James SYKES (born 1782 Ripponden) married Hannah SMITH (born 1786 Lightcliffe) daughter of John Smith, on 26 May 1806 at Hipperholme, Halifax. James' occupation throughout his life was a Gardener and given his long-term residence at Spring Gardens in the Slead Syke area of Brighouse, he probably worked on the large Slead Syke estate. He died in 1846, the death being notified to the registrar by Richard CROWTHER, James’ brother-in-law (husband of Betty, Hannah Smith’s sister).

Hannah lived with her daughter Susannah (later SUNDERLAND) and family until her own death in 1855. No further details are known of Hannah. See separate link for Susannah (aka Mrs Susan Sunderland).

Children of James and Hannah SYKES

James and Hannah had ten children so far known of:

Abigail was baptized on 12th July 1807 at Elland Parish Church. On 18th September 1831 at the same church she married Benjamin Wilkinson.

They had two children; Hannah c1832 and Benjamin, c1838. The 1841 census records these children resident with their widowed aunt, Ann (see below). Their parents do not appear together again after their marriage entry in the Parish Registers, but collation of various later records suggests that Abigail was widowed in 1838 (civil reg death index for Benjamin Wilkinson), that she may have lived with her in-laws for a time (1841 census Northowram) and by 1851 (census) was working in London as a children’s nurse. Her employer was a noted Halifax politician, Henry Edwards MP, created Baronet in 1866.

The latest likely record of Abigail may be an entry in the civil reg death index for Halifax in 1858.  A burial entry at King Cross, Halifax for 2th May 1858 corresponds with that entry, showing Abigail age 50 at death.  Similarly a burial entry is found at Lightcliffe, Halifax, for Benjamin WILKINSON of Brighouse, age 33, on 26th June 1838.

It’s not known what became of Hannah Wilkinson, but her brother Benjamin later married and became a farmer at Aberdeen farm in Haworth, Yorkshire.

Ann was born in 1809 and married James MARSHALL on 28 June 1835 at Elland Parish Church. They had three children; Simeon 1836; Hannah 1838; Martha 1839, but by the time of the 1841 census Ann was widowed.

Ann and James’ daughter Hannah married Josiah JOWETT in 1856. They had five children, one of whom, John Henry, became a famous Presbyterian Minister in both England and the USA. Click here for John Henry Jowett.

John was born c1811. He married Martha (surname not certain) about 1835 and they had seven children: Susannah 1835; James c1835; Leah 1838; Squire 1842; Charles 1843; Smith 1845; Martha Ann 1849. See later for their details.

By 1871, John was widowed, had re-married to Ann (surname not known) and had changed his occupation from gardener to Farmer of 32 acres, in the Denholme Gate Road area of Brighouse. Also resident with him were his son Smith, by now widowed at the age of 26; also his daughter Hannah and two grandchildren, Ingham and Jane Sykes, who were the children of his son James. See later entries for these.

Joseph was born c1813. He married Mary Ann BRADLEY (born c1820 in Pontefract) at the Halifax Parish Church on 22 October 1840 and they are the direct ancestors of most of the McDanielson family. Joseph's occupation at the time of his marriage was a Wool comber and Mary Ann was a Servant. They both give their place of residence as Brighouse and their likely entry is found on the 1841 census for Brighouse resident at Schorah Row, a few doors away from his brother John Sykes.

See later entries for details of their children.

Charles was born c1815. He does not appear on the census records after 1861, where he is resident with his parents. Nothing further is yet known of him.

Harriet was born c1817 but nothing more is known of her.

Susannah was born in 1819 and married Henry Sunderland on 7th June 1838 at Halifax Parish Church. She became and remains famous as a soprano singer, under the name of Mrs Susan Sunderland. Click here for more details. She and Henry had six children: Agnes 1839; Sam 1841; Tom Wilkinson 1842; Charles Sykes 1844; Hannah Jane 1849; Martha Annie 1852. Susan and Henry lived in the Brighouse and Southowram areas throughout their lives.

Hannah was born c1825 but nothing more is known of her.

James was born c1826. He appears to have followed his father's profession of Gardener and married Grace HOLDEN of Southowram in 1850. On subsequent census records, the last being 1891, James has continued his profession but combined it with that of a publican, at the Grove Inn, Southowram. No children are listed on any of the census records.

Richard was born c1828. He married Elizabeth (possibly WILKINSON) about 1853 and they had three children: Sarah J c1855; Clara c1855; William c1858 (see later entry for William).

Richard's occupation on the 1861 census is shown as Railway Guard and he lived in the parish of Mirfield with his wife and family. By 1871 he was living in Barnsley, now promoted to Foreman Railway Porter. In 1879 he re-married, to Mary Ann WADDINGTON and by 1881 was a Railway Inspector, still living in Barnsley.

The 1891 and 1901 censuses record him as 'Labourer' and 'Farm Labourer' respectively, still with wife Mary and living in West Bretton, Wakefield.

The civil registration index records a death for a Richard Sykes aged 76 in 1904, in the Wakefield district, but this entry has not been checked.

Children (and grandchildren) of Joseph SYKES and Mary Ann BRADLEY

They had five children, all born in the Brighouse/Lightcliffe area.

Margaret was born c1842 but nothing more is known of her.

Edwin was born c1844 and worked throughout his life as a Wiredrawer. He married Hannah NOBLE in Halifax c1868 and moved to Warrington in Lancashire c1872. They had eleven children, the first born in Halifax, the rest born in Warrington: Alice Ann c1868; Mary Hannah c1872; Frances Matilda 1873; Joseph c1875; Edwin Noble 1877; Emily Harriet 1879; John James Bradley c1882; Jessie 1883; Albert Edward 1885; Grace Jennie 1889-1892; Harry Hirst 1892.  Hannah may have died in 1894 and in 1896 Edwin remarried to Elizabeth WILLIAMS.

Edwin’s sons John James Bradley and Edwin Noble both served in the armed forces. John served with the Northumberland Fusiliers, attaining the rank of Sergeant Major and after serving for 21 years, was awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct medals, in 1919.   During his career he served in Ireland, Germany and India. He married Isabella Woods in 1903 and they had six children.

Click here for more info on John.

Edwin Noble served as a Private with the Grenadier Guards from 1897 to 1900 and thereafter transferred to the Northumberland Fusiliers. He received the Soudan Medal (Khedive with clasp ‘Khartoum’) for service in the Nile Expedition of 1898. He also received the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, to mark his service in France during the Great War. He married Eleanor Sarah MIDDLETON at Old Windsor, London, in 1891 and they had two daughters, Eleanor Frances, born 1903 in Dublin and Dorothy May born either 1906 or 1908 London.

Mary Hannah, was born 1872 in Warrington and in 1894 married Charles CHAMBERLAIN, a druggist/chemist in Warrington. Their son, Ernest Noble, went on to a distinguished medical career. Click here for more info on Ernest.

Hannah was born c1847 but nothing is known of her after 1871, when she was resident with her parents.

Maria was born c1851. In 1873 she was a witness to the marriage of her younger sister, Susan. In 1876 in Stockport, Cheshire, she married James WOODCOCK, a bricklayer, born c1852 in Tanworth, Warwickshire, where they settled and had three children known of so far: James c1881; Minnie c1884; Ethel Beatrice c1888. The civil registration index lists a death for a Maria Woodcock in the King's Norton district (Warwickshire) in 1898 and the 1901 census shows a James Woodcock, bricklayer with wife Elizabeth, daughter Ethel and several step-children with the surname KITCHING. A marriage between a James Woodcock and Elizabeth Kitching is found on the civil registration index for 1900 in King's Norton.

Susan was born in 1855 and married James ASPINALL, her second cousin (son of Susey SYKES and Jonas ASPINALL) on 11th January 1873. She and James are the direct ancestors of the current McDanielson family. They had four children: Sykes 1873; Joseph 1875; Emily Jane 1876; Annie c1882. See separate entry for Annie. See also McDANIELSON section.

After James' death in 1883, Susan had two illegitimate children: Charles 1885; Blanche Eveline 1889. Their paternity is not known. Blanche married John William Murray in Halifax in 1910 and one son, Raymond, is listed aged 6 months on the 1911 census. The civil registration index for 1915 lists a birth for a Vera Murray in Halifax, with mother’s surname Aspinall, but this has not been checked.

Nothing further is known of Charles.

On 12 May 1899 Susan married John William McDANIELSON at the Halifax Parish Church. Anecdotal sources say that a daughter was born to the couple but no record of this has been found.

Susan died on 17th February 1922 aged 66, having committed suicide by gas poisoning. Click here for the Coroner's report.

Children of John and Martha Sykes (John c1811, son of James and Hannah Sykes)

John and Martha had six children so far known of:

Susannah (c1835) married William ASPINALL, a Shoemaker, on 20th April 1854 at the Halifax Parish Church. See ASPINALL section for his details.

James was born c1835 and married Sarah Ingham at Halifax in 1856. His occupation on the 1871 census for Skircoat, Halifax, was a Mechanic in a Worsted Factory. His children were: Ingham c1858; Willy c1860.

(Ingham married Ruth c1880 and they had two children: Lennie G (female) c1880 and Luther c1883. Ingham died in 1886 and Ruth remarried to Fred Wadsworth).

Leah was born 1838 and in 1863 at Halifax married Richard Henry MARSDEN. They had eight children known of so far: Alfred c1865; James c1868; Martha Ann c1870; Jabez 1871; Jane E c1875; Arthur c1878; Annie E c1880; Smith c1882.

Squire was born c1842 married Harriet Wood in 1861 at Halifax. On the 1871 census he lived in Brighouse and was employed as a Quarryman. His children were Harry c1863 and Johnny c1868.

Charles was born c1843 and married Grace Oates, daughter of William and Hannah Oates of Southowram, with whom he is found living on the 1871 census. Their son John W Sykes born c1870 is listed with them, who appears on later census records sometimes recorded as 'William'.

Charles' occupation was a gardener. In 1881 he is found living at Carr Head, Skipton, with Grace and their children: William c1870; Clara c1877; Edith c1879. Also resident is his father John, now widowed for the second time and aged 70.

By 1891, Charles’ family had increased by two: Albert c1882; Annie c1885 and father John is not listed. Their address was 'Recreation Ground Lodge Keeper's House' at Redvale, Bury, Lancashire where Charles continued his employment as a gardener.

In 1901 he is listed with his wife and children, at 'Clarence Recreation Ground', Redvale, Bury, Lancashire.

His son John William is found on the 1901 at Bury, with his wife Sarah H and sons: Norman c1896; William c1900. His occupation is 'Boot repairer'. Norman would die on 7th August 1915, killed in action at Gallipoli during WW1. He served as Lance Sergeant with the Lancashire Fusiliers and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial in Turkey.

Smith was born c1845. By 1871 at age 26 he was already widowed and living with his father John and step-mother, Ann. He may have remarried later that year, to Sarah E Bottomley or Mary Asquith, and may have died in 1874.

Martha Ann was born c1849. She is shown on the 1861 census living with her sister Susannah and husband William ASPINALL, at the Victoria Tavern, Mill Lane, Brighouse, where William is shown as 'Beer Keeper'. Martha's position is recorded as 'Servant'.

The 1871 census records a Martha Ann age 22 as a servant in the household of Ann Eddison, a farmer. It's not known if this is the same Martha, above.