Annie Richardson

my Great Aunt, lived at one Mount Pisgah, Otley for the whole of her life - 1872 to 1947.

Great Grandfather John W Richardson worked at Otley Mills and became an overlooker, so the family would be relatively prosperous. One Mount Pisgah is a double fronted end terrace in a double row of workers' houses, and at the time of the 1901 census was home to 4 people: John,Annie, younger sister Kate & younger brother James. My Grandma was already away, in Harrogate, in domestic service. Annie's mother died early, so this may explain why Annie never had a regular job, and why she was able to go America on a trip which was intended to last four months but ended up as four years.


                    1930's                                                                     1920's

One feature of Annie's notebook is the number & variety of Musical events which she attended in America. It's fair to say that the Richardsons were a family of music appreciators. Only Great Grandad (conductor of Otley Tonic Sol Fa Choir) , and great Aunt Kate (School teacher, pianist, Church Organist, singer in light opera and a founder member of Otley Choral Society) had memorable musical activities.

As for the American connection, we know very little. Family tradition has it that Sam was in business in dry cleaning, and that Laura had money. They were certainly used to a much higher spending lifestyle than was Annie, and it seems likely that they subsidised the entire trip. It is also pretty clear from the notebook, though never explicitly stated, that Sam and Laura took Annie with them when they returned from a visit to Yorkshire.


Read Annie's American Notebook


The notebook item which originally roused my curiosity was the somewhat cryptic reference to Ottley Cranston, the 'famous Opera Singer' from Otley. I have been able to find out a little more about him, and you can read it here:


Information on Ottley Cranston