48 Boundary Lane (between the banana warehouse where they still used horses and carts and a pub) was my parents home till 1951. When I was 4, my dad took me to live with Grandma Rice in Stonefield Road, Dovecot.
Gran Ada Rice nee Lucas hailed from Cromarty Road and had 12 kids. One died of diphtheria when she was 4, her first name become my middle name. Gran's eldest son at the age of 18, emigrated to Canada with her mum and siblings, where they lived and worked on a dirt farm.
My daughter Joanne and her friend went on a road trip to Scotland where they visited a medium, he asked Joanne who Sarah was, she was watching over her constantly! None of us, including the wider family knew who Sarah was. It came to light through Laurie Zimmerman-Hopf, the Canadian cousin, that Sarah was my Gran Rice's mum, her full name was Sarah Alice Lucas nee Grace whose farming family had once rented Speke Hall for 50 to 60 years!
Tour guides at the Hall knew a lot about the Grace family ancestry. They gave us details of Primrose Agbamu nee Grace, she has written books about the family and holds regular meetings in Gaston for Grace descendants. It turns out the Grace's are one of the oldest family's in Liverpool, I've traced them back to the 1500's. The Grace's also had a forest named after them, of which John Lennon airport is now built over!
Great Gran Sarah once lived in Bostock Street, and her husband, Great Granddad Peter William Lucas may have had connections with the Feeney's who also lived there.
- Sylvia Bennett
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