Catherine Stone was the eleventh child of James Stone & Mary Ann Sutton born March 30th, 1868 at Bradford, Manchester, & was christened on August 2nd, 1868 at Higher Ardwick Primitive Methodist Church, Manchester, Lancs.
By 1871 the family had moved to Staffordshire & were living in the High St, Tunstall, Wolstanton. Catherine had 2 older brothers, Joseph & James who were both iron workers like their father. Catherine also had 2 older sisters, Esther & Rachel.
The family had returned to Lancashire by 1881 & were living at 5 Enys St, Pendleton, Salford. Catherine was still living at home as were her sisters Rachel & Esther, both cotton weavers.
Catherine’s father had died in 1882 & in 1891 her widowed mother Mary Ann was living with her at 32 Renshaw St, Pendleton. Catherine was now working as a cotton winder. They had a boarder, Ann Howarth (27), a ‘cotton maker up’.
Catherine married Edwin Rankin in July-September 1891, the marriage being registered at Barton upon Irwell, Lancs. Edwin was christened March 24th, 1864 at St Chad’s, Rochdale, Lancs, the son of Eliza & John Rankin, a greengrocer.
In 1901 Catherine & Edwin were living at 7 Mona St, Pendleton & Edwin was working as a cooper. They had 5 children by this time – Henry (9), Mary Ann (7), Beatrice (5), Glendora (3) & Ellen (1), listed as Helen in the census.
Edwin died in Jan-March 1908, aged 47, at Pendleton.
The children of Catherine Stone & Edwin Rankin were:
st.1.5.11.1 Henry Rankin born born January 20th, 1892 at Failsworth, Lancs; died Jan-March 1951 in Manchester
st.1.5.11.2 Mary Ann Rankin born September 5th, 1893 at Newton Heath, Lancs
st.1.5.11.3 Beatrice Rankin born March 17th, 1896 at 26 Cawley St, Pendleton & christened April 1st, 1896 at Enys St Methodist Church, Whit Lane, Pendleton, Lancs
st.1.5.11.4 Glendora Rankin born June 23rd, 1897 at 7 Mona St, Pendleton, Lancs & christened July 14th, 1897 at Enys St Methodist Church, Whit Lane, Pendleton, Lancs; died Jan-March 1975 at Manchester
st.1.5.11.5 Ellen Rankin born January 29th, 1900 at Pendleton, Lancs; died January 9th 1978 at Monsall Hospital, Newton Heath, Manchester
st.1.5.11.6 James Sidney Rankin born July-September 1905 at Pendleton, Lancs; died Jan-March 1908 at Pendleton
By 1911 widowed Catherine had moved to 16 Phillip St, Pendleton & living with her were daughters Mary Ann, who worked at the bleach works, & Beatrice, a cotton mill winder. They also had a boarder, William Splaine, a colliery lamp man. Sadly son Henry was a patient at the epileptic hospital, Billington, Blackburn, Lancs at the time of the census. It appears that Catherine was unable to look after all her children as the 2 youngest daughters, Glendora (listed as Dora) & Ellen (listed as Nellie) were listed in the National Children’s Home, Edgworth, Near Bolton & described as inmates of the orphanage.
On July 4th, 1914 daughter Mary Ann married Thomas Arthur Copeland, a gardener, at St Thomas, Pendleton. Mary Ann’s sister Glendora was a witness at the wedding. After Thomas’ death Mary Ann married again on September 7th, 1929 at St Saviours, Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Lancs. Her second husband was widower Thomas Henry Green, a hydraulic packer & a witness at the wedding was Mary Ann’s sister Ellen.
On October 9th, 1915 Catherine, aged 46, married George Henry Kennedy at St George, Charlestown, Salford. George was a 54 year old widower employed as a labourer, the son of Samuel Kennedy. One of the witnesses at the wedding was Catherine’s daughter, Glendora Rankin.
Daughter Beatrice married Alexander White, a labourer, on June 8th, 1916 at St George, Charlestown. A witness at the wedding was Beatrice’s brother Henry Rankin. The 1939 register shows Beatrice & Alexander, now a manager of a pet store, & their family living at 195 Oldfield Rd, Salford.
In April-June 1926 daughter Glendora married James W Griffiths in Manchester.
George Henry Kennedy died July-September 1926 in Manchester aged 64.
The 1939 register shows widowed Catherine living at 148 Radnor St, Manchester & with her was daughter Ellen Rankin, a shopkeeper in a general dealers. In 1939 daughter Glendora was listed without her husband & living with sister Mary Ann (now Green) & her son Frederick (7) at 32 Hazelwood Rd, Hazel Grove & Bramhall, Cheshire.
Son Henry & his wife Jane were living at 1 Greenland St, Manchester in 1939 & he was a rubber worker. Henry had married Jane Lewis in Oct-December 1917 in Salford.