Anderson, William Herbert (b1869)
Help please
I am looking for any information in regard to my Great Grandfather William Herbert Anderson, he was born in Guernsey Channel Islands in 1869, He lived in the Island all his life and was raised by his grandparents William Anderson and Hannah Hill, his mother and father disappeared shortlyafter his birth, it is not known what happened to them, they were both under 20 years of age and never married. William Herbert worked in the stone industry fist in the quarries and later as a steam engine machine operator, he was also a lay preacher at the Vale Avenue Methodist Chapel at the turn of the last century, I have a photograph of him with the Bible Class taken outside the chapel with a mainly female class, several of his daughters are included in the photo. I have been told that a velum memorial sheet was hung at one time in the New Road St. Sampson, Guernsey chapel. My problem is that to date I have been unable to trace any record of his service to the chapel, can anyone point me in the direction of where to look for any such ?
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Jeff, My copy of ‘Methodist Church buildings… as at July 1st, 1940’ reveals that Vale Avenue had closed by then, but also that New Road, St. Sampsons had been a Wesleyan chapel. Either way, if you follow Geoff’s advice you should have some success. The only published listing of local preachers came out in 1934, and unfortunately does not record your ancestor.
Many thanks Geoff, I am not sure which “flavour ” of methodism that they were or are. The Vale Avenue chapel did not last for very long 20 or 30 years or so is my estimation, it was converted to a cinema between the 2 world wars and is now a car showroom, I will have to do some further research next time I am in Guernsey
Jeff, Records associated with individual Methodist Churches are usually lodged with County Archives. In the case of Guernsey, birth, marriage and death registers are held by the Priaulx Library. The Guernsey Island Archive holds some minute books of church committees. A book you may find helpful is ‘Methodism in the Channel Islands’ by R.D Moore published in 1952. From your text it is not clear which ‘flavour’ of methodism the chapels you mention were attached to. I have not been able to identify them on a google search. The chapels could have been Primitive, Wesleyan or New Connexion.
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