John Frederick Heap

In 1861 John Heap was a carter in Hanging Ditch, Todmorden.

His family included a daughter Elizabeth (1839) and granddaughter Sarah J (1860).

Elizabeth married George Richard Boyce in Burnley on 11/1/1875; he died q2 1877, and in 1881 the census for Guy St, Padiham, has Elizabeth joined by Sarah J and John F; implying they were her children born out of wedlock.

Sarah J died q2 1881, and Elizabeth died q3 1882.

There is a newspaper account in 1888 of John F resident in Wellfield Terrace, Todmorden, as a fish hawker being prosecuted for failure to control a dog.

In q1 1890 JFH married Annie Sumner, at Holy Trinity, Littleborough; and in 1891 the census records them at 5 Church Street, Littleborough – where he is recorded as a fishmonger.

Annie Sumner was born 27/8/1864 in St Helens to William and Elizabeth (Benson) - she was from Malham where Annie lived with her Benson relatives in 1871 and 1881.

JFH and Annie had four children near Todmorden, one dying young; they moved to Maud Lane, Soyland sometime between 1897 and 1900.

Three further children were born there, one dying.

Only four of their children lived to adulthood.

Arthur (1892); Cyril (26/6/1895-8/12/1981); and George Benson (1897-23/5/1917) all lived in Maud Lane in 1901 with their parents; Kathleen born later (2/7/1902-q2 1977).

Brig Royd is a few yards from Maud Lane; in 1901 here lived a retired solicitor his wife and four servants.

One, Mabel Ellen Ford, took JFH's eye: she was born in 1877 in Almholme, a tiny hamlet in the marshes north of Doncaster.

The first of their children was born in q1 1902 – registered in Birmingham as Frederick Hundsley Ford.

It's not known when JFH did a flit with Mabel, but presumably sometime after Kathleen's conception around October/November 1901, and before the birth registration in Birmingham.

By 1911 JFH and Mabel were living in Lower Essex Street, Birmingham with four children, then moved to Pitsmoor Road, Sheffield where in 1921 they lived with seven: Frederick H 1902, Albert 1903, Annie 1906, Gladys Mabel 1908, Doris 1911, Elsie 1914, and Dorothy 1920.

Mabel Ellen died in q2 1924; in 1939 JFH lived with Doris and Dorothy in Kilton Hill, Sheffield, and died in 1943.

[Census records for JFH confirm connection by continuity of names, birth year, and birth place.

] Back in Calderdale, Annie Heap remained in Maud Lane with her family.

Cyril and George went off to war in 1914, Arthur was a farm labourer in Barkisland.

When Cyril was demobbed in 1920 he joined Annie, Arthur, and Kathleen at 65a Woodville, Halifax Road, Ripponden.

Annie Heap died there in 1943, Kathleen in 1977, and Cyril in 1981.

Arthur was a shoesmith in 1921, and he figured in a newspaper report in 1925, being find 5s for allowing a horse to stray: after that there is no certain trace.

One intriguing footnote: in a stamp collection inherited from the family there is a miniature Christmas card from 1910 – sent to Annie by E Jebson from Milner Field, Bingley.

Census records reveal this to have been Elizabeth Jebson, born in 1862 near York, and in 1911 a servant in the stately mansion of the Roberts family, owners of Saltaire Mills.

Why she knew Annie is a complete mystery!