I have an indirect link to Methodist GOLDSTRAWs near Leek and Potteries. A Martha Goldstraw was a witness at my great-grandparents wedding in1888 in Endon (between Leek and Stoke). Their names were Isaac EARDLEY and Martha HEATH. I have some information on www.higginsons.org.uk for my family, but not the Goldstraws. And the name of Thomas GOLDSTRAW crops up in some copies of Methodist books of the 19th century, including (IIRC) the copy someone lent me of "Methodism in my Native Village" by Thomas Willshaw. (www.rewlach.org.uk/books) This covers the village of Cheddleton, 3 miles south of Leek, where my gt. g'mother (Martha Heath) grew up. No Goldstraws, but some description of the village. Nor are there any Goldstraws in Dyson's centenary book, "Wesleyan Methodism in the Leek Circuit", though this is useful for general accounts of Early Methodism. Of course, this is all long after the dates you want, but adds a bit of interest to the family name left in England. Robert Higginson ----- Original Message ----- From: "Helen Ulmann" <hulmann@tca-online.com.au> To: <ENG-STS-THE-POTTERIES-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2005 6:46 AM Subject: [Pots] GOLDSTRAW Pottery glazers > Hi List members, > I'm new to this but have been working on my Goldstraw family for a very long time and am really stuck. My gggrandfather came to Hobart, Australia, from Liverpool in 1830, a free immigrant, on the "Juno". We do not have the names of his parents. His grandchildren said that he was born in "Leeds, Staffordshire" which I have assumed to be "Leek, Staffordshire" as there are many Goldstraws in Leek and none in Leeds! He was supposed to be the second youngest son of a family of pottery glazers (well off) consisting of 10 sons and 2 daughters. One brother was Paul who went to America. George was a Methodist and named his sons, born in Tasmania, George, Isaac, John and Samuel and he was supposed to be 28 when he left England, giving a birthdate of around 1799-1801. The Goldstraw name derives from Goostrey (various spellings) and I have searched both on the IGI and wills, without any luck at all. > Please does anyone have any ideas on where I can look? or anyone with Goldstraw/Goostrey connections in the Potteries? > Helen > Australia > > > ==== ENG-STS-THE-POTTERIES Mailing List ==== > The List for the Pottery Towns of the Ancient County of Staffordshire > >