Quote Originally Posted by Anne P View Post
They had two other children at the time of the 1881 census , Robert William Sims abt 1875, Caroline Manley/Marely Sims abt 1877.

The 1871 census shows Mary Ann Sawle living with her family in the Toxteth area of Liverpool and in 1861 they were living in West Derby. Both Censuses have her listed as the eldest daugher of Isaac Sawle abt 1828 from Gerrans and Caroline Sawle (nee??) abt1832 born in Exmouth. Other siblings to Mary were, George Manley Sawle b abt Sept 1854 on the Isle of Wight, Samuel John Sawle abt 1858 in Liverpool and Susan Sawle abt June 1859 in Liverpool. Both Censuses show Isaac Sawle as a Joiner.

I have found note of a marriage of Isaac Behenna Sawle in Oct/Nov/Dec 1851 taking place in the Isle of White (no confirmation of the name of his bride yet, but I presume this is to Caroline). I presume after the first 2 children they then moved from the Isle of White to Liverpool where their subsequent children were born.

I have the 1861 and 1871 census which shows the family together in Liverpool. I have found a registry of Death for a Caroline Sawle in 1874 (Q3), and a subsequent marriage of an Isaac Sawle to Sarah (either Watson or Anderson - not followed this up) in December 1876 in the Birkenhead area.

I have not seen the 1881 census but by 1891 they have an entry in the Walton on the hill district of Bootle with 6 children, Ellen (age 13), Charles (age 12), Ethel (age 10), Edith (age 9), Emma (age 5) and James (age 2). The first 4 children were born in Liscard in Cheshire and the latter 2 in Walton on the Hill. Isaac continued to be a joiner.

I am amazed I have found out this much in such a short space of time and if, as you say, the Gerrans line of Sawle goes back further then I will have a lot to tell my family.

Anne
Hi Anne,

I am a descendant of Isaac and Caroline SAWLE, through their daughter Susan. I think that I can also add a few details to what you've already provided.

Isaac's first wife Caroline was born Caroline MANLEY, which might suggest why one of her granddaughters was named Caroline Manley SIMS as you note above. Caroline SAWLE nee MANLEY was born in Exmouth, abt 1832, and died 3 Jul 1874 at the Ryde Infirmary on the Isle of Wight. From the description, the cause seems to be what we would now call Crohn's Disease. It must've been a dreadful way to die over an extended period, hence her return home to Ryde. As far as I can tell, her parents were George MANLEY (b: 1795 Ilfracombe, Devon) and a Johanna (b: 1792 Camborn, Cornwall).

Isaac and Caroline married at Ventnor, The Isle of Wight, on 18 Dec 1851. His marriage to Sarah ANDERSON was on 14 Dec 1876 in Birkenhead.

Susan SAWLE, my Gr.Gr.grandmother, was the daughter of Isaac and Caroline, born in Liverpool 24 Feb 1859. She subsequently emigrated to New Zealand about 1876, around the age of 17 years. It strikes me that this was the same year as her father's second marriage to Sarah ANDERSON, and that this may have been a prime motive for her emigration. I am yet to source a passenger list from the NZ Archives, or determine whether she migrated under a NZ government assistance scheme, as seems likely. It seems that the rest of her siblings remained to take up married life in Liverpool.

She married George Parker SHORT at Oamaru, NZ, in 1878 and had five children before her untimely death of valvular heart disease on 25 Aug 1899 in Wellington, NZ. I suspect that she had Rheumatic Heart Disease, which is nowadays considered to be a disease of poverty but may have been more widespread in the 19th Century. Her death certificate is the only documented recording of her parent's names, as NZ marriage certificates of that era were quite sparse in their information. The parent's names are most probably inaccurate (Samuel and Susan), as death certificates can be: no such parents exist in other records. I am as confident as I can be that Isaac and Caroline were her parents, given Susan's DOB and known origins in Liverpool. As was noted in another post, Isaac seems to be the sole source of Liverpudlian Sawles.

Susan is listed in some records as a 'nurse'. Two of her children died in infancy, two (Susan and Charles) subsequently had families in NZ, and one (my Gr.grandmother Jessica) migrated to Australia. It seems that Susan was well-loved, as the children published newspaper memorials to her for many years, whereas her husband G.P.SHORT died estranged from his family.

I hope that's of some interest and value. Thanks for your information regarding Mary Ann SAWLE, as I hadn't fully traced her subsequent marriage history.

Regards,
Charles.