Harry Bristow

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Comment and discuss

1. Does anyone have a note of the date of birth, birthplace and parentage of this Cornish crewman? Thanks Steve
2. I have now found that Harry Bristow's birth was registered at Liskeard, Cornwall in 1873. The registration district of Liskeard covers the town of Looe and so I am fairly confident this is the correct person. I have now uploaded the family information I have found for Harry's parents etc and this should be appearing on his biography page in a few days time. Steve
3. There are a number of incorrect stories in circulation regarding Harry Bristow's family. I am descended from his elder sister Ellen (my great grandmother)and am presently trying (with much frustration and little success!) to discover our common ancestors before his parents. Harry was born on 26 April 1873, the son of John Bristow and Mary Ann (nee Blight). No marriage has yet been traced, though the couple appear in the 1861 census for Liskeard as husband and wife, John being 40 and Mary Ann 17. This ties in with the family traditions as they were passed on to me. However, John gives his place of birth in the 1861 and 1881 censuses simply as "Sussex" and in the 1871 census as "Maidstone, Kent". His age is consistent, suggesting he was born in 1820 or 1821. He died in June 1882. Mary Ann is much more confused about her age, the censuses from 1861 to 1901 giving 17, 25, 39, 45 and 57 respectively. Her age at death in 1913 is given as 69. Consistently giving her place of birth as... Read full post
4. Dear Stephen, Harry Bristow was my grandfather, I have full details of his life and family tree. I would be very interested to learn of any details concerning his sister Ellen Ann Bristow. Harry was born in Shutta East Looe on the 26 April 1873, he married Ethel Elliott and had two children Vivian John Henry, and Phillip Harry (my father). I have a direct family tree of Harrys ancestors back to Moses Bristow born in 1773. However, I have no trace of Ellen Ann b.1870, and would be very happy to exchange family details. Kind regards Hugh Bristow
5. Hello Hugh, How good to hear from you! Ellen Bristow (no Ann, though his other sister was Harriett Ann) was my great grandmother, whom I knew well, since she died in 1964 when I was 15. I have unfortunately some information which might upset you somewhat! The connection to Moses Bristow, although published elsewhere on the web, is not in fact correct and seems to arise from picking up the baptism of a John Moses Bristow in 1821 at Bromley in Kent. In fact, our John Bristow was born at Wivelsfield in Sussex in 1820. I live in Newport, South Wales, and some 12 years ago, wrote the history of the town east of the River Usk, using every Census then available. The cat was let well and truly out of the bag when John Moses Bristow surfaced on censuses in Newport in 1871 and 1881 as a shoemaker and gardener, when our John was living in Liskeard (1871) and Looe (1881)! Anyway, the real story is far more complex - and, in fact, far more interesting as it ties in... Read full post
6. I just wonder if the parents of Harry are correct Certainly John is right, however my research shows that he Married Mary Ann Blight  in January 1861 in Bristol
7. Unfortunately a number of the family details given for Harry are incorrect. He was my great great uncle and I have researched the family extensively. The corrected information reads as follows: Harry Bristow was the elder son of John Bristow and Mary Ann (nee Blight). He was born on 26 April 1873 at the south Cornwall coastal town of East Looe in that part of the town known as Shutta. His father, John Bristow, worked for the Cornish Railway. He was born at Wivelsfield in Sussex in 1820 (of a family that has been traced back to the late 1500s in Surrey) and was one of the early railway “navvies”. In 1841 he was working at Godstone, building part of the first railway to run from London to Dover. In 1851 he was at Grantham, building what has now become the east coast main line railway, running from London to Scotland via York. By the late 1850s he was working in Devonport, building the Cornwall Railway. It was here that he lodged in a house in Queen Street, where he met... Read full post
8. Thank you for filling in this gap in family history. Ethel Bristow was one of my grandmother's older sisters; I had heard that Aunt Ethel's husband had gone down in the Titanic, but never knew any details.  Jim Gibson (grandson of Newton and Mary (nee Elliott) Gibson).
9. Hi - I am related directly to Mary Blight via my mother - I think there is confusion between two families with similar spellings in the area. My grandfather died in a railway accident before my mother was born.
10. I, too, am directly related to Mary Ann Blight through my mother (in fact I have a photo of her in my bedroom, along with one of Harriet and her family). She was my grandmother's grandmother.
11. Hi Jim, I am married to James Grignon. His great grandfather was Harry Bristow. Harry left behind two children Viv and Philip. My mother in law is Judith Bristow Grignon, the daughter of Viv. My mother in law is from Bristol England, and her sister Wendy is still alive as well and lives in England. It is nice to read a post from another relative
12. Hi I’m Sachie (Sacheverelll), I am the son of Viv’s son David. My children are fascinated by the story of the Titanic and their great great grandpa Harry Bristow. I look forward to when they can tell their kids about it in the future.

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