Forest of Dean FHT Forum

Back to the forum index

Linear

I am searching for information on George Cook, baptized in Mitcheldean in 1829, who was the son of James Cook, a blacksmith in Mitcheldean, and his wife Sarah.

I believe this George Cook was my great-great grandfather,a blacksmith, who in 1852 married my great-great grandmother, Constance Green, in Aston Ingham. George and Constance Green Cook (who later lived in various places, including Welland and Malvern), along with their children, emigrated to America ca. 1870.

Any information about the subsequent life of George Cook baptized in Mitcheldean in 1829 would help me confirm that this was indeed my g-g-grandfather, and that Mitcheldean was his birthplace.

With thanks.

4995 views

Hi,
Forgive me but I'm slightly unsure as to your question. I suspect from your post that you have already found the relevant PRs from the site's database. Have you also searched this forum for prior related threads ?. This one may well add further detail to your tree.
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=18703

particularly Machor's post which includes the following:

re James Cook...
"The 1841 Census shows him (59) blacksmith living with his wife Sarah (52) sons William (17) labourer, George (12) and daughter Emilina (9) at Towns End Street Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire."

On re-reading your post I realise you're asking for more information about George's life AFTER emigrating to America, so well beyond this site's PRs. If so then sadly the only help I can offer wrt Census' etc is via the free but somewhat clumsy Latterday Saints site (not least time-consuming as it tends to give individuals rather than households, so I'm unsure as to his children's names & ages).
https://familysearch.org/
Searching LDS I can follow him thro the England Census', I think this is his first child stumbled upon while searching thro the many! George Cooks:

England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,
Name: William James Cook
Gender: Male
Baptism/Christening Date: 25 Dec 1857
Baptism/Christening Place: Malvern Wells, Worcester, England
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Death Date:
Name Note:
Race:
Father's Name: George Cook
Father's Birthplace:
Father's Age:
Mother's Name: Constance Cook
Mother's Birthplace:
Mother's Age:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: I04492-3
System Origin: England-EASy
Source Film Number: 350647
Reference Number: item 1 p 24

James after George's father, & Malvern as you mentioned, so I presume this is correct.

Continuing to search George thro the UK Census' until 1861 where he is in Derbyshire, I mention this in case new to you.

"England and Wales Census, 1861,"
Name: George Cook
Event: Census
Event Date: 1861
Gender: Male
Age: 32
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Birthplace: Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire
Record Type: Household
Registration District: Chesterfield
Sub-district: 1 Ashover
Ecclesiastical Parish: Morton
Civil Parish: Morton
County: Derbyshire

I cannot find him in subsequent UK Census' as you'd expect of course, suggesting he'd emigrated before 1871.
However I believe this is him, in the USA as you say:

"United States Census, 1880,"
Name: George Cook
Residence: Oxmoor, Jefferson, Alabama
Birthdate: 1827
Birthplace: England
Relationship to Head: Self
Spouse's Name: Constance Cook
Spouse's Birthplace: England
Father's Name:
Father's Birthplace: England
Mother's Name:
Mother's Birthplace: England
Race or Color (Expanded): White
Ethnicity (Standardized): American
Gender: Male
Martial Status: Married
Age (Expanded): 53 years
Occupation: Blacksmith
NARA Film Number: T9-0017
Page: 438
Page Character: B
Entry Number: 1209
Film number: 1254017
Household Gender Age Birthplace
SELF George Cook M 53 England
WIFE Constance Cook F 53 England
SON William Cook M 23 England
DAU Sophia Cook F 13 England
SON Frederick Cook M 11 England
SON Arthur Cook M 10 England
Rebecca Cook F 3 Alabama, United States
Ann Johnson F 10 Alabama, United States

So William ties in with the 1857 Christening, so looks good.

Browse-searching LDS gives this POSSIBLE hit for William James, altho it should be said there are MANY William Cooks if not William James Cooks, so ?? - but for the record:

"United States Census, 1900,"
Name: William J Cook
Titles & Terms:
Event: Census
Event Date: 1900
Event Place: ED 41 Voting District 10 Bridgeport city, Fairfield, Connecticut, United States
Birth Date: Jul 1857
Birthplace: England
Relationship to Head of Household: Nephew
Father's Birthplace: England
Mother's Birthplace: England
Race or Color (Standardized): White
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Single
Years Married:
Estimated Marriage Year:
Mother How Many Children:
Number Living Children:
Immigration Year: 1885
Page: 3
Sheet Letter: A
Family Number: 54
Reference Number: 34
Film Number: 1240132
Digital Folder Number: 004118691
Image Number: 00336
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head Mary E Skinner F 61 Connecticut
Sister Emma A Eaton F 53 Connecticut
Nephew Andrew T Eaton M 28 Connecticut
Niece Nettie E Eaton F 16 Connecticut
Nephew William J Cook M 43 England

Continued searching LDS for George gives no more hits associated with "Spouse: Constance", or his Children, he appears to fall off the Census "radar" wrt a family group. However there are several individual "George Cook, widowed" which could be him altho far from Alabama. I've searched for children Sophia & Fred without obvious hits. So sorry without spending more hours searching this site for the rest of the household I cannot help further. I'm sure your continued searching, perhaps with your own knowledge of likely localities, will undoubtedly yield success. OR of course use a subscription site for faster easier results !.
Good luck !

I do hope this has helped a little.

4931 views

Jeff,
Thank you so much for your prompt and thorough assistance in my search. I had already, as you suggested, learned much from reviewing the postings on this most helpful site, particularly that of machor, who outlined much Cook family history ’til then unknown to me. Your extraordinarily kind reply to my posting added still more knowledge.

Though my entry was not as clearly written as it should have been, you nevertheless managed to answer the question most immediate to me, of whether my English great-great grandfather George Cook (there are indeed many George Cooks!) was the George, son of James Cook, christened 1829 in Mitcheldean. Following your lead in citing the 1861 English census showing George Cook of Morton, Derbyshire as having been born in Mitcheldean, I accessed that census through the FamilySearch site, and found him there, accompanied by my great-great grandmother Constance and their children. So I am now able to confirm that my (American) family’s point of origin in England is indeed Mitcheldean, which makes me very happy. I can now delight in further exploring our Forest of Dean family heritage.

Thank you again for your very thoughtful and generous assistance.

4817 views

Hi,
many thanks to you for your kind words, not everyone takes the time & effort so it's even more appreciated than you might imagine. I'm glad that you have found this forum a usefull reference tool in itself before posting your query, it seems many don't realise the full benefits of this great website. I'm especially pleased my efforts were a help, they were a pleasure as a little off the norm, it was just frustrating that I don't have subscription to the major websites so couldnt give more complete answers. (I use both Ancestry & FMP for free at our local public library).
I was disappointed I couldn't find any records of the Cook's actual travel & entry into the USA, despite searching for this on LDS and using the Ancestry free-search facility for clues. I wonder if you have already found these, perhaps via FindMyPast, if so I'd be interested if you could perhaps share them ?. As you know your findings could well be of great interest to other researchers now or in the future.
Once again thanks for your update, good luck with your continued success.
Jeff.

PS George & James Cook, Blacksmiths.

You are probably aware that such skilled tradesman as these were usually listed in the Trade Directories, a usefull way of tracking people thro time as well as the Census'. George is listed in the 1844 Edition of Pigot's Directory of Gloucestershire, as Blacksmith in Mitcheldean.

See this superb free website to read scans of the actual Directories for the whole UK across the C19 & early C20th. http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/index.asp
When searching your chosen Directory on this site don't overload the search engine, eg just search the placename "Mitchel Dean" (important, won't find Mitcheldean as one word in this instance, it will only find exact matches for the old type) then flog thro the various "hits". You can view & then save pages as pdf files.
Hopefully the two pages for the Mitcheldean entry are still here (?)
http://www.historicaldirectories.org/exe/wwt.dll/pdf?fn=e:\hdapps\00008f9z.pdf
http://www.historicaldirectories.org/exe/wwt.dll/pdf?fn=e:\hdapps\00008fa0.pdf

I have tried using the Historical Directories site to find Geo Cook in Welland, Malvern & Derby in the appropriate issues, but without success unfortunately.

An easier way is to use the various transcript sites such as on this site which lists a Thomas Cook as Mitcheldean Blacksmith, http://www.forest-of-dean.net/?Kellys_Directory_1879

or a wider selection is at
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cbennett/index.htm

You will find James (& William) Cook listed in most issues for Mitcheldean thro the mid 1800s.

4838 views

It looks as though Constance COOK, was living in Worcestershire, Welland, District 4 (Page 11) on the 1871 Census
In between - Pomona? House and Pomona? Cottages.

COOK

Constance - (Head) 44 - born Aston Ingham, Gloucestershire
Agnes BRICKLEY - Visitor - unmarried 19 - born Malvern Wells, Worcestershire **
William COOK - son - 13 - born Worcester
George COOK - son - 12 - born Worcester
Mary C? COOK - 10 - born Derbyshire
Sophia COOK - 4 - born Malvern Wells
Fred COOK - 3 - born Welland, Worcestershire
Arthur COOK - 6 months - born Welland Worcestershire (1871 census taken 2 April)

(this ties up with the 1881 census - showing the younger children born England).

As George was a Blacksmith on the railways - 1861 census) - he travelled around with his job - as many tradesmen did at that time.

----

Malvern Wells - would be the Great Western Railways

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvern_Wells_Railway_Station

----

CLDS

Christening at Welland, Worcestershire, 20 April 1868

Fred COOK - parents George & Constance

---

**

1861 Census: Agnes BRICKLEY age 9 - is a Scholar at a small school - Worcestershire Claines, North Worcester, Severn Terrace

4916 views

For thread completeness, from this site's PRs:

Record_ID: 35208
Entry_Number: 102
Year: 1852
Month: Nov
Day: 20
Grooms_Surname: COOK
Grooms_Forenames: George
Grooms_Age: of age
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Blacksmith
Grooms_Residence: Aston Ingham
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Cook
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: James
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Blacksmith
Brides_Surname: GREEN
Brides_Forenames: Constance
Brides_Age: of age
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation: Gloveress
Brides_Residence: Aston Ingham
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Green
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: Elisha
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Farmer
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: Both sign
Witness_1: Harriett Gardner
Witness_2: John Pearce
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: Hy L Whatley
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: AR90/7
Page_Number: 51
Parish_Chapel: Aston Ingham
Soundex_Groom: C200
Soundex_Bride: G650

Record_ID: 237933
Entry_Number:
Year: 1830
Month: Jun
Day: 20
Parents_Surname: GREEN
Child_Forenames: Constance
Fathers_Forenames: Elisha
Mothers_Forenames: Sarah
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Gorstley
Occupation: Labourer
Officiating_Minister:
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: AR91/5
Page_Number:
Parish_Chapel: Linton
Soundex: G650

Record_ID: 32468
Entry_Number: 50
Year: 1827
Month: May
Day: 15
Grooms_Surname: GREEN
Grooms_Forenames: Elisha
Grooms_Age: not stated
Groom_Condition: not stated
Grooms_Occupation: not stated
Grooms_Residence: this Parish
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: not stated
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: not stated
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: not stated
Brides_Surname: BISHOP
Brides_Forenames: Sarah
Brides_Age: not stated
Brides_Condition: not stated
Brides_Occupation: not stated
Brides_Residence: this Parish
Brides_Fathers_Surname: not stated
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: not stated
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: [not stated]
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: Both mark
Witness_1: James Jones
Witness_2: Mark of Mary Jones
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: Theophilus Prosser Curate of Upton Bishop
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: AR91/7
Page_Number: 17
Parish_Chapel: Linton
Soundex_Groom: G650
Soundex_Bride: B210

Possibly this Elisha,
Record_ID: 433419
Entry_Number:
Year: 1804
Month: Feb
Day: 26
Parents_Surname: GREEN
Child_Forenames: Elisha
Fathers_Forenames: Thomas
Mothers_Forenames: Sarah
Mothers_Surname:
Residence:
Occupation:
Officiating_Minister: Tho[ma]s Davies Minister
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P241 IN 1/3
Page_Number:
Parish_Chapel: Oxenhall
Soundex: G650

(NB: nowadays for Gorstley (as it's pronounced) read Gorsley, a village a few miles northeast of Mitcheldean into Herefordshire)
http://gorsley.com/

For details and photos of nearby Aston Ingham see http://astoningham.org.uk/

Linton Chapel, St Mary's, is perhaps (in)famous for having "been blessed in the 19th century by the energetic ministry of the Revd Edward Palin, great-grandfather of the comic actor" (who I greatly enjoy !).
http://www.achurchnearyou.com/linton-st-mary/
http://www.lintonpc-herefordshire.gov.uk/

Genuki is an excellent reference site to browse for Victorian Parishes etc.
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/HEF/Linton/Gaz1868.html
http://www.genuki.org.uk/cgi-bin/nearby?CCC=HEF,GRIDREF=SO660250,DISTANCE=5,PN=Linton

I see Constance was a Gloveress, a female glove maker, often a local “cottage” industry, very prevalent in this area at the time. Altho' from out of the area (North Oxfordshie in fact, so not too far distant) this contemporary account maybe of interest.

"GLOVING (from Stonesfield, by G H Powell)
Gloving was the principal occupation of all the unmarried women of Stonesfield and many continued this work after marriage. Miss Thornett provides these details.
Miss Thornett learned from her mother and started to help with the stitching at the age of twelve. Many girls started as a part-time job as soon as they left school. In fine weather one would see the women sitting at their cottage doors for the best light with the ?Tranks? resting on a cloth spread on their knees to fold over the work when put aside. The front and back halves of the gloves were cut in one piece, joined by the side seam, and were cut out by a knife going round a kind of metal template. This unsewn shape was called a ?trank? and included with each trank were three quirks to go between the four fingers, and the ?forjets? (fourchettes) to go up the sides of the fingers, the thumb to be sewn in separately, and a welt to be sewn round the wrist.
The gloves had to be sewn by hand with cream cotton and the welts with brown cotton. Every stitch had to touch the last, back and front, as if machine sewn. To sew one pair of tranks complete took five hours, and for this the gloveress received 5d. with an extra farthing for sewing the button holes, which had to have a kind of narrow binding stitched round them. The gloveress did not have to add the buttons.
When finished, many of the gloveresses had to cycle (walk in earlier years) five miles each way to Woodstock to take in the gloves and get a fresh supply of unsewn tranks, small parts, and cottons. Gloving has been known in Woodstock as early as 1580. In the 19th century several firms sent out the unsewn gloves to over 1400 women in the surrounding villages, but Stonesfield was the most noted for its hand-sewing. As you will see, gloveresses, although skilled, were at that time the equivalent of factory hands and very poorly paid."

Also see http://www.worcestercitymuseums.org.uk/mag/spirit/spglov.htm
It should be noted that some villages not far from Gorsley & Linton, tho' clearly Herefordshire/Glostershire nowadays, until 1931 they were considered as outlying enclaves of Worcestershire !. My mother's line is from nearby Redmarley, as this Census shows the majority of the ladies within this apparently farming village were glove-making as late as 1871.
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/GLS/RedmarleydAbitot/Census71-1.html

5034 views

Using the great Advanced Search feature of the FoD PRs, can find Constance's siblings' via their Baptisms, and so on:

Record ID 101862
Entry Number 1441
Year 1827
Month Oct
Day 3
Parents Surname GREEN
Child Forenames Sophia
Fathers Forenames Elisha
Mothers Forenames Sarah
Mothers Surname
Residence Gorsley
Occupation Labourer
Officiating Minister J. Archibald
Event Baptism
Memoranda Privately baptized daughter of
Notes
Register Reference P225 IN 1/4
Page Number 181
Parish Chapel Newent

Record_ID: 35091
Entry_Number: 85
Year: 1834
Month: Jul
Day: 2
Grooms_Surname: BALDWIN
Grooms_Forenames: Amos
Grooms_Age: [not stated]
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: [not stated]
Grooms_Residence: this Parish
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: [not stated]
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: [not stated]
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Surname: GREEN
Brides_Forenames: Sophia
Brides_Age: [not stated]
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Residence: Parish of Linton
Brides_Fathers_Surname: [not stated]
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: [not stated]
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: [not stated]
Licence_or_Banns: Licence
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: Both sign
Witness_1: Maryann Baldwin
Witness_2: William Baldwin
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: Theophilus Prosser
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: AD99/7
Page_Number: 29
Parish_Chapel: Upton Bishop
Soundex_Groom: B435
Soundex_Bride: G650

1835 BALDWIN William Henry, Amos & Sophia, Town of Newent, Tailor, Newent

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Record ID 238117
Entry Number
Year 1840
Month Apr
Day 5
Parents Surname GREEN
Child Forenames William
Fathers Forenames Elisha
Mothers Forenames Sarah
Mothers Surname
Residence Gorstley
Occupation Labourer
Officiating Minister
Event Baptism
Memoranda
Notes
Register Reference AR91/5
Page Number
Parish Chapel Linton

Record ID 4321
Entry Number 286
Year 1861
Month June
Day 16
Grooms Surname GREEN
Grooms Forenames William
Grooms Age 22
Groom Condition Bachelor
Grooms Occupation Farmer
Grooms Residence Astoningham
Grooms Fathers Surname Green
Grooms Fathers Forenames Elisha
Grooms Fathers Occupation Farmer
Brides Surname PHELPS
Brides Forenames Fanny
Brides Age 19
Brides Condition Spinster
Brides Occupation
Brides Residence Astoningham
Brides Fathers Surname Phelps
Brides Fathers Forenames Benjamin
Brides Fathers Occupation Farmer
Licence or Banns Banns
Date of Banns
Signature or Mark Both Signed
Witness 1 George Cook
Witness 2 Constantine Cook
Other Witnesses
Officiating Minister W. Lockett
Event Marriage
Memoranda
Notes
Register Reference P109 IN 1/6
Page Number 143
Parish Chapel Drybrook

1863 GREEN Alice Salina, William & Fanny, Aston Crews, Labourer, Aston Ingham

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Record ID 128300
Entry Number 652
Year 1848
Month Dec
Day 31
Parents Surname GREEN
Child Forenames Elisha
Fathers Forenames Elisha
Mothers Forenames Sarah
Mothers Surname
Residence Crockets
Occupation Farmer
Officiating Minister H[enr]y L. Whatley
Event Baptism
Memoranda
Notes
Register Reference AR90/3
Page Number 82
Parish Chapel Aston Ingham

Record_ID: 35351
Entry_Number: 245
Year: 1871
Month: Dec
Day: 11
Grooms_Surname: GREEN
Grooms_Forenames: Elisha
Grooms_Age: Full age
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Dealer
Grooms_Residence: Aston Ingham
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Green
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: Elisha
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Farmer
Brides_Surname: COLLIS
Brides_Forenames: Elizabeth
Brides_Age: Full age
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Residence: Newland Gloucestershire
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Collis
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: James
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Quarryman
Licence_or_Banns: Licence
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: Both sign
Witness_1: Mark of James Collis
Witness_2: Martha Cullis
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: J Gurney Rogers
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: AR90/7
Page_Number: 123
Parish_Chapel: Aston Ingham
Soundex_Groom: G650
Soundex_Bride: C420

1877 GREEN James Oliver, Elisha & Elizabeth, Coleford, Haulier, Coleford Chapel
1878 GREEN Sarah Jane, Elisha & Elizabeth, Coleford, Haulier, Coleford
1879 GREEN Elisha Frank William, Elisha & Elizabeth, Coleford, Haulier, Coleford
1883 GREEN Elizabeth Rose, Elisha & Elizabeth, Coleford, Haulier, Coleford
1888 GREEN Ada Amelia, Elisha & Elizabeth, Coleford, Labourer, Coleford
1888 GREEN Beatrice Gertrude, Elisha & Elizabeth, Coleford, Haulier, Coleford

Record_ID: 61737
Entry_Number: 540
Year: 1879
Month: Mar
Day: 2
Surname: GREEN
Forenames: Elisha Frank
Residence: Son of Elisha Green and Elizabeth his wife
Age_at_death: 2 mo[nth]s
Officiating_Minister: Thomas Holbrow
Event: Interment
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda: (1) Coleford (2) South Div'n 1/2 Adults Gr (3) N 31 (4) Consecrated (5)
Notes:
Register_Reference: DA25/204/2
Page_No: 27
Parish_Chapel: Coleford Cemetery
Soundex: G650

Record_ID: 32252
Entry_Number: 1932
Year: 1933
Month: May
Day: 13
Surname: GREEN
Forenames: Elisha
Residence: Alms Houses Newland
Age_at_death: 86
Officiating_Minister: John Griffin. Vicar
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P227 IN 1/27
Page_No: 242
Parish_Chapel: Newland
Soundex: G650
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4928 views

Please see (and share) my note of thanks just sent into the thread re. the Cooks and Greens. I deeply appreciate your all your assistance. Best regards

4741 views

As George COOK worked on the railways - and some children were born at Malvern Wells (Great Western Railways)

Mike's Railway History

http://mikes.railhistory.railfan.net/r010.html

---

Derby info

http://www.railuk.info/history/gethistory.php?id=615

4840 views

So much fascinating information to digest!! Thanks very much to you both for sending these postings along. I thought I knew quite a bit about the Greens, but I know much more now. Will enjoy so much reading and re-reading this to sort it all out... I will also enjoy learning more about the gloveress trade--so interesting--and the railway article is magnificent. Some of the family here are deeply interested in railway history, and they will very much seeing this, as well. Again, thanks so much for sharing this information. Best to you both.

4781 views

?

1851 census Glos. Newent

Pitts Farm

James MATTHEWS - 27 - Farmer of 260 acres & malster employing 14 labourers, all born Newent
Harriet E - 30
James J G - 13
Edmund J H - 2
Constance GREEN - 21 - Dairy Maid - born Hereford, Linton
Eliza SANDY - 19 - Housemaid - born Worcester Redmarley
Harriet MEREDITH - 14 - Nurse maid - born Glos. Newent
Thomas PREEDY - 41 - House Servant, born Glos. Upleadon

----

Great Western Railways (God's Wonderful Railway) - worked there myself in Swindon in the 60's (can remember the Foundry) as did my husband's and my family for generations before. One of my husband's grandfather's was a Hammerman/Blacksmith - a skill needed for many jobs, including shoeing the horses.

---

GWR

http://www.steampicturelibrary.com/

Use the search button: and put in (Horse ) or (blacksmith) + quite a few pics (shows they were also known as Hammermen!)

---

A GWR apprenticeship was highly sought after - and many men travelled all over the world with their skills. My x Grandad went to Valpariso as a boilersmith - and never returned!, leaving my x grandma to bring up the family.

---

You can use the Advance search for witness e.g.

Marriage at Aston Ingham: 16 February 1852

Micheal HILL - Carpenter, residence: Aston Ingham

married

Emily GREEN, Minor, Spinster, Gloveress (1851 Census at home with family - age 18 - Gloverefs)*

father: Elisah GREEN, Farmer

witnesses: William HALE & Constance GREEN

(in the 19th century double ss was written as fs)

---

and Constance GREEN - was also witness to a wedding at Aston Ingham 25 January 1848 - when Charles PARRY married Mary REDDING.

---

Googling: Gloveress - Female glove maker

4837 views

http://www.familyresearcher.co.uk/glossary/Dictionary-of-Old-Occupations-Index.html#Old...

Gloveress - female glover maker.

4818 views

The National Archives

Railway workers - further research

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/research-guides/railway-staff.pdf

---

George's brother William - christened 1824 in Mitcheldean - is on the 1851 census, Buckinghamshire, Buckingham, Cow Fair - age 26 - unmarried, Blacksmith & Journeyman - born Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire - transcribed on Ancestry as Micheldever

4752 views

Hi MPG,
I'm enjoying reading your railway links very much, thanks. As a mechanical engineer myself I'm rightly proud of "Team" GB's achievements in engineering & science following the efforts of truly Great Britons such as IK Brunel. My pleasure has been enhanced now I belatedly know the huge significance of the likes of Lydbrook & Parkend long before him, thanks largely to joining This Wonderful Forum.

I moved to West London in the 80s as a graduate to work at the Thorn EMI Electronics factories in Hayes, West London; they sit alongside the GWR main line into Paddington. As this lovely old postcard shows from its 20s heyday it had it's own railway sidings and small locos, altho I'm sure it was rather grubbier in real life !
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uSlKw6xKFoE/ShLMeQc0cLI/AAAAAAAACc0/LxPGvH0AFTk/s1600-h/hayes...
(On our trip to London for interview my mate commented what a rundown place it looked, unaware that was our destination the next day ! The reality wasn't so bad)

I didnt realise before joining EMI it had also been the home of HMV, despite my being a 1950s music fan & record collector, my hifi is now hidden within a beautiful oak HMV gramaphone cabinet - one of the large buildings is still called the Cabinet Factory. The EMI Central Research Laboratory is still there and has some beautiful old music "boxes", this was key to the invention of RADAR. I worked in a newer building (just left of picture) which had been built in the 30s to hold the Rudge Motorcycle firm newly-acquired from Coventry. It had a long central corridor which took 15 minutes to walk down, apparently this was used to test run the motorbikes !. However this unsuccessfull venture was soon sold to make the newly invented RADAR during the War, hence my job there 50 years later.
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/nacc/arc0231.htm
Indeed, Hayes as a town largely grew during WW1 as it was home to a shell-filling factory, chosen for its remote & then-rural location from Zeppelin raids yet with good rail & canal links to the whole country.
EMI Electronics is long gone since it's core defence business ran down, but the buildings are still there as they are listed.

Near my home a few miles from Hayes in Uxbridge, just north of Heathrow, is Brunel University, nowadays more famous to study? sports & PE; the South Korean Olympic team were based there. It is built alongside the old branch line from West Drayton, on the ex GWR mainline, north into Uxbridge. Their section of disused line has a replica broadgauge track.
http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/Uxbridge_Vine_Street_line.html

The first intermediate station built along the "new" GWR line apart from the end termini was at West Drayton. This was because the first locomotives used on the line were built on Merseyside and travelled by sea into London, then canal 11 miles westwards from Paddington Basin ?! to West Drayton where the canal is directly alongside the railway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWR_Charles_Tayleur_locomotives

Thanks again (I DO wish I had some pioneering railway engineers in my family line too !)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PS Re the understandable transcription error re Mitcheldever, in case NorthStar is unaware there is indeed such a town but far from the Forest, it's on the mainline route from London to Southampton.
http://www.micheldevervillage.org.uk/archive_railway.html

4770 views

Jeff and MPG,
(Jeff, a technical assist here, please--to alert MPG to this reply do I need to do a separate reply to one of her posts?)

I have been absent from this forum for some weeks, very tied up with some volunteer work here at my local botanical gardens (my second home! :) ) However, I wanted to let you both know that because of your helpful posts, I have made great new progress on my family research. MPG's suggestion that my gr-gr-grandfather George Cook might have worked on the GWR after leaving his father's smithy in Mitcheldean led me to the UK ancestry.co and its lists of railways workers---and, hooray! George Cook was indeed a boiler smith at the GWR Swindon Works during the 1860s.

Now I have been reading everything I can get my hands on about that period of the GWR, and have even ordered a DVD of some GWR locomotives from that period--who knows? he may have worked on some of them.

After the Cooks came to the States, they were primarily involved in the burgeoning iron/steel industry in several states, but there were a few family members who were railway engineers, including one who has become locally somewhat legendary for his colorful adventures. (There's a book there, and one day I may write it!) My daughter, who is a teacher and writer has always loved the stories about him... and was particularly delighted with the news about GWR/Swindon. She said, "I've always known there were railroads in my family... but now I feel that there are railways in my very bones!" She and I are planning a future visit to the STEAM GWR museum.

Thanks again very much for your help.
northstar28

4578 views

If you go into Duncan & Mandy's website (Wiltshire)

http://www.oodwooc.co.uk/index.asp

And find Swindon

Swindon Index

there are many photographs of the GWR works in Swindon (where I and many generations of my and my husband's family worked)

Remember the Hooter? - Swindon Web

www.swindonweb.com/index.asp?m=8&s=116&ss=338.

This was a very important time piece for any-one who worked in the railways at Swindon - I knew when riding my bike - how far I was off the Works, and whether faster peddling was necessary - think it blasted out over the town every 5 minutes - both morning and afternoon. Different lengths of blasting as to how long you had left.....

My Grandad (on my mother's side) came from Blakeney and was an Upholster. My x Grandad on my father's side was a boilermaker (a job that made most men deaf because of the hammering) as where a lot of his brothers (the family moved from one railway County to another and children were born all over the place )

When you visit Swindon Railway Museum - some of the old workshops are now a large shopping complex - which is also very interesting.

4588 views

Hi again North Star, welcome back !
First, and as demonstrated above so efficiently as is the wonderfull MPG's usual everhelpfull way, no you don't need to reply individually. In fact in my opinion it's best not to, so as to minimise the number of posts on a thread, or a thread maybe automatically locked earlier than one might like. For this reason wherever possible I will revisit one of my earlier existing posts and edit it to add more info where appropriate, I know other users do too.
Second, the turn of this thread into a GWR Swindon one has amused me, in so much as when I first saw your username a few weeks ago I immediately thought of the early GWR loco "North Star" designed by the great Robert Stephenson, son of George of "Rocket" fame. Little did I realise a thread abt Mitcheldean blacksmiths would actually lead to this loco, hopefully you'll see it heavily "restored" at the Swindon Works Museum. Is this choice of username a coincidence I wonder ??
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWR_Star_Class

Re the Works thanks MPG for the great links, very interesting. For my sins, altho I'm a very proud man of Dean I'm not a particular fan of the Great Western, more an LMS man myself (they did run into Gloster). However I do know the Swindon Works particularly under Daniel Gooch was a true centre of engineering excellence. This was partly as the company also made great efforts to care for the welfare of it's workforce, just a shame such things as riveter's deafness were considered "the norm" in those days. Indeed some say the NHS grew out of the GWR's hospital at Swindon.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2008/06/27/nhs_swindon_60th_feature.shtml

This BBC Swindon webpage has links to some excellent archive railway films that show the GWR and Swindon Works in fascinating detail.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2008/05/21/requiem_for_a_railway_swindo...

This British movie from the 1930s, made to celebrate the GWR's centenary, contains superb archive footage of the Swindon works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4WeXq3VPh4&feature=related

Whereas sadly this BBC programme from 1984 discussed the proposed closure of the Works, very interesting listening to the old workers chat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATwKqdpH4Mw&feature=related

Re hammers and deafness, this clip of the Southern Railway's Ashford works from as recently# as 1947 shows a general lack of basic "modern" Health and Safety such as ear defenders, sadly its a silent film but you can still almost feel the din.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrVO0-0S_Ng
(# recently compared to the Victorians that is)

And don't forget we had our own slightly smaller but no less skilled railway industry at the Gloster Wagon Works
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sja4UkZ8T0

Despite it's rolling stock being somewhat antiquated in the 1950s after the ravages of WW2, the "new" British Railways were excellent at producing professional-standard "educational" documentary films about all aspects of railway life throughout the country, their British Transport Films are still worth viewing methinks, such as
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=british+transport+films+collection

Lastly, it seems that the 1915 book "Life In A Railway Factory" by Alfred Williams is a must-read for anyone interested in the Swindon works, I'll be looking it up in my local library. I see he wrote it after 23 years as a steamhammer operator, so no doubt he was deaf too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Williams_(Poet)

PS Ooops forgot another great source of old film clips, the British Pathe site.
This fascinating film from 1934 shows some of the odd job titles being performed at the Swindon works, great clip and educational too for when the 1931 Census is released and we find a "boshman" in the family...
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/queer-jobs
This site deserves very thorough & carefull searching, but note that sometimes the films were never finished for public cinema viewing so maybe silent etc.

4655 views

RSS Feed of thread

powered by my little forum