Genealogy Chat

help got a marriage cert wich states fathers occupation as whitesmith (metal worker) whereas all census records has him as a cotton worker could he have been a whitesmith as a hobby last census before marriage had him as a retired overlooker cotton mill. Two other rellies are researching tree and seem to think its right but i doubt it is right one

Well, I must admit it would ring alarm bells with me! Though anythings possible of course......apart from anything else, there's always the possibility of a misunderstanding when the vicar took the details........people were not taught to correct their ''betters'' in those days...... Merry

Carol Sounds a bit odd to me, but have you researched the cotton mills history to see if both occupations occur (try googling) Perhaps there is a link...........not sure Elly

I don't know if its the right cert - do all the other details fit, are the names common/unusual? I do know that folk often made their father's occupations sound grander. I suppose a whitesmith would be a craft for which you needed an apprenticeship or training, whereas a cotton mill worker would be a bit lower on the scale. Maybe his child wanted to 'big him up' to impress the inlaws. I always laugh over my gt uncle Thomas saying his dad (dead, so couldn't protest) was a 'provisions merchant' when in fact he used to deliver milk! nell

Also he could have been like my gg-grandfather........all official docs.....marriage, death, birth certs of his children say ''Master Butcher'' but all his life he had a series of dead end jobs and as far as I can see was never a butcher, except for being an apprentice butcher in 1851 (aged 15)! Merry

While doing my A-Levels I took a job weekends in the Co-op. Got there first day and they said I was on 'the provisions counter', not being very bright I wondered what this was! Today it would be much posher 'delicatessen'. Did i spell that correctley? oh well said i wasn't very bright Yvonne

my rellies name is mary bullock born 1829 in rocester she is listed in 1881 census as living in Bolton she isnt on 1891 census so either dead or married, another person researching tree told me about marriage to samuel broome in August 1883 in cheshire where some of her sons where living her father is John on cert which is correct just not convinced

I would be worried too - a Whitesmith was a recognised trade and better paid than factory work, why would you work in a factory, when you could earn MORE money in your trade? OC

Well Mrs Broome's details do seem to fit: 1891: Hugh Baxter abt 1867 Owston, Cheshire, England Lodger Wincham Cheshire Mary Broome abt 1828 Rocester, Staffordshire, England Wife Wincham Cheshire Samuel Broome abt 1818 Mere, Cheshire, England Head Wincham Cheshire (living on own means) Merry

this just gets stranger looked up witnesses and turns out they are a married couple the husband is a lawyer but put an x on register wouldnt a lawyer be able to read and write think these lot are a load of walter mitties!

Carol, are you sure he was a lawyer? A handwritten 'L' and 'S' look very similar, so he's more likely to have been a sawyer if he was illiterate.

Think Mary is right - all my lawyers turned out to be sawyers on investigation! OC