John Martin Farndale and Bessie Stainthorpe

The grocer who emigrated to Newfoundland

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I am very grateful to John and Bessie’s grandchildren, Ramón Keith Farndale and David Graham Farndale, who helped me to tell his story.

The Grocer

John Martin Farndale was born on 4 March 1886 at 4 East Street, Loftus, the son of John Farndale, a signalman of Lofthouse and Elizabeth Farndale, formerly Featherstone. By 1901, at the age of 15, he was a grocer’s apprentice.

John Farndale’s sons, John, George, Albert and William

In 1910, he married Bessie Stainthorpe at Guisborough, when he was a store manager in Loftus. Very shortly after they were married, they emigrated to Newfoundland. Their son Raymond William Stainthorpe Farndale (1914 to 2016) was born on 23 February 1914 in Newfoundland, and Bertram Farndale was born on 24 July 1919. In June 1919, they advertised for a Good General Girl; small family; apply Mrs J M Farndale, 24 Cochrane Street. They returned briefly to England in 1923 and arrived in Liverpool on 22 September 1923 on the SS Digby. In August 1924, Bessie, Raymond and Bertram were on the passenger list sailing from Liverpool to St John’s, again on the SS Digby of the Furness Line. John Martin Farndale arrived in Liverpool from Boston, Massachusetts on 11 February 1928.

By 1935, John, then aged 49, was head of the household, a manager with a grocery department, living at 173 Gower Street, St John’s, East Ward. He lived with his wife Bessie, then aged 51, recorded as a homemaker, and their sons Raymond, aged 21, who was by then an accountant with a fishery firm and Bertram, aged 16, who was still at school. The record confirms that John and Bessie had emigrated to Newfoundland in 1910.

Gower Street, St Johns

In 1945, John M Farndale, aged 59, still a grocery manager, was living with his wife Bessie, 61, at St John’s East, 173 Gower Street. John is still shown as a manager, grocery.

On 21 April 1948 John travelled from Liverpool to St John’s onboard the ship Newfoundland. He was listed as a tourist and a stores department manager. His last address was Job Brothers, Tower Building, Liverpool.

John M Farndale, aged 64, arrived in Liverpool on 1 May 1950 from Boston, on the Newfoundland of the Furness Warren Line.

John and Betsy returned to live at 29 Church Street, Guisborough in the 1950s. On 24 October 1953 he travelled from Liverpool on the Nova Scotia bound for St John’s. His last address was 29 Church Street, Guisborough and he was shown again as a grocery manager. At this stage his country of intended future residence was shown as UK. John M Farndale, aged 68, arrived in Liverpool from Boston Massachusetts on 13 May 1954 on the Nova Scotia of the Furness Warren Line.

John Farndale (left) with his wife Betsey Farndale and sons: Raymond Farndale (back) and Bertram Farndale (right), taken in 1958

Betsy died on 30 September 1959 at 64 Park Lane Guisborough Yorkshire.

John later went to live near his son at Southampton.

John M Farndale, died age 80 at Southampton on 16 September 1966 and is buried at Southampton.

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The webpage of John Martin Farndale includes a chronology and research notes.