave, 201 Samuel Hayes and wife Mary Ann, St. Luke's
Leigh Cemetery grave of Ellis Lowe Hayes
(1855-1911), his wife Catherine Hayes (1848-1924),
his son Ellis Lowe Hayes (1889-1962) and that son's
first wife Rose Doherty Hayes (1891-1918). The
gravestone also mentions two other children of Ellis
and Catherine,
Mary Ann Hayes (1885-1966) and
Samuel Hayes (1886-1918). However, Samuel is not
buried in this space; he died and was buried
in Italy while serving in the army. 
At right rear is the grave of
Charles Henry Wilkinson (1881-1957).
Grave of Samuel Hayes (1821-1898), who was a son of Ellis Hayes (1784-1869) and Ellen Bent Hayes, and a brother to Peers Hayes (1828-1909). Samuel is buried here with his second wife, Mary Ann Lowe Hayes. His name is also on a tombstone (see below, left) with that of his first wife, Esther, but he was buried in this grave with Mary Ann. Also buried here are Thomas Leather (1778-1860) and Mary Leather, uncle and aunt of Mary Ann.

7. Ellen Hayes was baptized on September 11, 1824. She died on January 19, 1910, at the age of 85 (the tombstone wrongly says 84). She married Edward Houghton, who had been baptized at Leigh Parish Church on March 27, 1819. According to their tombstone (see below), Edward died on October 22, 1893, at the age of 74. They had at least 10 children. Their tombstone says they are buried with a son, Thomas Houghton. He was the last child of Ellen, born on October 23, 1868, when Ellen was about 44. Thomas died on January 17, 1951, at the age of 82. Ellen, Edward, Thomas and Thomas's wife, Jane Unsworth, are buried in Lowton St. Luke's Cemetery. Jane Unsworth Houghton had been born on August 28, 1868, and died on August 5, 1957, almost 88. Ellen Houghton, a daughter of Ellen and Edward, was baptized at Lowton St. Luke's church on May 22, 1853, in a three-way family ceremony along with another Ellen Hayes, the daughter of Peers Hayes, and Sarah Hatton, the daughter of Charles Hatton, the brother of Anne Hatton Hayes. They were the only children baptized that day.

8. Peers Hayes, the eighth child of Ellis and Ellen Bent Hayes, was born on April 12, 1828, and baptized on July 7, 1828, in Leigh Parish Church. He married Ellen Prescott, also of Lowton, on August 16, 1847, at St. Luke's Church in Lowton. Ellen had been born about 1828, and she died on February 6, 1851.  They had one child, Margaret Hayes, born on November 7, 1847.  After Ellen died, Peers married Ann Hatton, in 1851, and they had nine children. More about Peers Hayes is below.

 9. Thomas Hayes, the last-known child of Ellis and Ellen Bent Hayes, was born in 1831 in Lowton and baptized in Leigh on April 2, 1831. In 1856, he married Mary Rowland, born about 1828, and they had at least eight children.

      


Peers Hayes (1828-1909) of Lancashire

Peers Hayes, the eighth child of Ellis and Ellen Bent Hayes, was born on April 12, 1828, and baptized on July 7, 1828, in Leigh Parish Church. He was married twice, first to Ellen Prescott and then to Anne Hatton.  With Ellen, he had one child and with Anne had nine.

Ellen Prescott, the first wife of Peers, was also from Lowton. Peers and Ellen were married
on August 16, 1847, at St. Luke's Church in Lowton. Ellen had been born about 1828, and she died on February 6, 1851. They had one child, Margaret Hayes, born on November 7, 1847.  

St. Luke's Churchyard, Lowton St. Luke's Church, Lowton, Seen in 2011 St. Mary's Church in Lowton
St. Luke's Church in Lowton. Photos by Keith Hayes in 2011. St. Mary's Church
in Lowton

In 1851, after Ellen's death, Peers married Anne Hatton, of Kenyon, Lancashire. Anne had been born on August 3, 1826, in Kenyon, Lancashire, the daughter of Charles and Ellen Hatton. They had nine children. Anne died on August 9, 1908 at the age of 82.  The 1861 census showed that Peers and Anne Hayes lived on Lowton Common, in Lowton, a part of St. Mary’s Parish, Lancashire.  Peers was 32, born in Lowton in 1828. Lowton Common seems have been been a community where a number of Hayes family members lived.  Also on Lowton Common, was the family of Samuel Hayes, 38, brother of Peers, and his wife Mary Ann Hayes, 28, as well as the parents of Peers and Samuel, Ellis Hayes, 78, and his wife Ellen Hayes, 76.  

Hayes stones in St. Luke's Cemetery, Lowton Peers, Ellen, Ann Hayes, St. Luke's Lowton Ellen Hayes Houghton
The Hayes section of St. Luke's church yard in Lowton, including gravestones of some of the children and other descendants of Ellis Hayes (1784-1869). At lower left is John Heyes (1803-1866), illegitimate son of Ellen Hayes (b. 1782), the sister of Ellis Hayes (1784-1869), and John's wife Sarah (c.1804-1850). At lower right is the grave of John Hayes (1813-1864), son of Ellis, and his wife, Ann. At left middle is marker for Samuel Heyes (1821-1898), son of Ellis, and first wife Esther. Samuel was actually buried with his second wife Mary Ann (see photo above). In the center, rear, is the gravestone
of Peers Hayes (1828-1909), son of Ellis.
Details are in the caption at right. 
Grave for Peers Hayes, two wives, Ellen and Ann Hatton Hayes, and two children:
"Piers Hayes of Lowton, died September 23rd, 1909, Aged 81 years, Ellen his wife died February 6, 1851, aged 23 years. Ann, his wife, died August 9th, 1908, aged 82 years. Martha, their daughter, died 6th June 1868, aged 12 Weeks. Also Henry, their son, died 23rd August 1874, aged 10 years. Thy will be done."
Ellen Hayes (1824-1910), sister of Peers Hayes, and husband Edward Houghton. It reads:
"Edward Houghton, who died October 22, 1803, aged 74 years, Ellen his wife, who died January 19th, 1910, aged 84 [should be 85] years. Also Thomas, son of the above, who died January 17, 1951, aged 82 years, Also Jane Houghton, wife of the above, who died August 5, 1957,
aged 87 years."

Many of the Hayes family members in early years seem to have been involved in the silk business.  Parents Ellis and Ellen Hayes were each identified in 1861 as “formerly silk weaver.”  Their son Samuel and his wife Mary Ann Hayes were also identified as silk weavers, as was their daughter Ellen M. Hayes, 16.  Other children were Mary E. Hayes, 7, born in Lowton in 1854, Ellis L. Hayes, 5, born in Lowton in 1856 (apparently named for his grandfather), and Thomas Hayes, 2, born in Lowton in 1859. 

Peers Hayes in the 1861 census is identified as a silk weaver, 33, as is his wife Anne Hayes, 34.  Children present in the house were Margaret Hayes, 13, born in Lowton in 1848, the daughter of first wife Ellen Hayes (identified as a “back seater in cotton mill”); Ellen Hayes, 8, born in Lowton in 1853; Elizabeth Hayes, 6, born in Lowton in 1855; Peers Hayes, 4, born in Lowton in 1857; and Charles Hayes, 1, born in Lowton in 1860. 

In the 1871 census, the family lived at 2 Mather Lane in Lowton.  (The name of Peers, 42, is spelled “Piers” in one account.)  Daughter Martha Hayes was not included since she had died in 1868, the year of her birth. Father Peers and all other children are shown in the census as having been born in Lowton. Only the mother, Anne Hatton Hayes, 44 at the time, was born elsewhere. In the 1891 census, twenty years later, the only people shown are William and his parents, at Thornbush Farm in Lowton. The Hayes house was still standing in 2009, although the surrounding property had largely been converted into a housing estate.

Peers Hayes died on September 23, 1909, at the age of 81, and was buried at St. Luke's Church, along with both of his wives -- Ellen Prescott Hayes and Anne Hatton Hayes -- as well as two of his children, Martha and Henry. The tombstone is inscribed "Thy will be done."

Peers Hayes Family, 1887
The family of Peers Hayes, taken in 1887. In the center are Anne Hatton and Peers Hayes, with daughters Mary and Hannah. Standing in back are Margaret, Charles, William, Peers, Elizabeth and Ellen Hayes. (Children Henry and Martha had died.)

Hayes Sisters About 1896
Hayes women about 1896. Seated at right is Ellen Hayes Wilkinson (adjusting glasses). Next to her is Elizabeth Hayes Sharrock, holding daughter Elizabeth Sharrock. Woman standing at left may be Annie Hayes, the wife of Charles Hayes (see photo below). Others are unidentified.


            The Ten Children of  Peers Hayes. The roots of the connection to the Jackson family are three children of Peers and Anne Hatton Hayes  ‑‑ Ellen Hayes, Hannah Hayes and Elizabeth Hayes.  Hannah and Elizabeth both moved to America; Ellen married John Wilkinson, and it was her daughter Sarah who went to America with Bill Jackson. 

            Altogether, Peers Hayes had ten children, one with Ellen Prescott and nine with Anne Hatton Hayes, all born in Lowton. Most dates were supplied by a descendant of Elizabeth. Details on each of the children are provided below.

            1.  Margaret Hayes, born November 7, 1847, in Lowton, Lancashire (daughter of first wife, Ellen)
            2.  Ellen Hayes Wilkinson, born March 17, 1853, in Lowton, died August 7, 1943, in Leigh
            3.  Elizabeth Hayes Sharrock, born March 26, 1855, in Lowton, died April 29, 1942, in Rhode Island
            4.  Peers Hayes, born December 5, 1856, in Lowton
            5.  Charles Hayes, born August 6, 1859, in Lowton
            6.  Hannah Hayes Pemberton, born October 29, 1861, in Lowton, died April 7, 1955, in Rhode Island
            7.  Henry Hayes, born November 10, 1863, in Lowton, died August 23, 1874, in Lowton
            8.  Mary Hayes Prescott, born December 27, 1865, in Lowton
            9.  Martha Hayes, born March 30, 1868, died June 6, 1868
          10.  William Ellis Hayes, born June 5, 1869, in Lowton, died 1952

Details on the family of Peers Hayes were these.

1. Margaret Hayes, born on November 7, 1847, was the child of the Peers and his first wife, Ellen Prescott. Margaret was baptized at At. Luke's Church on May 17, 1855, the same day as her sister Elizabeth was baptized. All the others in the family were children of Peers' second wife, Anne Hatton.

2. Ellen (also called Helen) Hayes was born in March 17, 1853. She married John Wilkinson and they had five children. She died on August 7, 1943, in Leigh. More details are below.

3. Elizabeth Hayes, born on March 26, 1855, and baptized on May 17, 1855, the same day as her sister Margaret. Elizabeth married James Sharrock and they moved to America. Elizabeth died on April 29, 1942, in Rhode Island. They had two children. More details are below.

4. Peers Hayes was born on December 5, 1856, and baptized on May 1, 1857, at St. Luke's Church. He married Matilda Whiteley in 1879. She died on April 29, 1914, and was buried in Leigh Cemetery. They had four sons: Frank Hayes, born in 1881; Watson, 1882; Harold, 1887; and Henry, 1890. Peers, who was named for his father, wrote a poignant poem of regret when his sister Hannah sailed for America.  The 1911 census showed Peers living on Twist Lane in Leigh. It said Peers and his wife Matilda were both 53, and lived with Frank, 30, a road constructor and employer, Harold, 24, a "hawker," Henry, 21, a clerk, Edith, 30, a daughter in law, probably the wife of Frank, and Russell, 6, grandson of Peers. The census said that Peers was a "stationway surface engineman" working in a colliery. Relatives also reported that he ran a hardware shop. Marian Wilkinson Magilton remembered going to the shop to get paraffin as a small child.  The sons were remembered to have opened the Winter Garden cinema and dance hall in Southport.  It is also remembered, with a hint ofCharles and Annie Hayes, About 1900 family scandal, that the sons once visited the home of Elizabeth Hayes Sharrock and brought along a roulette wheel.  It was recalled that they eventually went bankrupt.

 5. Charles Hayes was born on August 6, 1859, and baptized on October 16, 1859, at St. Luke's Church. He was one of the Hayes family members who stayed behind in England. Charles was a supervisor of a canal lock, and he and his wife lived in a house at the lock. The 1891 census showed them at 5 Ivy House, St. Helens Road, Leigh, very close to the canal, but in 1901 the census showed them at 17 Derwent Street, near Pennington Church. Charles married Annie Simister in 1883, and they had a daughter, Ethel Hayes, born about 1888. Ethel apparently had died by the time of the 1901 census. A son, Edmond Hayes, was born about 1894 (he was 7 on the 1901 census). Charles, Annie and Edmond were photographed in front of the lock house (see photo at right). Records show that Ann Hayes, wife of Charles Hayes, died on April 4, 1929, leaving effects amounting to 54 pounds. Probate letters were issued to Charles Henry Wilkinson, overlooker, the husband of Ellen Hayes, a sister of Charles. Five months after Annie's death, on September 16, 1929, Charles himself died. Records showed that he and Annie lived at Limerick house, off St. Helens Road, Leigh Bridge (possibly the building in the photo at the right). An 1847 map shows Limerick House on the canal just south of Leigh town center. When Charles died, probate letters were issued to their son, Edmund Simister Hayes, a "foreman porter." The effects of Charles amounted to more than 845 pounds.

6. Hannah Hayes, born October 29, 1861, was baptized on February 9, 1862, at St. Mary's Church. She was the first of the family members to move to America. She married Levi Pemberton, and they had ten children. Hannah died on April 7, 1955, in Rhode Island. More details on her are below.

7. Henry Hayes was born on November 10, 1863, and baptized on January 31, 1864, at St. Mary's Church. He died on August 23, 1874, at the age of 10.

8. Mary Hayes was born on December 27, 1865, and baptized on  February 25, 1866, at St. Mary's Church. She married John Prescott, and they had five children, including Beatrice Prescott, who married William Sharp, and Leah, Arthur, John and James Prescott.

9. Martha Hayes was born on March 30, 1868, and baptized at St. Mary's Church on May 24, 1868. She died three months later, on June 6, 1868.

10. William Ellis Hayes was born on June 5, 1869, and baptized on August 1, 1869, at St. Mary's Church. The census taken on April 2, 1911, showed that William, age 42, single, living at No. 7 Reeves Street, Lowton, was a "carter" for a florist. He married Edith Lyon two months later, on June 3, 1911, at St. Peter's Church on Firs Lane, Leigh. William died in 1952.
     



 
Travel to America

          Ellen Hayes, daughter of Peers and Ann Hatton Hayes, was born in Lowton, Lancashire, on March 17, 1853, and baptized at Lowton St. Luke's church on May 22, 1853. St. Mary's church records showed that on November 18, 1875, Ellen Hayes, 22, a spinster employed as a weaver, was married to John Wilkinson, 19, a bachelor and an engineer. John had been born at Pennington on December 25, 1856. His father, William Wilkinson, was a "silk picker." His mother was the former Martha Harrison.  Also present at the wedding were Peers Hayes, a farmer, father of John, and witnesses Peers Hayes, Ellen's brother, and Elizabeth Hayes, a sister. John became an engineer with the Pennington Mill, a large cotton mill in Leigh, Lancashire. 

Wilkinson House on Neild Street, about 1890 Neild Street in 1964 Ellen Hayes, daughter Sarah, grandchildren Annie and Jack, 1924
The house of Ellen Hayes Wilkinson on Neild Street, about 1895, near the Pennington Mill. Ellen is in the doorway at the right, with daughter Annie Wilkinson in the white apron. The photographer obviously drew a crowd. Neild Street as seen in 1964, photographed by Art Boyer, husband of Annie. Not much had changed. Twenty years later, in 1984, the last remaining resident moved out. The buildings and silk mill were torn down to prepare for new flats, to be called "Neild Gardens." Ellen Hayes Wilkinson, at right, with her daughter Sarah Wilkinson Jackson and grandchildren Jack and Annie Jackson. This was taken just before Sarah and her children sailed for America in 1924.

          Ellen Hayes and John Wilkinson lived at 5 Neild Street in Leigh, next to the Pennington Mill, and they had five children. The second child was Sarah Ann Wilkinson, who married William Jackson. Apparently influenced by Hannah and Elizabeth Hayes, sisters of Ellen, Sarah and Bill decided to move to America to create a new life, Bill in 1923, Sarah and children in 1924, and Ellen never saw them again. Ellen Hayes Wilkinson remained behind in Leigh, dying on August 7, 1943, actually outliving her daughter Sarah. Her husband John Wilkinson died on January 5, 1919. The probate record showed that his effects were left to Ellen and amounted to a little more than 473 pounds.
      


            Hannah Hayes.  Apparently, the first of the Peers Hayes family to go to America was Hannah, who was born in Lowton, England, on October 29, 1861.  The 1871 census shows her, at 9 years old, living with her family at 2 Mather Lane in Lowton.  The 1881 census shows her, age 19, living in Leigh, with her sister Ellen Hayes Wilkinson and working at the cotton mill.  She sailed on May 10, 1887, at the age of 25, and on that day, her brother Peers Hayes published a long poem “to his most Affectionate Sister Hannah, on her leaving home for the U.S.A.”  Twenty days later, on May 30, she was married at St. James Episcopal Church in New Bedford, Massachusetts.  Her husband was Levi Pemberton, who had been born in England on January 9, 1864.  According to an award from Pennington Church, Levi was still in England in January 1874.  It is not known if Levi and Hannah traveled to America together or if he preceded her.  In any event, it is clear that the purpose of Hannah's trip was to marry Levi.  Levi died on May 14, 1940, at the age of 76, and Hannah died on April 7, 1955, at the age of 93.

Hannah and Levi Pemberton, about 1894 Levi and Hannah Pemberton, 1937
Levi and Hannah Hayes Pemberton, about 1894
with Florence and Albert Pemberton, and in 1937.

Hannah died at age 93, Levi at age 76.

            Hannah and Levi Pemberton had two children, both of whom remained close to the Hayes-Wilkinson-Jackson-Boyer families.   

            The first child was Albert Pemberton, born on April 20, 1888, probably in New Bedford.  Like his mother, Albert also was married at St. James Parsonage.  On May 28, 1910, at the age of 22, he married Ellen Elizabeth Annie Mitchell, just turned 20, born on May 9, 1890.  Albert died September 14, 1973, at the age of 85.  "Annie" died in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, on December 5, 1969, at the age of 79.  Albert and Annie Pemberton had 10 children (of whom only three were living in 1985):  

1.  Gladys Elizabeth Pemberton, born November 19, 1910, who died March 7, 1974
2.  Dorothy Helene Pemberton, born October 20, 1911, who died August 7, 1958
3.  Mildred Muriel Pemberton Pierce, born December 14, 1912. She died on March 6, 2005.
4.  Edna Isabell Pemberton, born March 16, 1914, who died April 25, 1962
5.  Albert Pemberton, Jr., born July 20, 1916, who died November 21, 1977
6.  Elsie May Pemberton, born August 22, 1917, who died January 27, 1940
7.  Irene Millicent Pemberton, born March 9, 1919, who died July 19, 1985
8.  Alice Marjory Pemberton, born July 8, 1921, who died June 7, 1944
9.  Robert Mitchell Pemberton, born April 10, 1923, who died March 23, 1980
10.  John Edwin Pemberton, born July 12, 1924.  John lived in Mattapoisett. He died in 1991.

            The second child of Hannah and Levi Pemberton was Florence Pemberton, who, like her brother, was born in the United States. Florence was born on February 9, 1891. Florence worked in Fall River, Massachusetts, caring for the dogs of Lizzie Borden from 1922 until Lizzie's death in 1927. In accordance with Lizzie's will, Florence received $2,854.47. Florence is mentioned in a 2011 book on Lizzie Borden and Fall River produced by the Fall River Historical Society. Florence married James Metcalf, and they had one son, Sheldon Hayes Metcalf, who was born  in New Bedford on June 7, 1934.  Florence lived most of her life in the New Bedford area, and died at a nursing home there in May 1986, at the age of 95.  She was buried at Acushnet Cemetery.  Her son Sheldon, also of New Bedford, died on May 10, 2001, and was buried beside his mother at Acushnet Cemetery.
 


 
            Elizabeth Hayes, born in Lowton on March 26, 1855, was six years older than her sister Hannah. She was confirmed in 1871, at age 16, in the Parish of St. Mary, in Lowton.  In the 1881 census, she is shown living with her sisters Hannah Hayes and Ellen Hayes Wilkinson on Neild Street in Leigh and working as a cotton weaver at the Pennington cotton mill.  Elizabeth was married in England to James Sharrock, who had been born in 1860.  James died in England on December 4, 1920, at the age of 60, and six months later, on June 1, 1921, at the age of 66, Elizabeth Hayes Sharrock went to America; she arrived about 35 years after Hannah. Elizabeth Hayes Sharrock lived to be 87, dying on April 29, 1942. 

            Elizabeth and James Sharrock had two children:  Albert G. Sharrock, born in England on November 1, 1890, and Elizabeth Ann Sharrock, born in England on February 3, 1893.  

1.  Albert G. Sharrock, the brother of Elizabeth Sharrock Hodgson, went to America in 1913 or 1914.  Like his sister, he at first went to live with his aunt Hannah Hayes Pemberton.  It was through her that he met Gertrude (Gertie) Garrapt Mort, who had been born on June 9, 1878.  The two were married in Apponang, Rhode Island, on March 5, 1914; she was 35, and he was 23.  Gertrude had had two children by a previous marriage ‑‑ Edith E. Mort, born on August 2, 1903, and still living in 1985, and Gertrude P. Mort, born on June 28, 1904, who died on November 17, 1965, at the age of 61. 

But Auntie Gertie and Uncle Albert, as they were known, also had two children of their own: Alice Mary Sharrock was born on December 22, 1915. She married Harold Kaye, and they lived in Wakefield and later Lincoln, Massachusetts. She died in Concord on May 15, 2009. Her sister Marian Elizabeth Sharrock was born on July 14, 1921. Both were born in East Freetown.  For a time, Albert worked as a driver, and Gertie as a domestic, for a Howland family.  Later, Albert and Gertie ran a grocery store and post office for many years.  In 1955, they turned it over to Albert Foster, the husband of Gertie's granddaughter, and they moved to Cape Cod.  Gertie Sharrock died on June 18, 1958, at the age of 80.  Albert lived to October 11, 1975, when he died at the age of 84.


It is reported that there was considerable confusion surrounding the two Alberts who were children of the Hayes sisters.  Not only did these cousins have the same first name, but they lived in the same area, were about the same age (Albert Pemberton was born in 1888, Albert Sharrock in 1890), both reportedly were tall, and they were similar in appearance.  And both had long lives, Albert Sharrock dying at the age of 84, Albert Pemberton at 85.  Some relatives never did get them straight. 

2.  Elizabeth Ann Sharrock, who had served as a nurse in in the Ambulance Brigade during World War I, was married at the age of 28 to Joseph Hodgson, who had been a soldier in the War.  They were married in England on March 28, 1921.  Joseph had been born in England on June 2, 1896, and he was 24 at the time of their marriage.  It was just two months after her marriage, and six months after the death of her father, that Elizabeth Sharrock Hodgson went to America with her new husband and her mother, Elizabeth Hayes Sharrock.

Joe Hodgson in World War I Elizabeth Sharrock, Nurse Elizabeth and Joe Hodgdon, 1921
Elizabeth Sharrock and Joseph Hodgson, in England during World War I
and at home in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, after their marriage in 1921. 

Joe and Elizabeth Sharrock Hodgson, 1946 Hodgson Family, 1946 Charles and Mildred Cyganoski, 1951
Silver wedding anniversary: Joe and Elizabeth Hodgson, 1946 At the head table, Mildred Hodgson, Eliabeth and Joe Hodgson, Hilda Hodgson, her friend Charles Bejma, and cousin Marian Sharrock, 1946 Wedding of Mildred Hodgson and Charles Cyganoski, 1951


Joe was the only one of six children in his family to move to America.  His parents, Jonathan Hodgson (1871‑1941) and Mary Ann Garstary Hodgson (1872‑1950), spent all of their lives in England. The other five children were John Hodgson (1894‑1961), Eleanor (born in 1900), Annie (1903‑1986), Bessie (1905), who celebrated her 60th wedding anniversary on October 24, 1986, and Colin Hodgson (1910).  John Hodgson's two daughters both worked for the school system: Mary Hodgson married Chris Robinson and had a daughter, who in 1986 was married and working as a nurse.  Joan Hodgson married Ray Starkie, who died in 1988 at home in Leigh at the age of 62.  Their daughter Beryl Starkie married Stuart Whitton and they had two sons, Antony Whitton and Mark Whitton.  Joan and Ray also had a son, Norman Starkie. 

Elizabeth and Joe Hodgson, and Elizabeth's mother, lived first with Elizabeth Sharrock's sister, Hannah Hayes Pemberton, in East Freetown, Massachusetts.  Later they moved to New Bedford, then to Asonet.  Joe worked in a mill, and Elizabeth worked as a housekeeper for a Mrs. Kidder.  Finally, they settled in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.    Like Elizabeth's mother, Elizabeth Hayes Sharrock, Elizabeth and Joe Hodgson also had long lives.  Joe died on March 7, 1969, at the age of 72, and Elizabeth died on April 15, 1973, at the age of 80, both in Rhode Island.



The location of the Jackson family in America is a direct result of the travels and influence of members of the Hayes family.  When Bill Jackson decided to go to America to look for work in 1923, it was on the advice of his mother-in-law, Ellen Hayes, the sister of Hannah and Elizabeth, that he went to see the Hodgsons in Pawtucket.  Ellen’s daughter Sarah Wilkinson Jackson made the trip in the following year.




Children of Elizabeth and Joe Hodgson.  Elizabeth and Joe lived near Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and had two daughters, about the same age of Bill Jackson's son Jack, and later Hilda and Mildred introduced Jack to their childhood friend Dee Rostron, and Jack and Dee were later married. 

a.  Hilda Hodgson, born in New Bedford on August 7, 1922, was a nurse.  She married Charles Bejma on June 3, 1950, and they had one daughter, Bethany Bejma.  Hilda died of cancer on April 12, 1974, at the age of 51.  Charlie died on December 11, 2002, at the age of 85.  Bethany graduated from high school two months after her mother's death. She worked first for the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Bank, then at Memorial Hospital as a technician.  On June 5, 1976, she married Mark Force, at the Church of the Good Shepherd, in Pawtucket.  Her cousin Lynn Jackson was maid of honor. Bethany and Mark had three children:

-- Seth Charles Force was born on February 11, 1979. He married Nicole Belanger on December 7, 2007. They had a son, Zachary Charles Force, on December 6, 2011. Seth and his brother Evan were PGA golf professionals.

-- Evan Mark Force, born on September 22, 1981. Evan planned to marry Brenna Anatone on September 7, 2012.

-- Sarah Elizabeth Force was born on July 29, 1984. Sarah married Corey McNulty on May 1, 2010. In 2012, she was a police officer in Central Falls,  Rhode Island.

Hilda as a Nurse, 1961
Hilda in 1972
Mark and Bethany Force, 2012
Hilda the Nurse, 1961
Hilda Bejma in 1972
Bethany Bejma Force and Mark Force, 2012


b.  Mildred Hodgson, born on January 4, 1925, married Charles Cyganoski on March 31, 1951.  The newlyweds (maintaining the familyBruce Cyganoski, 1, and brother Joey, 4, about 1957 connections) visited the Boyers in Easton in the course of their honeymoon.  Charlie, who had been born on May 20, 1923, had joined the Army in 1942 and served in China, Burma and India with the 10th and 14th Air Force units.  He was a sergeant when he was discharged in 1945.  He died of cancer on July 12, 1996.  (Mildred is the source of much of the information in this section on the Hayes and Wilkinson families.)  They had two children (photo at right). In 2012, Mildred was living with her son Bruce in Warwick, Rhode Island.

-- Charles Joseph Cyganoski, Jr. (Joseph) was born on March 12, 1953, in Pawtucket.  Joe graduated from high school in 1971 and went to college for six years to become a registered pharmacist.  In 1985, he was working for the CVS chain drug stores.  He married Deborah Cotrone, born March 16, 1955, at the Woodbury Church in Warwick, Rhode Island, on January 10, 1981, and they had a daughter, Elizabeth Ann Cyganoski, on March 7, 1984. Elizabeth was a noted ballet dancer while in college and was a principal dancer with the State Ballet of Rhode Island. She married Brandon Decker on November 12, 2011, in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Elizabeth graduated from the University of New England in 2011 as a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. In 2012, she lived in Pensacola, Florida.

-- Bruce E. Cyganoski, the second child of Mildred and Charles, was born on December 4, 1955.  He graduated from high school in 1974.  At first he worked in a retail store; in 1985 he was working for the Day‑0‑Light Company, a manufacturer of fluorescent lights in Warwick.


Thus, it was apparently the initiative of the Hayes family ‑‑ and primarily the action of the long‑lived Hannah Hayes, who went to the United States in 1887 ‑‑ that led to the decisions of the Hodgsons, Sharrocks, Wilkinsons and Jacksons to go to the United States as well.  It is probably the chief factor in the U.S. presence today of all of their descendants.  
 


 
LINKS:

The Jackson Family of Cumberland
The Family of William and Sarah Jackson
The Family of Francis James of Cumberland
The Wilkinson Family of Leigh, Lancashire
The Casson Family of Ulpha, Cumberland

Genealogical Charts for the Jackson, Wilkinson, James and Hayes Families

The Boyers of Easton
Neil Boyer's Home Page
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Corrections and additional information are welcome.
Please contact Neil Boyer at [email protected].