Update to 25th Elgin Cemetery Walk

This information relates to Chart 51, the descendants of John & Mary Pask née Hammond who lived in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire in the 1840-1860s.

Through www.findagrave.com, I contacted Anna who has advised me that there are several other Pask buried at Bluff City Cemetery in Elgin. She has provided this photograph.

Additionally she provided a link to an excellent Youtube video of the 25th Elgin Cemetery Walk.  Brilliant!

The power of the internet.

Elgin Cemetery Walk - Francis Joseph Pask

This information relates to Chart 51, the descendants of John & Mary Pask née Hammond who lived in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire in the 1840-1860s.

Just recently through Google Alerts, we were notified of the 25th Elgin Cemetery Walk by Dave Gathman from the Elgin Courier News in Illinois, USA. Dave reported:

"The cemetery walk is put on each year in Bluff City Cemetery as a fundraiser for the Elgin Area Historical Society. Actors who volunteer to re-create each person and have researched that person’s life dress up as the person would have looked, stand at the real person’s grave and speak for five to seven minutes about the life of the person whose remains lie below. Tour groups move from one such gravesite to the next...
...One couple being portrayed, Francis “Shanty” Pask and his mother, Maryann Pask, had a life story so odd that it once was featured in the nationally syndicated comic strip “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” in 1941. "

Having read the detailed account I decided to identify where his mother Mary Ann originated from.

Mary Ann Pask née Lamming, immigrated together with her husband William Pask, departing from Liverpool on the "Constellation" arriving in New York on 13 April 1854. They settled in Elgin, Kane County, Illinois, USA. I found the family listed in the 1860 through to the 1940 censuses. William was listed initially as a Farmer, and then a Gardener. They had six children:

• Mariah A. Pask b. 1854
• George Lamming Pask b. 7 Jul 1856, d. 24 Oct 1927
• Elizabeth Pask b. 1858
• Francis "Frank" Joseph Pask b. 1860, d 6 Jun 1940 - known as "Shanty"
• Lottie J. Pask b. 1862
• Julia Pask b. 1864

William was born in 1828 in Moulton, Lincolnshire. He was the son of Joseph & Mary Pask née Hammond.

William married Mary Ann Lamming in 1850 in the Glanford Brigg registration district. In the census of 30 March 1851 in Howsham, Lincolnshire, he was listed as a Rail Labourer, aged 23 born in Moulton Egate [Moulton Eaugate], the son-in-law of George Lambing. 

William died in Elgin, between 1880 and 1900. Mary Ann died on 18 October 1919, and is buried in Bluff City Cemetery. Her son Francis after being paralyzed by spinal damage in 1913, died on 6 June 1940, having spent 27 years in hospital.

The Elgin Cemetery Walk was well attended, as reported by Tara García Mathewson from the Daily Herald.

Up-to-date information on this family will be available in the next website update.      

Chart 51 - Descendants of Joseph & Mary Pask

This information relates to Chart 51, the descendants of John & Mary Pask who lived in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire in the 1840-1860s.

A new chart will be available in the next update - Chart 51. Whilst this is a small chart, it contains seven generations. We have compiled it in the hope of identifying where Joseph originated from, and his link to one of the major trees.

From the 1851 census for Hooks Drove, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, Joseph was listed as aged 65 born in Thorney, the Head of Household. He was living together with his wife Mary, who was born in Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire. She died in 1853 in the Wisbech registration district, and Joseph died in 1859.

We are trying to establish when they married (c1825), and what Mary's maiden name was.

Their only son John married Emily Liquorice on 17 July 1861 in St. Mary, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. John & Emily have currently 14 known descendants.

This information will be included in the next website update.

George & Mary Pask née Fitzjohn

This information relates to Chart 17, a currently unidentified main branch of the family with roots in Cambridgeshire.

Nick Pask wrote to us yesterday relating to his ancestor George Pask who was baptised in 1818 in Thorney, Cambridgeshire. George's descendants are detailed in the chart George Pask, (1817 - 1904) Thorney, Cambridgeshire, lived in Eye, Northamptonshire #2912.

Nick originally wrote to us 2004, he is still pursuing his research on a possible link between George and John & Mary Pask née Hilton. I am sure he will be delighted if anyone can provide any supporting information.

Sidney George Pask (1920-1990)

This information relates to a currently unidentified main branch of the family with roots in Suffolk. The earliest known progenitor is Henry & Frances Pask née Wallaker, who lived in Kedington, Suffolk in the 1790s.

Whilst searching in www.ancestry.co.uk, I found two Pask photographs, in the Public Member Photos database.

• Thomas Henry Pask (1820 - ) taken c1850, (see blog titled Descendants of Thomas & Hannah Pask née Parish)
• Headstone of Sidney George Pask (1920-1990) in
  Balsham Church, Cambridgeshire.

Sidney George Pask, was previously not listed in the database (only approximately 60% of our records have been currently included). However during the weekend I have researched his family, and ancestors. I have linked him back five generations to Henry & Frances Pask née Wallaker of Kedington, Suffolk.

1. Parents: George & Elizabeth H. Pask née Butler, they had 7 children
2. Grandparents: Elijah & Olga Pask née Basham, they had 10 children
3. Great-grandparents: George & Ann Paske née Boreham, they had 11 children
4. Great-great-grandparents: Henry & Mary Pask née Mison, they had 9 children
5. Great-great-great-grandparents: Henry & Frances Pask née Wallaker, also had 9 children

This information will be included in the database in the near future. However it may be sometime, as not all the children are listed, and fully researched.

Isaac Pask

This information relates to a currently unidentified main branch of the family with roots in Cambridgeshire.

Colleen Willis wrote to me earlier this month about Isaac Pask, who was baptized on 21 May 1816 in Thorney, Cambridgeshire. He was the son of John & Ann Pask née Hilton.

Colleen had found Isaac in the Assisted British Immigration Index to Registers of Assisted British Immigrants 1839-1871, available at the Public Record Office Victoria, Australia. He had arrived on the Lady Macdonald in July 1852. Colleen also found that he died in 1878 aged 61.

I searched the records, and realised that Isaac was listed twice. This has been rectified and the records merged. Many thanks for Colleen in providing this information.