Hello fellow listers,   I'm a Canadian, retired regular army, whose origins are Lancastrian. At this point in my research I am focusing on the family of my great-grandfather, Peter ASHTON, who lived at 34 Rutland St., Worsley at the time of the 1881 census. My aim is to bring to life his family.   Peter ASHTON, was a blacksmith who married Margaret GRATRIX, He learned his trade from his father-in-law, William GRATRIX, who operated a blacksmith shop on Moss View, Rutland St, in Worsley. Peter's shop was likely co-located with his own residence at 34 Rutland St.   Peter's brother, Joseph ASHTON, married Harriet Ann GRATRIX, the sister of Peter's wife, a case of brothers marrying sisters and moved to Cemetery Rd, around the corner from Rutland and began working as an insurance agent. In 1891 we see Harriet, now a widow, living at 36 Rutland St, next door to the ASHTONs.   Peter and Margaret had nine children:   Rose Hannah ASHTON, b. abt 1878; Clarissa ASHTON, b. abt 1879, married Joseph JONES a coal miner; Fred ASHTON, b. abt 1880; Lilian ASHTON, b. abt1883 married John Wm AGNEW, a confectioner; Minnie ASHTON, b. abt 1884 Wm Edwin ASHTON, b. Aug 1885 and died 6 Apr 1886; Ernest ASHTON ,b. abt 1887 married Blanche JEWSBURY; Harry ASHTON, b. 26 Jan 1888, married Edith GASKELL and died in Toronto, Canada 13 Nov 1970, (He is my grandfather); and Mary Ann ASHTON, b. and died in Jul 1889.   Peter died on 27 Nov 1890 and by the 1901 census his son Fred had taken over his blacksmith shop with Ernest as his apprentice.   Unfortunately, this is about as much life as I have been able to breathe into this family group. I am led to believe that Rutland St. is no longer a residential street but has become a rather run-down industrial area. Being 74, my going to England and bouncing around Manchester digging up data is out of the question, so I must rely on the Internet and the assistance of kind souls on this list to help me bring this generation to life.   The questions that come to mind are: 1. Are any of these addresses still standing in any form (and are photographs available)? 2. Are there any descendants of the ASHTON children now living in England that I could correspond with? 3. Given their home on Rutland St, what schools would they have likely attended? If the schools are still operating what would their mailing address be? 4. What would that neighbourhood in the 1890s have looked like? 5. Have any of these individuals left a trail in the local newspaper archives? 6. I have vetted the census returns and have certified true copies of most of the relevent certificates, but I wonder if there are other listings, such a voters lists and such, where they may have appeared? 7. If there are any recommended local history books available that I could order, what are their ISBN numbers?   I apologize for the ambitious nature of these questions - they look much like a social studies or local history class project. I am not asking for anyone to take on such a project, but, if in the course of your normal genealogical research you come across the answer to any of these questions, please send me a message at [email protected]   I would be enormously grateful for any snippet of information that gives me a better undertanding of how my ancestors lived.   Sincerely, Norm Ashton (logging in from Toronto and going through life like a porcupine in a room full of balloons!)