Gertrude BROADHURST was born 1887 in Leigh, Lancashire, England. She is the fifth of eleven siblings to Richard BROADHURST and Sarah Ann JONES. On 09 Nov 1907, 20 year old Gertrude married Arthur ADAMS (b 05 Mar 1887, Manchester, Lancashire) in St Matthew Church in Blackburn, Lancashire.

Gertrude and Arthur had four children:

1. Jessie (b 1908, England; married Clarence HOKE)
2. Arthur (b 1911, England, died 17 October 1984)
3. Gertrude (b 1913, Massachusetts; married Charles SNOW)
4. William H. (b 1915, New York)

1891 England Census. Gertrude’s family lived at 2 Spadescroft (sp?) in the civil parish of Crompton, Lancashire. His father, Richard BROADHURST, was a farm laborer and siblings Fanny (14) and Annie (12) were cotton mill workers. Crompton was a major cotton mill town.

1901 England Census. Sixteen year old Gertrude lived in the family’s Peel Street home. She was now employed as a “cotton card room hand.” Nine of the eleven siblings remained at home. Two older sisters had married and moved out by this time. Fannie CROSSLEY nee Broadhurst and Sarah WOODWARD nee Broadhurst both lived in Haslingden, Lancashire.

To America – 1910. Gertrude is aboard the S.S. Canada sailing from Liverpool, England on 03 March 1910 and arriving 10 days later in Portland, Maine on 12 March 1910. With her are her daughter Jessie, her older brother John Richard BROADHURST along with his wife, Edith Mary and their infant son Harold. According to the ship manifest the group was headed to their older sister Sarah WOODWARD’s (nee Broadhurst) house at 30 Payne St, Dover, New Hampshire.

Arthur ADAMS first comes to America a few months later. He takes the S.S. Saxonia from Liverpool on 10 May 1910 and arrives into Boston on 19 May 1910. He is headed to his wife’s residence now at 18 Second Street, Lowell, MA. It’s noted on the manifest that he has $30, that Gertrude paid for his passage and that his next of kin in England is his father, “Mr. Adams” residing at ? 14 South St, Midland, ? (mostly unintelligible).

1910 US Census. At the time of the census, Gertrude (24) and her infant daughter Jessie lived with her older sister’s family the CROSSLEYs in Lowell, MA at 18 Second Street. In the household were: Frank CROSSLEY (36), Frances M CROSSLEY nee Broadhurst (33), Elizabeth CROSSLEY (10), and two boarders, James E Hughes (20) and Boyd MUNSY (24). In 1917, James E. Hughes marries Violet BROADHURST. Gertrude works in a cotton mill at census time as a “velvet (looks like) coater.”

Back to America -1912. A return trip is recorded on the S.S. Megantic from Liverpool. Leaving on 06 February, 1912, Gertrude ADAMS, Jessie and for the first time infant son Arthur arrive in Boston on Valentine’s Day, again with John Richard’s family. Her destination is Lowell, MA the residence of her husband, Arthur ADAMS at 18 Second St., Lowell, MA. Gertrude’s occupation is noted as “housewife.” She lists “Mrs. Adams” at 14 South Street, Manchester as here nearest relative in England.

The 1920 US Census. 543 Main Street, New Hartford, NY was the home to this Adams family in 1920. They rented and at home were the for Adams children; Jessie, Arthur Jr., Gertrude and William H. Arthur is a “tooler” in a corduroy mill. No one else in the family is employed.

The 1930 US Census. The family still lives at the 543 Main Street home which is noted in the census that they rent for $20 a month. Daughter Jessie is no longer at home. Arthur’s occupation is “velvet tooler” in a cotton mill, Gertrude a “velvet cutter” in the mill and 19 year old Arthur Jr. is helper in a hotel. Daughter Gertrude (17) is not employed and William H. (14) is a student.

Summer Fun. The couple owned the Adams Green Top Cabins in Alexandria Bay where they spent their summers. The only information known about this at this time is from their obituaries.

The deaths of Gertrude and Arthur. 66 year old Arthur ADAMS died on 21 June 1953 in New Hartford, NY. The family lived on Seneca Turnpike at the time of his death. Arthur left an estate with a net value of $18,877.17 which had the buying power of $148,634.74 in 2009 dollars. By August 1954, Gertrude moved to nearby Clinton, NY, probably to the home of her daughter Jessie, now Mrs. Clarence HOKE. (obituary)

Gertrude ADAMS nee Broadhurst died nearly 12 years later on Tuesday, 11 May 1965 at 78 years old. She passed away in the Masonic Hospital in Utica, NY. She had been a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Clark Mills, the Utica chapter OES and past president of the Daughters of St. George. Gertrude is buried in Grandview Cemetery in Whitesboro, NY.