Ancestry Connection to Bishop Auckland

The main draw to Bishop Auckland is the marriage of my great-great grandparents, Robert Grey and Susan (Dodd) Grey in 1872. My Grandma Scheffert visited this town during her 1988 trip to England, so I knew I wanted to visit, as well.

Here's Great-Great Grandma Grey. She emigrated to America and lived, died, and is buried in Blackstone, Illinois.

I was hoping to find the church where the two were married. Unfortunately as time passes, properties change...which is exactly what's happened to the location of their wedding.

The two were married at the Primitive Methodist Church in Bishop Auckland. While we don't have an exact photo of the church before it was demolished, this is one that my grandma found outside of Bishop Auckland that resembles what the church would've looked like in 1872.

The caption on the back of this photo says, "8/11/88 North of Bishop Auckland a few miles. Plaque says, 'Primitive Methodist Church 1871,' so perhaps how the grandparents knew it."

Aunt Edith (Grandma's sister) said in 1988 that they were told this ruined church was set to be demolished. I was hoping I'd be able to find it, but it's likely gone now and I'm not sure how I would find it anyway.

Grandma was sent the photo of the chapel below from a Rev. Laurence Turner in Bishop Auckland as part of her research. I suppose this is what the church looked like in 1869 and also in 1872 when Robert and Susan married.

The Primitive Methodist became Elim Pentecostal and Grandma and Aunt Edith stood on the spot in 1988.

The caption on the back of this photo says, "8/11/88 Bishop Auckland, County Durham - Site of the marriage of Susan Dodd and Robert Grey. This church was built about 1974; the original was bought from the Primitive Methodist congregation in 1941."

When I searched for "Elim Pentecostal in Bishop Auckland," the website has that exact name, but links you to a different church, the Gibbon Street Christian Community Centre. I figured that this is the next iteration of the church, so I ventured to visit the site, which is at the corner of Gibbon and Tenters Streets.

Google Maps is the best. I wouldn't be able to do this trip without it. It led me right to the church as it stands today. When I walked over the little hill and saw it straight ahead of me, I teared up. It looks quite different, but I was ecstatic to find that the brick wall is the same as when my grandma visited.

Can you see the brick wall is the same as the photo above?

I stood around and reflected for a bit. Would I exist if these two had not been married? It's crazy that they were married here, but then came to Illinois as I know it. I wish my Grandma Scheffert was here to see that the spot is still somewhat the same.

This was such a fun part of the day!

Here's a copy of their marriage certificate that my grandma got in 1988.