Stansfields in the USA and the Recollections of Ellis Stansfield
Giles Stansfield, (1826-1890), various records show he was born in Brown Hill or Crown Hill, Naden or Tottington Higher End, (a township in Bury parish, 3 miles South of Haslingden, and historically, extending up to two miles East-South-East of Cowpe).
We do know that by 1841 he was farming at Clay Roads Farm near Waterfoot, Lancs., where he lived for the rest of his life.
The 4 sons of Giles Stansfield, all emigrated to Maine in the USA, first to go were Samuel, Ellis and Joseph in 1889.
Their Father, Giles, died in 1890. Samuel returned to the UK sometime after April 1891, (the eldest son - sorting his Dad's estate out?). Sam then went back to the USA when John emigrated in 1894. Their Mother, Jane, followed them all to Maine in 1896.
Jane Stansfield (nee Atkinson) Born 21 Jun 1934 at Laund Booth, Lancashire, England. She married Giles Stansfield (1826-1890) at Fence in Lancashire on 24 Nov 1860.
In 1896, she followed her sons and left for the USA, arriving at Boston on 10 May 1896.
She lived, happily, at Blue Hill, Maine until her death on 2 May 1900.
Samuel Stansfield
Born 1862. Emigrated originally in 1889. Must have returned to the UK after April 1891. Returned with John, arrived New York from Liverpool on the Majestic 16 Feb 1894. The Captain of the ship was Edward Smith, who was later, the ill-fated captain of the Titanic. (This was 4 years after their Father's death).
He married Ella L. Stewart (1865-1932) on 17 Jun 1894 at Surry, Hancock, Maine, USA. He was living at Blue Hill, Maine in 1900, died 1910, buried at Seaside Cemetery, Blue Hill.
Ellis Stansfield
Born 3 Jul 1870. He arrived at Boston, Mass. from Liverpool on the Cephalonia on 8 Apr 1889.
He married Clara Lula Long (1866-1945) at Blue Hill on 2 Nov 1895, (they are pictured in old age, right). He lived at Blue Hill in 1900, then Chicopee, Mass. in 1910, Springfield, 1920, Wilbraham, 1930 & 1940.
He died 15 Sep 1956 and was buried at Hillcrest Park, Cemy. Springfield, Mass. (See Recollections, below).
Joseph Stansfield
Born 25 Mar 1867. He arrived at Boston, Mass. with his brothers Samuel and Ellis on 8 April 1889. Living at East Blue Hill, Maine in 1900.
He was working away in Lythonia, Georgia as a paving breaker, returned home ill and 3 weeks later, died in his brother, Sam's house at East Blue Hill of Typhoid on 11 Sep 1902.
He was buried at Seaside Cemetery, Blue Hill.
John Stansfield
Born 25 Jan 1875. He arrived in New York with Samuel from Liverpool on the Majestic on 16 Feb 1894.
He married Isabella Clark (1875-1950) on the very day of her arrival in New York from England on 15 May 1901. They lived at North Jay, Maine 1902 - 1910. Quincy, Norfolk, Mass. in 1920. Back to North Jay in 1930 and he died there in 1940.
RECOLLECTIONS
As described above, Ellis Stansfield, was born in 1870 and emigrated to Blue Hill, Maine in the USA from Clay Roads Farm in Rossendale, Lancashire, England, in 1889.
These notes were taken verbatum, from hand written tattered brown sheets of paper found among his things after his death in 1953.
The photo, right, depicts him as a young man, a little later than the time of these recollections.
Life in England sixty years ago, as I found it, as a boy in my early teens, was not as we find it here in America today. I recall as a boy of twelve, I had to start the day at five in the morning, after a bowl of milk and oatmeal porridge. I left for work over a half a mile away to be ready for work at six. My work was tender for a block printer, engaged in printing felt carpeting. We worked till eight thirty, then took half an hour for breakfast, then worked until twelve. Then I went home, washed and changed, had my lunch, and started for school, a good half a mile, which started at one.
Still a working farm today - the yard at Clay Roads.
From one to five we studied, then home again to do the chores, (as we lived on a farm) and my work was laid out for me, feed the hens, ducks and geese, clean out the tie up, where we had five cows, and the stable with two yearlings and a pony. Then I had two rabbits to feed, (the rest of the line is unreadable) through till supper time. After supper time, I had my home work to do, this varied somewhat.
We used slates and in those days, one side was covered with examples in arithmetic, and the other we had to draw a map, or frasing a sentence, then commit to memory several verses of poetry, then to bed to recuperate ready for another day. We alternated this schedule every week.
When I was thirteen and a half, I went full time to work. We didn't have much time for recreation, sometimes we played football on Saturday afternoon, as that was a half-holiday, unless there was some work that had to be attended to, (and there generally was), on the farm.
In the summer we had one day a yearly holiday. Excursions were run at reduced rates including half rate tickets to half a dozen places of amusement to the seashore, (we lived inland fifty miles from the coast. We usually (Two lines unreadable) she had so? a seeting for me that day.
On Sundays, I always went to Church and Sunday School, we had two sessions of School each Sunday, I remember I got a prize for perfect attendance for one year. At Christmas we had a supper and entertainment put on by the scholars, consisting of dialogues, recitations, and singing, which we all enjoyed.
Haying time on the farm was quite an event, as all the grass in that vicinity was cut by hand. The cutting was generally done early in the morning, sometimes as early as two o'clock until six or seven. After the dew was off we (two lines missing) Then it had to be tended and turned and heaped up at night, then spread out again the next day, and repeated for several days, sometimes a week, before it was ready to put in the barn.
Our farm consisted of twenty-eight acres, seven mowing land and the rest pasture, all fenced. Within my recollection the land was never plowed, but the grass land was heavily dressed and raised hay enough to keep the stock previously mentioned and about a dozen sheep besides.
As a boy I recall that we didn't have any electric lights. The street up the valley was lit by gas lamps placed on the tops of poles, and were lit by a lamp lighter who went the whole length of the valley, carrying a pole with a hook and light on the end of it, he pushed the pole through trap door on the underside of the lamp pulled down a lever to turn on the gas, lit it, and on to the next. Near the end of the line was a news room, where he stayed until midnight, then he would reverse the operation and turn them all out. Woe to the man who stayed out too late and had to go home in the dark.
We not only didn't have electricity, but no radios, moving pictures, autos, airplanes, telephones and many other things common to everyday life to day. We didn't miss them because we never had them.
As one of my hobbies, I had two ducks and a drake, one was a very large duck and laid large eggs, which I had no trouble in selling for hatching. One day my Mother said to me, "Why don't you show them at the fair which was two weeks away. I said, "How many eggs?". I had to have one dozen for a showing, and only thirteen days to the Fair. If the duck laid every day as she had been doing, I would be safe with one day to spare. So I paid a small entrance fee and saved the eggs, I got eleven and the duck was on the nest. Mother went in the afternoon and found the duck dead on the nest. She opened the duck and found the other egg to make the dozen. I took them to the Fair and got the first prize. I sold them to the judge for double what I had been getting. I got my name in the paper which made me feel as if I was somebody. Although I lost my duck, I came out pretty well in the end.
Started three or four o'clock in the morning and got back about midnight or a little after, tired but happy to have something to think about till another year rolled around, when we would repeat with an excursion to some other place.
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