Kerfoot and Holland Family (Pam Richardson - December 2020)
These are photos of my gt gt grandmother Mary Brown nee Kerfoot, who was born in Skelmersdale to John & Elizabeth Kerfoot nee Fildes. John was a farmer in Skelmersdale. Mary married Peter Brown, another farmer, and lived all of her life around Skelmersdale and UpHolland. I don’t know how old she was in these; she was born in 1834 and died in 1915. Her dress in the photo on the right looks quite elaborate, could this be a wedding photo? The man is unknown, could it be her father or her husband. Whoever he is he seems to be wearing quite a strange outfit.
[Editor note: the photo inscriptions may hold clues to dating. Silas Eastham is quite a well known photographer, active in Ormskirk and Southport around 1860-1870. James Millard (Wigan) was active around 1880-1900. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp88744/silas-eastham ; http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1269231/photograph-eastham-silas/ ; http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1269236/photograph-millard-james/ ; https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=5&id=4178&gallery=Market+Street%252C+Wigan&offset=0 ]
Mary and Peter Brown had 3 daughters. Elizabeth, their eldest daughter was my gt grandmother. She was born in 1853 and married my gt grandfather, John Holland, a joiner and wheelwright from UpHolland.John set up Holland’s Joinery in UpHolland, which is still in business today, although it has been taken over by a large company.
Elizabeth Holland nee Brown
John Holland with one of his daughters