Genealogy Chat

I had a lovely snippet of history many years ago, in 1969 to be precise.

Soon after we came to Canada I had to go into hospital for an eye operation. I was in a ward with 4 much older ladies, ranging in age from 65 up to 92, all of whom had had cataracts removed.

The 92 year old was an Irish Miss, and proud of it. A fiesty little lady. Her regular and only visitor was a 70 year old man who was her lodger!!

She had moved to the Vancouver area in 1912 to look after the house for her brother. She had travelled alone, presumably by boat to Halifax or Montreal and then by train across the country, although she only hinted at that. They lived on the bank of the Fraser River, which is south of the city ........ to go into Vancouver to get supplies meant walking about 10 miles each way through forest.

Over a period of about 2 days, she regaled us with stories of the old days. As a young woman, I was absolutely fascinated!



sylvia

My dad was desperate to join the Navy in WW2, but you had to be A1 medically. He felt that his bottom teeth might let him down, so he went and had them all out. No anaesthetic, no false teeth.

We don't know we are born!

Maggie

I remember my maternal gran(born 1884)telling me that in her day there weren't dentists,probably only for the rich.The "plebs" either...went to the fair ground where there was a covered cart and you went in and had your tooth pulled out whilst a man banged a drum outside so you couldn't hear the screams....or you put string round your tooth and attached the other end to the doorknob and slammed the door shut..

Who would like to live in the 18th and 19th centuries??

Brenda x

My Husbands gran had toothache when she was just married. Her husband took her to the dentist,but she ran out frightend. She left her husband there and he was so ashamed of her running out and wasting time that he went in and had his own teeth out. Gran very rarely visited the dentist and died with all her own teeth.

Hi Mrs B & All, Just had to join in this one- having just recovered from a dental bridge fitting, Gap filled - purse emptied! The practice of 'falsies for 21st' went on certainly until WW2. My Mother told me about it. Her poor family all had dodgy teeth, apart from uncle Alb who was so premature (Edwardian era) that the midwife told Gran to let him die! He never cleaned his teeth, had them all at his death, in his late seventies. Family reckon he only died then as he suffered as a Japanese p.o.w. which affected his health later in life. Definitely- Get stories from the Golden Oldies in the family, whilst you can.

Isn't it great when you get talking to older people - they have a fantastic store of information stashed away, don't they!!

K

Your little lady must have come from a very well off family..born 1914...say in the 1920's when she was "young"..7/6d was about three weeks wages for the average worker...........£500 for a tooth???? mmmm..nice work if you can get it.

Derek

I visited Beamish museum and they have a town with people dressed up.( used in Catherine Cookson drama's)

Buildings were originally built elsewhere and reconstructed on site

One of the shops was a dentist He told us if a girl wasnt married before 21 the father would take her to the dentist to have all her teeth removed to make her more marriageable.
This meant she wouldnt cost any future husband money.

Now you know why the girls rushed to find a husband lol

I met a lovely old lady today in the dentist. She was 95 years old!
She told me that when she was young, they diddnt have dentists.
If they got tooth ache, they paid the doctor 7/6d (7shillings & sixpence was just under 50p) and he took the tooth out for them.
Whatever was it like before then???

She also told me that if your Father was rich, he would pay to have all your teeth taken out for your 21st birthday! also pay for falses!

This lovely lady was beautiful! She still had all her own teeth except for a bridge on her front 4 teeth.
She told me that all she could afford nowadays was a visit to the hygienist.

She had no problem climbing the two flights of stairs to the dentist surgery!
I was a puffing billy!! lol

...and we think we have it hard?!!

Gerri x