Happiness is Stitching - Week 43 of 52 Ancestors

This week the prompt from "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks"  is "Handmade".   There was no   question how I would respond - with a profile of my talented mother who was apprenticed to a tailor at the age of fourteen.  I always thought that her motto could be  "Happiness is Stitching".

My mother, Kathleen Danson of Poulton le Fylde  Lancashire was born in 1908, the middle of three sisters.  Kathleen set up a dressmaking business from her home - the business card  below I only came across after her death.  She was still making her own clothes in her 80's - though on a much more sophisticated sewing machine than the old treadle she began on, for my grandfather's home did not get electricity until the mid 1950s. 

                                

 

Mum modelling one of her dresses  c. early 1930s

 

 

Another  1930s outfit

 

 Mum on he left with her sister Edith

 The two sisters out to enjoy themselves

 For Mum to go into a fabric shop was like going into a jeweller's.   If she sat down, she was rarely without a needle in her hand.  She was a creator in patchwork, crochet, collage, knitting, embroidery, smocking, dolls and dresses, with dabbles into  millinery, lampshade making and china painting.

She continued her home dressmaking  throughout her life.  In the 1950's this meant working in the spare bedroom which was icy cold in winter and hot and stuffy in summer.  I remember one time when my little brother - a typical boy into everything - got hold of her oiling can, filled it with water and proceeded to "oil" the sewing machine!.  He was not very popular!      

A formal photograph  of my brother and I.  We were both  wearing outfits made by my mother,  with Chris in a smocked baby top and myself in a blouse, with cross stitched  embroidery.

 I benefited from Mum's activities - I had the best dressed dolls on the street and enjoyed cutting up her old Butterick and Simplicity pattern books and creating characters and "schools" from the fashion figures.   I was also intrigued by her invoice book with carbon paper creating  copies - one for her customer and one to keep or her own records. 

Mum  was a typical homemaker of the 1950's and 60's -- and beyond.  She was always making something - cushions changed their covers regularly, new patchwork quilts appeared on the beds and new curtains at the windows, worn sheets were turned, old bath towels were cut, and trimmed into hand towels, tray cloths and table cloths were embroidered.

Many years later, my own daughter was 8 years and had a collection of Cindy dolls - the British version of Barbie, - with a lovely wardrobe of clothes. again made by  my mother.  Mum was in her mid 70's  and with fading eyesight, yet the small scale stitching on the clothes is so impressive.

Mum was also skilled in a variety of crafts - on show below

     

  An Alice in Wonderland collage, stitched by my mother  for my daughter, 1973.   

More of my mother's  creations:

                     

 

Animals were a favourite choice. 

 

 

 

 

And finally below - My mother modelling an outfit she made in a big  event  organized by the Scottish Women's Rural Institute (SWRI) - 1968

 

 

 

 

Mum died at the age of 91  and was still making hr own clothes in her 80's as well as a patchwork quilt for the bed.   These heirlooms here, may not be all that old,  but they are precious to me and a potent visible reminders of my very talented mother,  whose life indeed was "Happiness is Stitching".  

 

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Memories of Fires - Sepia Saturday

"Fire" is the theme of this week's Sepia a Saturday's prompt photograph  - I am struggling with this prompt g as a large  fire disaster very fortunately did not feature in the lives of my ancestors, beyond the obvious  necessity of keeping the fire in the hearth burning for heat and  cooking.  

 So I feature here a brief report of a tragic accident that befell my grandmother's  sister;  I   turned to my local history  and the story of a fire that impacted opn the Wallace family in Earlston in the Scottish Border, and finally  my childhood memories of the hearth  fire in my grandfather's house in Poulton le Fylde, Lancashire.    

 

 Image by Eneida_Mattou from Pixabay

The Southern Reporter of 17th September 1874 reported the news of a devastating fire in Earlston at the joiner's  workshop of John Wallace.

 

"The inhabitants of Earlston were at nine o' clock on Thursday last,  alarmed by the unusual and ominous cry of "Fire".    A cry which turned out to be all too true; the workshop, a wooden erection of Mr. John Wallace, joiner being discovered to be in flames. 

Plenty of willing workers, men, women and even children rushed to the scene, but all saw at a glance that  the shop and  its contents were doomed.......Hardly had some of the men withdrawn when part of the shop fell with a crash thereby endangering the dwelling house of Mr Wallace which forms one of the range of two storey houses known as New Street.   So imminent the danger that at this time most of the dwellers  had removed their household goods and chattels. And that with such a hurry and confusion to cause no  little damage.

During  the dire struggle  to save the house, the fire spread in another direction. and caught hold of a stable in the adjoining property belonging to Mr David Jameson, grocer. All that could be done was done to save it, but the flames gained their mastery, but not before, however, the livestock were got out.  

The damage sustained by Mr, Wallace  is estimated as fully £500,  and is not covered by insurance.  The workmen in his employment have also lost all their tools.......

Great sympathy is expressed by the public to Mr. Wallace. and his men.....and a public meeting was held in the Corn Exchange  on Thursday night ......  A subscription was at once opened ....on Monday the sum  amounted to upwards of £140.  

It is but fair to Mr. Wallace  to say that he had  insured the property up to two years ago, but not only the office with which he had been insured,  but another to which he applied, refused to undertake the risk on any terms.   

The stable and property belonging to Mr Jamieson was insured.  

[Note:   £500 in 1874 is equivalent to £41,500 today - website Measuring Worth]

Seven  years on in the 1881 census, John Wallace was back in business, described as master joiner employing 5 men.  

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The Wallace family remained very grateful for the generosity of the Earlston people.  John Wallace's daughter Isabella was 20 years old at the time of the fire.  She never married keeping house for her brother George, also a joiner. She  died in 1920 and  In her will, after bequests to her nephews and nieces and to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary,  left the sum of £3,240 to Earlston Parish Council "For the purpose of improving the amenities of the Town of Earlston including footpaths, paving and lighting and similar objects."

Council records held at the Heritage Hub, Hawick confirm that the Isabella Wallace Fund was used for the provision of lighting, the upgrading of the Square, with railings around the War Memoria, .the removal of the air raid shelter and a gateway and railings at the riverside park of Mill Meadow, where she is still remembered today.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Scottish history is full of men and women who  stepped into the unknown by leaving their homeland behind and emigrating to far flung places.  Many of them might not be familiar names, yet they made their mark abroad, but never forgot where they had come from. 

One such man was Isaac Wallace of Earlston (1841-1921), brother of John and Isabella.    He emigrated to Victoria, Australia,   where  he named his new home "Earlston", set up a butter factory, and involved himself in community affairs, both in Australia, but also on a return visit to Earlston towards the end of his life. 

                              

A group photograph of the Wallace family  taken on Isaac's return to Earlston.  He is thought to be the tall figure on the left of the back row,with his brothers, John,  Robert & George and sister Isabella. 

 

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A sad tale  involving a fire -  my great grandmother's sister  Fanny Elizabeth Matthews  died aged 33 in 1909, following a tragic  accident when a lighted candle set fire to her apron and she died of the burns - with the inquest reported in the local paper "The Wolverhampton Express & Sta" :  22 September 1909.  

 

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And  finally, my childhood memories of the fire at my grandfather's house in Poulton le Fylde, Lancashire.  

 

 

 

 There was one surprising feature about the house, though - it did not have electricity until the late 1950's, because my grandfather refused to have it installed. I remember my Aunt Edith  standing on a chair to light the ceiling gas lights, and ironing with a  flat iron, heated in the open  fire in the living room, whilst the flames from the gas cooker in the kitchen frightened me as a child. So of course the only form of heating the 3 bedroomed house  was from the  coal fire.

 

 I liked to be around when the coal lorry called.   For  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 heavy sacks down into a small cellar under the stairs.  

 

 A copper kettle stood in the hearth which I was told belonged  belonged ot my great grandmother Maria Dnson, nee Rawcliffe (1859-1919). 

 

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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity

 to share their family history through photographs. 

 

 

 Click HERE to  see more fire  stories  from other Sepia Saturday  blogger.

 

 

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Sea Stories from Master Mariners - Sepia Saturday

Water is the theme of this  week’s Sepia Saturday prompt photograph.  So here I  take a look at my husband's  Donaldson, White and Moffet ancestors who were master mariners, sailing out into the North Sea from  South Shields in north east England.  Extended family members were in related occupations as a caulker, seaman, river policemen, shipwright, roper, ship's carpenter and marine engine fitter.

To me "snow" was the white stuff falling in winter and a "smack" was a slap to a recalcitrant 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.

 

Image - Courtesy of  Pixabay

Tyne and Wear Archives provided invaluable  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 - an  absolute  must for anyone  researching  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.  

• 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' wife left a widow with 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.

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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, according to the census entr,    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."    

Illustration  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 (1821-187 ).   

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

 

From: the National Archives at  Kew, London 

 

Sadly Matthew was,with  others,   drowned at sea  on 10th January 1872,  whilst master mariner 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 again 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. 

 

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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  instance of what mariners faced. 

 

 

  

 

 Image Courtesy of  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.  I was pleased to find such detail of their  experiences in the course of my research. 

 

 

 

Here is an aerial view taken as we were coming into land at Newcastle Airport, with a clear picture of the River Tyne, its north and south piers. and on the left South Shields, the home of my husband's ancestors.  

 

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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity

 to share their family history through photographs. 

Click HERE to  see more watery stories  from other Sepia Saturday  bloggers

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An Island Family Home -Sepia Saturday

This week's Sepia Saturday prompt image shows a primitive cottage . I turned to  my cousin's family history  with memories of his Smith crofter ancestors from the most northerly island of the British Isles - Unst  in the Shetland Islands of Scotland -

Using  primarily  www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk  &  ancestry.co.uk   the  Smith family was traced back to Great, Great, Great Grandfather - John Smith. (1759- c.1840.)  John's  youngest son Gilbert was born in 1802 at Snarbrough - the ruins of this family home still visitble today. 

 

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Gilbert Smith married Catherine Mouat in 1829,  with the ceremony performed  by the Rev James Ingram - the first clue to the Ingram name that featured   in the Smith family down to the present day. Gilbert and Catherine made their home at Gardin (below)

 

 But by the 1871 census the Smith family had made a major move, leaving Unst behind to live on the Scottish  mainland. Youngest son John was the last member of the family to be born on the island.  He followed a varied career  as a butler, a pub landlord,    a move to England in 1883  as a hotel manager in Leeds and finally around 1885 a move to the north west seaside resort of Blackpool, Lancashire. 

 

There was a family story that John became Catering Manager at the Winter Gardens entertainment complex in Blackpool.   and in  the photograph below  he looks the part.  But I have been unable to find any detailed documentary evidence to support this.   In 1900 he appeared in court d  on a charge of undischsrged  bankruptcy   where he was then described as a "waiter";  in the 1901 census as a caterer;    in  the 1911 census  as a furniture dealer;   and in the 1921 census  as a "retired caterer". He died in 1925 aged 78.

 

  John Ingram Smith  was the last of the immediate Smith family to be born on the island of Unst, But  the Rev. John Ingram must have had an influence on the family, with so many Smith descendants christened with  the middle name of Ingram down to the present day.    The connection with Unst lived on.

 

The Shetland  Isles - Photograph courtesy of Pixabay 

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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity

 to share their family history through photographs. 

  

Click HERE to  see favourite family photos from other Sepia Saturday  bloggers.

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