John Wardle Family History
Family Tree
A summary Family Tree (as far as has been researched) is shown below.
John Wardle family tree 200302Family Story
John Wardle was born in Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Manchester on 27th June 1854, the second of 6 children of Robert Wardle, an engine fitter in the woollen industry. After schooling,John Wardle was apprenticed aged 13 to Edward Wadsworth as an organ-builder. At the age of 22, he came to Aberdeen in 1877, and lived in Aberdeen for a number of years.
The exact motivation for John to move from Oldham to Aberdeen in 1877 is not documented. However, prior to his arrival there was only one ‘organ-builder’ in the Aberdeen area, one Joseph Wishart, Joseph died, aged 71 on 3rd October 1876. It would appear that he only repaired and tuned organs rather than building new ones. There are certain articles which suggest that the organists in Aberdeen were concerned that there was then no resident organ builder in the city or shire. So it is probable that Edward Wadsworth heard of these concerns, and dispatched his young journeyman organbuilder to see what he could achieve. John did help out at St Paul’s, Loch Street church during a organist vacancy, so probably became known as a competent musician as well as being an organ builder with a manufacturer’s background and support.
Curiously, the first Wadsworth installation in Scotland was in May 1879 for St Bride’s Episcopal Church, Ballachulish, Argyll, on the opposite side of Scotland, and very long journey from Aberdeen, even today. Whether or not John was involved in that installation is unknown.
On 26th January 1882, having installed the organ at St James and played it for the first time on 21st December 1881, he was appointed Organist and Choirmaster there, a position he held for the rest of his life, some 58 years. Later that year, on 24th August 1882, he brought his young wife, Ellen, with him to Aberdeen after their marriage in Oldham. Their first child was born 11 months later.
In about 1892, he and Ellen, with their now three sons, William Geoffrey, John Cecil, and Arthur Wrigley moved to Ingleside, a new large house in Bath Street, Stonehaven. They stayed there until about 1916, by which time the boys had grown up. John and Ellen, with son John, moved into Aberdeen, to 449 Great Western Road, probably so as to be much nearer the workshop which John had set up in Hardgate in the centre of Aberdeen.
- His eldest son, William Geoffrey did not follow his father’s musical career, but became an insurance broker, and married and moved to England before 1918.
- His second son, John Cecil, did however, follow his father’s footsteps as an organbuilder, and living, unmarried, with his parents in the same house in Aberdeen until his own death in 1955.
- His third son, Arthur Wrigley, tragically died in the Spanish ‘flu outbreak in October 1919, only four months after marrying Margaret, and before the birth of his son, also Arthur Wrigley Wardle. He grew up to become a quarry master in Aberdeenshire, and some of his family still live locally.
More detailed genealogy
The charts below show the fuller set of information researched about the Wardle family.
John Wardle family tree 200302 enlarged page 1John Wardle family tree 200302 enlarged page 5