About

From what we knew at the beginning our family came from the Fylde area of Lancashire, concentrated on the towns of Kirkham and Poulton-le-Fylde. Having finally got back to the next generation we have now moved further north to the Lunesdale area and the borders of Yorkshire. A few of these family members emigrated to Canada also.

For our tree we will go from the oldest ancestor forward through the direct descendant.

Richard Hodgson unknown when born. He appears on a number of baptism records for his children but the mother is not mentioned. As well as his daughter Margaret he also had two sons, being Richard and William and lived on the farm of Helks which also included Botton Mill.

Margaret Hodgson unknown when born but listed on the baptism record for her son and daughter; Margaret. No father is listed here nor on Thomas's marriage certificate leaving us somewhat in limbo as to our direct line.

Thomas Hodgson born about 1815 at Botton Mill, Lancashire. He married Margaret Thompson in 1839. They had a daughter; Margaret in 1840. They then for a reason as yet unknown moved to Clara in Ireland and had a second child; William Egan about 1841. The next trace is a daughter called Elizabeth born in 1844 at Botton Mill. Leaving a gap where other children could have been born although the 1841 census puts them as living in the mill. The next child; John, was born in 1846 in Milnthorpe as were Eleanor, 1848, Agnes, 1851, Mary, about 1852, Thomas, 1855. I have found no reason for them to move yet another great distance nor for the return back to Botton Mill where they had their last child Ann about 1859.

William Egan Hodgson, an elusive person born in Clara, Ireland about 1841. While I have know tracked his parents movements in England I found no trace of him until the 1871 census when he is married and living in Kirkham. My suspicion is that he was left behind in Ireland, possibly with an older sibling. I don't know know why the family moved out there as in 1840 they where in Lancashire where they had a child and back briefly after Williams birth for another child in 1844. I have yet to find out who the Egan's were? Friends or family? Who where important enough to have their eldest son bare their surname.

Thomas Lawrenson Hodgson was born in a small terraced house in Kirkham in 1866. He moved to Poulton-le-Fylde and lived alone. In 1893 he married Margaret Catterall, eldest daughter of William Catterall. This is the man who was half of the Catterall & Swarbrick Brewery. They married in the parish church in Poulton-le-Fylde and opened a general store in Fleetwood called T. L Hodgson Stores. Sometime in the early 1900's they closed the shop and moved to a middle class terraced house in Blackpool. In 1918 he died and his wife went to live with relatives in Hambleton until she died in 1939.