One of the first stories to emerge when reviewing my initial family history research some years ago was the contrast between my Norwich born grandparents tendency to alcohol abstinence and the number of pubs managed by relatives. I made some notes at the time but never quite got round to turning them into an article. A U3A group session on ‘Pubs and Publicans’ {1} has spurred me on.
Continue reading Not quite teetotal Norwich ancestors A pub for every day of the year
Your editor has recently joined the local University of the Third Age family history group, volunteering to present some talks based around material from this website. The first talk is timetabled and pretty much nailed down {2}, while a drafted second brings together and augments the First World War coverage dotted around Cutlock & Co.
Continue reading Varied fortunes in WW1
There are various articles on Cutlock & Co covering 1914 to 1918 family experiences. These are linked below, along with some further information.
Note that only about 40% of World War One army service records survive.
Continue reading First World War Round-up
My standard ‘Cutlock test’ of new online databases has come up with the goods on the recently released ‘Norwich Freemen Records Online’. Just using Cutlock as the search term throws up one result, John Cutlock as a new freeman in May 1857. T
his is down to his apprenticeship – at the 1851 census 15-year old great great great uncle John was recorded as an apprentice to a law stationer. The search result includes ‘linked records’, as there will be a sponsor for any new freeman (later, any new freewoman too), here showing his master as John Thomas Stephens, law stationer.
Continue reading Making the freeman cut at the stationers Cutlock test does its job
A guest article from Alan Croad {1}.
A number of factors may explain the movement of the wider Osborne family between Clydach Vale, Blaengwynfi and Tonyrefail. {2}
Developing the pits
An important entrepreneur William Perch 1831-1891 of Perch & Co. opened mines in the Rhondda Valley, including one at Clydach Vale in 1847 and later in the Afan Valley in 1892; he later acquired the Glyncorrwg and Glynneath mines. Perch’s success included obtaining Admiralty contracts in 1898 supplying coal to the Navy. It may have been easy to transfer to the coal owner’s new mines where new housing was available. A number of the managers and under managers at Blaengwynfi were from Tonypandy and this may have benefitted miners wanting a transfer.
Continue reading Blaengwynfi and beyond Osbornes spreading out in the valleys
Another delightful occupational title has come to light, after a little gap filling and “new” records checking on the family tree {1}. Previously I had somehow identified 4x great grandfather Joseph Osborne as a (farm) labourer, supposedly per his son Robert’s marriage registration {5}. However, on making use of Ancestry’s Somerset collection, the original image for this event shows him to be a ‘Pig Jobber’!
Continue reading Squeals of delight The wheeling dealing Osbornes
