THE "BROOK" FAMILY
An Introduction, by Robert Gerald Brook
Robert Goldthorpe Brook, Photo by Jos. Frank Cooper, St. Helens, Lancashire
It is appropriate to begin where my research began, and that is with the man (above), that I have been absolutely fascinated with since my childhood years. This interest originated with some objects which on their own carried more information in them than had ever been spoken about by family. The first of these items is a silver plated cup which was given to me on the occasion of my birth by my grandfather, Robert Goldthorpe Brook. The inscription reads "To R.G. Brook from his Grandfather R.G.B. March 22, 1959". My Grandfather received this cup on the occasion of his birth from his Grandfather, Robert Goldthorpe Brook (my Great-Great Grandfather). The inscription for this original gift reads "To R.G. Brook from His Grandfather R.G.B. 1891".
The second set of items are two rather extensive journals dated 1884 which were handwritten by my Great, Great Grandfather. These journals document his travels throughout North America after having arrived to attend the Annual General Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science which was held in Montreal, Quebec in Canada. These journals, wrapped in brown postal paper were stored in the linen closet of our home throughout my growing years. My mother, Dorothy Marcelle Brook (nee Anderson), read these journals with much fascination, and shared some of the information they contained with me. There were family rumours that R.G. Brook had met and photographed the infamous Indian Chief Sitting Bull - a native who it was said, posed for very few photographs during his lifetime. The journals are filled with notations documenting North American life, personal experiences during the excursion, and a wide variety of newspaper clippings, itineraries, receipts, map cuttings, political campaign items, a handwritten IOU, American politically motivated comics, and a wonderful collection of original photographic prints taken by R.G. Brook.
These journals are now secured in a fire-proof safe. They were written on an acid-based paper, and as such the bindings have all but deteriorated and the pages themselves must be handled with incredible care to prevent any further damage as they are brittle, broken edged, and sadly in danger of being destroyed all together. Time has not been good to these incredible publications, and the cost to restore them by neutralizing the acidity of the pages and having the books rebound is prohibitively into the thousands of dollars.
The silver plated cup originating in 1891 - Photo by R.G. Brook
These journals are now secured in a fire-proof safe. They were written on an acid-based paper, and as such the bindings have all but deteriorated and the pages themselves must be handled with incredible care to prevent any further damage as they are brittle, broken edged, and sadly in danger of being destroyed all together. Time has not been good to these incredible publications, and the cost to restore them by neutralizing the acidity of the pages and having the books rebound is prohibitively into the thousands of dollars.
The silver plated cup originating in 1891 - Photo by R.G. Brook
You can navigate through the Brook Family information by selecting the "continue" option found at the very bottom of each page. This would be my recommended manner to ensure that you gain access to ALL of the information presented on a 'page by page' basis. The options immediately below this paragraph will guide you directly to the pages with the posted information. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think! You can post a note or thought on the Brook Blog - see the link below!
R.G. Brook & Co. Ironmongers
R.G. Brook Visits North America in 1884
The Death of R.G.Brook
St. Helens Cemetery
Wolverhampton House
RGBrook Photos of Sherdley Estate in Sutton
RGBrook Photos of Speke Hall in Liverpool
The Florence Maybrick Trial
The Jack the Ripper Diary
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Charles & Ellen, Robert, Marie, Doris & Charles Brook
Robert & Violet, Robert, Elizabeth, John & Douglas Brook
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Robert & Dorothy, John & Robert Brook
John & Ruth Brook
Elizabeth & William, Patricia & William Keir
Douglas & Ann, Douglas, Janis & Wayne Brook
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The Family Tree Diagram
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Credits and Contacts
R.G. Brook Visits North America in 1884
The Death of R.G.Brook
St. Helens Cemetery
Wolverhampton House
RGBrook Photos of Sherdley Estate in Sutton
RGBrook Photos of Speke Hall in Liverpool
The Florence Maybrick Trial
The Jack the Ripper Diary
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Charles & Ellen, Robert, Marie, Doris & Charles Brook
Robert & Violet, Robert, Elizabeth, John & Douglas Brook
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Robert & Dorothy, John & Robert Brook
John & Ruth Brook
Elizabeth & William, Patricia & William Keir
Douglas & Ann, Douglas, Janis & Wayne Brook
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The Family Tree Diagram
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Credits and Contacts
PLEASE READ BEFORE CONTINUING: It is important to note that the information provided throughout the Brook family portion of this website has been obtained from numerous sources. Wherever possible, the appropriate credits have been applied to all photographs shown. Further credits recognizing individuals and organizations who have provided assistance in obtaining this information are either documented within the website page or can be seen by clicking here.
When one say's "I'm going to narrow down my family tree", they couldn't be more wrong. When researching ancestral roots, a family tree becomes larger with each generation uncovered. Record keeping becomes more cloudy the further back in time we go. Today's standards for documenting births, deaths, marriages, etc. are most accurate, however my research has uncovered just the opposite. Birth dates will differ for the same person depending on the document. Death records usually indicate burial date and age at death which only provides the researcher with an "approximate" year of birth. The spelling of names is another frustrating example of poor record keeping in the past. Many times those involved in gathering census information were in need of work. Many of those people had poor handwriting skills or their spelling may not have been as accurate as we would have hoped. Some names and towns were documented incorrectly because they were not heard correctly. I have experienced all this with my research so far, and at times it was quite difficult to ascertain whether or not I was headed in the right direction resulting in even further research. It was also common for people to change their names, for instance, Robert Goldthorpe Brook's mother's maiden name was Goldthorp (no "e"). His second wife has two different spellings for Catherine, the original being "Katherine" upon her birth in Ireland, but documented with a "C" with her burial records. Many Maiden names were not documented for women either it seems. Given differing names, birth dates and places, you can see why it might be difficult to know whether you're actually looking at the records of an ancestor or not. Many family tree records found at the genealogical website ancestry.ca contain a wealth of information, but they have all been researched by those families independently. This has resulted in further confusion with family history as deceased children have not been recorded, dates differ, names are spelled differently, and places of birth might also not be consistent. Much of what has been entered with these websites has been done so out of memory; "I'm sure her middle name was Ellen, and I remember her telling me she was born in Essex", when in fact the middle name was "Helen" and she was born in "Sussex". This is just a wild example to make a point.
All this being said, the information provided by me here is as accurate as I can attest to. My research is far from complete, and in the event I uncover conflicting information or need to revise something already posted, I promise to update it immediately. The pictures shown throughout this site can be viewed in their original size by clicking on them with your mouse. I would also encourage you to contact me with any additional information you can provide that would benefit the information shared in this website. Please ensure that the information you supply is accurate. If you have family pictures to add, stories to tell, or any corrections for me, please let me know about those also by clicking here.
Thank you everyone and do enjoy, after all it's all about "us"!
When one say's "I'm going to narrow down my family tree", they couldn't be more wrong. When researching ancestral roots, a family tree becomes larger with each generation uncovered. Record keeping becomes more cloudy the further back in time we go. Today's standards for documenting births, deaths, marriages, etc. are most accurate, however my research has uncovered just the opposite. Birth dates will differ for the same person depending on the document. Death records usually indicate burial date and age at death which only provides the researcher with an "approximate" year of birth. The spelling of names is another frustrating example of poor record keeping in the past. Many times those involved in gathering census information were in need of work. Many of those people had poor handwriting skills or their spelling may not have been as accurate as we would have hoped. Some names and towns were documented incorrectly because they were not heard correctly. I have experienced all this with my research so far, and at times it was quite difficult to ascertain whether or not I was headed in the right direction resulting in even further research. It was also common for people to change their names, for instance, Robert Goldthorpe Brook's mother's maiden name was Goldthorp (no "e"). His second wife has two different spellings for Catherine, the original being "Katherine" upon her birth in Ireland, but documented with a "C" with her burial records. Many Maiden names were not documented for women either it seems. Given differing names, birth dates and places, you can see why it might be difficult to know whether you're actually looking at the records of an ancestor or not. Many family tree records found at the genealogical website ancestry.ca contain a wealth of information, but they have all been researched by those families independently. This has resulted in further confusion with family history as deceased children have not been recorded, dates differ, names are spelled differently, and places of birth might also not be consistent. Much of what has been entered with these websites has been done so out of memory; "I'm sure her middle name was Ellen, and I remember her telling me she was born in Essex", when in fact the middle name was "Helen" and she was born in "Sussex". This is just a wild example to make a point.
All this being said, the information provided by me here is as accurate as I can attest to. My research is far from complete, and in the event I uncover conflicting information or need to revise something already posted, I promise to update it immediately. The pictures shown throughout this site can be viewed in their original size by clicking on them with your mouse. I would also encourage you to contact me with any additional information you can provide that would benefit the information shared in this website. Please ensure that the information you supply is accurate. If you have family pictures to add, stories to tell, or any corrections for me, please let me know about those also by clicking here.
Thank you everyone and do enjoy, after all it's all about "us"!
