Genealogy Chat

I have just received a birth cert from Nottingham and it said that the father was an Electric car driver. Would it litterally mean he drove an electric car or would it be referring to an Electric tram?

He was living in the Bulwell area of Nottingham which did have electric trams in 1902. There is some quite interesting information about the history of these trams in this area on Wikki but I don't want to automatically assume that my relative drove one of these. What do you think?

Thanks

Jane

Thanks Jonesey

I thought that he was more likely to have drove a tram. I shall go back and research this a bit more. I am finding it quite interesting.

Thanks again

Jane

car was the word originally used for railway passenger wagons, it was then used for buses/trams which ran on lines with overhead electric.

Electric cars are a very recent invention :)

Thank you for your help Margaret and Heather. I shall have some fun investigating this further.

All the best

Jane

hello their is a tram mueseum at critch derbyshire
sally

Margaret, you are quite right, in the states they had battery motor vehicles but I dont think that in Notts that would have provided an occupation :)

Jane, I should think it was really an exciting job to have then. Is there a museum of trams? I wonder if there are any employee records?

Hi Sally and Heather Thanks for your help.

Lets see what I can find out.. I have ordered some more certs for this family so lets see what that throws up. Its really good when you can get your teeth into isomething and its amazing what you can find.

So far this man has been an ag lab in Lincolnshire, a Policeman in Nottingham possibly working at Bulweel station, an electric car driver and the last job I had for him was a boot repair man. He certainly changed his job a bit.

All the best

Jane

The police job and the transport job may well have pensions records or service records to look at Jane.

In London, the distinction was made between trams, which ran on rails and had a single overhead wire (the electrical return was to the ground via the rails), and trolley buses, which were electric buses, and had twin overhead wires (since their wheels had rubber tires). Trolleys did have batteries, but they would only last for 30 miles when fresh, and were just for emergency and garage use.

They have brought back trams to parts of London now havent they?

Cor, you are a bit of an expert :) I love them in Amsterdam.

Don't know about trams in London but they have had them in Manchester for quite a few years now and they are supposed to be having them in Edinburgh - but anyone from Scotland will know what a mess that project is in.

I remember the old London trams (and trolley buses). My father worked on taking up the old tram tracks in the 1950s. He was in charge of a gang of men and had to add up all their timesheets. He wasn't very good with figures, so I did them for him. I was only 9 or 10 at the time!

We now have trams in Nottingham, and yes they run to Bulwell, looks as though we have come full circle.
There are plans to create a new line, but there are folks who are protesting against this, i can understand this if they are going past your front door, they do make a noise.
I use them quite often and it is an easy way of transport, but then they are not going past my door, i might have a different view if the did .

George

Thanks everyone for helping me.

As for the Service and pension records I will have to look into this furthur. Not sure How to go about it though. So far the only Police records that I know still remain are those for the Metropolitan Police. I will have to look into this. Thanks

Jane

Magnus Volk invented an electric car in Brighton 1887, so there may be a link here. There were also trams in Brighton, so maybe that is worth a look too.
Good luck!
Yes, I too love these little diversions from the tree where you learn all sorts of things.
I recently had a relative who worked in 'coprolite'. Never heard of it, but investigating was great fun.

Wonder if these would help (assuming he was a policeman in Notts)

http://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/about/history/

http://www.nottscops.co.uk/

Thanks Carol and Heather for your help.

I have had a quick look at both those sites but I need to go back to have a closer look.

I am waiting fo his marriage cert to arrive and when it does maybe that will give me a clue. He was on the 1901 census as a Police constable and he married for the second time in 1902 so we shall see what that says. When I can afford it I will order his first marriage cert from 1894 and his wifes death cert in 1900. Perhaps these will help me too.

All the best

Jane