Canadian Searching for Relatives in Croydon
A woman from Canada is appealing to Croydon residents to help trace her ancestors who are from the borough.
Martha Walker is hoping Heritage readers will be able to help in her search for her family who hail from the borough.
Mrs Walker, whose maiden name is Bishop, wants to hear from anyone who is a descendent or friend of her grandfather's family and is urging people to write to her.
She said; "My grandfather was Walter Ross Bishop, Captain in the Royal West Surrey Regiment. He married Clara Balfour in 1887, and died the following year. They had one son, also named Walter Ross Bishop, who was my father.
"My father emigrated to Canada, married a girl from Nottingham, and raised a large family.
"My grandfather had three brothers Howard, Oliver and Alfred, all of whom married between 1878 and 1895, and Oliver and Alfred had children. I have no information about Howard's family. I believe that the Bishop men remained in or around Croydon. I do know that Alfred lived in Purley up until the early 1950s.
'"My grandfather Bishop also had two sisters, neither of whom married. When I was a child, I corresponded with one of them up until 1951.
"Clara Balfour had one brother named James. James married and had two daughters. Clara remarried and immigrated to Canada in 1906.
I would greatly appreciate hearing from anyone who is a descendant of these families or from anyone who knew them. I should very much like to find a living relative and to discover whether any other family members made their way to Canada."
Contact Martha via email at r-m.walker at sympatco.ca or write to her at BOX 793, Ingleside, Ontario. K0C lM0, Canada.