THE hunt is on to find descendants of a local man who is buried in Australia.
An appeal on social media to track down relatives of William Barlow has sparked a reaction.
And the woman who made it, Marieke Mosley, has even put her husband John’s brother David back in contact with one of his old school friends.
Marieke posted the image of the gravestone, which stands at the White Hills Cemetery, Bendigo, in the Australian state of Victoria.
It read: ‘William Barlow, who died at California Gully, 9th Sept 1876 aged 43 years, native of Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England,’
She said: “It caught my husband’s eye as he is from Stalybridge and Ashton.
“This is in the gold field area in Bendigo, called California Gully. The cemetery is at White Hills, close by.”
So far responses have come from former residents of the area now living as far apart as Shetland and Ballarat, which is about 50 miles from the graveyard.
And one of them has seen old school friends made aware of where each other lives, with the possibility they could get in contact again.
• If you have any clues as to where any of William Barlow’s descendants may live, or if you are one yourself, you can contact Marieke via www.facebook.com/groups/570355266375643/permalink/3301445219933287/
