Genealogy Chat

My Thomas was the same - dead at 46 from consumption, while his brother lived into his 80s. Thomas was an iron turner. His daughter was my Gr-gr-grandmother and she died at 33, also from consumption, when her son was 3. Mind, he made it into his 80's despite being wounded at the Somme. Helen

Its amazing how lifes can change - I have my GGFx2 living in one of the worse areas of the East End in mid 1800s yet his cousin who came down to London at the same time married into a Jewish family and ended up owning a jewellers in Burlington Arcade and living in Belgravia with servants et al. Whereas my poor sod died of pneumonia when he was 50 and a coal whipper. Oh Vets records - I would have thought the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons?

Thanks Heather, Helen's new hubby was a Saddler, and her f-i-l a Blacksmith. I think you are probably right - she was far enough removed from her father's death to talk it up a bit. I never gave this much thought, until I realised how far up the social scale big brother John had moved. I'm trying to figure how he did it. His daughter hyphenated the family name when she married, and the family lived in a very grand villa. It's now a guest house - I've seen it on tinternet. Regards Helen

Oh Heather, Got any idea WHERE to look for the records of Vets???? - I'm thinking about my invisible one.... Sarah :-)

I would have thought Thomas would be closer to the truth as he married only a few years after his fathers death. It may be the daughter had fantasised about dad being in a better position than he was(she may well have seen him treating horses for minor illnesses in his position of groom) - or indeed - if you say the family were upwardly mobile may well have wanted to impress the new in laws. You should be able to find his record if he were a Veterinary Surgeon.

I have an ancestor, Thomas, who married in 1843. On his marriage cert, his father Richard's occupation is down as servant. Richard died in 1838, so no census info for him. His death cert states his occupation was a groom. I have now found the marriage of Richard's youngest daughter, Helen (in 1860), where Richard's occupation is given as Veterinary Surgeon. My puzzle is - was Helen making out that her father's job was better than it really was (she would only be about 6 when he died), or could groom & vet be similar back then? The family seem to have been educated - better educated than you would probably expect for a servant with 6 children - the eldest son, John was an accountant in 1841 and ended up a magistrate with windows in his honour in the local church. Regards Helen