Peter Webster born 2nd June 1860; died 21st may 1941 in Prescot, Lancashire
Rachel and Ernest Webster
Jack and Gwen
Ernest Webster married Rachel Cunliffe in York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada on 8th July 1909. the Canadian marriage certificate gives Ernest as 23 and a carpenter, Church of England. Parents Peter Webster and Sarah Smith. Rachel is also 23 and her parents are Thomas Cunliffe and Jane Kilshaw. Witnesses to the marriage were Fred and Henry Brooks of Toronto.
Gwendoline Webster's birth appears on the Ontario Birth Records but they just stop at 1911! She was born on 27th January 1911 at 411 Church Street in the county of York, Division of Toronto and it gives her father as Ernest Webster Carpenter and Rachel Cunliffe as her mother [married on 8th July 1909]. The physician attending was C.J. Wagner and E Webster certified the birth on 24th February 1911. These records from Ontario are very good.
Where is this family's whereabouts in 1911? - they don't seem to be in Canada!
Charlie Webster
Fred Webster son of Peter Webster and Sarah Smith. Born 4 May 1888.
Frederick Webster's Army Service Records in WW1 shows he was in the Royal Engineers who used Dispatch Riders to send messages when telephones etc., were out of action. He married in 1914 to Margaret Jane Saggerson and she is given as his next of kin in his records.
On Fred's shoulder are the initials RFA which is the Royal Field Artillery: the little pockets [5 on his chest and 4 on his back are a bandolier for ammunition: His badge and cap badge are correct for the WW1 Uniform; the stick that he is carrying is a riding crop; he wears gloves and would also have worn boots and puttees. Therefore, he was part of the Army who rode the horses which pulled the enormous guns which they fired at the German soldiers - he would have been riding one of about 6 horses which pulled the huge guns. There are many photo's of RFA Drivers or Riders which are exactly the same. Not sure about the sleeve insignia but think that it may have been that of a Signaller. I can understand that Thomas or Maude would have thought that he was a Dispatch Rider
Three Generations of women!
Sarah Smith Webster, Maude Webster Critchley and Kathleen Marjorie Critchley
Taken in England in 1922 when the Critchley family were visiting from American as well as looking for work.
Clara, Grace and Charlie Webster
Originally thought to have been taken in 1912 on Maude's visit to Canada on her way to America, however Grace was not born until 1918.
Maude Webster
This photo is marked with the photographer's signature and place as St Helen's so it must have been taken sometime before Maude left for America in 1912
My sister now owns the locket that is around Maude's neck.
Maude Webster Critchley 1931
Peter Webster and Sarah Smith Webster
Boat to Isle of Man, England
"Our" Nellie (? not sure who she is) and Sarah Smith Webster
1933 or 34
Early 1930's: Unknown, Sarah Smith Webster, Alexandra May Webster
Bill Crichley, Ernest Webster, Jack??
Maude Webster, Rachel (Ernest's wife), Mary (Critchley Maybe?-Bill and Tom's sister)
Alexandra May Webster Critchley on the left
Not yet sure who she is with.
Sister's Maude and May Webster 1902
Maude married Thomas Critchley and had 4 children. She died young in 1934 of Renal failure (kidney's shut down) possibly a result of the heart medication she was taking. This left Thomas to raise the children. 5 years later, he sent for Maude's sister May from England.
He married her and lived the rest of his life with her.
Maude and May's brother Peter Webster (named after his father)
Letter from Maude and May's sister Esther Webster (aka: Tessie)
136 Korte Boomer Street
Schoten
9-10-34
Dear Maude & Tom,
Thank you much for
letters
received O.K. one I got while I was home John sent it on, & the
other came home after I was gone so May sent it over here to me, you’ll
think it’s taking me a long time to answer but really I’ve tried many a
time but had to give it up, it was just like opening a wound that was
justll healing! ???? with it as I’m sure you are anxious to know how
things went on, well, the best way to explain everything is to give a
relas of my holidays (sorrowful ones in deed) you see I’ve felt this
coming on long enough as soon as she give over writing herself I had my
suspictions, therefore then John spoke about holidays, & where were
we going, I said ‘You can please yourself where you go but I’m going
home, & then with constantly speaking of it, he also felt a desire
to see all the old friends and relations again as he said when once the
home is broke up we won’t feel like going so often & it might be the
last time, so ever since last Xmas we had made arrangements to go in
Aug. now when it had got near to Aug. we found the date for Aug. 10th
& John would go with me for one week & then return for work, I
should stay 3 weeks well the week before Aug. Monday I got a
letter
from May to say that May’s legs were so bad that she was staying in bed
a couple of days to rest herself thoughly for when we came, & then a
few days after that another
letter to say they
had called in doctor & got her examined as it seemed to be something
different to rhumatics & that she’d got an abcess on her seat that
was giving her terrible pains & as soon as the Dr had examined her,
he said that it was sugar diabetes & that to give her the best
attention it would be better to take her to Whisbon but Ma didn’t like
the idea of it & said if you take me away they’ll bring me back a
dead woman so they put it off a bit, but a couple of days after that
when the Dr came, a while still downstairs he asked how she was they
said she was much better as she slept most of the time, but he said, why
that’s just what she must not do, as for that sickness if they sleep a
lot it’s a sign that the sickness is getting a better grip on them &
he flew upstairs & as soon as he saw her, he said goodness she’s
going in a sleeping coma & if we don’t mind she’ll never come out,
she must go at once to the hospital so as to be injected in & the
abcess must be dressed regular, so they took her on Friday night Aug.
3rd & on Saturday they sent a telegram to me to come at once as she
was not expected to last long, well I think I live a long way from home
but it doesn’t seem like it as they wired from Widnes at 2 o’clock &
I got it at 3 o’clock (sharp work eh) but of course the passport office
was shut owing to it being Saturday afternoon & wouldn’t be open
till Monday morning so I had to wait till then, but you can guess I sat
on hot coals all the time, & on Monday after getting all papers in
order, I sailed away from Antwerp at 8 o’clock at night (arrived in
England 6 o’clock in the morning & then a express train ride to
Widnes & got in at 2 o’clock May met me at the station as all the
rest had gone to Whiston as it was visiting day & it closed at ???
so they couldn’t wait for me so they didn’t know whether I’d be on it or
not, but they brought a special permit for me, to allow me to go &
see her that same evening & so I went with our Peter, & when I
got to her she was asleep & goodness I got a shock, she was as pale
as death & so old looking, & when I woke her she said, “Oh leave
me alone & let me sleep I’m done up, & you know it’s the end of
me I’ll never get better, I’m a goner.” but when I said, Here don’t you
know me I’m
Tessie from Belgium, goodness you
should have seen her wake up, & she said, “My word how the time
flies & me lazing about like this, I’ll get up & get you
something, but I said never you mind tell me all news & leave the
food getting ready to the others & after she’s been talking a bit
she was quite her old self again I stayed quite an hour with her, as
after that I would have to wait till Sunday the foll. visiting day, well
the following Saturday John came & of course he went with us to
Whiston on the Sunday, & Ma was still her old self & she knew
John quite well, & it was quite like old times us all sitting round
her, there were 11 of us, Flossie Wilson was among us telling us all
about her illness for you know she has the same sickness & last
Xmas, she was so bad that the Dr told her husband that it was impossible
for her to get through the night, & well she got over it alright
& when she came to see Ma she was as well as any of us but of course
she has to be careful & twice a day she injects herself with
insiline & she’s also on diet, & so with her getting over it
alright we all thought my mom would get over it too & all our hearts
were as light as a feather, Oh & ma said to me, Our Maude hasn’t
come yet, but she will do, you see she has to come much farther than
you, but I said, Yes she might turn up yet but don’t be disappointed if
she doesn’t come, as she has had a lot of expense this year, but she
said, Oh but you forgot she has two houses & one of them will be
going flop one of these days & then she’ll be coming to say goodbye
to me, it’s quite a long time since I seen her, but should she come too
late tell her I was thinking about her & also tell her while I’m
been here I’ve seen her good friend (La hem) Sister Perrin”, well we all
went home then with a promise to come on the following Tues but what
shock awaited us when we got there the nurse said don’t be upset but
your mother has gone in a coma but we are doing our best to get her
out,& as she isn’t as well as she should be, I’ll sign a paper to
allow any of you to come at any time, so that in itself was a bad sign
& when we got to her we found her fast asleep and nothing would wake
her we stayed 2 hrs with her & tried to get a word out of her, but
she did nothing but sleep & sometimes when she came half conscious
she seemed to be pointing to something & muttering to herself, it
was just as if she could see something that we couldn’t it did make me
feel awful because that was a sure sign that it was the last, well we
went to see her everyday but she was just the same till Friday & as
soon as I saw her I said to May, I can see a difference in her to-day,
her eyes are shut much tighter to-day than they were yesterday but there
was another sister on duty than the usual one & I didn’t like
asking her what she thought & that same evening she passes away
without waking up, the nurse seen it coming on as soon as she was back
on duty, & went to look at all her patients & she said the death
struggle only lasted for a quarter of an hour or she would have sent
for us, so you see Maude although I was so near to her, I wasn’t with
her at her last moment, but the nurse explained all when we saw her
again at Auntie Bessie for you see she is courting Willie Webster,
Bessie’s boy, & she said she passed quite peacefully no one could
wish for a better death. Well Sat morning Papa & our Fred went
& arranged everything & she would have been buried on the
following Tuesday only Fred’s workmate was on his holiday so he had
double work, & he asked the Dr if she would keep till Wed. & he
said, yes a week if you like as there was practically no food in her to
go bad as she’s been on diet. Do you know Maude what I found funny
about that coma, that she could hear what we were saying but couldn’t
open her eyes and answer us, because one day she put her tongue out
& it was as dry as a bone & I looked around for water but a
woman that was minding the ward said she wasn’t allowed to drink water
so I dipped my hankie in the water & washed her tongue with it &
it seemed to do her good & so before I went home I said, “Ma pull
your tongue out” & right away her tongue came out isn’t that
surprising. Well they brought her home on Tuesday morn & she was
lovely just her own self her face was just as if it was carved out in
marble & her fingers didn’t stiffen at all, that’s a sign they say
of ‘one to follow’ so I wonder who it is (I guess Papa as he felt it, I
found him crying many a time & when he saw me he said ‘Oh
Tessie
don’t mind me I can’t help it, I miss my sweetheart now”) & do you
know I wasn’t a bit easy as I thought she was in a trance but on Wed
morning I was put at rest by seeing a trickle of blood running out of
her ears & when the undertaker came to screw her down he said when
he saw the blood its high time she was shut up.
On the Monday Auntie Esther & cousin May came to visit us, they
thought to be able to see her but they didn’t like to go to Whiston, so
they said they will remember her like we saw her last & she left
money to May for wreath she ordered, I was expected to find on old woman
when they told me Auntie Esther was in the parlour, but her daughter
looked older than she did, because she hasn’t altered at all. Well the
funeral went off splendid, the brothers & sisters of mother didn’t
come on account of being ill themselves, but the children came in their
place, but we sent a weekly news to you so you will have read who came
& we got so many wreathes from friends & neighbors that Pa
wouldn’t let me buy a wreath he said we’ll buy one altogether a family
wreath & then those that are away can think theres one in their name
too, we spared no expense, as it was the last we could give her, her
coffin was the most loviest I’ve ever seen, the handles on the side
were worked in purple silk & the shroud in white satin, embroidered
in silk she looked lovely, we went to church in ??? coaches & just
as she was put in the grave it started to rain & you know they say
they’ve gone to heaven if it rains on the coffin.
When we got back we sat down to tea with 26 of us, & they all wished
to be remembered to you all & that’s all that there is to tell only
that your money came a few days after & because they couldn’t give
her any of it, I said perhaps Maude would like flowers put on her, with
it, so May & I arranged like this, I drew a plan of the grave &
shown her how she must plant the bulbs, & we choose daffodils
tulips, crocus, white lily & narcissen, all those bulbs can stay in
the ground from year to year then there’s flowers on the grave almost
always how does this suit you. Well I mean’t to tell you all about my
holidays where I’d been & who I’d seen but I’m afraid I’ll have to
wait till next
letter as I think my
letter
will be heavy enough as it is. This last 2 months Georgie has been ill
with Rhumatic Fever that the 1st time the Dr had had to come in out
house & & I hope it’s the last (the dear boggers) much love to
all xxx
Tessie
.jpg)
.jpg)
The ship's manifest shows:
Thomas Pennington Critchley was drafted for WWI on September 12th 1918. His occupation is given as Station Engineer, unemployed. Address 78 Russet Avenue, Salt Lake City. Age 37.
Maude Webster and Thomas Pennington Critchley knew each other in England. Tom left for the US in 1909 and Maude followed him to America in 1912. They were apart for 3 years. On her way to her "intended husband" she called in on her brother Ernest Webster who left England for Canada in 1909.
,+Billie+Critchley.jpg)
.jpg)
