PLIMMER great grandparents

James PLIMMER

(1854 - 1893)

He was the 10th off-spring out of 12 to James PLIMMER and Martha PLIMMER (nee LEIGH); born at Bonny Well, where his LEIGH grandparents (market gardeners/farmers) had a small holding in Pennington near Leigh in Lancashire. (That site now appears to be a waste water treatment works and was down the lane from where I stayed with my friend Michael, for a brief spell.)

James was one of four siblings who survived beyond 22 and one of two to survive beyond 30, most died before their first birthday.

By 1857 the family appear to have moved away from the small holding, to reside in the Tyldesley area where James senior returned to work as a coal miner. 

In the 1861 census James appears aged 6 with his family; sadly he lost his mother in the previous year and by 1865 he and the surviving siblings have been orphaned.

In 1866 his sister Jane married Joseph Allan GORNALL in West Derby and I pressume, from consulting the 1871 census, that he must have moved there with Jane and her new husband. He is aged 16 and listed as a collier. His other surviving sibling at this time, appears to have moved towards the Salford area.

Sadness reigned again for James in 1873, as he witnessed the death of his sister Jane GORNALL aged only 27 years, in Old Swan, Liverpool. She appears to have suffered for 6 months with TB.

The GORNALL family appear to have been established bakers and I guess he may have worked for them. With his brother-in-law Joseph GORNALL remarrying and relocating, I suspect he may have needed to change direction with his career by the time of the 1881 census.

His first marriage to Alice Margaret LUCAS took place in 1876 and his occupation is a shopman. He is a book-keeper on the birth certificate of his first child, later in that same year. 

Showing Mount Vernon Street and Lennox Street

In 1881 he is living in Pringle Street (Tuebrook) West Derby, with his wife and children.

Sadly for James, his first wife Alice died 8 years later, in 1889. I have yet to locate her burial plot.

I offer my thanks to him for marrying again in 1890, to Ellen (Nellie) SWIFT (born in Halsall) at St Mary's, Edge Hill, Liverpool; witnesses: Thomas GRIFFITHS and Mary METCALFE.

In 1891 I find James with his new wife Ellen and three off-spring from his first marriage in Edge Lane, West Derby. The short marriage between James and Ellen produced Lily Gertrude and Harold Edward PLIMMER before the early death of James in 1893, aged 39. 

Showing Pringle Street by Sutton Street

I have yet to locate his burial plot.

Ellen (Nellie) PLIMMER (nee SWIFT)

(1864 - 1950)

She was born in New Street, Halsall to James SWIFT, a blacksmith master and Ellen SWIFT (nee BLUNDELL). 

Sadly she and her fellow siblings were orphaned in 1870. Luckily I found her in 1871 with her grandfather, William SWIFT (also a blacksmith, employing two men) and aunt, Elizabeth PARK still in New Street.

By 1881 Ellen is living at Clock House Farm, Bickerstaffe with her uncle, Robert SWIFT and aunt, Mary SWIFT. Her occupation is listed as a domestic, general servant.

I do not know much of Ellen's early life or when she moved into West Derby. The only other link to West Derby is in 1881; here we find her grandfather mentioned above, residing in Chalmers Street, West Derby and his occupation is recorded as a gentleman.

She married the widower, James PLIMMER in 1890 and is residing with him in 1891 in Edge Lane, West Derby where she later had two off spring. By 1893 she is a widow herself and had the two infants to bring up on her own; she does not remarry. 

 I wonder if she was so heart broken that she decided not to marry again and dedicated her life to her children. 

I do wonder how she coped, for in 1901 her occupation is listed as a cook in the post office while resident in the Kensington area of Liverpool.

The Post Office, Kensington, Liverpool (now demolished)

Via a post on the rootschat.com message boards, I have been informed that, "Gore's Liverpool Directory for 1911 has: Plimmer, Mrs Ellen, Shopkeeper, 34 Fairview place"
and
"There was a Mrs Ellen Plimmer at 45 Nickleby Street in 1914." 

I understand she lived for a spell with her son and his first family but later lived with her daughter and her family. This later period of her life is a bit of a mystery. She died at the ripe old age of 85 in a Sefton Park hospital, her residence indicated as that of her son-in-law, Thomas Arthur SPRATT.

 I have yet to locate her burial plot.

PLIMMER grandparents

Harold Edward PLIMMER(1892 - 1962)

He was born in Edge Lane, West Derby to James PLIMMER, a postman and Ellen (Nellie) PLIMMER (nee SWIFT), the youngest of two; his sister Lily Gertrude PLIMMER was born in 1891.

His father died in 1893 and I wonder what effect it had on him; with out his father in his life was he ever bitter about it or did he just accepted it as the norm? He also had other half brothers and sisters and I wonder if after this event they ever remained in contact, I am guessing that they did not.

1901 sees Ellen, Lily and Harold living at 30 Lennox Street, Kensington, Liverpool and Ellen is listed as a cook in the post office.

Sadly I do not know much about my Grandpop's early life (or army life) but I have recently discovered that his World War I medals were issued while he had been recruited with the Machine Gun Corps. He was a private and his Regiment No. was 120042.

His sister Lily married in 1915 to Thomas Arthur SPRATT (a capstan-man) at St Paul's, Princes Park, Liverpool; witnesses: William Henry SPRATT and Florence ?OUGHLEY .

Harold, a dock labourer, married Mary Jane SMITH in 1921 at St Silas, Toxteth Park, Liverpool. He was 28 and living in Powis Street, Toxteth Park, Liverpool; witnesses: Richard EVANS and Elizabeth SMITH.

His first child was born in 1922, named Robert Harold PLIMMER and residence at this time was in Gaskell Street, Toxteth Park, Liverpool. The second child was a girl born in 1924 and the third child was named William Arthur PLIMMER, born in 1927, both where born at the same address as the first.

Then sadly his first wife Mary died in 1935 at South Hill House, South Hill Road, Toxteth Park, Liverpool aged only 36. TB seemed to be the primary cause.

It was in 1938 that my Grandfather married my Gran, Annie Leay NUGENT (nee ALDRIDGE) at Christ Church, Norris Green, Liverpool; witnesses: Stanley BAKER and Florence Adelaide BAKER (her sister and her husband). My Grandfather is listed as a labourer and was living in Faresham Road, Norris Green, Liverpool. My Gran was living in Kingsland Crescent, Norris Green, Liverpool at the time. It did seem, when I went to view the properties, that they were virtually back to back, over looking each other. I have always thought how romantic it must have been if they did fall in love over the garden fence. LOL ;-)

At this time, he also became a step-father to my Gran's children from her first marriage and by the time my father was born, later in that same year, they had moved and were living in Lordens Road, Huyton. My Grandpop is again listed as a dock labourer on my Pop's birth certificate.

. I am aware that the children from his first marriage went to live with his sister Lily SPRATT and family and sadly over the years they lost touch with one another.

Harold's mother died in 1950 aged 85 of cerebral hemorrhage, which sounds quite horrific. I wonder if this was the time when he met his daughter again after a long absence. I believe the meeting was very difficult and very emotional and sadly, I understand, they did not meet again.

He died in 1962 at Broadgreen Hospital, Liverpool. He was only 69 years old and was listed as being a dispatch clerk and still resident in Lordens Road, Huyton. He did not see my Pop marry and he died long before I was even a twinkle in my Pop's eye!

I know he kept canaries or budgies and was a very kind, gentle, considerate man. I believe he was given a silver cross by a German soldier, for sparing his life in one of the wars and that makes me very proud to be his grandson. Sadly the cross was stolen by a step-child after he died and the only thing I have of his, apart from his medals, is a signet ring.

There is so much more I would like to know about him and what he did. I wish the Internet had been invented for general use then so he may have left a blog of his own, for me to share with him in a spiritual kind of way.

Annie Leay PLIMMER (previously NUGENT, nee ALDRIDGE)

(1897 - 1979)

She was born in Rankin Street, Toxteth Park, Liverpool to William John ALDRIDGE, a carter and Elizabeth ALDRIDGE (nee BURNETT); she had several siblings.

In 1901 I find her with her parents and older siblings, Florence and William at 5 House, 3 Court, Beresford Road, Toxteth Park, Liverpool.

I am curious to know what she did during the war years.

I know she went into domestic service at some point but in 1920 she was married at St Cleopas, Liverpool to Thomas William NUGENT, able seaman; witnesses: Francis RICE and Elizabeth Jane McCALLAGN. Both Annie and Thomas where resident at the address of Annie's birth. I wonder why the family moved out of that address but moved back into the same address much later? I imagine she was now busy being a wife and later, a mother to several off-spring.

Sadly in 1933, aged 35, her husband died and only the year before in 1932, she lost her father to cancer aged 58. It would take another five years before she met and married Harold Edward PLIMMER and I hope this brought her some happiness. I'm thankful that this union brought my father into the world, otherwise I wouldn't be here writing this!

I wonder how she coped during the war with children to bring up, especially as her husband had to go off and fight in the 2nd World War, not long after their only child was born. (I often wonder if this is why the children from my Grandpop's first marriage went to live with their aunt and uncle SPRATT?)

I believe she worked at the Crawfords Biscuit Factory and also returned to be of domestic help to wealthy families and I think she liked to adopt some of their refined traits for her own.

In 1952 she witnessed the death of her own mother at the age of 78.

I am fortunate to have faint memories of her and I always remember her smiling, amazing when I think what she must have suffered before her own death. I remember her taking me to the Pier Head, Liverpool to see the ferries and visiting us at our various addresses in St Helens.

Breast cancer took her away from us in 1979 aged 81 and I believe she would have lived on much longer if treatment was as advanced as it is now. I imagine she kept mentally strong through out and considering what she must have been through in her life time, this must have contributed to her method to cope.

I have even had a spiritual visit from her when I was in a dark depression in a flat in Manchester. I knew she was there because I could smell her and her flat and all the happy memories of her came flooding back. It was an emotional moment and very reassuring that she still thought about me too, I wasn't alone, it was like having a spiritual hug.

:-)

PLIMMER parents

Mr. PLIMMER

Pop was born in Huyton and began his working life as a coal miner in St Helens. 

His first marriage to a Miss WOODS in 1963, took place at St Nicholas' Sutton, St Helens, witnesses: William Thomas NUGENT and Emily MERCER.

That marriage didn't last but he went on to meet my mother, on a blind-date and later married Miss LANE. at The Register Office, St Helens in 1973, witnessed by: J.P. DAVIES and A. LANE.

I was the result of that union, so at least one blessing came out of that!

My parents and I ended up in Newton-Le-Willows and my father worked as a porter at Warrington Hospital. Sadly, my parents couldn't stick together so they finally went their separate ways. My Pop found himself a home in Warrington (now classed as Cheshire, previously Lancashire) where he still terrorises the neighbourhood!  



 

Mrs. LEADER (previously PLIMMER, nee LANE)

Mum was born in Newton In Makerfield (aka Newton Le Willows) and left school early to get a job and a wage and have fun I guess! The poor sod met my Pop, ended up having me and as she always says, "One was enough!" 

Mum later worked her way up from a temp. clerk position at Warrington Town Hall, to a virtual PA to the Landscape Directors, before local Government redundancies forced her to leave. She is now happy working part-time at the local hospital.

After my parents went their separate ways, Mum met and married Mr. LEADER in 1993 and they are now happily nestled in their new home. 

Welcome to PLIMMER's Pastures

Hello fellow Family History Researchers!

And welcome to my own little green space of calm in the mad, mad WWW.

I will post my PLIMMER ancestry here and if you share this surname, or have this name appearing in your tree, then I hope you will post your interests too.

One day I hope to have a world PLIMMER site. Only you can help me achieve this.

I may also include other paddocks of interest along the way!

Enjoy, peace and prosper

Blessings

Ian.