Genealogy Chat

For those of us chatting on the board last night - this is the thread I meant! And I thought that there were so many 'dressmakers' around because nobody had invented Debenhams!

great bit of info had a great laugh reading them just a thought can we assume that all those labelled as prostitute were really dressmakers???? lol and also a little song i know outside the lunatic asylum one day happy a picking up stones along came a bloke and said to me good morning mr jones how much a week do you get for doing that 50 bob i cried 50 bob a week a wife and kid to keep oh come inside you silly f****r come inside oh come inside you silly f****r come inside i thought you had a bit more sense working for a living take my tip act a little silly and become a LUNATIC you get your meals quite regular two new suits besides 50 bob a week a wife and kid to keep oh come inside you silly f****r come insideeeeeeeeeee enjoy

HELEN as BOB said street SINGERS ?? he been pulling my leg ever since we found out my great granmothers occupation was a street singer, IE, A prostitute.Icant find her birth or any sign of a marriage yet she and my great granfather had six children from 1866 to 1880,Igave up looking in the end .JEAN.

I think my relative was a real dressmaker. She was from a little village in the Scarborough district.

Don't forget that some women really were dressmakers, and not prostitutes, not sure how you tell the difference though. Lots of dressmakers in the ports though for the sailors???!!! Kim

Just found realised that at the age of 21 she was also a dressmaker but still lived with her parents and brothers. Surely she didn't do it under their roof. lol

I also have a dressmaker in my family tree. Her father and brothers were all builders. Coming back nearer to my generation some family members bacame tailors and I hoped that that's were the interest in tailoring came from. Could I be wrong I wonder? She lived with her parents at the age of 41 and at the age of 61 she lived with her brother but occupation was undefined. She obviously was retired from whatever the real occupation was. I'll have to investigate further.

'Lunatic' seemed to cover a multitude of sins. My great great grandfather lived for 10 years in a lunatic asylum labelled as a lunatic but still working as a stonemason. I have discovered that he was an epileptic and died from an epileptic fit at 45. No hospital treatment in those days. The majority of people committed to lunatic asylums were epileptics alcoholics and women suffering from post natal depression. Extremely sad!!

I must admit I was a bit shocked when I found out the bit about dressmakers. I had a gt gt grandmother who had an illegitimate child and died when the girl was 5 years old. On the census she is living with her parents, but given the occupation of "dress-maker". Now I wonder if she was a real dress-maker or whether that was a euphemism. Helen

I AM a dressmaker!!!!!! Yes I really am as were many of my ancestors (I hope) Anne

I have a dressmaker AND she seems to have an illegitimate child! Hehe, I knew if I plugged away long enough I'd discover something nasty. Thanks Helen you've made my day.

Hi Helen, You find out some wonderful things - good to know what some of the terms actually mean. As for dressmaker - well it could explain a lot about my Emma having four kids and am unable to find any marriage or birth for her in her supposed maiden name ;-) Gaynor

Helen!!!!! I'm astounded - my family line has dressmakers going back to the 1841 census. Do you think my my gt x4 grandads occupation of "gentleman" living with a household of dressmaker daughters really makes him a pimp?? LOL ;o) Zoe

Helen does "street singer"? get a mention? Bob

Hate to think what my tailoresses are then.(Hand me that whip!)

That's very interesting Helen. I've often wondered what the difference was between a boarder and a lodger and a lunatic and an imbecile. I'll put myself down as a lunatic on the next census then but definitely not a dressmaker! lol Jeanette

Found this via Google: Definition Of Terms Used On Census Returns England & Wales 1841-1891 Boarder ~ a person who shares the dinner table with the family. Lodger ~ a person who has separate accomodation to the householder. Lunatic ~ a mentally ill person with periods of lucidity. Imbecile ~ persons who have fallen in later life into a state of chronic dementia. Idiot ~ persons who suffer from congenital mental deficiency. Scholar ~ from 1861 onwards a child was described as a scholar if he/she was over 5 and receiving daily schooling or regular tuition at home. There was no definition of the latter. In 1871 the census officials in London broke the confidentiality pledge and divulged the names of all children 3-13 and their parents (with addresses) to the London School Board to help enforce compulsory education. Dressmaker ~ the occupation of 'dressmaker' was commonly given by prostitutes Helen