John Sykes

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George Stell Sykes

John Sykes, Birth

John Sykes was born circa 1797/98 in the village of Adwalton in Birstall Parish (Information from the Censuses)

I did not find a baptismal record for John Sykes.

His parents are not known for certain, but it is highly likely that his mother was named, Hannah.


John Sykes, Occupation

John Sykes was listed on several records as either a shoemaker or a cordwainer.

At least three of his sons, Benjamin, George Stell, and Joseph were cordwainers.

At least one of his grandsons, William, the son of Benjamin, was a boat maker.


Marriage of John Sykes and Ann Stell

"John Sykes of this parish and Ann Stell of this parish were married in this Church by Banns with Consent of _______ this twenty seventh Day of April in the Year One Thousand eight Hundred and Seventeen by me Matthew Sedgwick, curate. This Marriage was solemnized between us John Sykes, Ann Stell, "her mark". In the presence of James Fox and John Chadwick."
Batley Parish marriage certificate No. 214, 1817 (LDS microfilm 0990861)

Notes:

  • John Chadwick was most likely a clerk in the parish. He witnessed tons of marriage certificates. I don't know anything about James Fox.
  • The above record was taken from the Bishop's transcript and the "signature" of John Sykes is in the handwriting of the clerk who transcribed the records.
  • Ann Stell was born in Gomersal in Birstall parish.
  • John Sykes, according to the 1851 census, was born in Adwalton in Birstall Parish.
  • Their children were baptized in Birstall parish.
  • Batley and Birstall parishes abut one another and the records show a fair amount of movement between one parish and the other. However, since all of the other records connected with the Sykes and Stells were found in Birstall parish I am not sure why the marriage occurred in Batley parish.


Marriage record of John Sykes and Ann Stell.


Children of John Sykes and Ann Stell

  1. Benjamin
    Baptism: Benjamin, "son of John and Ann Sykes of Little Gomersall, shoemaker", was baptized on May 24, 1818 (Chruch of England, Birstall Parish)
    Occupation: Cordwainer.
    Marriage: Benjamin Sykes, age 27, bachelor, cordwainer, of Pudsey, son of John Sykes, cordwainer, and Mary Halliday, age 29, spinster, of Pudsey, daughter of John Halliday, farmer, were married on October 19, 1846 in the parish church of Calverley, Yorkshire. Witnesses were Joseph Halliday and Rebecca Clayton. While the signatures on the record are not theirs it indicates that Benjamin and Mary signed their names. (December 1846, vol. 23, page 256 Bradford)
    Birth of Mary Holliday: Mary Halliday baptized April 5, 1816, daughter of John Halliday and Betty Balmforth
    Residence: Benjamin and Mary Sykes lived in Adwalton (a village in the township of Dringhlington) and in Nethertown (a village in the township of Dringhlington)
    Children:
    1. John born September 13, 1847, baptized November 14, 1847, of Benjamin and Mary Sykes, Adwalton, cordwainer (twin, see next entry) (Chruch of England, Birstall Parish)
      Death: John must have died as John George was baptized in 1857 and John was not listed with the family in the 1851 census.
    2. Joseph (twin, see above entry) (Chruch of England, Birstall Parish)
      Death: Joseph must have died he does show up in the 1851 census with the family
    3. James baptized March 18, 1850, Adwalton (Chruch of England, Birstall Parish)
      Note: He was listed as "James Holliday Sykes" in the 1851 census.
      Further Records:
      • James was listed with them in the 1851 census
      • James was not listed in the 1881 census.
    4. Elizabeth baptized on August 2, 1854, Drighlington (Chruch of England, Birstall Parish)
    5. John George baptized on May 10, 1857 in Drighlington (Chruch of England, Birstall Parish)
      Death: John George was buried on June 19, 1857.
    6. William born on February 9, 1857 in Nethertown and baptized on March 28, 1859 (two years later) (Chruch of England, Birstall Parish)
      Marriage: Hannah, date and place unknown
      Children:
      1. Mary, circa 1874, Carlinghow
      1881 Census, Church Street, Gomersal:
      • William Sykes, head, married, age 29, born Drighlington, boot maker
      • Hannah Sykes, wife, age 28, born Birstall
      • Mary E Sykes, daughter, age 7, born Carlinghow
      Notes: William was born in 1857, the age is off by 5 years
    7. Anne, date of birth unknown
      Death: August 2, 1866, according to tombstone inscription. Note: There is no record of the death of Ann Halliday or Anne Sykes in the Sept 1866 death index.
    Death of Benjamin Sykes: July 15, 1866 (Deaths, Sykes Benjamin, age 48, Sept 1866 Bradford Y vol. 9b page 9)
    Death of Mary Halliday Sykes: July 27, 1866 (Deaths, Sykes, Mary, age 50, Sept 1866 Bradford Y vol 9b, page 10)
    Death of Anne Halliday Sykes : August 2, 1866

    Tombstone:

    Erected in affectionate
    Remembrance of Benjamin Sykes
    Late of Nethertown in the township
    Of Drighlington who died July 15, 1866
    Age 48
    Also of Mary, his wife, who died July
    27, 1866, age 50
    Also Anna Holliday, daughter of the above
    Who died August 2,1866

  2. Samuel Sykes
    Baptism: Samuel, son of John and Ann Sykes of Adwalton, shoemaker, was baptized March 4, 1821 (Chruch of England, Birstall Parish)
    Occupation: machinest
    Immigration: Samuel Sykes left England sometime before 1855:
    • He was in the United States from at least 1856 to 1860
    • Sometime before 1871 he immigrated to Newmarket, Ontario, Canada where he was listed in the 1871 Canadian census.
    Note: He was not listed in the 1841 census in England with his parents.
    Marriage: Hannah (Ann), date and place unknown.
    Children:
    1. Isabelle, born circa 1856, USA (Information from the 1881 Canadian Census)
    2. Josephine, born circa 1858, USA, (Information from the 1881 Canadian Census)
    3. Adelaide, born circa 1860, USA, (Information from the 1881 Canadian Census)
    4. Sarah, date of birth unknown, family information
    5. Ellen, date of brith unknown, family information
    1871 Census New Market, Ontario, Canada:
    • Samuel Sykes, married, age 50, born England, machinest
    • Ann Sykes , married, age 45, born US, Irish
    • Isabel Sykes, age 21, born US
    • Josaphine Sykes, age 19, born US
    • Adeline Sykes, age 17, born US
    • Mary Ellen (or Elden), single, age 47, born Ireland
    • Charles Johnson, age 17, born Ontario, apprentice
    1881 Census, Canada: Samuel Sykes and his family were listed in Newmarket, York North, Ontario, Canada as follows:
    • Samuel, age 60, born in England
    • Hannah, age 52, born Jamaica, West Indies
    • Isabelle, age 25, born in USA
    • Josephine, age 23 born in USA
    • Adelaide, age 21, born in USA
    • Mary Gill, age 52, born in Jamaica, West Indies
    Note:
    • Newmarket is several miles north of Toronto.
    See Sykes in Canada

  3. Isabelle Sykes
    Baptism: Isabelle, daughter of John and Ann Sykes of "Barnsley", cordwainer, was baptized on May 25, 1823 (Chruch of England, Birstall Parish) . I do not know where Barnsley was located. It is not on a current map of the area. However, it was listed under "The Chapelry of Drighlington in the parish of Birstall".
    Further Records: Isabelle was listed in the 1841 census but not listed in the 1851 census, by which time she would have been 28 years old and, if still alive, most likely married.

  4. George Stell Sykes
    Baptism: George Stell Sykes, the son of John and Ann Sykes, Adwalton, cordwainer, was baptized on March 12, 1826 in the Chapelry of Drighlington, parish of Birstall.
    Further Records: See George Stell Sykes .

  5. James
    Baptism: James, the son of John and Ann Sykes, Adwalton, cordwainer, was baptized on February 15, 1829, Chapelry of Drighlington, parish of Birstall.
    Further Records: Joseph does not show up in the 1881 census in England.
    It is possible that James Sykes immigrated to Canada. See Sykes in Canada

  6. Mary
    Baptism: Mary, the daughter of John and Ann Sykes, Adwalton, shoemaker, was baptized on May 13, 1832, parish of Birstall. Mary was listed with her father in the 1851 census.
    Death: Mary Sykes of Adwalton, daughter of John and Ann Sykes, was buried on June 30, 1852, age 18, film #1849288.

  7. Joseph
    Baptism: Joseph Sykes, the son of John and Ann Sykes, shoemaker of "Dringlington", was baptized on July 19, 1835 (LDS film #0990529)
    Further Records: Joseph is listed in the 1841 census with his parents and in the 1851 census with his brother Benjamin.
    Occupation: Cordwainer
    Marriage: Elizabeth, date and place unknown, (Information from the 1881 English census)
    Children:
    1. John, born circa 1873, (Information from the 1881 English census)
    1881 English Census : Joseph Sykes, was listed on Church Street in Gomersal as follows:
    • Joseph, head, age 45, cordwainer, born in Drighlington, York
    • Elizabeth, wife, age 48, born in Birstall, York
    • John, son, age 18, cloth finisher, born in Birstall, York

  8. Sarah Ann
    Birth:
    • Baptism Sarah Ann, the daughter of John and Ann Sykes, shoemaker of "Dringlington", was baptized on September 22, 1838 (LDS film #0990529)
    • Civil Birth Record: Sarah Ann, daughter of John Sykes, cordwainer, and Ann Sykes, formerly Stell, was born on September 22, 1838, Drighlington, reported by John Sykes, father, Dringlington.
    Further Records: Sarah Anne is listed with her father in the 1851 census. I don't know what happened to her after that.


John Sykes and Ann Stell Sykes, Where They Lived

Atwalton (Birstall Parish) circa 1797 (Brith of John Sykes)
Gomersal (Birstall Parish) in 1796 (Birth of Ann Stell Sykes)
Batley Parish in 1817 (Marriage)
Gomersall (Birstall Parish) in 1818 (Birth of a child) Note: John Sykes was not listed in the Land Tax records for Gomersall in 1818 or before, LDS microfilm 1657962.
Adwalton Chapelry of Drighlington (Bristall Parish) in 1821 (Birth of a child)
Barnsley Chapelry of Drighlington (Bristall Parish) in 1823 (Birth of a child)
Adwalton Chapelry of Drighlington (Bristall Parish) in 1826 (Birth of a child)
Adwalton Chapelry of Drighlington (Bristall Parish) in 1829 (Birth of a child)
Adwalton Chapelry of Drighlington (Bristall Parish) in 1832 (Birth of a child)
Drighlington (Bristall Parish) in 1835 (Birth of a child)
Drighlington (Bristall Parish) in 1838 (Birth of a child)
Drighlington (Bristall Parish) in 1841 (Census)
Adwalton Township of Drighlington (Bristall Parish) in 1851 (Census)


The Death of Ann Stell Sykes

Church Record: Ann Sykes, Adwalton, buried October 27, 1841, age 45

Civil Record: Ann Sykes, Adwalton, age 45, wife of a cordwainer, died on October 24, 1841 of an "affliction of the lungs". Death reported by John Sykes, "present at the death".


Remarriage of John Sykes

John Sykes remarried sometime before 1851. In the 1851 census in Adwalton, he was listed with his wife, Ellen.

See The Sykes in The English Censuses


John Sykes in the Leeds Directories

Unfortunately, John Sykes was not listed in the Directory of Leeds for the villages of Adwalton or Drighlington in 1830, 1842 or 1847.


Death of John Sykes

I have not found the death record of John Sykes. The last census I found him in was 1851.

He was not listed in Adwalton in the 1861 census.


Where and When Was John Sykes Born and Who Were His Parents?

I have not found the birth record of John Sykes.

From a combination of records it appears that John Sykes was born in Adwalton circa 1797/98 to Hannah and _____ Sykes. This is based on the following:

  1. According to information in the 1851 census in Adwalton, John Sykes was born in Adwalton circa 1797-98. It should be pointed out, however, that census information is not always a reliable source for place and date of birth. Conflicting information about place of birth is common on the census records.

    Adwalton was "a hamlet" in the chapelry of Dringhlington, parish of Birstall, wapentake of Morley, West Riding of the County of York.

  2. The 1841 census in Adwalton lists, Hannah Sykes, an 84 year-old pauper, living with John Sykes and his family. It is highly likely that Hannah was John's mother.
What else is known about John Sykes?

  • John Sykes and his sons, Benjamin, George, and Joseph, were cordwainers (or shoemakers) by profession. Occupations often ran in families.
  • John Sykes was married in Batley parish in 1817. In prior and subsequent records both Ann Stell and John Sykes were connected to Birstall parish.
    Notes:
    • See John Sykes and Ann Stell, Where They Lived
    • Marriage in a parish that is not the same as where the other records are found is a fairly common phenomena that I do not understand. On numerous occasions I have found a marriage in one parish and all other records connected with both parties in another parish.


Hannah _____ Sykes, Born Circa 1758

Birth: Circa 1758

Marriage:

Children:

  1. John Sykes circa 1797

1841 Census: Hannah Sykes, was listed with John Sykes and his family in the 1841 census. See Sykes in the English Censuses

Death:

  • Church Record: Hannah Sykes died in Adwalton and was buried January 6, 1842, age 84 years
  • Civil Record: Hannah Sykes, age 84, widow, died on January 4, 1842 in Adwalton of old age. The death was reported by John Sykes "occupier", Adwalton on January 6, 1842

If she was the mother of John Sykes she would have been 39 years old (give or take) at the time of his birth

Where was she born and who were her parents?

Which Syke did did she marry?

The Birstall parish records list the marriage of Benjamin Sykes and Hannah Longbottom, both of Drighlington, by Banns on January 11, 1796.

Were these the parents of John Sykes?

Pros

  • His mother was most likely named Hannah
  • The records connect him to the hamlet of Adwalton in Drighlington township
  • He named his first son Benjamin
  • The census information indicates that he was born after the date of the above marriage


The Sykes in Adwalton

Since the census information indicated that John Sykes was born in Adwalton in Birstall parish and later records show that he lived in Adwalton, I make an investigation of the Sykes in Birstall parish with a special emphasis on the Sykes in Adwalton. The parish records show that the other Sykes in Adwalton were maltsters and were related to each other. The do know appear to be closely related to John Sykes, cordwainer.

There were no other Sykes who were cordwainers or shoemakers in the parish.


Death of Benjamin Sykes of Adwalton

Benjamin Sykes of Adwalton was buried December 1817, age, 86.

This means he as born circa 1731.

I do not know for certain that he was related to John Sykes. However, Adwalton was a small village and there were a limited number of Sykes living there.

If he was born in 1731 it is highly unlikely (but not impossible) that he was the father of John Sykes. He was 66 years old when John Sykes was born. It is possible that he was the grandfather of John Sykes.


The Sykes in the English censuses

For information on the Sykes in the English censuses, click on the picture of the discription of the Hamlet of Adwalton from the 1851 census


Ann Stell, the wife of John Sykes

For information on Ann Stell, the wife of John Sykes, and her family, click on the photo of Fellane, Keightley Parish.


George Stell Sykes, the son of John Sykes and Ann Stell

For information on George Stell Sykes, the son of John Sykes and Ann Stell, and his family, click on the photo of Elizabeth Sykes in the lilac bush


The Sykes in Canada

For information on the Sykes in Canada, click on the picture of Arnold Land with his Sykes cousins in Toronto


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