MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL

          Some of the very early spellings for the KERSHAW  name were:  deKyrkeschawe or delKyrkeshagh or Kersaw   or Kirkshaw  or Kirshaw.   The  meaning of  the English name was :  a residence near the church-wood.
NOTE:  There may still other translations of the surname.

           The Kershaw family line had centered its traditions, customs, work and spirit  for many years in Lancashire County, especially in the city of Manchester.    The males of the family worked in the city's factories, those producing  textiles and shoes.  The family line can be traced back to  William Fitzwilliam Kershaw, who was born in the town of Ardwick   in Manchester around 1823 to 1829 to George and Mary (Kirshaw) Kershaw .  (The varied birth dates are due to differences in census reports.) This was the same time that England was becoming an industrial giant  and  would need more young men like William to work in the factories.                                                                                                   

              Very basic schooling was offered young men before starting work in the factories.   But it could provide a modest living in which to raise a family.  William  lived at 3 Ancoats Place in Ardwick in 1852.  William  married Elizabeth Tetlow   on August 11, 1852 in the Cathedral of Manchester.  Elizabeth was also from the town of Ardwick in Manchester along with her parents, Thomas and Mary Tetlow .  Elizabeth had five brothers and one sister living at the Green Lane resident in 1841.  She was born about 1832 (based on the 1881 census).  Elizabeth was christened in the Cathedral on December 16, 1834.        The William Fitzwilliam Kershaw family had four sons.  The oldest was George William Kershaw, born Wednesday, September 10, 1856 in the township of Hulma in Manchester.  Next was Thomas Kershaw  born between 1863-1864, then Nathaniel born between 1865- 1866 and last was John, born about 1868, in Ardwick. (Again the various dates are due to the 1881 census reporting ).  Just as George and his younger brothers had seen their father work in the Manchester factories, so would these young men by 1880 to 1885.  George, also known as G.W., married Jemima Smith in 1878 in the Cathedral of Manchester and so began another Kershaw generation.

GEORGE and JEMIMA KERSHAW

      The young couple (George and Jemima) had seven children very quickly during the decade of the 1880's.  There were five sons and two daughters:

• The first born was George William Kershaw, Jr. , born in 1879 in Beswick.
• Next was Henry (Harry) George Kershaw , born on March 23, 1881 in  Manchester.  (In the 1881 census Henry's middle name was listed William.)
• Next came sons:   Edward and John,  their birth dates are unknown.
• A son, Frederick Kershaw was born on August 28, 1884.
• The first daughter was Elizabeth Kershaw , born April 9, 1883.
• The second daughter was Margaret (Maggie) Kershaw , born around 1885.

          So it was William Fitzwilliam's  son George William and his wife, Jemima, who first set off for America.  They left Manchester and then went to the Port of Liverpool to sail to the  Port of Dock at Liverpool    Boston in 1912.    They settled in Haverhill, MA.  Their oldest son---Henry (Harry)  George Kershaw would join them in December 6,1913.   But first came his wife and children. Ethel Briggs was born January 28, 1884, in Manchester, the daughter of   Isaac Briggs of England.  After Ethel and Henry were married December  26, 1904 in Manchester before their families and they began raising a family.    The family lived in the Township of Gorton,

They  lived at 388 Abby Hey Lane.  First born at Abby Hey Lane was a son, Harry Kershaw, Jr., born September 23, 1905 in England.   Next was possibly a daughter, named Ethel, born about 1907 and the  a son on September 6, 1910, (possibly a date of Sept. 24, based on Edwin's father's naturalization papers) named Edwin (nicknamed Ted) Kershaw. But the young family  needed to make a better life so Henry first sailed out of the Port of Liverpool  on one   of the many passenger ships headed for the United States. The ship was  SS Alaunia (Cunard Ship Lines) (photo left) and the Henry Kershaw, along with his brother-in-law, George Prophet, would  be on the maiden voyage.  Their passage was paid for by George William Kershaw, leaving England on November 27, 1913. They arrived at the Port of Boston in Massachusetts  on December 6, 1913.   Ethel and the children had arrived in January 1913 and settled in with her in-laws. They made their home in the town of Haverhill in Essex County.       The young immigrant couple settled in at 453 Hilldale Avenue   in this peaceful New England town just north of Boston.  Henry felt  he must start a job immediately.  Haverhill had several factories employing many workers who manufactured shoes.  He got a job at E. W. Bailey Shoe Factory at 48 Grande Street.  Yes, Henry would be starting in a line of work similar to what his father and grandfather had done in Manchester but there still was the hope of opportunity in the years ahead in his new  homeland.  Plus earning money ($1.00 to $2.00 a day) was a great necessary  for the family.     As the years moved on Henry, Sr. rose to the position of foreman at the shoe factory.  The family was not rich but had all their needs provided.
       Young Harry Jr. started school at Wingate Grammar School in Haverhill in 1913.  He excelled in his academics and made friends very easily.  Reading and comprehension  came very quickly to Harry and he surpassed many of his fellow classmates.

         Henry, Sr. and Ethel encouraged their families back in England  to move to America.  They were happy in their new adopted  homeland and  wanted the rest of the family to share in their life in  Massachusetts.   Henry's father and mother, George William and  Jemima Kershaw, already came to America in 1912.  They found a place  to live just down the street from Henry.  It was located at 173 Hilldale Avenue in Haverhill.  Not only did Henry's parents come but also   Henry's two sisters (Elizabeth and Margaret) and three of his brothers   (John, Edwin (Edward), and Frederick).  One brother, George W. Kershaw  Jr.,  remained in England as a soldier in the British Army.  But he too arrived in America on April 18, 1922 at Ellis Island on the SS Scythia  and later send for his family, who lived at 2 Brown Street in Blackrod, Lancashire,  England. George William  Kershaw's two other brothers remained in England.
           Along with the immediate family came the wives, husbands and children of George William's sons and daughters.  All had left Manchester to try and start fresh in America.  ( Photo left: leaving Port of Liverpool) One family from Manchester that had intermarried  with the Kershaw family in England was the Prophet  family .  George  Green Prophet, Sr.  (born July 8, 1880) married  Elizabeth Kershaw (George William's daughter and Henry, Sr.'s  sister) in early 1902 in Manchester.  After four children (George  Green, Jr., Margaret Ellen, Wilfred , and Harry Prophet) were born  to the family, they all crossed the Atlantic in 1914 (George came in December 1913 - copy of Manifest above ) bound for Massachusetts.  They settled in Haverhill, living at 247 Hilldale Avenue.  A few years  later two more sons, Stanley (June 17, 1916) and Kenneth Carl Prophet  (December 20, 1920), were born to George and Elizabeth Kershaw Prophet in Haverhill.

        After arrival in Massachusetts and setting in, George William Kershaw found employment at the Pentucket Mills in Haverhill.  It was a thread and textile factory, very much what he was familiar with back in Manchester.
        But George William Kershaw's time in America was short.  He passed away at age 51 years in Haverhill on Sunday, February 25, 1917.  Jemima, his widow, did have her family around her to help during this difficult time.  George was buried in Haverhill.

         As the decade of the 1910’s moved on the United States  had its male citizen's register for the U.S. military draft.   War was raging in Europe and the U.S. had to be prepared.      So Henry, Sr. also registered for the military draft, ready to serve if  he  was needed.

         When the United States entered the Great War of 1918, Henry, Sr. was not  drafted but better served the nation by continuing his work as foreman at  the show factory.  His sons were too young, only 13 and 12 years old. 
        Young Harry Jr. completed his schooling at the Wingate Grammar School in 1919.  He then went on to Haverhill High School in the fall of 1919 until early June 1921.  He had skipped a couple grades along the way as he was so advanced beyond the regular students.
       On April 9, 1923, a fourth child was born in Merrimac to Henry, Sr. and Ethel.  A third son, named Robert Howard Kershaw, became the darling of the family.  His nickname became "Bobby" and he was well looked after by his older brothers and one sister.    Harry, Jr. at age 15 years and 9 months felt the Haverhill High School had  nothing else to offer him.  He saw a greater need in helping provide  additional income to his family.  So without graduating from high school,  Harry left school and found employment at the Haverhill Last Works in June  1921.  He stayed there for three years before being hired at the H. C. Leschke Heel Company (making wooden heels) in Haverhill, where his father was now foreman.   He had broken his left heel when he was 17 years old. Harry continued to live at home and financially helped his family.

       Now Harry was set to begin his great adventure.  His Army serial number  was A0477970.  After basic training, Harry was stationed in Honolulu,  Hawaii ( a territory of the United States in the 1920's) with the U.S.  Army Signal Corps.  He quickly rose to rank of sergeant.  After  his first 3-year enlistment he signed up for another 3 years.  He saw his greatest strengths in the administrative field.  He was good at organization and completing the details on any project.        During Harry's time away from home he wrote letters and sent photos to his family.  The family had moved to Lynn, Massachusetts (just outside the Boston city limits) to a house at 8th Broad Street .  In 1935 they lived at 48 Vermont Avenue in Lynn. Many other members of the Kershaw and Prophet families remained in Haverhill but the town of Lynn offered Henry, Sr. and Ethel  job opportunities in the shoe factories there.  They later moved to a house at 10 Norcross Terrace in Lynn.

                 In the time frame between 1929 and 1931,   Harry's  only  sister,  Ethel  had married  (her  husband's  name was LESKE).  She also had a child but died either  in childbirth  or shortly thereafter.  Nothing is known of what happened  to Ethel's  child or husband.

           By mid-1933, it was time to decide about reenlistment for Harry.  But  this was also a time in America of high employment which began in late 1929  and was referred to as America's Great Depression.  If Harry had  wanted to be a regular civilian, there was little chance of steady employment.   So there was no second thoughts, Harry reenlisted for another 3 years serving  as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Infantry.  He also was issued in 1937 his Social  Security number as that new federal program began in the nation in the mid-1930's.   His S. S. number was 020-16-9664.

       In early 1935, Harry's mother, Ethel Briggs Kershaw, was very ill.  She had been suffering from breast cancer since 1933 and there was very little medicine could do in the 1930's for such a disease.  On April 18, 1935, Ethel died and was later buried at Pine Grove Cemetery in Lynn, Massachusetts at the age of 53 years.  It was very hard on the family and especially the youngest of Ethel's children, Bobby, who was only about 15 years old.
        It was in July 1935 that Harry Kershaw, Sr. started the process to gain his US citizenship.  He filed his Declaration  of Intent in 1935 and then his Petition of Naturalization on July 6, 1939.  In all the paper work he stated his two sons, Henry, Jr. and Edwin were born in Manchester, England.  He took the Oath of Allegiance on December 18, 1939 in Massachusetts.
        The mid-1930's saw more suffering for the family.  Henry, Sr.'s mother, (Harry's grandmother) Jemima Smith Kershaw died on September 26, 1936 in Haverhill, Massachusetts of adeno-carcinoma of omentum.  She was just a few days short of her 79th birthday.  Jemima lived at 118 South Main Street in Haverhill.  She was buried next to her husband, George William, at the Hilldale Cemetery in Haverhill.
       The Prophet family in nearby Haverhill was of great comfort to the Kershaw family in Lynn.  One member of the Prophet family became very close to Henry, Sr. over the next two years.  She was Emma P. Prophet , the sister of George Green Prophet, Jr., who had never married.  Emma was born September 4, 1884 in England and had come to America in 1924 after her brother and his family arrived.  So it came to be that on Thursday, June 24, 1937, that the Kershaw  and  Prophet families  were joined  again by marriage.  Emma and Henry, Sr. were married in Lynn, Massachusetts.

        Henry was not as able as he had been years earlier to serve as foreman in the shoe factory, so he left that job.  To go at a slower pace and still bring some money home, he worked as a custodian at a bank in Lynn.
        Harry, Jr. continued during the 1930's in the U.S. Army.  By 1938, with the establishment of a separate U. S. Air Force, he saw this as an opportunity to advance in a new military branch.  In 1938, Harry joined the regular Air Force as a corporal.  He still served in the administrative fields but did enjoy learning how to fly a plane as a hobby.

        Back in the States, Gertrude and Harry purchased a home in March 1946.  Harry was to be stationed back in Miami, Florida so they purchased the home at 5151 NW 4th Terrace in Miami.  He became active in the Masons and Elks organizations and Gertrude with raising the two boys.  But the years of Harry being away had put a strain on their marriage.  They did not always see eye to eye on how the boys were to be raised.
         Harry's family of his childhood was now gone or  scattered to other locations.  By 1946, his parents (Henry and Ethel)   had passed away.  His grandparents (George William and Jemima) were  no longer around.  Even sister, Ethel, died too young many years earlier.    His two brothers Edwin (also known as Ted) and Robert, had each gone  their separate ways.  Edwin had also served in the U.S. Air Force during  World War II and rose to the rank of sergeant.  He had married a nurse,  named Laura Jean Fox.  She was born June 18, 1912 in Canada.  She and Edwin had four children, three boys and girl. They  lived in many different locations and finally settled in Oregon.   Edwin died in January 29, 1968 of a heart condition at the age of 57 years old.  The youngest brother, Robert, did continue to live in Lynn, Massachusetts  for a while.  He married, Ida and had three daughters and one son.  Harry lost track  of his brothers over the years.

     Emma Prophet Kershaw (Harry Jr.'s step mother) worked at Magrane Dept. C. on Market Street in Lynn for many years after Henry's death in 1940.  She continued to live in Lynn near other Prophet family members. She died in August of 1983, almost reaching the age of 99 years.
        Harry's uncle, Edward Kershaw had married Margaret Armitage and he passed away on December 9, 1955 in Haverhill.  Uncle John Kershaw died in Haverhill in March of 1963.  Uncle Frederick Kershaw (who was born August 28, 1884) lived during the 1950's at 420 Groveland Street in Haverhill and had been self-employed most of his life.  He was married to a lady whose first name was Isabelle and her last name began with an "H".  Frederick died on February 15, 1963.  Harry's aunt, Margaret (Maggie) married Joseph Wilman and they had 2 sons.  But over the years Harry had little or no contract with his Massachusetts family and they were not aware what was happening with him.

         Harry's own marriage to Gertrude no longer existed  by the late 1940's.   While his divorce was in its processing stage, his life was about to change.   By September 1948, he was stationed in Panama City, Florida on recruiting  duty.  From October 22 to December 8, 1948, he was at the Adjutant General's School for special training in Ft. Lee, Virginia.  It was on the presidential Election Day of that November 9th morning in 1948 that Harry was introduced to U.S. (WAC) Army Lt. Nan M. Everhart   by mutual friends.    During their breakfast meeting they talked and even continued to  see each  other for the remainder of the weeks that Harry was at Ft.  Lee.  Even  after returning to Panama City after December 8th, Harry and Nan continued  to correspond and meet in different locations whenever both had some leave  time.  They became very close in a few short months and each knew they wanted to be together forever.  Harry's divorce from Gertrude would not be final until April 14, 1949 in Bay County, FL.  But Nan made plans to resign from the military service in March and gather her things for the move to Florida.  On Wednesday, April 27, 1949, Harry and Nan were married by the Justice of the Peace in Bonifay, Holmes County, Florida.  By July, 1949, Harry retired from the military after 22 years.

        Harry was on USAF reserve status after the Korean War until he reached 30 years of service on October 18, 1957.  He now had full retirement benefits as a captain.  His life as a professional soldier was at a close but he would work at other jobs later where his military administrative skills served him well.   (harry in 1976)

      The sources for the family history  of the Kershaws are quite varied.  They include an early family history  in note form written by Nan Kershaw based on verbal information given her  by Harry Kershaw.  Old photos of Harry's with dates and names  on them provide data.  Social Security along with military records were  excellent sources.  A great deal of information also came from the government  documents on Harry Kershaw, Sr.'s naturalization in the 1930's.  Birth, marriage and death  certificates along with information from internet ancestral databases (such  as census records from England) were helpful.  Even information was secured from Manchester, England using Church records.  Recent contact with Jeff Kershaw and Robert Howard Kershaw have richly added as a source of information.