The Sykes Family of
Netherthong and Honley West Riding, Yorkshire, England

Submitted by Laurence Sykes (l-sykes@sbcglobal.net)

Due to the incomplete nature of Church Records in this area of England in the eighteenth century  it is impossible to state with certainty that this family history is 100% accurate. The problem lies in the omission of the mother’s name from most birth and baptism records prior to 1800 and marriage records that do not identify the parents of the bride and groom. However, if certain assumptions and facts are taken into account the probable family line can be determined. The assumption in this case is that the early family members did not stray far from home. The facts are that the principal persons in the lineage are the only people born in the area in the appropriate time frame and that matching signatures of groom and witness on marriage records verify the family.

FIRST GENERATION – probable but not verified:

 The children were:

   + 1. George SYKES, bap. 3 Feb 1737 at Almondbury

     2. Mary SYKES, bap. 10 Nov 1739 at Honley Chapel

     3. Anne SYKES, bap. 15 Jan 1743 at Honley Chapel

     4. William SYKES, bap. 16 Nov 1745 at Honley Chapel

SECOND GENERATION:

George SYKES, bap 3 Feb 1737, married about 1763. Spouse unknown. George lived in Netherthong and worked as a clothier. Their children, born in Netherthong were:

     1. Joseph SYKES, bap. 25 Dec 1765 at Honley Chapel

     2. Betty SYKES, bap. 16 Aug 1767 at Holmfirth or Honley Chapel

     3. Sarah SYKES, bap. 21 May 1769 at Honley Chapel

     4. Jonathan SYKES, bap. 24 Feb 1771 at Honley Chapel

     5. Mally SYKES, bap. 1 May 1773 at Honley Chapel

     6. Lydia SYKES, bap. 24 Sep 1775 at Honley Chapel

     7. George SYKES, bap. 2 Nov 1777 at Honley Chapel

     8. William SYKES, bap. 23 May 1779 at Honley Chapel

  + 9. Thomas SYKES, bap. 31 Mar 1782 at Honley Chapel

THIRD GENERATION :

Thomas SYKES, bap. 31 Mar 1782 married 2 Aug 1812 in Almondbury  to Jane MORTON, nee MITE, b. 1772, d. 29 Jun 1836, widow of John MORTON (1774-1808). Jane Morton was a resident of Honley as noted in the 1811 census. She married John Morton of Honley on 7 Aug 1796. They had four known children. Thomas Sykes was born in Netherthong and after marriage worked as a clothier in Honley. Thomas SYKES and Jane MITE children were:

     1. John SYKES, b. 10Dec 1813 in Honley

     2. Joseph SYKES, b. 15 Nov 1815 at Honley

     3. George SYKES, b. Mar 1822 at Honley

FOURTH GENERATION:

     1. John SYKES, b. 10 Dec 1813, bap. 14 Jan 1814 at Honley Chapel, d. 8 Aug 1889. He was  

         a resident of Dukinfield (Stalybridge), Cheshire from at least 1841 until his death. He was

         Married three times.

         m 1. Hannah BOTTOMLEY at Saddleworth Yorkshire on 17 Apr 1836. Children:

                  A. Sarah SYKES, 1837

                  B. Columbus SYKES, (Mar 1839 – Jun 1910), a cotton spinner. Married in

                       Stockport, Cheshire to Emma WOOLEY in Sept 1859. Children:

1. Elizabeth SYKES, 1859

2. Sarah Ann SYKES, 1869

                  C. William SYKES, 1841-1842

                  D. Elizabeth SYKES, 1847

                  E. John Thomas SYKES, b.21 Sep 1854, d.26 Jun 1882

          m 2. Betty HURST ( a widow, b.1812, d.5 Jan1864) married at Ashton-under-Lyne, 

                  Lancashire on 9 Dec 1855.

          m 3. Alexa (Lexy) ROSE, b.1831, d.20 Sep 1882. Married at Ashton-under-Lyne on

                  21 Feb 1866. Their children, all born in Stalybridge were:

                   A. William SYKES, 1866

                   B. Eliza Ann SYKES, 1868

                   C. Annie SYKES, 1870

     2. Joseph SYKES, b.15 Nov 1815, bap. 3 Dec 1815, d.12 Oct 1839. All at Honley.

     3. George SYKES, bap. 17 Mar 1822 at Almondbury (born in Honley). He worked as a cotton

         power loom operator and lived in Ashton-under-Lyne and Dukinfield from before 1845

         until 1884 when he emigrated with his wife to West Mifflin Twp. Near Pittsburgh, PA to

         help raise the children of their widowed son John Sykes (see below). George married

         Elizabeth (Betty) WALKER (b.1824) at Ashton-under-Lyne on 14 Feb 1848. Of their eight

         Children six are known and three survived to adulthood:

          A.  Samuel (Walker) SYKES, b. 3 May 1846

          B.  Martha Ann SYKES, b. 31 Jan 1849

          C.  John SYKES, b. 13 Feb 1853

          D.  Betty SYKES, b. 6 Apr 1855

          E.  Lavina Ann SYKES, b. 16 Sep 1856

          F.  Sarah Jane SYKES, b. 8 Aug 1858

FIFTH GENERATION, SIXTH AND SEVENTH GENERATIONS:
        

A.  Samuel (Walker) SYKES b.3 May 1846, d.1 Oct 1851 Dukinfield, Cheshire.

B.     Martha Ann SYKES, b.31 Jan 1849. Married to Edward TIPPING on 14 Jun 1867 at

Ashton-under-Lyne. Their children:

1. Sarah Jane TIPPING, 1869

2. Richard TIPPING, 1874

3. Marie TIPPING, 1877

4. Edward TIPPING, Jr., 1879

5. Martha Ann TIPPING, 1881

6. John Sykes TIPPING, 1884

John SYKES, b.13 Feb 1853, d.24 May 1914. Married  to Ann LEES (b. 9 Jan 1855, d.21 Jun 1883)  on 24 Mar 1873 at Ashton-under-Lyne.

 John worked as a coal miner. He lived in Dukinfield, Cheshire from birth until 1882 when he emigrated with his family to West Mifflin, PA (near Pittsburgh) via Montreal.

Their children:

1.      Joseph HAYES (SYKES),b. 4 May 1873 in Ashton-u-Lyne, d.3Mar 1946,  Married Lillie ROUNSLEY, 1902 in DuBois, PA.

2.      George SYKES, 19 Apr 1877. Since I am descended from George Sykes, his family will be elaborated at the end of the John Sykes family listing.

3.      John SYKES, b.3 Jan 1879 in Dukinfield, d.1954. Married Nell BRADDOCK, 1903 in PA. Their children:

a.       Mildred, 1 Jun 1904

b.      John 1907

c.       William, Nov 1916

4.      Elizabeth Anne SYKES, b.8 Jan 1881 in Dukinfield. Married Samuel MOSS in PA in 1900. Their children:

a.       Hazel MOSS 19 May 1901

b.      Clarence MOSS1903

c.       Samuel MOSS1905

d.      Edward Lewis MOSS1907

e.       Clara Elizabeth  MOSS 17 Feb 1911

f.        Gladys MOSS

g.       John MOSS

5.      Clara SYKES, b.31 Oct 1882 in Montreal, QC, Canada. Married to Richard

DAVIS in PA in 1903. Their children:

a.       Howard DAVIS, 1904

b.      Edgar DAVIS, 1906,

c.       Carl (Foxy) DAVIS, 23 Feb 1909

d.      Richard DAVIS, Jr.

2.      George SYKES from above, b.19 Apr 1877 in Dukinfield., d.14 Feb 1925   in Dravosburg, PA. Married 26 Jul 1899 in McKeesport, PA to Anne Elizabeth HOWELL, b.25 Jul 1880, d.31 Mar 1978. George Sykes owned and operated a hotel in Dravosburg, PA. Their children:

a.       William George SYKES b.25 Feb 1901, d. 5Jan 1983. Married  Virginia JACKSON, and Willa FISHER. No children.

                                    b..  Violet Rae SYKES, b.7 Apr 1903, d. 28Feb 1999. Married George

                                           KELLY. No children

b.      Ethel MAE SYKES,b. 7 Apr 1903, d.28 Dec 1984. Married Albert

PETERSON. Their children:

1.      Glenn PETERSON, b. 7 Jul, 1928

2.      Joan PETERSON, b.23 Nov 1930, d.7 Nov 1995.

c.       Carl Lewis SYKES, b.17 Aug 1904, d.31 Jul 1991. Married to Helen

(Name withheld) 22 Jun 1927. Carl worked as a chemist for U.S. Steel. Their children:

1.      Robert Thomas SYKES, b. 16 May 1928, d.5 Aug 2006.

2.      Donna Jeanne SYKES, b.5 Apr 1933

3.      Laurence Dale SYKES, b. 12 Oct 1935

4.      Marian Carol SYKES, b. 25 Jul 1939

D.     Betty SYKES, b. 6Apr 1855, d. 14 Dec 1855 in Ashton-under Lyne

E.      Lavina Ann SYKES, b.16 Sep 1856 Ashton-under-Lyne. Married Thomas CUERDEN on 3 May 1875 at Ashton-under-Lyne.  Thomas died before 1901 and Lavina Ann married John William Taylor in 1903. All her children were with Thomas. They are:

1.      Lavina Ann CUERDEN, b. 1878

2.      Bertha CUERDEN, b. 1880

3.      Annie CUERDEN, b. 1883

4.      Thomas CUERDEN, b. 1886

5.      Lillian CUERDEN, b. 1888

6.      James CUERDEN, b. 1892

           F.  Sarah Jane SYKES, b.8 Aug 1858, d.17 Feb 1874. Both in Dukinfield.