Genealogy Chat

My Mother-in-law Edith Beech was born on a canal barge at Marston Northwich in 1904, her birth cert shows father William Beech, a waterman, mother Mary Elizabeth Parsons.

Mary and William married dec. 5 1887 marr, cert shows he was 21 and a waterman His father is James Beech also a waterman I have found the 1891 census for William and Mary

The only other census record I can find for either William or James is 1871 when there is a James and Ann Beech on a boat called Selby at Dukes Dock Liverpool. James being born in the Northwich area

Does anyone know of any sites which list where watermen were employed, or were or what families they had at anytime, or can anyone see census returns I have missed.

I have looked under Beech, Beach and soundex

Watermen were either self employed or employed by carrying companies.

The companies could be small or very large, they were often connected to or bought out by the railway companies.

Based on the areas you mention you need to concentrate in the Staffs, Liverpool/Manchester, Leeds and NW area.

British Waterways might hold some information but you either need a canal company name or a boat to base your searches on.

Census returns should be available but it depends if the enumerator bothered to walk along the canal or just stopped at the wharf/pub and neglected to check further afield.

Glen

Thanks for your help, I think I may contact the salt museum to see if they have any records I can see or the library at Northwich, I live quite near Northwich.

I think like Glen said the enumerators missed them every time

Vera, try this :
Boatmen & Mariners site, Canals,inland waterways,Coastal Sipping, Northern England at:
http://townsleyb.members.beeb.net/Boatmen/namesa.html-51k

Poirot Thanks for this interesting site, didn't find my relatives but will keep looking.

For watermen on inland waterways: "No attempt appears to have been made to take a nominal census of these vessels in 1841 and 1851", athough the situation was different for inland watermen who happened to be in a coastal port on census night (where they got treated like seamen it seems).

The quote is from an essay by Edward Higgs "People on Boats"
http://www.histpop.org/ohpr/servlet/View?path=Browse/Essays%20(by%20kind)&active=yes&mno=2080

We meet again mgnv lol !

Hi Vera,

My paternal family were watermen from Lymm and Warburton in Cheshire and worked on the Bridgewater Canal... my gt grandfather and 2x gt grandfather actually lived in Lymm so I was able to find them on the census... I was lucky.

It was a bitter sweet moment when I received the death cert for 2x gt grandfather...his address at death was Canal Bank, Runcorn!! He lived to a good old age... but it was a good job that I already knew, at the time, he was living on his son in laws barge...or else the mind would have boggled lol!

I would be interested to see how you go on at the library or the Salt Museum.

Btw I too live not far from Northwich...did you by any chance get to the Family History Fair in Northwich earlier this year...we may have rubbed shoulders!! I managed to buy a really interesting book on the Bridgewater Canal from the Runcorn branch of Cheshire FHS perhaps the Northwich branch have something similar for the Trent and Mersey Canal.

Regards

Linda

You will find a great deal of information on the Northwich and surrounding areas - census, directories, details of the Salt workers and river workers and just about everything else.

Loads of pictures, maps and interesting stories:

http://www.geocities.com/fountalnpen/index.html

Hope it helps.

Dea x

1891 am I looking at wrong family as William is not shown as waterman

Name: William Beech
Age: 23
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1868
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Mary E
Gender: Male
Where born: Marston, Cheshire, England

Civil Parish: Marston
Ecclesiastical parish: Marston St Paul
County/Island: Cheshire
Country: England

Registration district: Northwich
Sub-registration district: Northwich
ED, institution, or vessel: 13
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
Harriet A Beech 3 - image is Parsons
Mary E Beech 22
William Beech 23

1901 possibly the same family as looks like Beech on image

Name: Mary Elizabeth Buch
Age: 33
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1868
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: William
Gender: Female
Where born: Frodsham, Cheshire, England

Civil Parish: Marston
Ecclesiastical parish: Marston St Paul
Town: Marston
County/Island: Cheshire
Country: England

Registration district: Northwich
Sub-registration district: Northwich
ED, institution, or vessel: 6
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 167
Household Members: Name Age
Harriet Ann Buch 13
John William Buch 1
Maggie Buch 3
Mary Elizabeth Buch 33
Sarah Ellen Buch 5
William Buch 34
Ralph Gaunt 56 boarder

Occupation of waterman barge


1881 could be Beech on image when you compare the letter "a" to others than it is not Bach

Name: William Bach
Age: 11
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1870
Relation: Grandson
Gender: Male
Where born: Marston, Cheshire, England

Civil Parish: Marston
County/Island: Cheshire
Country: England


Registration district: Northwich
Sub-registration district: Northwich
ED, institution, or vessel: 12
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
William Bach 11
George Mellor 61 canal boat man
George Newton 10

Glitter Babe
Thanks for looking the 1881 census is the correct one, I have Mother in laws' birth cert 1904 Edith Beech born off Ollershaw Lane Marston Northwich fathers' occupation Waterman, she always said she was born on a barge.

On their marriage cert Dec 5 1887 both his and his Dad James are said to be Watermen

His death cert 1911 shows him as a salt labourer but his place of death is Pool Pot Marston. which is on the canal I believe.

The 1901 census is interesting as so much matches.

I'll come back shortly to reply to the others. Thanks

Glitter Babe

Thanks for the 1901 census I am sure it reads Beech and not Buch, I'll check under Buch for other years, I went to the next page and different boats are listed.

Willliam worked for the Alliance works which are part of the Lion Salt Works who have a museum of sorts, day out comming up.

Thanks again

To the others that have given me links I will lookat these over the next few days.

Linda I'm going to the Lion Salt works as well now, see what Glitter babe found.

I went to Northwich Family History day last year, I intended to go this year but I was getting over the Flu and didn't feel up to battling through the crowds.

Thanks again for your replies

If you want to see what happens when a mislocated barge with an oil rig drills into a salt mine, try:
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/236107