Tuesday, January 13, 2009

1911 census

No dark secrets revealed, no big surprises. Each of my four grandparents was exactly where I expected to find them, though with one or two unexpected people in their households.

Sarah Nuttall aged 24, was living at Penniment Lodge farm with her parents and younger sister. She was employed as a school teacher in the elementary school. Her 86 year-old grandfather, and five year-old niece were staying with them, and another school teacher was visiting. There were also two farm workers - a cowman and a horseman.

Alfred Shelton, aged 22, was working as a coal miner/hewer and living with his aunt and uncle in Stanton Hill.

Seventeen-year-old Lucy Briggs was in Albert St, Stonegravels, with her widowed mother, two brothers and a boarder.

Herbert Merricks, aged 21, was working as a pottery labourer in Chesterfield, and living with his father and mother in Queen Street. His brother and sister were still at home and there is a one-month-old Arthur Potts down as his parents' 'adopted son'. This must be a family connection through Herbert's mother, whose maiden name was Potts.

There's also a good very brief info piece on 1911 in the Guardian.

4 comments:

Annieye said...

What lovely fodder for a novel, Aliqot. Another Northamptonshire girlie! Where the devil are you! I'm in Barton Seagrave, near Kettering. I'm also in Sally's workshop, but got there really late - story of my life. Speak again soon.

aliqot said...

Hi there,

Good to hear from you - small world syndrome again!

I used to work in Corby - live in Gretton. Not a native, though I've been in Northants for almost 30 years - there's a scary thought indeed.

I'm hoping Sally's workshop will get me off my writing backside.

Family history contains a lot of story fodder, doesn't it? It's how to use it that's even more intriguing.

Alison

Annieye said...

Do you know Terry Sandy? He lives in Gretton. He's a friend of my husband's. I used to work in Corby when I was a teenager, at Corby Development Corporation.

I really enjoyed the writing task in Sally's workshop.

aliqot said...

He may be the person who dealt with the planning application when we had an extension built some years ago. The name is familiar. But I'm neither a church nor a pub person, so I know more faces from wandering around, than I know names. And we moved here when our daughter was a teenager and at school in Corby, so missed that type of socialising too.

Loved your answers to the names exercise - much more writerly than my curt responses! lol