The story of William Ormandy Gibson

My Ormandy Family

By Karen Arnold

I have only traced my Ormandy family back to 1770. John was born around the Ormskirk area c. 1770 and was a carpenter. He was married to Ann Barrow 20th Feb 1792 at St Johns Preston. I have found 3 children, but I'm sure there would have been more! William, who was my gt gt gt Grandad was born in 1792, his sister Ann was born in 1795 and John born 1797. On the 1841 census both William and John were carpenters.

John married Jane Farrington 24th December 1821 and they had Ann 1822, John 1825

William married Elizabeth Martland in 1818 and they lived at Canal Cottage, Lathom in 1841. They had 6 children at this time living at home with them, Ann 1826, James (my gt gt grandad) 1827, John 1830, Elizabeth 1832, William 1836 and Alice 1839. There was also a Catherine who was born in 1821 but she had left home by the time of the 1841 census. Their son William died in 1841 from Scarlet fever. On the 1st of May 1846 William snr died from consumption.

In 1851 my gt gt grandad James was now 24 and still living at home, he was a house carpenter (journeyman). In 1854 he married Ann Prescott and in 1861 lived in Liverpool at Canal Bank with his 3 children William 1855, Henry James (my gt grandad) 1858, Rhoda 1860. In 1863 their fourth child John was born in Liverpool. Unfortunately James died 2/2/1863 of Typhus so I don't think he ever saw John. As the cottage at canal bank would have come with James job on the canal (gateman) Ann moved back to Ormskirk. As if being without a Father wasn't bad enough but in 1867 age 39 Ann died of pulmonic disease & irritation of the stomach.

This left the 4 children homeless. It seems that Rhoda was taken in by her Aunt Alice, whom I think could have been Ann's sister as she was born in 1823, too early to have been James sister. So that was Rhoda, living in Birkenhead with Alice and her husband Robert Anderson. As for the boys, well William went into Industrial school at Lostock Bolton, as he was now 15 and he learnt to make bricks. Henry James and younger brother John went into the workhouse at Ormskirk... in 1881 Henry James is a confectioner and John is a shoe maker so I guess these were trades acquired whilst being in the workhouse.

In 1880 Henry James married Harriet Jane Baughan, born in Wolverhampton in 1860. Her father Thomas was also a confectioner. In 1881 they had their first child Florence, born in Birkdale. Five more girls followed Edith 1883, Harriet 1886, Maggie 1887, Ethel 1889 and my Gran Annie 1891. Harriet Jane unfortunately died in 1891, I presume either in or around the birth of my Gran.

As it was in this time Henry James soon remarried, he would have needed someone to take care of all those girls! In 1893 he married Elizabeth Horridge a widow with 3 children and in 1894 they had a daughter together Eva. By this time they were living at Cemetery Rd Southport where they had a grocers shop.

Henry James died on the 17th June 1919 in Oakfield cottage Upton by Chester, from Liver/Stomach cancer. We don't know why he was in Chester and not at Southport.