If you will remember a couple of months ago I posted Share My World: Sibling trip
This trip was a family history/heritage trip, with a week in Italy thrown in. We started in Italy because @jarvie was there shooting a wedding (I know, so cool shooting a wedding in the Italian alps). We met him in Venice and then together we explored, Venice, Florence, Tuscany and Rome. After Italy we flew to England and drove to the countryside of northern England to where a lot of my mom's family came from. Then up to Scotland to where part of my dad's family was from.
What a precious time to be with my siblings and bond together so shortly after our mom's death and to get to know more about our ancestors in their native land.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and have been doing family history since I was a small girl. I grew up knowing that I had relatives in England and Scotland and it was a wonderful experience to go and visit the place where they lived, worked, loved and died.
Middleton-in-Teesdale, England
This post will be about our stay in Middleton-in-Teesdale and the family history work we did there.
Looking out over Middleton-in-Teesdale
Middleton-in-Teesdale is located in northern England in Durham county. It is also right on the edge of the North Pennies AONB, which stands for Area of Natural Beauty.
It is close to the High and Low Force waterfalls in one direction and Barnard castle in the other.
There are also lots of sheep all over the valley. The Airbnb we stayed at had a sheep farm.
Ruins of Barnard Castle
Low Force Waterfall
Families
We were searching for more information on the Redfearn, Temple, Scott and Robinson families.
Redfearn Family
In the sixth generation my G.G.G Grandfather George Redfearn
He was born in Durham, England in 1808. He was married to Ann Tuard in Middleton in Teesdale, in 1829 and immigrated to the US in 1830.
His parents Robert Redfearn and Mary Robinson were born in Middleton-in-Teesdale in 1764 and 1769 respectively. They are the seventh generation. They were married there, had 10 children and died there. So this is the first family that lived their whole life in this beautiful valley. George was the youngest of the 10 children. Him and his oldest brother both immigrated to America.
Robert's parents (Samuel Redfearn and Dorthy Fletcher) would be in the eighth generation and they moved from Matlock, Derbyshire, England to Middleton-in-Tessdale in the 1700's to work in the mines.
The story of how the Redfearns got to Middleton-in-Teesdale
In 1758 thirteen lead miners and their families relocated from the High Peak district of Derbyshire to Middleton-in-Teesdale to work in the Langdon Beck mine. They were taken there by a Captain Josia Wagstaff.
The Redfearn family were in the Middelton-in-Teesdale are for 72 years.
Middleton-in-Teesdale, St Mary the Virgin
We found a couple of Redfearn graves Isabella and Ann Redfearn, none of our direct ancestors.
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Temple Family
In the sixth generation my G.G.G Grandfather William Robson married Hannah Temple.
He was born in Durham, England in 1818. He was married to Hannah in Middleton in Teesdale, in 1842. They immigrated to the US in 1846.
Hannah's parents (Henry Temple and Ann Scott) were the seventh generation and the first to be born, marry and die in Middleton-in-Teesdale. Henry was born in 1791 and Ann in 1799. They married in Middleton-in-Teesdale in 1820 and had eight children. Hannah is the second child and immigrated to Wisconsin.
Henry's father was also named Henry and his mother Margaret Beadle. They are the eight generation and were born in Teesdale in 1747 and 1760 receptively.
The temples go back eleven generations in Middleton area.
In the ninth generation Thomas Temple married Elizabeth Greathead.
In 1696 his father, also Thomas Temple was born in Middleton and married Mary Eadnall in 1717.
Anthony and Elizabeth Temple, of the eleventh generation were married in Middleton in 1692.
The Temple family was in the Middleton-in-Teesdale area for at least 152 years.
Middleton-in-Teesdale, St Mary the Virgin
We spent a lot of time in this church yard looking for grave stones, both on Sunday and Monday. Sunday was mother's day. It was so great to be looking for my mom's family on the day to celebrate her.
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Scott Family
This was the family that my sister was most interested in finding information for, specifically Ann Scott.
In the sixth generation my G.G.G Grandfather William Robson married Hannah Temple.
He was born in Durham, England in 1818. He was married to Hannah in Middleton in Teesdale, in 1842. They immigrated to the US in 1846.
Hannah's parents (Henry Temple and Ann Scott) were the seventh generation and the first to be born, marry and die in Middleton-in-Teesdale. Henry was born in 1791 and Ann in 1799. They married in Middleton-in-Teesdale in 1820 and had eight children. Hannah is the second child and immigrated to Wisconsin.
Ann's parents are Jacob Scott and Margaret Robinson and they are the eight generation. They were married 1790 in Middelton-in-Teesdale and Ann was the 5th of seven children.
John Scott and Ann Walton are the ninth generation and were also married in Middleton-in-Teesdale in 1749.
The Scott family was in the Middleton-in-Teesdale area for at least 97 years.
Middleton-in-Teesdale, St Mary the Virgin
Again some headstone with the Scott name, not our direct ancestors.
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Robinson Family
There were many Robinson names in the church yard. In looking closer at our family history work we found out that sisters Mary and Margaret Robinson married Redfearn and Scott respectively.
Mary Robinson was born in 1769 and married Robert Redfearn in Middleton-in-Tessdale 1787.
Margaret Robinson was born 1771 and married Jacob Scott in Middleton-in-Tessdale in 1790.
Middleton-in-Teesdale, St Mary the Virgin
Robinson headstones in the St Mary the Virgin churchyard.
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We went to the beautiful St Mary the Virgin church on both Sunday and Monday. On Monday we heard people practicing the church bells. My sister went and talked to them. They took us across the street to a local history and records place up above the bookstore (a place we would not have known or found out on our own).
There we search for more information about our ancestors with the help of our new friends.
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We also went to a couple of other churches and graveyards in the area.
And at one of the churches we talked with the couple that had bought the New Biggins Methodist Chapel and were converting it to a residence.
We told them about our trip and how we were searching for our ancestors. The lady said recognized some of the names. She ran down the lane and got a big binder someone had given her about her family history and we realized that we were "long lost cousins" It was a very cool experience.
It was a beautiful time to be in the Middleton-in-Teesdale area with the fields of rapeseed, blossoms, tree lined streets and baby sheep!
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I love my my family both past and present. I am so grateful for this opportunity to go with my brother and sister and see where so many of my relatives lived.
There is so much more work to do!
My favorite sibling picture!
Share My World Series
2018
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2019
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Share My World: 3 years
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Share My World: Venice, Italy: Part 1
Share My World: Venice, Italy: Part 2
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