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  Alnwick / Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Rennison family history

 
 
  As some of you may know Susan is only two generations removed from English relatives.  Her father's mother, Hilda Rennison by birth, known to her family as Omey, was born in Whitley Bay, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1900.  She immigrated to the U.S. via Ellis Island in 1907.  We took this chance of living in England to go visit where she lived as a child and to learn more about Susan's family history.
 
 
 
 
To begin the Rennison history you must begin in Alnwick.  This is where Omey's father, William, and his father, George, were born.  The most famous person in Alnwick is the Duke of Northumberland, who owns the Castle there and also much of the land.  George was the gamekeeper for the Duke in the 1850s and 60s.  This is the entrance to the game park called Hulne Park that is owned by the Duke.
 
 
After a 45 minute walk into the park we found the home where Susan's great-great grandfather William was born in 1863.  It is on one of the highest hills in the park called Brizlee and the views overlook miles of Northumberland.
 
 
About 500 meters from this gamekeepers house is the Brizlee tower a beautiful old monument built hundreds of years ago.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We then traveled into the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne...
 
 
This is St. Dominic's Roman Catholic Church.  The location where Susan's great-great grandparents, William and Louisa, were married in 1896.
 

 

After some luck in our research at the records center we learned the location of Louisa's baptism in 1870.  We then went and found it -- this is St. Michael Church in Byker, a part of Newcastle.  It is long since abandoned and actually quite well hidden behind council homes now.

 

We moved on in Newcastle to find West Jesmond.

Omey lived in West Jesmond with her family in 1907 when William decided to move his family to the United States.  They lived here, on Forsyth Road 100 years ago this month.

 

 
 
 
 
Based on notes written by Omey's brother Oswald they lived at number 32 Forsythe Road, that would be this door on the left.
 
 
We finished this trip to Newcastle after many thoughts of family, the past and our history by looking at things more recent in Newcastle like this - The Angel of the North - built in 1998 it is very impressive as it welcomes thousands of people into Newcastle each day.  It is 178 feet across and made of steel weighing over 110 tones.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Holding 110 tones in the palm of your hand....