The Story of Joseph Buckley
This is the person with who I started my family research. He led me a merry chase for many years, but with a combination of luck, perseverance and the help of kind people, I finally tracked him back to the place of his birth. The following paragraphs detail what I know of Joseph, his family and his life.
Bostock: The Beginning.
William Buckley
The earliest Buckley I have is William Buckley of Bostock, but I have no dates for him. He was the father of John Buckley and there are two baptism dates for him - either 7th February 1636 or 15th April 1635. It could be that one John died and it was quite common to name the next child by the same name.
John Buckley
John Buckley had a son named Robert, who was baptised on 20th November 1667 - I do not know who John's wife was yet.
Robert Buckley
On the 19th April 1686, Robert married Mary Green. They had a son also named Robert, who was baptised on 19th September 1686.
Robert Buckley
Some time in 1708/09, Robert married Ann in Bostock. They had the following known children -
1. Robert, born the 7th September 1709,
2. Joseph, born the 12th July 1712 and possibly buried 28th February 1713/4
3. Alice, born the 11th April 1715 and possibly buried 12 September 1717
4. Raph, born 1st Jan 1717/8 and
5. William, born 23rd Mar 1721
Robert Buckley.
On the 2nd June 1731, Robert married Mary Lamb in Davenham by Banns. They had the following children in Bostock:
1. Joseph, born the 15th November 1734
2. William, born 22nd January 1731/2
3. Hellen, born the 4th February 1735/6
4. Randle, born the 14th June 1737. He married Elizabeth Lucas on the 30th December 1763 and had these children: Esther, baptised 10th March 1765, Nancy, baptised 13th September 1767, Randle and John. Nick Shelley is a descendant of this line and can be contacted by email - nick@Shelley.net
5. Hannah, born the 22nd February 1739/0
6. Mary, born the 22nd July 1740
7. Ann, born the 25th Jan 1742
8. Hannah, born 29th March 1744
Joseph Buckley.
Joseph married Catherine Holland by Banns on the 20th August 1764. There were two witnesses to the wedding - Mary Deacon and Samuel Leicester (who was the Parish Clerk). When their first child was born, they were identified in the Parish Register as being of Moulton, but all the subsequent children were born in Bostock. They were:
1. Mary, baptised 1st December 1765 and buried August or September 1766
2. Mary, baptised 11th March 1767 and must have died prior to 1772
3. Nancy, baptised 7th August 1768 and buried 22nd October 1778
4. Elizabeth (Betty), baptised 26th August 1770. Betty married Joseph Bloor on the 18th January 1792 and the witness was John Buckley (who's relationship I haven't worked out yet). Their children were: Sarah, born 7th May 1792, Thomas, born 21st November 1793, Joseph, born 22nd April 1802, and Elizabeth, born 4th March 1806.
5. Mary, born 17th April 1772. Mary appears to have a son, Samuel, on the 23rd November 1798 who may have been buried on the 6th April 1800
6. William, born 20th March 1774. William married Mary Bebbington (nee Forster), a widow with several children, on the 7th October 1799. The witness was Joseph Buckley. William was a labourer in Leftwich when they had the only child I could find, Thomas, who was born 21st June1803. In the register, Mary's parents were named as Ralph and Nancy Forster of Shipbrook.
7. Hannah, born 10th April 1776. Hannah had two sons: Robert born the 3rd March 1799 and Samuel, born the 11th March 1801.
8. Fanny, born the 15th April 1778 and
9. Thomas, born the 1st July 1781
Thomas Buckley: The Davenham Years
On the 27th August 1810, Thomas Buckley married Mary Eyres in Davenham. The date of Mary's birth is eluding me at the moment, but I do know that her parents were Benjamin and Martha Eyres of Lostock. Thomas was a labourer. They settled in Davenham Village, on Church Street, in a cottage with a garden. The location of their cottage can be seen by going here.
I have the following 10 children as having been born to Thomas and Mary in Davenham.....
1. Ann, born the 8th April 1811. She married Thomas Tench on the 26 April 1833 in Davenham.
2. Catherine, baptised on the 31st October 1813. Catherine married Thomas Buckley (who appears to be her cousin, the son of William and Mary above) on the 28th August 1832. Thomas was a labourer and Salt Boiler, born in Leftwich. They lived in a cottage, with a garden, just behind Thomas and Mary. Their children were:
a. Ann, baptised 7th July 1833
b. Sarah, baptised 14th September 1834
c. John, baptised 27th March 1836
d. Elizabeth, baptised 15th November 1840
e. William, baptised 18th June 1843. He was buried on the 19th September 1843 aged 18 months.
f. Samuel, baptised 6th October 1844
g. Mary, baptised 26th October 1846
h. William, baptised 10th June 1849 and
i. Mary Gregory, who first appeared in their household on the 1851 census as a 2 year old orphan.
In the 1861 census, Thomas was a 57 year old labourer, born in Leftwich however, Catherine was missing. In the household that night were these children of Thomas and Catherine: Sarah, 26 born Leftwich, and Elizabeth, 20, Samuel, 16, Mary, 14, William, 6 and Thomas, 5, all born Davenham. There were also two grandchildren: Frances Ann, 4 and John Henry, 2, both also born Davenham. I do not know who their parents were at this stage, but a prime candidate would be Thomas and Catherine's eldest son John.
For the 1871 census, Thomas was a 65 year old labourer, , born in Leftwich. Catherine was 56 years old and living with them were their 15 year old son Thomas, a labourer, and their grandson, 4 year old Frederick, born in Davenham.
According to the 1881 census, Thomas was a 76 year old General Labourer, born in Leftwich, which seems to agree with the theory that he was Catherine's cousin. Catherine was noted to be 67 years old and living with them was their now 40 year old daughter Elizabeth, an unmarried General Domestic Servant, as well as two grandsons: 14 year old Frederick, a Bricklayers Labourer, and William, a 9 year old noted to be an imbecile.
What became of most of this part of the family after 1881 I do not know, but this is a good place as any to write a bit about Catherine and Thomas' daughter Sarah. Sarah did not marry, but had probably 7 children, one of which was John Henry. She also had at least three daughters - Lucy, Frances and Emily. Sarah, it seems, had her own establishment as a sempstress in Hartford Road by 1871. Her son John Henry, was 18 years old when he married Margaret Goulding in Davenham on the 13th August 1876. On the marriage certificate, his father is noted to be John Capper, a Joiner - Margaret was 20 when she married John Henry and her father is noted to be Richard Carter, a Salt boiler. Having fathers with different surnames to themselves caused me a few problems at first, but at least John Capper must have been John Henry's natural father. As for Margaret, her birth was registered in 1856 and there was a marriage in 1846 between George Goulding and Ann Hooley in Davenham - that's significant as in 1859, there was a marriage between Richard Carter and Ann Goulding at St Mary's in Great Budworth. Whether George Goulding was Margaret's natural father I do not know, but Richard Carter appears to have married Margaret's mother at least.
According to the 1891 census, John H Buckley, a 34 year old bricklayer, was living in Firths Fields with his 36 year old wife and 5 daughters - 11 year old Sarah A, 7 year old Lucy, 5 year old Margaret, 3 year old Emily and 1 year old Mary E. They were all noted as having been born in Davenham.
3. John, baptised 2nd July 1815. John married Mary Dutton at St Wilfred's, Davenham on 4 October 1838. According to the 1851 census of Davenham Village, he was a Master Bricklayer living in Mere Heath with his 32 year old wife Mary and six children : 11 year old Sarah Ann, baptised 29th December 1839, Francis (11 years), Mary (9 years), John (7 years), William (5 years) and Ellen (2 years).
In the 1861 census, John was a 45 year old Builder living still living in Mere Heath with his 41 year old wife, Mary. Also in the household were their children: Thomas, 19 year old Joiner, Mary, 17, John, 15, William, 13, Ellen, 12, Fanny, 10, Margaret, 8, Henry, 6, Lucy, 3, Jessy, 2, and Arthur, 9 months.
By 1871, 55 year old John was a Builder employing one man. Mary was noted to be 51 and living with them were John, 24, a Joiner, Margaret, 17, a Dressmaker, Lucy, 13, a Pupil Teacher, Jessie, 11, Arthur, 10, and Irwin, 8, all Scholars.
In the 1874 Cheshire Directory, there is an entry for John which reads: Buckley, John, builder and contractor, Steam Saw Mills, Mere Heath.
According to the 1881 census, John was a 65 year old Builder employing 4 men and 2 boys. His wife Mary was 61 years and living with them (still in Mere Heath) was their 20 year old unmarried son Arthur, an Engine Maker and their grandson, 18 year old Charles Travers, a Builders Labourer. Charles was the son of their daughter Sarah Ann and her husband John Travers.
Moving on the the 1891 census, I find that John is now a 75 year old widower and the manager of the Salt Works. Living with him was his son Irwin, now 28 years old, a bricklayer, and his family. Irwin's wife was 28 year old Elizabeth, born in Windermere, Westmoreland.............I have not found their marriage yet, but the children living with them according to that census were 8 year old Elizabeth, 6 year old Lilian, 3 year old Gertrude, 1 year old Stanford and 1 month old Vivian.
His son William had established his own household in Mere Heath. According to the 1891 census, William was a 43 year old joiner and his wife, Annie, born Lancaster, was 32 years old. She was Williams second wife, Annie French, who he had married in Davenham on the 27th February 1888. His first wife was Ann Emily Broady, who died prior to 1888. The children in the house during the 1891 census were 18 year old John, a Joiner apprentice, 16 year old William, a stable boy/domestic servant/groom, 14 year old Thomas, 12 year old Algernon, 9 year old Winifred, 6 year old Arthur, 4 year old Annie, 2 year old Lilian M, and 11 month old Gerald L.
Another son, John, also lived in Mere Heath. He was a 45 year old Carpenter and Joiner, and his wife was 39 year old Emma (Davies), born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Their children were 20 year old Lissette, a school teacher assistant, 18 year old Oswald, a land surveyors clerk, 15 year old Evlyn, an iron and brass founders apprentice, 12 year old Marian, 8 year old Elthra, and 5 year old Bernard.
4. William, was born in Davenham in 1820. He married Elizabeth Philips in 1841 at St Wilfred's in Davenham. According to the 1851 census of Davenham Village, he was a Bricklayer living with his 32 year old wife Elizabeth (who had been born in Whitegate) and their four children: Joseph (8 years) baptised 18th November 1842, William (5 years) baptised 18th March 1845, George (2 years) baptised 1st October 1848 and Charles (5 months) baptised 10th November 1850. Charles died before 1853, because that year, another Charles was born to William and Elizabeth.
In the 1861 census, William was a 44 year old Bricklayer, living in Firths Fields, Davenham, with his 42 year old wife, Eliza. The children were: William, 15, a Blacksmith, George, 12 and Charles, 8.
In the 1871 census, William was 54 years old and Eliza is noted to be 53. Living with them was George, 22, a Bricklayers Labourer, Charles, 18, a Tailor, and Samual and Thomas, both 8 year old Scholars.
According to the 1881 census, William was 64 years old, a Bricklayer and living in Firths Fields, Davenham, with his 62 year old wife Elizabeth and three unmarried sons: George (32 years) a Bricklayers Labourer, Thomas (18 years) a Painters Apprentice and Samuel (18 years) a Tailors Apprentice.
In 1891, George was noted in the census as being single, 41 years old, and employed as a general labourer. He was boarding with John and Mary Riding in Hartford Road, Davenham.
5. Thomas, baptised 6th June 1819. May have moved to Leftwich, but all the same, there are too many Thomas' to figure out which one is him for certain.
6. Joseph, baptised 22nd April 1821. He was buried on the 7th July 1822 aged 16 months.
7. Joseph, baptised 30th March 1823.
8. Samuel, baptised 20th February 1825. He was still unmarried on the 1851 census of Davenham Village and was noted to be a Carpenter employing two men. He was in the Northwich Directory in 1855, as a Joiner and Builder. I did not find him in the 1861 census.
9. Mary, baptised 14th January 1827. It looks as though she may have died at the age of 16 as I can find nothing on her, apart from a burial in Davenham on the 23rd September 1843.
10. Elizabeth, baptised 22nd February 1829. At the age of 19 years, on the 15th August 1848, Elizabeth (Betsey) married William Hufton, aged 23 years, at Manchester Cathedral, Lancaster. On their marriage certificate William is noted as being a Tile Maker, living in Brook Street, Chorlton upon Medlock, the son of William Hufton, a Smith. William was born in Billinghay, Lincolnshire. Betsey was living in Cook Street, Chorlton upon Medlock. The witnesses to the marriage were Elizabeth Eyers (possibly an Aunt) and Samuel Buckley, Betsey's brother. In 1851, William and Betsey were living with Samuel in Davenham Village. With them were 2 year old Henry and 14 day old Arthur.
In the 1861 census, William was a 39 year old Joiner, living in Firths Fields, Davenham, with 32 year old Elizabeth. The children were: Henry, 12, Arthur, 10 and Lucy Fanny, 6. Also in the household was a boarder - 26 year old Henry Jeffery, a Joiner, born in New York, Lincolnshire.
By 1871, the only record of the family I could find was the now 22 year old Henry Hufton, a Joiner, boarding with Henry Whithers, a Bricklayer employing 2 men and 2 boys.
The change for the family became obvious in the 1881 census. Elizabeth must have died and William moved, with the children, to Widnes, Lancashire. He also had a new wife. According to that census, he was a 55 year old Foreman Joiner, living at 71 Irwell Street, Widnes, with his wife, Emily, 19 years old (!), born in Davenham and their 1 year old daughter Clara, also born in Davenham. Subsequent research has found that Emily was in fact Emily Buckley, a grandaughter of Elizabeth's sister Catherine (above) through her daughter Sarah Buckley (who never married).
Here is what had happened to the children of William and Elizabeth:
Henry was a 32 year old Joiner living at 65 Oakland Street, Widnes, with his wife Fanny, who was 29 years old and had been born in Davenham. They had 4 children: Mary E, 8, John W, 5, Fanny, 3 and Edith, 1, all born in Widness. Subsequent research on that line has found that Henry's wife Fanny was Fanny Buckley, a daughter of Henry's mother's brother John - in other words, she was his cousin.
Arthur was a 30 year old Cooper living up the road from Henry, at 84 Oakland Street, Widnes, with his 28 year old wife, Sarah, who had been born at Much Woolton, Lancashire. They had 4 children: Lucy J, 7, Arthur, 5, William, 3 and Maggie, 1, all born in Widness.
Lucy Fanny had married George Lurton and in the 1881 census, he was a 26 year old Bricklayer, born in Warrington, Lancashire. Fanny was also 26 years old. They had 3 children: Margaret, 8, Richard Ernest, 4, and George Henry, 1, all born in Widness.
The Death of Thomas Buckley
On the 13th February 1840, Thomas was buried at Davenham. He was 60 years old. I had not found the death of Mary when I first compiled this history, but having previously thought her dead by 1851 as I couldn't find her anywhere, I viewed the 1861 census of Davenham and there she was! Mary was a 67 year old Widow, born Lostock, living in the 'Club Houses' in Davenham Village. On the night of the census there were four other people at the house with her, one of whom was her nephew, 16 year old John Eyres, a Joiners Apprentice born in Manchester (by 1881, John was a 35 year old Joiner living at 108 Hurst St, Widnes, Lancashire, with his 33 year old wife, Mary, who had been born in Manchester. They had a 12 year old daughter, Jessie, who had been born in Northwich, Cheshire). Another person with Mary in 1861 was a visitor named Albert Buckley, aged 8 years, born in Manchester. There was also 21 year old Jane Coupland, a married woman and a lodger with Mary, born in Billinghay, Lincolnshire (she may have been a sister of William Hufton) and her daughter, Anne E, who was 5 months old.
Mary died on the 8th August 1868, aged 75 years. The cause of death was diarrhoea and the informant was Sarah Buckley. Mary would have been buried at St Wilfred's, though neither her grave nor that of her husband Thomas can be seen.
So now onto Joseph.
Joseph Buckley
So here we are at Joseph, finally. After his baptism in 1823, the next record I could find was his marriage - he totally eluded me on the 1841 census.
On the 12th February 1844, at the Parish Church of Whitegate, 20 year old Joseph Buckley, a labourer born in Davenham, married 20 year old Anne Astbury, a Servant born in Whitegate. She was actually the daughter of John Astbury (baptised 24th May 1795) and Martha (Cork), born about 1797 in Winnington, Cheshire. According to the 1851 census, John was a farmer of 20 acres, living at the New Church Common in Marton. I believe Joseph and Anne lived in Marton for a time as their first child, Edward Astbury Buckley's birth was registered in Over/Winsford in 1844 - according to his will, he was born in Lord Delamere's Forest and through researching this, I have been told that quite a few children appear in the Marton/Whitegate registers as having been born 'in the Forest'.
I picked up Joseph's trail again in Davenham Village on the 1851 census. Joseph was noted as being a 28 year old Bricklayer, living with his 27 year old wife, Ann, born Marton. Three children are with them: 7 year old Edward, born Marton, 3 year old Henry, born Davenham (birth registered in Middlewich in 1847), and 1 year old Alfred, born Davenham (birth registered in Middlewich in 1850).
By 1852, Joseph and his family were living in Manchester, Lancashire. Herbert Thomas Buckley was born in 1852 and his birth is registered in the District of Chorlton, Lancashire. Then, on the 22nd December 1853, Albert Joseph Buckley was born at 8 Dunham Street, Hulme, in the same District.
My next sighting of the family was in the 1861 census - township of Hulme, city of Manchester. According to that census, in Joseph Square were living Joseph Buckley, a 38 year old Bricklayer, employing 2 men and a boy, and his 37 year old wife, Ann. Also in the household were 17 year old Edward, a Bricklayers Apprentice, 11 year old Alfred, a scholar, 7 year old Albert Joseph, a scholar, and 59 year old Martha Astbury, a farmers wife and the mother of Ann. Henry is missing and there is also no sign of Herbert Thomas.
The family must have stayed in Manchester as the next record occurs on the 30th April 1864, when 20 year old Bricksetter, Edward Buckley, married 19 year old Emma Hughes, the daughter of Richard Hughes, also a Bricksetter. This marriage took place in the Parish Church of St Paul's, Paddington, Lancaster. Richard Hughes appeared in the 1861 census as living at 26 Pownall Street, Hulme as a 54 year old Bricklayer born in Holywell, Wales. His wife was 50 year old Sarah, born St Asaph, Denbigh, Wales and also at the house was Richards brother William, a 49 year old Bricklayer.
The next move for Joseph and Ann, along with Alfred, Herbert, Albert, Edward and Emma, was to travel to Gravesend. There, about the 6th May 1864, they boarded the 898 ton ship the Ironsides and sailed for Auckland, New Zealand. A full passenger list and an account of the voyage, from the New Zealand Herald dated 25th August 1864, is here. The following picture is of Queens Wharf, Auckland, New Zealand, in 1864, taken from a small escarpment at the foot of Hobson Street.
The next snippet of information is in the form of the Electoral Roll for the year 1865-66 for the city of Auckland West. On it are Joseph Buckley, Karangahape Road and Edward Buckley, Hopeton Street. Then, some time in the late 1870s/early 1880s, the family sat for a family portrait. The portrait shows Herbert, Edward and Albert standing at the back of Joseph, Alfred (resting his arms on his parents knees) and Ann.
The next milestone I found for Joseph and Ann, was this article in the Thames newspaper on the 13th February 1893:
Golden Wedding Celebration [By Telegraph - own correspondent]
Auckland, this day.
Mr and Mrs Joseph Buckley, well-known residents of Parawai, yesterday celebrated their golden wedding, and were the recipients of hearty congratulations and kind wishes for their future health and happiness from a very large circle of acquaintances. They are old colonists, having arrived in Auckland from Cheshire in the ship Ironsides in 1864. They remained in Auckland for three years, after which time they left for the Thames, and have ever since, resided at Parawai, where they have won the esteem and respect of a large number of friends, being noted for their kind hospitality. As the date of the event fell upon yesterday, its celebration in a manner suitable to such an important occasion was postponed until to-day, when a social gathering was held at the residence of Mr H. Buckley, Surrey Hills, the sons and grandchildren (21) being present.
(Just as an aside, my maths isn't that great, but if they definitely married on the 12th February 1844, wouldn't their 50th anniversary fall in 1894?)
The closing chapter of Joseph and Ann's life came on the 22nd July 1894, when Ann died at Great North Road, Auckland. She had suffered pneumonia for 6 days. She was buried at Waikumete Cemetery in Auckland on the 24th July by Rev WJ Potter, a Primitive Methodist Minister. Joseph died almost 6 years later, on the 8th April 1900, at Ponsonby, Auckland, at the age of 77 years. The cause of his death was asthma and another word which I can't decipher. He was buried with Ann on the 10th April 1900 by Rev WE Lush. Their headstone reads:
Sacred to the memory of Ann
the beloved wife of Joseph Buckley
Died July 22nd 1894
Aged 71 years
Not Lost But Gone Before
-Also-
Joseph Buckley
Husband of the above
Died April 8th 1900
Aged 77 years
Native of Cheshire England
Gone, But Not Forgotten
Very soon I will be adding the story of their four sons, up to their deaths in the early 1900s. I hope you enjoyed reading about Joseph and Ann ............. their sons stories are no less interesting!
Please feel free to copy or save this story. I ask only that it not be reproduced or used in any way other than for your own personal use. A lot of years, effort and money have gone into this research, which I have thoroughly enjoyed, so I do require that my permission be obtained should any part of this page be used for any other purpose.
Thank you to Caryl, Anne Marie, Linda, Mary, Mavis, Clinton, Sharon and Colin - without you it would have taken many more years before this story could be told.
Lindel Buckley, Kaikoura, 17 Feb 2002.
