Broadbent Family Page
By
Roberta M. O'Brien
Updated June 23, 2001

John Broadbent (1867-1949)
My grandfather, John Broadbent, grew up in Heap, near the cotton mill town of Heywood, Lancashire, England. Everyone in his family worked in the mills and his grandfather was a "Loom Overlooker". From the age of six, John worked as a weaver in the morning and went to school in the afternoon. He later became a piano salesman, an insurance salesman and was also a watchmaker.

John married Rose Elder BENNETT a School Mistress. She died in 1908 due to complications giving birth to their third daughter. He then married my grandmother, Madeline NAYLOR who was a nurse. They emigrated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada in about 1911 where John found work at the Toronto Electrical Company. He also repaired watches and opened a small grocery store on Oakwood Avenue. What he really wanted to do was be a fruit farmer and have a garden filled with fruit trees like his grandfather's garden. He bought a "fruit farm" near Greenwood in Pickering Township. The farm was not very successful so he traded it for a grocery store at 109 Main Street in Toronto. The Broadbents operated this store until after WWII when they retired to Claremont.

Broadbent Family Research
Until a few months ago I could find nothing more about John's ancestor's except that his parents were William Broadbent and Martha Grimshaw. The searchable 1881 census of Britain solved part of the problem. I found the William Broadbent family at 105 Bury St. in Heap and the grandfather, the "Loom Overlooker" just down the road at 8 Healing St. Castleton (where John was born). According to the census, the grandfather, John, was born c.1815 in Butterworth. The IGI has his christening plus siblings, most of his children, parents, aunts and uncles and his grandparents James and Mary Broadbent.

Brickwall
I have not been able to find the marriage record for William Broadbent and Martha Grimshaw so I have not been able to trace back to Grimshaw ancestors.

Descendants of James and Mary Broadbent of Milnrow/Butterworth, Lancashire
CAUTION: This is a work in progress and may contain errors

 

 

 1 James BROADBENT b: Abt. 1755? Lancashire, England
....m. Mary UNKNOWN
............2 Sarah BROADBENT bap.1780 Milnrow, Lancs.
............2 Mally BROADBENT bap.1782 Milnrow, Lancs.
............2 William BROADBENT bap.1785 Milnrow, Lancs.
.............. m. Betty (Elizabeth?) UNKNOWN
......................3 Mary BROADBENT bap.1809 Butterworth, Lancs
......................3 Hannah BROADBENT bap.1811 Butterworth, Lancs
......................3 Sally BROADBENT bap.1813 Butterworth, Lancs
......................3 John BROADBENT bap.1815 Butterworth, Lancs (a Loom Overlooker 1881)
.........................m. Mary UNKNOWN
................................4 Mary Ann BROADBENT bap.1840 Milnrow, Lancs
................................4 William BROADBENT bap.1841 Milnrow, Lancs (a Mechanic 1867; Loom Jobber 1881; Overlooker 1909)
...................................m. Martha GRIMSHAW b: Abt. 1842 "Rochdale" Lancs, d: Abt. 1885
..........................................5 Mary Ann BROADBENT b: Abt. 1865 "Rochdale" Lancs
.............................................m. George HOUGH
.....................................................6 son HOUGH
........................................................m. BUTTERWORTH
..........................................5 John BROADBENT b: 1867 Newbarn, Castleton, Lancs d: 1949 Claremont, Ont. Canada
.............................................m.1.Rose Elder BENNETT b: 1869 Eastwood, Renfrew, Scot. d: 1908 Rochdale, Lancs.
.....................................................6 daughter BROADBENT (died aged 3)
.....................................................6 daughter BROADBENT (died aged 27, of cancer)
.....................................................6 daughter BROADBENT
........................................................m. THOMPSON
.............................................m.2.Madeline NAYLOR (1909 Pemberton, Lancs) b: 1880 Barnsley, Yorks. d: 1962 (Stouffville) Ont. (a nurse and midwife)
.....................................................6 daughter BROADBENT
........................................................m. O'BRIEN)
..........................................5 Samuel BROADBENT b: Abt. 1873 "Rochdale" Lancs, d. abt 1925? Lancs (never married, no children)
..........................................5 William BROADBENT b: Abt. 1876 "Rochdale" Lancs, d: Abt 1948 Salford, Lancs
.............................................m.1.Ada NEWTON (no children)
.............................................m.2.Alice PEARSON (no children)
..........................................5 Joseph BROADBENT b: Abt. 1880 "Rochdale" Lancs. (a wheelwright, worked for railway)
.............................................m. Jemima Ann SHELLCROSS (1901) b. Abt. 1880 Bury (Bolton) Lancs.
.....................................................6 daughter BROADBENT
........................................................m. BLACKSHAW
.....................................................6 son BROADBENT (died at birth)
..........................................5 May BROADBENT b: Abt. 1882, d: Abt. 1885
................................4 Sophia BROADBENT bap.1843 Milnrow, Lancs.
................................4 James Thomas BROADBENT bap.1846 Milnrow, Lancs.
................................4 Hannah BROADBENT bap.1849 Milnrow, Lancs.
................................4 John BROADBENT bap.1851 Milnrow, Lancs.
................................4 Joseph BROADBENT b: Abt. 1855 "Rochdale" Lancs
......................3 Betty BROADBENT bap.1817 Butterworth, Lancs
......................3 James BROADBENT bap.1821 Butterworth, Lancs
......................3 William BROADBENT bap.1825 Butterworth, Lancs
............2 Mary BROADBENT bap.1789 Milnrow, Lancs
............2 James BROADBENT bap.1792 Milnrow, Lancs
............2 Jane BROADBENT bap.1795 Milnrow, Lancs
............2 Simeon BROADBENT bap.1800 Milnrow, Lancs

 

 SOURCES: 1881 British Census, IGI, GRO Records,
City of Toronto Directories, Ontario Death Records, etc.

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