Genealogy Chat

here is what feels like my daily cantread thread.... 1901 census - Alfred Ward B1851 Takely, Essex - I cannot make out the occupations of Alfred, Albert and arthur - can any of you experts read it please? Thanks!!

Alfred is a Commercial Traveller. George is a Tomato Grower Yard Albert and Arthur are tricky, but both are identical. I think it is something to do with a fuel factory. Looks like: Banges Building (General ***) Corate Fuel Factory. Doesn't make sense to me. Could those words be a place name?

I have no clue ! I can see commerical Traveller now, and the tomato grower, but those other 2...i reckon the enumerator was in a real hurry LOL Thanks!!

I wonder if it's worth lookingat a map to see if there is a place with a similar name, or googling.

Will try that now, They all lived in a tiny villiage called Canfield. Will let you know If i find anything Thanks Elizabeth 0)

I think they worked at the Royal Gun Powder Factory Waltham Abbey. I worked this out by comparing the occupations of their neighbours. A lot of the neighbours worked at the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield Lock but I think these two brothers were at the gunpowder factory because if you look at Harry Kirth in the household above he seems to work at the same place, Fire Co*** Branch. But it then has RGPF (royal gunpowder factory). At the top of each it says general labourer. And I think the first bit is either banger builderman or barge builderman. You can find out about the gunpowder factory and the small arms factory through google. If you enlarge the image to 200% it is easier to read and if you flick through the census pages you'll find that a high proportion of the neighbourhood worked at one or other of these factory. Hope this was useful to you. I found it very interesting looking it up. I used to live in Hertfordshire so all the place names are familiar.

Ok found it now. It's Cordite Factory, or in the case of Harry Kirth Cordite Branch of the RGPF. Cordite is something to do with nitroglycerine. Some of the neighbours were nitroglycerine blenders. Doesn't sound a very healthy occupation. I would have rather been a tomato grower.

Greta Thank you Pat, I never would have found that out, just looks like scribble to me Thanks again ;)