Peter Greenhalgh has been busy again and provided and update to the Greenhalgh parish registers. Click  here. YOU MUST DOWNLOAD THIS FILE

This document represents a huge amount of work over many years and I am very grateful that Peter kindly provides it for you all to download.

For over 25 years I wondered what my Great Grandfather Joseph Greenhalgh looked like. It seems surreal that my family did not have an image of Joseph, but then these were different, difficult times and while my interest was keen to correct this perceived error, imagine my father, he had a lifetime of not knowing his Grandfathers face; so when my good friend Peter Greenhalgh contacted me saying that he might be onto a photo, imagine our delight.

Peter was working with the team at the Oldham Local Studies and Archives, looking for information on his family tree when he was kind enough to remember my search and asked the question about Joseph, hitting the jackpot, as they came back with three records including this grainy photo taken from the Oldham Evening Chronicle dated Monday 10th December 1917

It was a moment of genius and kindness that unearthed this image and for that we are eternally grateful.

Also in the Oldham Evening Chronicle on Page 9 on the 24th November 1917 the following statement read;

PRIVATE JOSEPH GREENHALGH, Chadderton

Mrs. Greenhalgh, of 749 Middleton Road, Chadderton, has received official news that her husband, Private Joseph Greenhalgh, Manchester Regiment, was killed in action on Oct 9. He was 36 years of age and was the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Greenhalgh, of 167 Garforth Street, Chadderton. Before joining the Army he was employed at a Government works at Northwich and was for many years foreman-joiner for [unreadable] Thomas Bros, builders and Contractors, Garforth Street, Chadderton. He was a member of the Weslyan Church, Busk. He leaves a widow and three children.

We always knew Joseph was a carpenter, we have some of his tools, but we did not know where he worked, so this small piece of text has added another layer of information.

So, finally, with a great deal of pride, I ask you all to say hello to my Great Grandfather, Pvt. 353008 Joseph Greenhalgh 2/9th Bn. Manchester Regiment - Killed in Action 9th October 1917.

I have finally got a list up on the website of all Greenhalgh casualities during WWI. Sadly there are a lot of names, 175 in total, starting with Edward aged 39; he was lost on HMS Cressy on the 22/9/14.

My Great Grandfather is on this list, Joseph Greenhalgh of the Manchester Regiment who died on the 9th October 1917

Please check the list out... if you have a family member on the list, drop me a line, send images, tell us about him and I will put up a page dedicated to him.

Peter Greenhalgh is a local of Bolton and is very much the expert on Greenhalgh Genealogy. Over the years he has cleared up many a question on Greenhalgh family history and today I am delighted to present two documents prepared by Peter.

The first is his Parish Records database. This file includes over 7000 Greenhalgh names. Thats right, I said seven thousand Greenhalgh names. Births, Deaths and Marriages lovingly recorded from Lancashire Parish Records. This a body of work that presents so much informaton and detail that it is difficult for me to communicate how grateful I am to Peter for all his efforts. Here is the Link. GREENHALGH - LANCASHIRE PARISH RECORDS

Peter also provided a scan of a hand written family tree for the Greenhalgh's of Brandlesholme, a famous Greenhalgh family, who many believe they are related to. The document is believed to have been created by R.V Hopkinson. To view the PDF click this link GREENHALGH's of BRANDLESHOLME

Peter is a leading member of our Greenhalgh community on Facebook, so do please post any questions you have into this group so all can see.

As the world remembers the 65th Anniversary of the D-Day landings, I thought I would search the records for any Greenhalgh who fell on this day. With great sadness, I located the story of Lance Corporal Fred Greenhalgh (3449663) of the 2nd Airborne Bn, Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry. Aged 29 and Son of Sam and Lily Greenhalgh. Fred is buried at La Delivrande war cemetery, Douvres.

Lance Corporal Greenhalgh drowned as his glider hit the water on the attack at Pegasus Bridge. As some of the first troops into Battle, Fred Greenhalgh would be recorded as one ofthe first battle loses on this important day. For more information visit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegasus_Bridge

Please visit the CWGC record for Lance Corporal Fred Greenhalgh and remember him and all who fought and fell, giving their lives so we can live ours. Fred Greenhalgh Certificate

Lance Corporal Fred Greenhalgh is mentioned in this book, On the Bloody Road to Berlin, Rogers, D; Williams, S (2005), in which there is a description of the attack to secure what we know as Pegasus Bridge. Its an online version which you can read from cover to cover, Fred is mentioned on page 47.

References

Rodgers, Duncan; Williams, Sarah R, (2005) On the bloody road to Berlin frontline accounts from North-West Europe and the Eastern Front, 1944-45, Helion & Company Limited.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegasus_Bridge Accessed 6th June 2009

Sam is seeking relatives of Norman Joseph Greenhalgh born 30th March 1945, who passed away 2nd March 2009 in Birmingham. His fathers name was also Norman Greenhalgh, his mothers name was Josie. Sam is keen to locate relatives as she has had no luck so far and says it "would be nice for my children to discover their roots and where they come".

If you believe you are related to Norman and Samantha do please click the email link on this page and I will pass your details on to Sam.

Online social networking is the garden fence of the virtual world. A place to chat, share ideas and of course find out answers to questions.

Over the years visitors have asked for a more interactive experience, so as facebook celebrates its 5th birthday I have opened a Greenhalgh group for you to join.

If you have always thought that facebook is for the kids, think again. Its a great place to meet like minded people from right across the world. You never know, you may even find relatives you have lost touch with.

If you have concerns about facebook do ask me a question, I will be happy to help.

So where is this new group then? Its right here GREENHALGH ON FACEBOOK

My Great Grandfather, Private 353008 Joseph Greenhalgh fell and was lost to the battlefield on the 9th October 1917 and like so many he is remembered at the Tynecot memorial, Belgium.

Visiting Tynecot remains a task undone on my part, but in 2008 my parents went to pay their respects to Joseph and all who gave their lives so that we can live ours. To the right is my G-Grandfathers name, carved forever in this pale weathered stone.

For my father this as close as he has come to his Grandfather, it was and I am sure will remain a moment of great sorrow, but also of pride and respect. We have no images of Joseph, but recently I have found the most fantastic website that has allowed me to see the men of the 2/9th Bat. amongst others of the regiment. By reading of my GGrandfathers comrades my family comes closer to knowing the man and I thank Linda for running such a fantastic website. So.. on this the 90th anniversary of the Great war's end, we remember my Great Grandfather with more knowledge and understanding. This website remains dedicated to Joseph Greenhalgh, may he forever rest in peace and know that we, his living relatives, remember with pride and respect all those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Please do visit the Ashton Pals Website to find out more about this Territorial Regiment

Kenig or König is a family name on my mothers side, more information about this name can be found by following this link, which will detail the Kenigs in my family and the meaning of the name. If you have any questions or have information about the name please do email using the link on this page

The birth certificate for Peter Greenhalgh born Cir. 1853 has arrived and good news its the correct one. Peter was born on the 19th March 1853 at Church Street, Elton, Bury, Lancashire... It confirms his mother Ann Chadwick and also from this I can say that Ann could not write as the certificate has a cross as her mark. Also confirmed is Peters father, Joseph a stone mason.

Its great to finally validate Peters Birth, and Marriage... Peters Death of course is confirmed through the tombstone inscription

I am now moving on another family member, this time on my mothers side, a Harry Herman Kenig, and I am looking forward to bringing this news to the website very soon... so do return to see the very latest research that I have carried out.

I am now working on some detailed research validating information which I have, picking one name and driving through until I have all the information I can locate.

The first name is Peter Greenhalgh, born Cir. 1853 in Bury. I started by obtaining the marriage certificate to Betsy Suthurst on the 14th September 1875. The certificate shows the Peter was 22 years old, his father was Joseph Greenhalgh, a Stonemason. His residence was shown as Elton fold, Bury and they were married in the Brunswick chapel according to the rites of the United Methodist Free Church.

Betsy Suthurst was two years older than Peter at 24 and her fathers name was Henry Suthurst, his occupation was a coal miner. Her address at the time of marriage was Wellington Street, Elton.

My next step is to confirm the birth of Peter and I have requested a birth certificate which I think is the correct one. I will update the website once I have this information.

As regular visitors know I am always looking for Greenhalgh's in history and in a recent trawl across the internet I located this wonderful advert in the September 3 1925 edition of the Staffordshire Sentinel.

J Greenhalgh ltd made jams/preserves in Reddish Stockport. I have found no other information about them yet but I will keep looking.

The marketing in this advert is as aggressive as any today. "Better jams mean better health".. it's quite a claim, and it goes on to rubbish the other "so called jams" as being "pulp" and containing "Chemicals" .

It just goes to show that the advertising we see today is nothing new.

If anyone has any further information regarding this company please do get in contact or join the forum and post your information there.

The image above can be clicked to see a larger view I hope you enjoy the wonderful 1920's advert as much as I did.

William Greenhalgh has given me his GEDCOM file and it is now a website right here at Greenhalgh web. 716 names including 42 Greenhalgh names are included in this huge addition to the website. This is a significant genealogy file so get a cup of tea/coffee and click here to find the link and find out about William Greenhalgh, Inventor, Genealogist, magician and Amateur Radio enthusiast.

Did you know there is a Greenhalgh Island just off the Australian Coast?

If not read on to find out more!

Alternative Name: Greenhalgh Island
Name Type: Native
Area / State: Western Australia

Coordinates & Location type:

Area Type: Hypsographic
Location Type: Island

Latitude: -16,46667
Longitude: 123,4333
(Decimal degrees)

Latitude (DMS): 16° 28' 0 S
Longitude (DMS): 123° 25' 60 E
(Degrees, minutes and seconds)

Thats about all I can find on this so far... Have to say I have never seen this before so its all new to me. I would be very interested to hear more about this island, so if there are any Australians who know a bit about this island why not post it here. You can comment directly on this page.

For more info click Here

They say a picture is worth more than a thousand words, and this single picture sent to me by Stephen Greenhalgh certainly confirms that.

For starters this picture confirms that the Joseph I found at the commonwealth war graves commission is indeed the correct one, this alone is very important.

Secondly it suggests that possibly in 1975 three of Peters Children were still alive, these being Fred, Frank and Harold.

Please click the image for a better view

Greenhalgh Castle, is situated in the beautiful Ribble Valley Countryside and is steeped in History. Built in 1490 by Thomas Stanley it was destroyed by Parliamentarian forces in 1646.

To find out more click here