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MOMENTS TO REMEMBERby Eleanor S. Morton I was born In New Moston, England, a suburb of Manchester. My parents, James Henry Sudall and Elizabeth Roberts Sudall.My father worked for his father, Robert Sudall, who operated a shop which made dies and rollers for calico printing. Patterns were engraved on these copper rollers etc. My father was a hand engraver, having served his apprenticeship at the Belgrade Print Works in Darwen, Lancashire, where the family lived before moving to Manchester. Robert's sons Dick, Harry and a son-in-law Albert Baldwin all worked in the shop. I do not know how long the shop was operated, but it was before the turn of the century, when it went into bankruptcy. This was the second business venture that had failed, the first one was a Music Shop In Manchester. This was in the 1880's. There is in possession or some of the family, a sheet of music called "The Calendar Polka" which Robert Sudall gave to his customers at Christmas time. On the cover is a calendar of the year 1889, and on the back is an advertisement of all the items which were sold in the shop, such as pianos, organs, violins, clarinets, etc. When the project failed, each member of the family was allowed to have a small instrument. Harry took a violin. This instrument is still in the family. Dick and Bob took wind instruments - the trombone and the cornet. Alice took the mandolin. A piano was kept in the family and it was on this instrument that Harry taught himself to play it, with the aid of textbooks from the shop. Later on in life Harry had a four piece orchestra and played for dances, weddings, concerts etc. The boys slept In the attic. Many Sunday mornings the neighbours were aroused by their blowing on their instruments through the skylight. Uncle Dick (Richard) was in the Boer War. I'm not sure of the date of this war, but 1 remember as a little girl the day he came home. When Grandma opened the door, he put his rifle inside and picked her up right off feet and hugged and kissed her. Soon after, in 1902 the family moved to Scotland. Dad and Grandpa had jobs In Glasgow, with Duff and Towart Co. Then In 1907, Grandpa was offered a job In the the United States. There was a great demand for die cutters and hand engravers, With his knowledge, he soon became the head of the Engraving Department of the Buchanan Oil Cloth Works in Buchanan, They resided In Peekskill, a suburb. Two years later, he sent for Harry. My father left in 1909 and my mother, Arthur, Alice, Elizabeth, and I left on the S.S. Lusitania from Liverpool in October the same year. Uncle Dick who worked as a butler with a wealthy family in Ayr, Scotland, did not go with the family to America .This job took him to Algiers, Africa, in the winter and Ayr In the summertime. He fell in love with the personal maid to the Lady of the House and was engaged to marry her. But she was not ready to marry when he was, so he left in a huff for parts unknown. And Jeanie McMillan never heard from him; neither did the Sudalls hear from him. When the family was bound for America, a passenger on board recognised the name as being the same a friend of his in Philadelphia. When the family got settled, they journeyed to Philadelphia and found their son, who was now married to a Sarah McGinley. They had one son named Robert. So once wore the family was united. Robert Sudall was the son of Robert and Ann Harrison Sudall. He was born In Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire. His father left home in Yorkshire at an early age. He made his way from there carrying a pack on his back, putting in new windows and doing odd jobs. He settled In Oswaldtwistle, and later opened a glazier and plumbing shop at 82, Lord Street. He and his wife are buried in the Church Graveyard of Emmanuel Parish Church. The name Sudell was changed to Sudall when a signpainter misspelled the name. Robert Sudall II is buried in Interlachen, Florida, cemetery. When he retired in 1930, he went to Florida with his second wife. His first wife is buried in Hillside cemetery in Peekskill. She, Mary Elizabeth Roberts, died in 1925. While In Darwen, Robert, Sr. was a choirmaster. He put on cantatas, concerts etc. Also. In Scotland, he was the leader of music in the church. While there he put, on a cantata called 'Santa Claus at School'. There was a lot of songs in it and every member of the Sudall Family had a part to sing and play. Even I was in it as one of the schoolchildren. Robert, Sr., Robert Jr., Alice and Elizabeth all sang in the choir at the Peekskill Presbyterian Church. When the family got together, there was always singing around the piano. Each member had her or his own song, and with Harry at the piano, they would give quite a night of singing. My brother and I always enjoyed these concerts lying on a bear rug In front of the fireplace. One of the most pleasant memories of the Sudalls was our yearly trip to the Isle of Man the Irish Sea. The first two weeks in July known an the Bank holiday is a national holiday In Great Britain and all the Banks and shops close down and most of the people go to the shore or mountains. The five years the Sudalls were in Scotland they journeyed to the Isle of Man. We took the train to Stranraer and then the boat. One year I remember well....Alice, Elizabeth, Robert, my grandparents, plus my parents, Arthur and I started off one fine summer day, but It turned out to be a stormy voyage aboard the 'King Ori'. It rained, it was windy, and the Irish Sea was turbulent. The boat sprung a leak and listed the rest of the way. Lifebelts were distributed and rather than being below deck, my mother and brother, along with yours truly stayed on the top deck, sitting, on the gangplank. We heard a voice call us and it was my uncle Bob, who was keeping dry in one of the lifebelt bunkers. He and Elizabeth were well taken care of. They had befriended one or the officers of the ship. Dad was below deck with his parents. We would go down once in a while to see them. When we asked Grandma why didn't she come up on deck with us, she replied, 'I will stay here and go down quietly'. But we did not go down. We limped Into Douglas Harbor, drenched and thankful we made it. We returned from our vacation on the sister ship and never heard anything more of the 'King Ori'. While there, Grandpa would hire a vehicle which held the whole family, Including the Baldwins, Annie, Albert, Doris, and Harold. who would come to the resort from England. We would tour this beautiful Island and usually would stop at a Tavern and have strawberries and cream. I'm not sure of the spelling or the ship...it must be of Norwegian origin. The Isle of Man was invaded by the Vikings. These warriors when they invaded became conquerors, or kings of the land they invaded. They also invaded the northern part or England. The chief warrior would call the land he confiscated his land, such an, Oswaldtwistle, Entwistle. or Bertwistle. 'Twistle' must have meant land in Norwegian and then put his first name to it. Each warrior became king of the land lie conquered. About 1901, we lived in Lower Crumsall, a suburb of Manchester. I'm not sure if alarm clocks had been invented or we were too poor to own one but my father was awakened every work day by the rattling of metal on our window by a woman at the and or the long pole and in a racous voice, 'Come on lad, it is time to get up' These knockers were paid for their services. Each night my brother and I watched for the lamplighter, who would light the gas lamp outside of our house. He came about Daybreak to turn it off S.S. King Orry (II) Builders: R Duncan & Co, Port Glasgow 1871Propulsion type: Paddle, originally simple oscillating, later compound diagonal Owners: Isle of Man Steam Packet Co Ltd Service dates: 1871 - 1912 Tonnage: Gross 806 (later 1104)  Launched on 27 March 1871, King Orry (II) was a good looking steamer, capable of carrying 1104 passengers at just over 14 knots. She was reboilered in 1888 and received more upto date compound diagonal machinery, which added over a third to her gross registered tonnage. When she was retired from service in 1912, she had the longest serving record of any of the company's ships until that time. She was scrapped at Deeside and one of the crests from her paddle box was placed in a local hotel called the Letty Hotel. King Orry - Isle of Man Of the many Viking leaders of whom the sagas speak, the one most frequently mentioned in Man is the famous King Orry. It is said that on his landing on a clear starlit night the astonished natives asked him "where is your country?" where upon Orry drew himself up to his full height and pointed to the Milky Way: "That," he said "is the road to my country." In the Manx language it is still called King Orry's Road.The King Orry of whom the legends tell was in fact Godred Crovan who ruled from 1079 to 1095. The Gaelic form of Godred was Gorry, and this, losing its initial 'G' after the title, King, produced the familiar Orry. He is said to have got his nickname of Crovan from the fact that he always wore white gauntlets when going to war. |
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