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The Newalls and the Broadleys

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Samuel Newall and Margaret Ellen (Broadley) Newall left England (from Liverpool) in the spring of 1892 on board the Scythia. They arrived in Boston on April 17. With them were their daughters,

Florence, age 3, and Nellie, an infant.

Introduction

They settled in Providence, R.I., in the Olneyville neighborhood, home of many recent immigrants. Although a cabinetmaker by trade, Samuel worked for some time in the nearby mills. (He and his family were undoubtedly referred to as “jickies” – a derogatory, southern New England expression directed at immigrants from north-ern England – Lancashire and Yorkshire – who worked in the mills.)

After settling in Rhode Island, Samuel and Mar-garet had two more children – Gertrude and Frank.

There’s some controversy in the family about Margaret Ellen’s maiden name. A picture of her with a caption written by her granddaughter Dorothy Florence Haslam (Comery) suggests that it was Midgely. “Grandma Newall (Midgely).” Dorothy’s sisters also remember hearing that name. But the research is overwhelming in favor of Broadley. There are records of her birth, mar-riage and the births of her first two daughters in Accrington. (Marie Ball, a Broadley descendant who still lives in England, has done extensive re-search on the family and provided me with many of the details in this publication.)

Perhaps the most compelling evidence is this, which comes from the Lancashire BMD (Births, Marriage and Deaths):

Florence Newall b 1888 mother Broadley, Nelly b 1891

mother Broadley

Margaret Ellen was born in Nottingham, but her father was originally from the Accrington area and returned there with his family when Marga-ret was still young. He had three wives. Margaret was the youngest daughter of his second wife, Ann Statham. Interestingly, Margaret’s father was a Catholic and the children from his first wife were raised in that faith. The children he had with Ann Statham were raised as Anglicans, although there’s evidence that the Statham family were “Nonconformists” – i.e. Baptists, Congrega-tionalists, etc.

Many of the Broadleys, including Margaret and Samuel after their marriage in 1888, lived at dif-ferent addresses on Sultan Street in Accrington.

Florence, the oldest child of Margaret and Samuel, married Charles Raymond Haslam, also from Olneyville, on Oct. 18, 1916. They had four daughters – Ruth, Dorothy (Dot), Elizabeth (Betty) and Nancy. Charles Haslam was a law-yer, who had offices in the Turk’s Head Building in downtown Providence. Although they raised their four daughters on the East Side of Provi-dence (132 Everett Avenue), they continued to worship at the Church of the Messiah (Episcopa-lian) in Olneyville.

Cynthia Comery FergusonGranddaughter of Florence, daughter of Dorothy

Cover: The portaits are Margaret Ellen Broadley and Samuel Newall taken at the time of their marriage in 1888. The photographer was Harrison, 91 Abbey Street, Accrington, England. The picture of Samuel and Margaret with their children was taken in Providence, R.I., circa 1896. The infant is Frank. The girls behind him are (l-r) Gertrude, Nellie and Florence.

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Florence (Newall) Haslam(1888-1980)

Florence (Newall) Haslam, the

first child of Samuel and Margaret Ellen (Broadley) Newall, was born on August 26, 1888, in Accring-ton, England. She was baptized at St. John the Evangelist (right) in Accring-ton the following October. It is the church where her parents were married in Janu-ary 1888.

Florence’s sister, Nellie, was born in 1891. At the time, the family was living at 43 Sultan Street. Other Broadleys also lived on that street.

A current picture of Sultan Street in Accrington from Google Earth.

Florence Newall’s shoes as a young child in England.

Florence Newall’s dolls.

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In the spring of 1892, Samuel, Margaret and their daughters Florence and Nellie traveled to Liverpool to board the Scythia. On April 17,

they arrived in Boston. Why they chose to settle in Providence, R.I., is unknown, but the busy mills in the area provided steady work for new arrivals with limited education and skills.

The family lived in the Olneyville section of Providence, a neighborhood that has been the first home of many waves of new immigrants. At the turn of the century those immigrants were primarily Irish, English and Polish. (Italians typi-cally settled in nearby Federal Hill.) Today Ol-neyville is primarily Latino.

The passenger list of the Scythia. Samuel, Margaret, Florence and Nellie are numbers 2 to 5. The ship, which departed from Liverpool and stopped in Ireland, arrived in Boston on April 17, 1892.

S.S. Scythia (1875-1899) History - Maiden voyage: Liverpool-New York, May 1, 1875. Passengers: 340 cabin and 1,100 third. Served also in Boston trade. Tonnage: 4,556. Dimensions: 420’ x 42’. Single-screw, 13 1/2 knots. Compound en-gines. 2,780 I.H.P. Three masts and one funnel. Iron hull. Cunard Shipping Line.

Although Samuel was a cabinetmaker in Eng-land, he worked in the mills after arriving in Rhode Island. In the record of her marriage and in an 1891 census in England, Margaret was listed as a “weaver,” but there’s no evidence she worked after immigrating to the United States.

Samuel and Margaret had their third child, Ger-trude (Gertie) in 1894, and their fourth child, Frank, in 1896. Nellie and Gertie never married; they lived with their parents until the death of Margaret in 1958. After Florence was widowed in 1962, they moved in with her at 132 Everett Avenue, Providence.

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No one ever accused Samuel Newall of being overly ambitious or working too hard. He supported his family when his

children were young (in the mills and as a car-penter), but he retired when he was in his early 50s and lived until he was 90. Presumably, his unmarried daughters, Nellie and Gertie, contrib-uted heavily to the household income after they started working in their late teens.

After his oldest child, Florence, got married and bought a summerhouse at Plum Beach, Saun-derstown, R.I., Samuel spent every spring at the house (heated with a potbelly wood-burning stove), getting it ready for the summer. Accord-ing to family folklore, he loved this respite from his teetotaler wife. He allegedly spent many evenings playing cards and drinking with the keeper of the Plum Beach Lighthouse at Babbie’s (a kind of general store/gas station at the top

Samuel Newall. Date unknown.

of Plum Beach Road). He did, however, create a little workshop for himself at the house, attached to the outhouse that was used until the installa-tion of indoor plumbing (probably in the ‘30s). Samuel’s workshop was filled with small pots of paint and tools that I loved when I was a child spending summers there in the 50s.

I have vivid memories of visiting Samuel and Margaret Newall as a child when they lived on (21?) Rounds Avenue in Providence. In her 90s, Margaret was hard of hearing and we spoke to her through a horn. I also remember Christmas dinners at my grandmother’s house; when the plum pudding was ablaze with brandy, we all turned to Great-grandma Newall (Margaret) be-cause we knew what was coming: “This is what alcohol does in your stomach,” she would warn everyone at the table.

Graduation picture of Florence Newall. She graduated from the Roosevelt Street Grammar School in Providence in 1902. (Age 14)

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Florence Newall was 28 when she mar-ried Charles Raymond Haslam, also from Olneyville, on Oct. 18, 1916. Charles had

graduated from Brown University in 1902, and from Harvard University Law School in 1906.

After marriage, they moved to the East Side of Providence, a far more affluent neighborhood. They lived in an apartment at 95 Dana Street be-fore buying a house at 132 Everett Avenue c 1923.

They had four daughters – Ruth, Dorothy, Betty and Nancy. In the 1920s, they bought a sum-merhouse on Hillside Avenue at Plum Beach in Saunderstown, R.I. Charles was an avid gardener and was known for his gladiolas in a large lot in front of the house (across the road), a piece of land they would sell in the ’50s.

Three generations made powerful memories at the Plum Beach house – getting drinking wa-ter from the well, climbing the rock, making applesauce from the apple tree, and hiding in the wicker buffet in the dining room. The first Jamestown Bridge hadn’t been built when Flor-ence, Charles and their young children began spending summers there. The panoramic view of Narragansett Bay from what they always called the “piazza” was spectacular, even in the ‘50s. (Mature trees now block much of that view.) Florence drove Charles to the Wickford Junction every morning for the train that would take him to his work in downtown Providence.

After Charles’ death in 1962, Florence’s sisters, Nellie and Gertie, moved in with her on Everett Avenue and also spent their summers with her at Plum Beach. When maintaining the beach house became too much for them, Florence sold it in the early ‘70s.

Florence remained in the three-story Everett Av-enue house until after she turned 90. Shortly after Nellie died in 1976, Florence and Gertie moved to an apartment in the Wayland Manor (Provi-dence). Gertie died in 1979, and Florence began to fail. She went to stay with her daughter Betty in Asheville, North Carolina, and died in a nursing home there in 1980. She is buried with her hus-band (and his family), her parents and her sisters at Oak Knoll Cemetery in Rehoboth, Mass.

Cynthia Comery Ferguson

Charles and Florence (Newall) Haslam before embarking on a steamer in NYC on their honeymoon in 1916.

Charles and Florence Haslam at Plum Beach, c 1960.

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Front l-r: Samuel Newall, Frank, and Margaret. Back: Nellie, Florence and Gertie. c 1906 in Providence, R.I.

Right: (Back) Florence and her brother Frank. (Front) Sisters Nellie and Gertie. At Plum Beach on the “piazza” c 1971.

Far right: Florence (Newall) Haslam at a lobster dinner on her birthday in the dining room at Plum Beach. c. 1971.

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Generation 1: Abraham died in Over Darwen. His wife, Ellin is buried in St. Mary’s, Blackburn. They had six children.

Generation 2: John was born 1660 in Upper Darwen, Lancashire. Baptism on 20 Aug 1660 in St Mary’s, Blackburn. Occupation husbandman (from will). He died 1733 in Church. Burial on 29 Oct. 1733 in Church Kirk. John married Al-ice Grymeshaw on 26 Dec 1690 in Altham. The daughter of Thomas Grymeshaw, Alice was born 1666 in Church. She died 1752 in Church. Burial on 02 Mar 1752 in Church Kirk, age 84. John and Alice had nine children.

Generation 3: Abraham Broadley was born 1693 in Altham. As an adult, he rented Black Lane Head. Occupation: carrier for Dunkenhalgh Hall. He married Margaret Holt on 22 Aug 1722 in Church Kirk. She was born 1697. She died Oct 1770 in Clayton le Moors. Burial on 21 Oct 1770 in Church Kirk, Lancashire. Abraham died in 1760 in Altham and was buried there. They had six children.

Generation 4: Thomas Broadley was born 1733 in Clayton le Moors, Lancashire. He died Apr 1817 in Clayton le Moors. Burial on 20 Apr 1817 in Al-tham, Lancashire. Occupation was tailor. Thomas married Elizabeth Entwistle Sept. 1757 in Altham, Lancashire. Elizabeth was born 1737 in Huncoat, Lancashire. Baptism on 20 Nov 1737 in St James, Altham, Lancashire. She died 1771 in Altham, Lancashire. Burial on 03 Dec 1771 in Altham. They had six children.

Generation 5: John Broadley was born 1758 in Clayton le Moors, Lancashire. In 1814 he was a color mixer to a textile printer. He died on 05 Jun 1820 in Clayton le Moors, Lancashire. Burial on 08 Jun 1820 in Altham. He married Ellen Ben-son on 01 May 1781 in Altham. The daughter of

Abraham Broadley 1 (1625 - 1694)m. Ellin (1625-1673)

John Broadley 2 (1660 - 1733)son of Abraham Broadley

m. Alice Grymeshaw 1666-1751)

Abraham Broadley 3 (1693 - 1760)son of John Broadley

m. Margaret Holt (1697-1770)

Thomas Broadley 4 (1733 - 1817)son of Abraham Broadley

m. Elizabeth Entwistle (1737-1771)

John Broadley 5 (1758 - 1820) son of Thomas Broadley

m. Ellen Benson (1760-1826)

William Broadley 6 (1794 - 1856)son of John Broadley

m. Margaret Whitaker (1795-1869)

William Broadley 7 (1821 - 1884)son of William Broadley

m. Ann Statham (1829-1873)

Margaret Ellen Broadley 8 (1865* - 1958)

daughter of William Broadley m. Samuel Newall (1864-1954)

Florence Newall 9 (1888 - 1980)daughter of Margaret Ellen Broadley m. Charles R. Haslam (1880-1962)

*Date on her tombstone, but some records say January 1866.

NotesFrom a book compiled by Marie Ball of Congleton, Cheshire, England

The Broadleys

FactoidsWhen Florence Newall and Charles Haslam were courting, she lived (with her family) at 84 Wallace Street, Providence. Charles’ family was living at 86 Beacon Ave., Providence, also in the Olneyville neighborhood. They were classic Rhode Island triple-deckers.

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William Benson and Ann, Ellen was born 1760 in Lytham, Lancashire. Baptism on 29 Jan 1760 in St Peter’s RC Church, Lytham, Lancashire. She died May 1826 in Clayton le Moors, Lancashire. Burial on 17 May 1826 in St Mary, Enfield. John and El-len had 10 children.

Generation 6 : William Broadley was born 1794 in Clayton le Moors, Lancashire. Baptism on 09 Jan 1794 in Dunkenhalgh. (Godparents: Thomas Eatough, Mary Benson.) He died on 21 Oct 1856 in Clayton le Moors, Lancashire. Burial on 26 Oct 1856 in St Mary, Enfield. Occupation: calico block printer. He married Margaret Whitaker on 01 Jan 1814 in Altham. She was the daughter of Robert Whitaker and Margaret Foulds. She was born on 25 Aug 1795 in Padiham. She died on 01 Aug 1869 in New Mills, Derbyshire. They had six children.

Generation 7: William Broadley was born on 24 Apr 1821 in Clayton le Moors, Lancashire. Bap-tism on 28 Apr 1821. (Godparents: Joseph, Mary Noble.) He died 1884 in Haslingden. He married Ann Statham June 1852 in Barton Upon Irwell. In 1861, he and Ann lived in Shelton at 16 Lichfield St., and he was a storekeeper.

In 1871, he and Ann lived in Nottingham and he was described as a porter in the census. Ann Sta-tham, William’s second wife, was the daughter of Joseph Statham and Hannah Siddals. She was born Oct 1829 in Burton on Trent, Staffordshire. She died 1873 in Nottingham. Ann was baptized 29 sep 1833 at Burton on Trent with her younger brother John. (They were baptized as Anglicans, but there’s evidence the family were Noncon-formists, i.e. Baptists, Methodists, etc.)

William and Ann had six children, who were raised as Anglicans. (These are the full siblings of Margaret Ellen Newall. William Broadley had two children with his first wife, Mary Rawcliff, who were raised as Catholics.)

Robert Statham Broadley: b 1852. Always a laborer, died young, unmarried. Possibly he had learning difficulties.

Broadley Generation 5 continued Hannah Broadley. She was born 1855 in Pendleton.

William Joseph Broadley. He was born 1857 in Burton on Trent, Staffordshire. He married Minnie Marston. They were married 1883 in St. James, Accrington. He died 1937 in Ac-crington. (See sidebar on page 10.)

Matthew James Broadley. He was born 1862 in Hanley, Staffordshire, England. He married Ada Elizabeth Stanley Woodward. They were married 1886 in St James, Accrington. He died 1901 in Accrington.

Thomas Henry Broadley. He was born 1864 in Hanley, Staffordshire, England. He married Annie Dagger. They were married 1881 in Blackburn.

Margaret Ellen Broadley. She was born 1865/66 in Nottingham. (Records say January 1866, but tombstone says 1865).

In 1881, William was living with his third wife, Ellen, in Accrington. Barrett’s Directory of Black-burn and District lists William Broadley as a printer and paper bag maker and living at 31 Bank Street. Robert, Matthew and Margaret (age 15, a cotton weaver) were living with them.

Generation 8: Margaret Ellen Broadley, the youngest child of William’s second wife, was born in Nottingham in 1865/66. Her mother, Ann (Statham) Broadley, died when Margaret was just 6 years old. After Ann’s death, William took the family back to the Accrington area, where he married his third wife, Ellen Wolstenholme.

Margaret married Samuel Newall, a cabinet-maker, on 28 Jan 1888 at St. John the Evangelist in Accrington. Serving as witnesses were Margaret’s brother, William Joseph Broadley, and Samuel’s sister, Matilda Newall.

The Lancashire BMD has the following record of their first two children: Florence Newall b 1888 mother Broadley, Nelly b 1891 mother Broadley. In 1891, the year before they emigrated, they were living at 43 Sultan St., Accrington.

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William Joseph Broadley(1857-1937)

William Joseph Broadley was the brother of

Margaret Ellen (Broadley) Newall. He served as

a witness at her wedding.

William Joseph was a pentagrapher, engraver

or engineer to a calico printer in Accrington. He

and his wife, Minnie Marston, had 11 children.

Sadly, three of his sons – Owen, Tom and Harry

– were killed in France and Belgium in World

War I.

On Sept. 4, 2009, Simon Broadley, a descen-

dant of this family, stood on the Fourth Plinth in

London’s Trafalgar Square, paying tribute to his

great uncles wearing a First World War uniform

and carrying a placard with their names.

“Usually military statues honor high-ranking

officers,” said Simon, a television development

producer in England. “I wanted to reverse this

convention and pay tribute to three men of

modest rank who made the ultimate sacrifice

for their country.”

William Joseph’s daughter Sally/Sallie immi-

grated to America in 1910. She was single, 22,

a winder, and had been living at 9 Sultan St.,

Accrington, with her parents. She sailed on the

Ivernia from Liverpool and arrived in Boston on

July 28. Immigration documents show that she

planned to stay with a friend – Newhall (sic).

Presumably that would be her Uncle Samuel

and Aunt Margaret (Broadley) Newall in Rhode

Island.

Margaret Ellen (Broadley) Newall c. 1900

Gertrude (Gertie) Newall, third daughter of Margaret Ellen, at Plum Beach, R.I. c 1971.

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John Newall (1826 - 1881) m. Susannah Wood (abt 1826 – ?)

Samuel Newall (1864 - 1954)son of John Newall

m. Margaret Ellen Broadley (1866 – 1958)

Florence Newall (1888 - 1980)daughter of Samuel Newall

m. Charles R. Haslam (1880–1962)

Florence and Charles had four daughters: Ruth, Dorothy, Elizabeth

(Betty) and Nancy

The Newalls

Samuel and Margaret (Broadley) Newall in 1946.

Notes

I have some evidence that the parents of John Newall (b 1826) were Thomas Newall (1803–1860) from Todmorden and Mary (b abt 1802

in Rochdale). Thomas Newall’s parents may have been James Newell/Newall (b 1776 in Todmor-den) and Susan Dawson (abt 1778–1849). More research needs to be done to verify this.

John Newall was a stone mason. He was born in Todmorden and died in Accrington 21 Aug 1881.

John’s wife was Susannah Wood (b abt 1826 in Hadfield, Derbyshire). She’s from the Glos-sop area. In the 1881 census, she was listed as a widow, living at 17 Dowry St., Accrington, with her children Thomas (b 1853), Samuel (b 1864), Martha Ann (b 1847), Betty (b 1855) and Matilda (b 1862).

Samuel Newall was born in January 1864 in

Haslingden, a small town outside of Accrington. He died in 1954 in Providence, R.I., and is buried in the Oak Knoll Cemetery in Rehoboth, Mass.

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Left: For generations, the Newall and Broadley families spent their lives in this area around Accrington in Lan-cashire, England.

Christmas 1954 at 132 Everett Ave., Providence, the home of Florence (Newall) Haslam and her husband Charles. Front: Cynthia Knight Comery, Dorothy (Haslam) Comery, Elizabeth Anne Comery, Betty (Haslam) Henry, Paul (DuWors) Henry and David (DuWors) Henry. Back: Gertrude Newall, Margaret (Broadley) Newall, Florence (Newall) Haslam, Nellie Newall, Robert W. Comery and Charles R. Haslam.

This book was put together by Cynthia (Comery) Ferguson in August 2013. It is a work in progress. If you have pictures or stories you’d like to see added, please email them to ccferguson@cox.net.