Daughter of W.P. 'Bill'
Richardson's Great Uncle, Thomas Richardson
Florence Maud was
born on the 30th June 1897, she was the fifth
child of Thomas Richardson and his wife Mary Eleanor
(nee Purvis) and her birth was registered in the Chester
le Street Registration District. She was
baptised on 15th July 1897 and her baptism was recorded
in the Primitive Methodist Register for Jarrow Circuit.
The family lived at New Washignton and Florence's Dad
was a Check-Weighman at the pit. The
census of 1901 recorded the family at 6 Cooperative
Terrace, Usworth. Florence was 3. She had two sisters
Annie (9) and Margaret (8) and a younger brother, John
Morley who was 4 months old. Their Dad was 32 and he
worked as a Checkweighman at the colliery, their Mam was
also 32. By the time of the 1911 census,
Florence's Dad, Thomas, was a Member of Parliament and
he was away from home for the census. Mam, Mary Eleanor,
was 42 and the children listed at the family home at 38
Cooperative Terrace were Annie (19) who was a teacher,
Margaret (18) who was a typist. Florence was 13 and
still at school as were John M (10) and Thomas H (5).
The newest member of the family was Robert who was 5
months old. In 1919, as he had not been
re-elected to Parliament, Florence's Dad, Thomas,
decided to take the family to Canada to seek new
challenges there. They set off on the Minnedosa on the
9th April 1919 headed for New Brunswick and onward to
Vancouver. I don't have much information
about Florence after that other than an indication that,
by 1976, she was married and called Mrs Williams and
lived in California. Hopefully more information will
come to light. |
