Postman Bob - Workaday Wednesday

 

Bob is the uniformed figure standing by the wagonette in Poulton Square.

My great uncle Bob was a postman.  He was the   third son of James Danson  and Maria Rawcliffe, born, according to the family bible, on 3^rd June 1881, at Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire and most probably named after his maternal grandfather Robert Rawcliffe.

I was pleased to see recently  that the British Postal Service Appointment Books have been made available on www.ancestry.co.uk.    It is always fascintating to see an original record relating to an ancestor, but  to be honest they gave little information besides recording his name and appointment in  1907 in Preston as a Rural Postman with a further entry showing  his appointment  as postman in Blackpool in May 1925.  

His daughter Irene  presents a much more colourful picture of his work and recollects that:

"He went a long way on his bicycle from Poulton over Shard Bridge [where his grandfather Henry Danson had been a toll keeper] to deliver the post over Wyre.  He had a little hut at Presall where he had to wait until it was time to do the collections and then ride all the way back to Poulton.

In later years he worked from Blackpool General Post Office where his round was North Promenade and the Cliffs - very windy, but it seems the hotel people looked after him with cups of tea now and again. 

He was told at the oubreak of the First World War when his other brothers were joining the army, that he had a bad heart.   But work must have kept him fit, as he lived to be 89 years old and died in 1970.



Uncle Bob in 1929 at the wedding of his only sister Jennie.

[Workaday Wednesday is one of many daily blogging prompts from http://www.geneanbloggers.com/  to encourage writers to record their family history.]

Copyright © 2012 · Susan Donaldson.  All Rights Reserved

162 years of Shopping - Shopping Saturday

Do you enjoy, like me,  looking at fashions and lifestyles from the past ? 

The history of shopping is portrayed  on a new website http://www.housefraserarchive.ac.uk/.  
This collection of rare pictures, posters, advertisements,  and catalogues relates to the drapery store that opened in Glasgow in 1849  and evolved into Scotland's most famous department store chain - the House of Fraser,  that would later come to encompass the iconic Harrods of London.

Find out what a lady of leisure was wearing in 1859,  or browse advertisements for household appliances such as an auto vacuum freezer for making ice cream (1924). 

Described as a "treasure trove for armchair historians", the 162 years journey through changing fashions is a result of research through the House of Fraser archives, held at Glasgow University. 

The Archive is an outstanding source for the history of British design, fashion, tastes, lifestyles, consumerism and consumption from the early nineteenth to the end of the twentieth century. 

Do take a look! 

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: 1 - Inspiring Blogs

Amy at http://wetree.blogspot.com/  in conjunction with Geneabloggers, has begun a new series of weekly blogging prompts on the theme of  52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy.  Week 1 is Blogs: Blogging is a great way for genealogists to share information with family members, potential cousins and each other. For which blog are you most thankful?  What is special about the blog and why should others read it?

I have taken a slightly different approach to this topic.  I find it difficult to select one single blog that I admire, but instead  pay  tribute to the network of http://www.geneabloggers.com/.

When I started my blog in late August 2010, I soon expected to run out of material to post. My main concern was "Is anyone finding this and more importantly actually reading it?" I began by trying to find other British family history bloggers.  Thank you to John of http://wanderinggenealogist.wordpress.com/ for pointing me in the direction of Geneabloggers.com.   I haven't looked back, taking on the challenge of the varied blog prompts, eagerly checking the daily blog beats to see if my efforts have been listed, hoping for comments and becoming part of a great social network.

So what have I gained from Geneabloggers?

1. Stimulating daily prompts which have inspired me to write far more often  than I originally intended and encourged me to look at my own material from a different perspective.
2. Ideas from fellow bloggers suggesting new directions for postings.  Two recent ones come to mind - Greta at  http://gretabog.blogspot.com/  on her different approach to the recent Advent Calendar theme and John at  http://wanderinggenealogist.wordpress.com/   for  putting his focus this year on his own county of Sussex. This seems an ideal approach for me in the Scottish Borders.  It is often a forgotten corner of Scotland, yet has a rich, unique and colourful local history, with key family names predominating - Scott, Turnbull, Elliot and Armstrong.
3. Articles that make me think  and encourage me  to clarify my own views on aspects of research and writing.  
4. The weekly reviews which point me to different blogs and postings.
5. The opportunity to share my family history with others and to get encouraging feedback.
6. The many helpful,  practical tips on content and presentation which have hopefully  made my blog more appealing to readers. 
7. Amazement and fascination at the stories and memorabilia shared by fellow  bloggers.   Photographs are a constant delight,  whether of family, fashions, heirlooms, views, houses  or documents.
8. The lovely feeling of being part of a great social network across the world with people of shared interests - and the avoidance of boring my own family yet again!  

So many Geneabloggers have helped me on this blogging journey, but I am selecting three in particular for their  thoughtful, stimulating  postings, practical ideas, and stories that educate, inform and amuse.   They are an inspiration!

Amy at http://wetree.blogspot.com/
Pauleen at http://cassmob.wordpress.com/
Susan at http://longlostrelatives-smp.blogspot.com/

"Gowned in Delphinium Blue Georgette" - Wedding Wednesday

My mother's cousin Annie Danson  married on 4 October 1928 and the local press report provided a fascinating picture of the fashion of the day.    Do take time to read it as it gives such a colourful and evocative description of the dresses.

“A member of an old Poulton family Miss Annie M Danson, daughter of the late Mr and Mrs J Danson was married in the Parish Church, Poulton. 

The bride, who was given away by her uncle Mr R. Danson, was gowned in delphinium blue georgette, the sleeveless bodice being plain, while the circular skirt was side slashed and bordered all round with deep silver lace.  Her hat was ruched georgette to tone and she wore silver shoes and hose to tone.  Her bouquet was of pale pink chrysanthemums. 

The bridesmaids were Miss Jennie Danson (aunt) and Miss J Ditchfield (sister of the bridegroom).  Miss Danson wore pale shell pink georgette over silk, the picot edged skirt having shaded crystal motifs at intervals.  Her hat was of fine black felt with alternate shades of pink chiffon velvet on the drooping brim to tone with the gown.

Miss J. Ditchfield was in mauve taffeta, veiled with fine Brussels lace, with a hat of fine grey felt.  Both bridesmaids carried bouquets of russet chrysanthemums.

The reception was held at the home of the bride’s uncle, after which Mr and Mrs Ditchfield went to New Brighton for the honeymoon, the bride travelling in a dress of rose-rust silk, with ecru lace en relief, over which she wore a cost of dove grey, with fox fur trimming and hat of grey felt”.   

Annie wore her wedding dress again a year later - this time in the role of  a bridesmaid at her Aunt Jennie's wedding.  See: A 1920's Wedding

Wedding Wednesday is one of many  blogging promptd from www.geneabloggers.com to encourage writers to record their family history.

My First Childhood Memory - Sharing Memories 1

Olive Tree Genealogy at http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/p/sharing-memories.html has begun a new series of Sharing Memories with Week 1 - Earliest Childhood Memory

The birth of my baby brother, Chris,  is my earliest memory, though it is somewhat vague. I recollect my Aunt Peggy holding my hand and taking me (at nearly 4 years old)  into a room to see the baby in a Moses basket. 

Beginning school, I have an image of my mother meeting me at the end of the day,  with Chris, wearing a baby blue knitted outfit. 

I also remember the formal photograph (below) being taken after school and the photographer having to work hard to get Chris to keep still and look at the camera - or perhaps this was one of those apocryphal stories told years later on what a trouble he was!  We were both  wearing outfits made by my mother (a dressmaker), with Chris in a smocked baby top and myself in a blouse, with cross stitched  embroidery.

Copyright © 2012 · Susan Donaldson.  All Rights Reserved

A Blogging Review 2011

If you are the start of your blogging journey,  take my word - it is a great fulfilling expererience.  I soon got hooked from my first posting in late August 2010 and have far exceeded my original target of one posting per week - now up to 218.  So here is a review of 2011 activity.

My blogging stats show I have had 9744 pageviews (no idea how this compares with anything), with 64% from UK and USA, followed  by Australia and Canada, and surprisingsly Russia, Germany, Ukraine, India and Japan.  I have 43 followers which I reasonbly happy with, but always delighted to see this figure go up.

The most popular postings I am sure have a lot to do with the prompts from http://www.geneablogger.com/   such as Wedding Wednesday and Black Sheep Sunday.   Some postings are for my own pleasure, notably my "Stop Press" series of items in old newspapers that appeal and also a November series on  "Lest We Forget" on war memorials.   My postings on WDYTYA (UK) singularly failed to attract aattention!   Overall, comments from fellow bloggers remain all important and motivational.

• The highlight of the 2011 blogging year must be finding  my third cousin Stuart who discovered my blog.  We share the same great great grandparents Henry Danson  and Elizabeth Calvert.  Amazingly since we had both moved away from our home town of Blackpool, Lancashire, we now live only 50 miles apart and have met and exchanged photographs and  memories - we even went to the same primary school.
  
  Stuart has given my blog a real boost, as he is happy for me to feature stories and photographs, notably the wedding pictures which are always popular with readers (what magnificent hats!),  and my favourite an advertising blotter of his mother,  Elsie Oldham.  who was a hairdresser in the 1920's - see  Bobbing and Shingling.

• Another blog boost as regards content and presentaion  has come from taking part in  blogger tutorial and advice, notably Tonia at http://www.toniasroots.net/ and Amy at http://wetree.blogspot.com
• I was delighted that one of my suggested themes was chosen by http://www.geneabloggers.com/ as a new daily prompt - Travel Thursday to tell stories of our ancestors who have travelled by various means and across countries and continents.
• Participating in the special  themes from http://www.geneabloggers.com/  is a stimulating, enjoyable and satisfying task, so thank you to Fearless Females, 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History and the Advent Calendar - I look forward to more such themes.
• Reseach wise I feel I have come close to a halt (back to 1736 on my Danson side),  unless more distant cousins emerge, but new material online is always of interest e.g. British Post Office Appointment Books on http://www.ancestry.co.uk/ which list two of my great uncles.  My brick wall remains with tracing the birth and parentage of my grandmother Alice English  - still my major research target.
• Another achievement to look back on is the completion of Part 2 of my family history "Danson Ancestors"  purely for family, but It is amazing how different your work can look once is is typed, printed and sprial bound. 
• I have recently entered the Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS)  competition  to write a 1000 word profile of ancestor  (my great grandmother Maria Rawcliffe: 1859-1919).  I am sure my experience of writng for the blog has helped here. For Christmas  I made presentation copies for Maria's three surviving granddaughters.  
• Sharing my enthusiasm for family history has meant a lot to me and I presented two workshops on "An Introduction to Family History" at my local Heritage Centre, plus gave a talk on "The Census is the Key" (to mark the release  of Scotlands's 1911 census in April - see http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/). I like to get across that  family history is so much more than names and dates and it is journey of discovery to trace the stories connected with our ancestors, whatever their status in life. 

 So a great blogging year to look back on, and I look forward to 2012 both as a reader and writer.

With Best Wishes for 2012 to all my Blog Readers.

A card in the family collection of my cousin Stuart

An embroidered card from the collection my grandfather, William Danson,  sent back from Flanders during the  First World War.