The Turner Album

A Victorian family album came to light recently which appears to have belonged to the Turner family. This blog investigates the album to see what information can be revealed.

John Turner (1839-1889) following his fathers footsteps was a grocer in a small village named Warley (Town) near Sowerby Bridge. The family moved to Bradford in the mid/late 1870s and continued the grocery business in Horton. They put together a photographic album and this came to light recently along with some pages from what appears to be their family bible, this details members of the family along with their birth and death dates. This blog investigates the album to try to find out more about the history of the family and the photographs within the album. It wont be possible to identify the people with any certainty unless a descendant can be found who has more information but we can use the information we have to estimate who they might be.

Day 1

The first step is to establish a connection between the album and the loose pages from the family bible and also several loose photos that came with the album. In the investigation we must be cautious and cannot automatically assume that the album has not had photos added or removed from it at some stage in its history. A family tree was started using Ancestry and details of the family members named were added along with the dates that were already known. From this it was soon established that other people on ancestry were tracing the same family. This might provide some useful information. As the family tree was gradually put together it showed that John Turner's father and mother were Jonas Turner and Mary Fording. As already stated Jonas had been a grocer in Warley and this is shown in the 1851 census at which point John was only 12 years old. John later married Ruth Farnell and they had four sons, Jonas Albert Turner b1864, Lewis Turner b1866, Ernest James Turner b 1869 and Harry Turner b1875. Lewis or Loius as he is referred to in the census died what he was very young. All the sons were born in Warley but by 1881 the family were living in Bradford. So between 1875 when Harry was born and the when the 1881 census was taken in Bradford shows us that it was during this period that they most likely made the move. Besides the page of the bible which lists family members another piece of paper was with the items and this may well be another page from the bible as the piece of paper is the same type and size. Both are shown here. The page reads ...

Jonas and Mary Turner

Presentation by Miss Louise Milner as a prize for the best kept allotment garden.

May the word of God be a treasure and comfort to their children as it is to themselves.

August 21st 1856

Perhaps the family bible was the prize.

The Photographer Matthew Henderson is listed in the 1908 Kelly's directory as being at 55 North Parade which is where these photos were taken. By 1912 according to the Post Office Directory he was operating from 38 North Parade. It is worth mentioning here that the Bradford Science and Media Museum have in their Kodak Gallery an internal shot of the Henderson studio.

Day 3 - 5th April 2018

Visited Warley and Sowerby Bridge Library to see if we could find any useful information and any old photos of the shops at Warley. Very nice village with magnificent views over the Calder Valley, friendly people and two good pubs, when we saw the allotments we nearly decided to move in. There are properties at 'Warley Town' which is a short section of the main street and they used to be shops but the properties have been fully converted to residential. One of these may well be where the Turners lived during the 1850s/60s. Although the 1841 and 1851 census shows the family living at 'Warley Town' by 1871 John Turner and his family had moved to Town Hall Street, Sowerby Bridge. This is the main street in Sowerby Bridge and John is still shown as being a grocer. This is prior to them moving to Bradford. So perhaps John had taken charge of the business by then and moved out of the small village of Warley to Sowerby where there should have been much more trade. After this of course this ambition to grow the business may well have been the reason he moved to Bradford where the population was expanding rapidly.

With the research so far the tree looks like this. A thumbnail image of the page out of the bible has been shown against each person that is mentioned in it. By doing so it can be seen the persons named follow down the line of the eldest son Jonas Albert Turner or just Albert as he is referred to in the Census.

For the purpose of this research Jonas and Mary Turner will be regarded at 1st generation (1800-1810), John Turner and Ruth Farnell as second generation (1830-1840) and their four sons as third generation (1864-1875) and finally the forth generation (1891-1901). There certainly seems to be more emphasis on the Albert Turner/ Hannah Wardle line so its probably worth looking at this a little closer. Albert and Hannah were married on the 25th August 1888, the information regarding their marriage is shown here.

The date of the marriage is very close to our estimated date for the album and one wonders if this was the reason for the album to be put together. Maybe a present to the couple?

Day 4

Going back to the album there are at least three old photos which pre-date the Turners move to Bradford in the mid/late 1870s, two are by Appleton, one of these was taken in the early 1860s and the other in 1873 (it is dated) and there is one by Marchbank and Harland which was taken between 1863 and 1872. They are shown here. We must remember this is a family album and these individuals may not be Turners. Their wives families would have most certainly be included and it is very likely that it was the ladies of the family that were the driving force behind compiling the album. Hannah Wardle, Doris Tidswell and Annie Thornton were all born in Bradford. They may of course be just friends of the family.

It is likely that the following are couples. They appear next to each other in the album and were taken by the same photographer. In fact all four of these were taken By Exley of Great Horton which is close to where the Turners moved to in Bradford. James Exley operated from Southfield Lane (1875-1898) but a little later, about 1889, he opened a second studio in Shipley. (1889-1893) The top two photos mention Shipley but the bottom two dont. The style of clothing might date the photographs more accurately. The hair style of the lady in the second photograph is described by Robert Pols in his book Dating Nineteenth Century Photographs as 'smooth, close to head hairstyles' and he suggests this was popular in the 1880s . If these people are Turners then this would make them 3rd generation.

Another couple appear in the album together in one portrait and on separate portraits. These have been taken by Thomas Briggs who operated from 2 Packington Street in around 1887 and from 80 City Road between 1889 - 1894. It looks as though all three photos were taken at the same session, although three different mounting cards were used. The first photo is carte de visite format and the second two are cabinet size. The first card design featuring two cherubs, looking glass and grasses is by Spicer Brothers. It should be possible to get a date for this card design.

Day 6

Visited Bradford Library to look at old Directories so as to date some of the photographic studios that were operating post 1990. Useful information found on Joseph Wilson and Matthew Henderson but no reference could be found in post 1900 directories to Andrews and Priestley Great Horton, J W Boyes Westgate, H Riley Park Lane Little Horton, A Geldard 7 Carlisle Road and E Ireland 55 Tyrrel Street. Further investigation required.

The Andrews and Priestley photo is of particular interest as it is a group and is the second photo in the album which could make it significant. Further research will be needed to date this photo.

Day 9

A look at the family tree on Ancestry and comparing this with the research done by others reveals that most of them have wrong information and have made incorrect assumptions so any information from their trees must be disregarded. A search on Harry Turner did bring up an interesting document. This was a licence to sell alcohol from 102 Cross Lane, Bradford. It seems from census information that when the family moved to Bradford at first they lived at 97, Berwick Street, Horton (1881 census) but Ruth Turner had applied for the licence on 12th July 1876 to sell alcohol from 102 Cross Lane which would indicate that the shop may have been at this stage a lock up shop So this narrows down the date when the family moved to between 1875 when Harry was born in Sowerby Bridge and July 1876 when the licence was applied for. By 1891 the families address had changed to 102 Cross Lane.

When Ruth died in 1915 Harry reapplied for the licence and he appears to have kept the Grocers shop until September 1917 when a Herbert Varley took over. At least that how it looks from the licencing information. It seems from the probate information that Ruth left her money to the eldest son Jonas Albert Turner with perhaps Harry being left to run the grocery business.

So to summerize the families moves they are as follows.

1841 John Turner aged 2 living with parents Jonas and Mary Turner in Warley Town. Jonas occupation Grocer

1851 Ditto but John now 12 Scholar.

1861 John now 22 occupation Grocer with Mum Mary - Grocer at Warley Town. Jonas died in 1860

1871 John Turner and his wife Ruth with family at Town Hall Street, Sowerby Bridge, occupation Grocer

c1876 John Turner and family move to Bradford. Ruth Turner applies for licence at 102 Cross Lane, Horton

1881 John Turner and family living at 97 Berwick Street, Horton. John Turner's occupation Grocer, son Albert aged 17 Cabinet Maker.

1888 Estimated date for Album with initial set of photos, John and Ruth son Albert Marries Hannah Wardle same year.

1889 John Turner dies

1891 Ruth Turner aged 57 Grocer at 102 Cross Lane along with sons Harry aged 16 - Grocers assistant and Ernest aged 22 what looks like Iron turner. Albert with Hannah at 39 Turner Place Horton occupation Cabinet Maker

1901 Ruth Turner aged 67 Shopkeeper/Grocer with Harry aged 26 Grocer assistant. at 102 Cross Lane. Albert Journeyman and Joiner with wife and children at 123 St Margaret's Place Great Horton.

1911 Ruth Turner aged 78 Grocer/Beerseller with Harry aged 36 Grocers assistant at 102 Cross Lane. Albert aged 47 Mill Joiner- Spinning with family at 123 St Margaret's Place. Albert's son Raymond aged 19 Printers Apprentice.

1915 Ruth dies and Harry applies for licence to sell alcohol from 102 Cross Lane

1917 Herbert Varley applies for licence to sell alcohol from 102 Cross Lane. Indicating that Harry may have moved on.