genealogy2

		What Frank found out about the Murfin-Shaws
Famous ancestor on the Biggin-Shaw line, Elizabeth Lee, Romany		Frank's father was Stanley Frank Shaw, his mother Mary Ann Garfitt. Stanley Frank was one of five brothers, sons of Joseph William Murfin Shaw, village blacksmith at Norton, a small village situated between Sheffield in the North and Chesterfield in the South. Norton is one of a group of villages - Greenhill, Woodseats, Lowedges, Maugherhay - populated by the characters in the family tree. There was a tradition of connection with the parish church of Norton - St. James, Joseph William in particular having a long history of service as verger and bellringer, in which his son Thomas Birch Murfin Shaw succeeded him. In all this family clocked up 120 years of continuous service to the parish.
Stanley Frank, son of Joseph William Murfin Shaw		Frank grew up not knowing much of the Shaw brothers - his father, Stanley Frank, having entered the police service, there was much movement in young Frank's life, and he eventually settled in Shipley, Yorkshire, quite a way from Norton Village. So when he began to trace the family he was at a disadvantage. Frank's mother, Mary Ann Garfitt, was the daughter of Henry Garfitt and Sarah Bone. Henry was a collector of rents, but seems to have considered himself a cut above the working class Murfin Shaws, since he was disappointed at his daughter's choice, and it definitely did not have his approval. Mary Ann however had fallen for the swarthy good looks and fine physique of the young Stanley Frank, and would not be discouraged. It is understood she married without her parents' blessing, which must have been very hard in those times. Actually, she might well have been pregnant. That was not unusual in those days.
The Five Trebles - my grandad, Stanley Frank, centre front		The unfortunate Mary Ann did not survive long after giving birth to young Frank. He was 3 years old when she died, aged 21, in September 1919. The Garfitts attempted to claim Frank back into their family, and he lived with them for a while, but when Stanley Frank married Eliza Blackburn the following July, he needed young Frank home to make the family complete. Amid tears and protestations from Grandma Garfitt, Frank returned to live with his father and stepmother. Three more children followed - Joseph in 1921, Hilda in 1923, Raymond in 1926. All bore the raven tresses of their Romany forebears - and Eliza was pretty dark herself, adding to the swarthiness of their skins.
Click here for pictures of Murfin-Shaw ancestors at www.webshots.com		Stanley Frank was the youngest of the five Shaw brothers, who were all members of Norton Parish Choir, and in 1900 they won the World Championship for five treble singers. In the picture the two smaller ones at the front are: Walter Richardson (left), Stanley Frank (centre). The taller ones at the back are: Bertrand Lee Murfin (left), Arthur Murfin (known as Black Bob) (centre), William Birch Murfin (right). Approximate ages: Walter 12, Stanley 9, Bertrand 19, Arthur 17, William 15. They had a sister, Ethel Mary, who would have been 6 at this time.
Joseph William Murfin Shaw in old age		Joseph William Murfin Shaw, the village blacksmith, was a man of whom many tales are told. How he once rode a horse into the pub for a bet. How he carried a mangle some distance for a sixpenny bet. He was quite a character - friend of the rector, and the only man Old Mrs Bagshawe at the Hall would allow onto her premises - she summoned him to shoe her horses. His wife, Rosetta Biggin, has two Romany Lees in her line - her mother, Hannah Lee, and her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Lee, born 1799, pictured above - from a portrait in the family's possession. Joe and Rosetta were great dancers.
		Frank did not know about the Murfin connection, and found himself, only two generations back, stuck at his grandfather Joseph William, whom be believed to have been called Shaw. So he was, but the great Shaw mystery (where did they come from?) was only solved when Frank's researches led him to Norton Church and the vicar told him of 'two ladies' who had been asking the same questions only recently. These ladies turned out to be Mrs Winifred Wildgoose and Mrs Dollan Foster - daughters of William Birch Murfin Shaw, and therefore Frank's cousins, though he had not to his knowledge met them before. They told him that their (and his) grandfather Joseph William had been born a Murfin. He was the son of Thomas Murfin and Martha Birch, and this Thomas was the son of Dennis Murphy - and that is where the line stops. It is possible Dennis came over from Ireland, but no one so far has uncovered any facts in this direction. The Shaw connection came about when Martha, being widowed at an early age with two children - Joseph William and Eliza - remarried a widower, Thomas Shaw. They produced between them another five children, and it must have been natural that Joseph William would take Thomas Shaw's name. That this was never legally done is shown by his name being entered as Murfin both on his marriage certificate and his children's birth certificates, though he was always known as Shaw.
		No information has ever been found of the death of Thomas Murfin. There is a family oral tradition that he was hanged for a rape, which he did not commit, someone else later confessing to it. But no record of the crime has been found. A soldier named Thomas Murphy aged 25 died of epilepsy in Nether Hallam Barracks in 1856, and this is the only record of a death around that time that would fit. However, Thomas Murfin's occupation was never given as soldier, only as tailor and coachman. There is no record of the burial of this soldier at Norton, nor is he buried at the barracks, so I think he was returned to his home to be buried, which was in some other place.
		One interesting fact emerged from Frank's research - we seem to come from a long line of file cutters. I am not sure exactly what a file cutter did, but it looks likely they were connected with the blacksmith trade. Thanks to Frank and to Dollan and Winnie for all their hard work on behalf of us all. Frank Shaw, A.C.W.A. of Bingley died Nov 14 1996. His ashes are scattered on the riverbank at Appletreewick, one of his favourite walks

email		Many more pictures of the people mentioned here can be found on Webshots Community Pages. and the family tree (GEDCOM file) is posted at the Shaw Family Site on www.myfamily.com. The direct link is here Family members have the password. If you want it, email me