Sea Stories of Master Mariners - Week 17 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Working LIves is the theme of Week 17 in the blogging challenge "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks".   I am taking a look at the lives of my husband's ancestors who were 19th century mariners,  sailing  out of the River Tyne at South Shields, County Durham  in north eat England.

A Genealogical Sideline:   To me "snow" was the white stuff falling in winter and a "smack" was a slap to a recaltrant child.  But that all changed,   as I  began researching my husband's maritime ancestors and learnt about the different names for ships in the 19th century - barque or bark or barc, brig, sloop, smack and snow - an illustration of the diverse routes that family history can take you.

Great Great Great Grandfather - Robert Donaldson, Master Mariner  (1801-1878)
Mariner records at the National Archives at Kew  showed that Robert Donaldson was  registered as a mariner on 20th July 1852.

Tyne and Wear Archives provided information on the sea-going  life of Robert Donaldson and the ships he sailed on, listed in "“A Dictionary of Tyne Sailing Ships: a record of merchant sailing ships owned, registered and built at the Port of Tyne 1830-1930”, compiled by Richard Keys. This is a complete A-Z of Ships, master mariners and owners, detailing ships, voyages, disasters and share-ownerships, and much more - a must for anyone with maritime ancestors in this region.

The entries make fascinating reading, with all six ships on which Robert Donaldson sailed, having an eventful history and coming to a sad end  - though not under his charge.  

 

Image - Pixabay

• The Thetis became a wreck after sinking off the Yorkshire coast in 1869.

• The John was stranded in 1861 and became a wreck during a severe easterly gale. Twenty-eight other Tyne ships went ashore in the same area during the same gale.

• The Emerald, in December 1855, when on passage from the Tyne to London, foundered in five fathoms on the Dough Sand (Long Sand) Thames estuary. Three survivors were brought ashore by two Bridlington smacks. Eleven others were unaccounted for, including some of the crew of the rescuing smack who were in a small boat, which disappeared.

• The Hebe was wrecked in Robin Hood’s Bay, along with other vessels on 27 January 1861. The Ann & Elizabeth disappeared after leaving the Tyne in November 1863, with her captain leaving a wife and six children.

• The William Metcalfe was Robert Donaldson's largest ship.  On her maiden voyage, it transported 240 male convicts from Portsmouth to Hobart,TAsmania  on a passage that took 102 days. In January 1855 eight of her crew were sent to goal for three months each by the North Shields magistrates for refusing duty. In October 1858 her master and one man were washed overboard. Nine days later, the ship was abandoned, with the crew taken off.

These incidents were by no means unusual and bring home the hazards our mariner ancestors faced in their daily lives.

Great Great Grandfather John Robert Moffet (1814-1881)   

John Robert Moffet in a Napoleonic pose - the only photograph I have of my husband's mariner ancestors - shared with me by internet contact who was also a descendant of John.  
 

John's family originated from Tynmouuth, north of the river Tyne,  with his father Robert and brother William both mariners. Two puzzles about the family  remain unanswered.   John was born in Chatham, the site of the Royal Navy dockyard on the River Medway on the south  of England.  What had brought his family there?    

John's   wife Frances Dunn Thomas, daughter  and widow of a mariner,   had three children, with two  born in the USA.   It would be wonderful to find the background to that, but nigh impossible without any indication of which state.  The family first settled in the London docklands area before returning to South Shields..   

In the 1861 Census,  John  was listed as master of "The Brotherly Love" sailing off Flamborough Head in the North Sea.     The crew of eight included three young apprentices, four seamen, and a mate, with most born in South Shields.

The caption  reads"The Brotherly Love" model. made for her  master Captain  Moffet."    

llustration supplied by a Moffet descendant. 

In South Shields Museum and Art Gallery, there is  a portrait  " The Brig "Brotherly Love" and the Tug "William" painted by  John Scott (1802-1885).

 Other mariner ancestors of my husband included, on his mother's side:

Great Great Grandfather  Matthew White (1821-1872).   

The 1861 census listed Matthew  as master mariner on board the brig "Caroline" off South Shields.  Lloyd’s Captains’ Register,  recorded the ships he sailed on, travelling as far as the Adriatic, Mediterranean and Baltic ports.

 

From: the National Archives at  Kew, London 

 

Sadly Matthew was, wih others,   drowned at sea  on 10th January 1872 whilst master marinder of the brig "Caroline" - as recorded in    "Births, Marriages and Deaths at Sea",  online on Find May Past.  

 

 Great Grandfather  Matthew Iley White. (1849-1901)

On his marriage to young widow Louisa Moffet Pierce in 1884 at South Shields, Matthew was described as a mariner.  However he had a change of occupation and was next found as a member of the Tyne River Police, along with his brother Henry.

 

A  long-held story in my husband's family recollected a photograph (sadly lost) of a White ancestor in a top hat in the uniform of the River Tyne police.   A silver uniform button  (below) is  still held by the family.   

 

 

 

Tyne and Wear Archives provided some answers. The Nominal Roll of the Tyne River Police gave details that  two sons of Matthew Iley White  (senior),   had been  members of the river police force – but both with rather a chequered career.    Henry White  joined 9^th January 1882 and brother Matthew June 1896.  

 

The Police Defaulters Book recorded on 11^th June 1889 their  misconduct in the same incident -  "for assaulting a seaman A. W. Hanson and other irregularities, whilst off duty".   
 

Matthew was fined 2/6 and transferred to the Newcastle Division at his own expense.  However he resigned a few months later. Henry was fined 2/6 and transferred to Walker Division at his own expense.  The Nominal Roll of 1904 noted his age as 42 and that he had 22 years of service, with a wage of 29/6

 

Storms off South Shields
 "The Shields Gazette" on  (FindMyPast Newspaper Archive)  abounds with  headlines and reports on disasters at sea, storms and gales;  the lifeboat responses. and the ensuing work of the Mariners' benevolent societies in helping families in distress.  Below is one typical  of what mariners faced. 

 

 

  

 

 Image - Pixabay 

 

 

A Fascinating Fact  - one of the first purpose built lifeboats  was constructed in South Shields in 1789, prompted by a tragedy  when a ship with all its crew was  lost  at sea just off shore.  

 

To Conclude -  

My husband's maritime ancestors (Donaldson, White & Moffet)  must have had a streak of Adventure  in them to venture out from South Shields  into the North Sea in all weathers, as they plied their trade as master mariners. They faced storms at sea  as part of their daily lives - as evidenced by local newspaper reports of shipping disasters.   

 

 

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Delivering the Goods - Sepia Saturday

This week's Sepia Saturday prompt image shows a van  with the local business clearly identified on the side and all set to deliver goods,  whether they be coal and timber or food and drink. 

My mind turned immediately to my cousin's Oldham family of Blackpool, Lancashire, who were carters and coalmen down three generations - Joseph Prince Oldham (1855-1921), his son John William Oldham (1880-1939) and his granddaughter Elsie Smith, nee Oldham (1906-1989),The business  went from  using horses to horsepower  - and below is their first lorry purchased in 1921. 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

This Oldham vehicle  was requisitioned during the Second World War by the Government  for use by  the Fire Service. It was never returned.  

 

 The Oldham business was founded around 1890, steadily became prosperous and in 1905 moved to near North Station, Blackpool, Lancashire in a house with a large yard, hay loft, tack room. and stabling for around 7 horses.

 

In the 1901 census Joseph Prince Oldham (below), son of William Oldham and Sarah Prince,  was described as a self-employed carter and coal merchant,  with his 20 year old son John  driver of a coal lorry.  Also in the  household were Joseph's  wife Mary Alice, 3 young daughters, Sarah Alice, Edith and Beatrice, and also mother-in-law Mary Ann Knowles.

Joseph Prince Oldham, with, on the left, his granddaughter Elsie 

who later took over the business. 

 

 

The Oldham family c.1910 - Back: Sarah and John William 

Front:  Father Joseph,  Beatrice, Edith  and mother Mary Alice. 

 

John William Oldham married Mary Jane Bailey (my grandfather's cousin)   in 1905 at St. John's Church, Blackpool.  

   

  

 

 

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From Blackpool to Earlston in the Scottisy Borders and photographs from  my local heritage group. 

 

  

 

 

Two Lorries of the  Brownlie family who have been in the Saw Mill business since the mid 1850s and purchased the Earlston yard in 1920. in July 1988 it became part of BSW Timber Group 

 

 

  Another  Brownlie's lorry negotiating this tight bend 

 

 

 

 

Two lorries from a long standing local business Rodgers, builder, established in 1847  and operated until the 2020s.  Its work in the village included the renovation of the Parish Church in 1891  and the building of the War Memorial in 1921.  

 

 Taylors Grocers opened in Earlston in 1908 and was in business until the mid 1950s with members of the same family.  

 

A Baker's van in Earlston  

 From Baker to Butcher  with Donaldson's (no reelation) still serving customers today in Earlston. 

 

 

 

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And Finally: - My father in law John Robert Donaldson was a signwriter  and this is an example of his work. 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                   

 

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Sepia Saturday gives an opportunity for genealogy bloggers  

to share their family history and memories through photographs

 

 

A Unexpected Discovery - Week 15 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

“The Unexpected” is the theme of week 15 in  the website “52 Ancestors  in 52 Weeks” and here is the story of how I  made the unepected discovery  that I had American relations. 

 My great great aunt Alice Rawcliffe (1853-1930), sister of my great grandmother Maria   of Hambleton, Lancashire, came from a family of    of eight daughters - 5 surviving infancy - born to Robert Rawcliffe and Jane Carr.   In 1873 she married John Mason and over the next eight years had five  children, their names reflecting those of close family members - Robert William, Jane Elizabeth, John Thomas, James Richard,  and Margaret Alice. 

All the research into my mother’s Danson and Rawcliffe families showed them to be very firmly based in The Fylde area of north west Lancashire around the settlements of Poulton-le-Fylde, Fleetwood and Blackpool. 

 

But  I had been unable to trace the family in the Englis1891 and 1901 census returns.  

 For a very long time, I puzzled over  "Who is this striking family group?"   The photograph mounted on heavy dark card,  came to me from  my great aunt Jennie Danson,  of Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire.    Unlike many of Jennie's photographs, she had not written anything on the back - perhaps because of the dark mount, and there was no photographer's name and address  to indicate where it had been taken   But it  must surely be of one of of my great grandmother's sisters - Anne, Jane, Alice, or Jennet?  The composition of the family and ages of the children ruled out Anne, Jane or Jennet. So was  this Alice and John  Mason and family?   This was a mystery.

 

It  came as a complete surprise when  a casual browsing of Rawcliffes on Family Search resulted in an  entry for Alice Mason née Rawcliffe (1853-1930) with the statement that she had died  in  Jamesburg, Middlesex County, New Jersey - the first time I was aware of any potential American connection.  All the information fitted with "my Alice" - dates, names, places etc. 

 

American Research 
I boosted my Ancestry UK subscription for a short term, so I could access American records. The results:

• The  New York Passenger Lists  revealed  that John  Mason had emigrated from Liverpool in 1886, joined a year later by Alice, aged 34  and now with six  children aged from  13 to 10 months (plus two pieces of baggage).   How on earth did she cope on the eight day voyage?  This was the first revelation too  of another son George Rawcliffe Mason, born in 1885 in Fleetwood.  
  

• Between 1888 and 1898, Alice had a further five children, born in the USA - Arthur Valentine (born appropriately 14th February 1888 - (a reunion baby?) ), Harold Arthur Victor, Lillian Eveline, Bessie Irene and the youngest Florence Adelaide - their names in sharp contrast to the family names of their siblings, born in England.  Arthur, Bessie and Lillian sadly all died in infancy. Were  the crowded living conditions in Brooklyn, New York  a factor here? 

• The family took out US citizenship in 1895.  

• The 1900 census for the City of New York, Brooklyn showed a large Mason household of ten living at 72 Hall Street in what was probably an apartment building with four other families at the same address.  John was described as an insurance agent

• The 1910 census for New York still found the family on  Hall Street,  Brooklyn, with John working as a labourer at the Customs House. 

• ·At some point the family moved  across the river to Jamesburg, New Jersey. The 1920 census saw a depleted household with John and Alice, now both 66, with their eldest and youngest daughters (Jane  and Florence), and widowed son Robert with  his baby son, also Robert.  

The  Search for my America Long-Lost Cousins
 
I put enquiries on a range of message boards but with no response.

Then I set up my blog i and posted about my mystery photograph.   A year  later came SUCCESS!!  The granddaughter of Florence Mason (the young girl in the top photograph) was pointed to my blog by another relative.  She got in touch and she had the very same photograph  as mine,  but mounted with the name of a photographer in Brooklyn, New York.

 

We  exchanged e-mails, photographs and information of our ancestors down the generations and remained in touch until her death. Other descendants and I are Facebook friends.

John Mason (Alice's husband)  with hitheir  youngest daughter, Florence

It was special to receive a later photograph of the Mason family (below)  with all eight surviving children. 

 

 Alice and John  in the middle, surrounded by their 8 children. 

 

Alice died in 1930 and John 7 years later, both buried in Fernwood Cemetery, Jamesburg, New Jersey. 

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So it is all thanks to the power of the Internet and of blogging, that my mystery photograph was eventually identified and I discovered the unexpected story of my first  emigrant ancestors. It pays to be patient in family history research!  

If only I could discover why the Mason family  took this step of adventure from the small Lancashire coastal community of Fleetwood to the streets of New York,  and I am now researching  the story of my American cousins.    The challenge remains! 

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Memories of my Grandfather's Home - Sepia Saturday

This week's Sepia Saturday prompt image shows a house .   Here I take a nostalgic look back at my grandfather's house  in Poulton le Fylde, Lancashire in north west England.  

My grandfather's home c.1950 - The Danson family home 1926-2001

 

Grandfather was William Danson (1875-1962), 5th son of James Danson and Maria Rawcliffe. In 1907 he married Alice English and they had five children - Edith, Kathleen (my mother), Harry, Billy, with baby of the family Peggy, born after the First World War. Alice died in 1945 and I never knew her.

 

Grandad was a taciturn country man  who,  when he was conscripted in 1916,  was working as a cattle man at the local auction mart.   In the First World War he was awareded the Military  Medal for "Conspicious gallantary and determined devotion to duty in action."  But  I was warned by my aunt that he would never talk abiut his experiences then. I have memories of him taking my brother and I to the auction marst and out on country walks,  of spotting rabbits in the field,s and gathering  wild flowers, berries and leaves for the nature table at school.  

         

 

Grandad in army uniform 1916,  and relaxing in between his brother Robert on the left and a friend. 

 

The Danson family moved into the semi-detached house in 1926.   I still have the receipt for the deposit of £67. It looks quite a big house in the photograph, but, with only three small bedrooms, it must have still been a squash for William,  Alice,  three daughters and two sons.

 

The front door had a round stained glass window which I thought was very posh - until it had to be replaced with clear glass.  Half way up the side wall  of the house  was a small hatch door which revealed the coal shute where the coal men emptied  their sacks down into a small cellar under the stairs. My uncle Harry (a joiner)  much later took on the hard task to clear it all out to create a much needed "glory hole" and utility room.   He also modernised the kitchen and installed French windows in the living  room at the back of the house. 

 

In the living room a  copper kettle stood in the hearth (open fire) and I was told that had belonged to my great grandmother Maria Danson, nee Rawcliffe (1859-1919).  

 

 

 

 

To the left of the fireplace was a cupboard where a shoebox was kept,   holding family photographs and memorabilia.  It was a big treat if I was allowed to look thorough this box and it was the photograph of my great grandmother Maria (below)  which was the  inspiration  to draw up my first  Danson family tree and set me on the ancestral trail.  I was  about 12 years old then  

 

 

 

My great grandmother Maria Danson, nee Rawcliffe. with her eldest granddaughter,  Annie Maria Danson, my mother's cousin.  

 

Pride of place in the front small room (kept for best) was the piano, complete with candlestick holders,  which I learnt to play on.  The  bookcase held the   family bible recording the marriage of my great grandparents Maria Rawcliffe and James Danson in 1877 and the birth of their first four  (out of ten) children - entries petered out after that.  Another favourite book which had belonged to my grandmother and was treasured by my mother  was an 1899 edition of "Pride and Prejudice" with delicate pencil drawings protected by flimsy paper. 

 

But there was one surprising feature about the house, though - it did not have electricity until the late 1950s, because my grandfather refused to have it installed. I remember my aunt standing on a chair to light the ceiling gas lights, and ironing with a  flat iron, heaed in the fire, whilst the flames from the gas cooker frightened me. 

Outside the side trellis gate was later taken down and a driveway created to take my uncle's motor bike and side car, and later a car.  Grandad's hen house at the back then became the garage.  

The large gardens were my grandfather's and later my uncle's pride and joy - with floral displays in the  front and  productive vegetables and fruit  grown at the back. The front garden was a regular setting for family photographs.

My dressmaker mother modellin  one of her outfits - late 1930s.   

 

A unique photograph as the only one I have of both sets of grandparents William & Alice Danson on the left  and Albert and Mary Weston, taken in the garden after my parent's wedding in 1938.  

  

Sisters Peggy, Edith and Kathleen Danson  with their mother, a rather frail looking Alice  c.1941

 

1941 and my father is setting out for war service in the RAF.  Here with Mum on the right and her sister, my aunt Edith on the left

                     My aunt Edith,  with a little podgy me c 1944.

 

My brother and I in my long dress for the local Gala Day, c.1951   

       Full circle  - my mother with my uncle  Harry, c.1990s.  

My  mother was the first of the family to marry in 1938, followed  by Billy, then her younger sister Peggy who emigrated to Australia in 1948.   Grandad, William Danson died in 1962.     Edith and Harry lived in the house  nearly all their lives (apart from short term marriages)  until their deaths in 1995 and 2001.  This  marked the end of the house that had been a family home for nearly 80 years.  

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Sepia Saturday gives an opportunity for genealogy bloggers  

to share their family history and memories through photographs

 

 

 

  

Click HERE to see  posts from other Sepia Saturday bloggers.

 

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All in a Row - Sepia Saturday

This week's Sepia Saturday prompt photograph features a  large group of men sitting in row.   I have shown in the past images of troops in rows, so this time I hunted my collection and that of my local heritage group Auld Earlston for something a bit different.