Mary Ellen Smith

The  context

Mary Ellen Smith was mother to Stanley Appleyard. This post attempts to link her and her children with the family tree entitled “THE SMITHS OF MANOR HOUSE AND HAIGH SIDE FARM, ROTHWELL”.

Mary Ellen first marriage

Mary Ellen Smith was born in Rothwell in 1846, On 15th July 1869 Mary Ellen married Frank Carr.  Alice Maud Mary Carr was born the  following year. Frank Carr dies in October 1871.

Mary Ellen second marriage

Mary Ellen Carr is residing at  High Hoyland according to the  1881 census. Her entry shows her name as Mary Ellen Carr and Arthur Appleyard is head of the household. Interestingly the relationship is shown as “Cousin”.  Then on 8th February 1884 Arthur and Mary Ellen married.

The 1881 census shows ‘cousin’ Alice Maud Mary Carr also living at High Hoyland; she is shown as age 10.

The 1891 census shows Mary Ellen as wife to Arthur Appleyard along with their three children Frank, Stanley and Marion aged 5, 3 and 1.  Step daughter Alice Maud Mary Carr is also still living at High Hoyland aged 20.

Mary Ellen died 16th June 1930. The probate entry is as follows:

“APPLEYARD Mary Ellen of 74 Ringinglow-road Sheffield widow died 16th June 1930 at Leeds Administration Wakefield 27 August to Frank Appleyard engineer. Effects £381 9s 1d.”

Mary Ellen’s daughters

Little thought was given to Alice Carr until it appeared that Alice appears in a photograph of the wedding between Marion Appleyard and Albert E Ordish on July 19th 1947. The photo has names annotated on the back, the one puzzle was who was “Auntie Alice” standing to the right of Stanley Appleyard.

It is now clear who Auntie Alice is in the  wedding photograph:

Alice died some 16 months later. The probate entry for Alice is as follows:

“Moorhouse Alice Maud Mary of  4 Carlton-terrace Scarborough widow died 22 November 1948 at St. Nicholas Hotel, St Nicholas Cliff, Scarborough. Probate Wakefield 12 January  to Marion Ordish (wife of Albert Ernest Ordish). Effects £1533 15s”

Marion and  Alice were both daughters of Mary Ellen Smith born some 19 years apart.

The family tree

In the family archive there is a hand written family tree.  The tree appears to have been written in 1952 as there are  no dates, in the original hand, after that date on the tree.  The tree has the  rather grand title of “THE SMITHS OF MANOR HOUSE AND HAIGH SIDE FARM, ROTHWELL” on line one and “WITH THEIR FEMALE BRANCHES” on line 2.

The “C. D. Webster” signature at the  base of the tree has been matched to an underlined “Clifford Dyson” name that appears in the  tree. The tree shows Clifford Dyson was the  grandson of Thomas Webster(1855-1925) who married Eliza Smith – sister of Mary Ellen. The Halifax Evening Courier, Friday 03 April 1964 describes his appointment as Halifax’s first official archivist. He would later become the county archivist for the Isle of Wight. He died July 2023. The C D Webster family trre would appear to have good provenance.

The line to Manor House

• Stanley Appleyard etc son of
• Arthur and Mary Ellen Carr (1847-1931) daughter of
•  Thomas Smith of Haigh Side Farm Rothwell (1820-1859) and Jane Wright of Rothwell son of 
• Joseph Smith  of Manor House and Haigh Side Farm Rothwell (1777-1859) and son of
• Joseph Smith of Manor House and Haigh Side Farm Rothwell (1745-1810) son of
• William Smith of Wakefield and Haigh Side Farm Rothwell (d1770) and Ann Wigglesworth  (1693-1760) daughter of
• William Wigglesworth of Sissons House Middleton (1662-1719)

Interestingly the “base” of the tree is shown as follows:

Sources for Mary Ellen Smith

•  Appleyard family tree – signed C. D. Webster
•  Wedding photo by The Sheffield Telegraph & Star Limited

Sources for Clifford Dyson Webster

• The Halifax Evening Courier – Friday 03 April 1964 (Page 1, 6th Edition) reports: Halifax’s first official archivist settles in what was once a spare-time hobby has now become a full-time job for Halifax’s first official archivist, Mr. Clifford Dyson Webster, of Leeds.
• Daily Telegraph 9th June 2023 reports: WEBSTER. Bridget. Passed away at home on Christmas Eve 2021, aged 94. Wife of Clifford Webster (late County Archivist of the Isle of Wight)