I’m so excited to have found your work. My family tree (in America) was heavily influenced by the Industrial Revolution in England, with ancestors who left their villages and moved to the cities, where they ran into Mormon missionaries who were having enormous success among the impoverished factory workers in the cities. (I am not Mormon.) They sold them false hope of “a land flowing with milk and honey” in the Utah Territory in America. Thousands emigrated to the States and many of the young women were coerced into polygamy. I’ve actually written a book about one of these girls from my own ancestry. I’m fascinated with learning more about their lives in England and the socio-economic climate of the time that led so many people to join the Mormon church and leave England.
Yeah the stories of the church’s success in England in the mid-nineteenth century is fascinating. They convinced thousands to come to America with promises of homes and land and food enough for everyone. When they reached America, though, many were expected to walk on foot halfway across the American continent to get to the “promised land.” Of course I wouldn’t be alive if they hadn’t done it, so I do have to admire their strength, but there was a lot of tragedy. So many died before reaching their destination. I’d be interested if you ever run into research on Mormon missionaries in England during that time.
That's so very facinating. It's interesting to think how different my own family tree could have been if any of my ancestors had been convinced by these Mormon missionaries! Your book sounds like my kind of thing — I'll be sure to pick up a copy!
Fascinating, and I have some parallels to your story in my family. My great great Grandfather, Richard Pickering, was born in 1844 in Hull. The census records show he was a cooper (barrel maker). Sometime between 1881 and 1891 he moved to Openshaw in Manchester, to work as a Chemical Cooper, and dye maker. I’m guessing that the skills Richard and your ancestor had were in short supply in Manchester, which is why they moved. Richard’s move to Lancashire coincides with the worldwide ‘long depression’ from 1873 to 1896. Industry was hit badly, forcing many people to uproot and move long distances. Another of my great great grandfather’s moved from Sheffield to Missouri USA in 1884, presumably looking for work. Sadly he died in a boarding house in a drunken stupor, so not such a good outcome for him. Richard was an illegitimate child and lived in some of the worst slums in Hull, but he seems to have made the best of an unlucky start and ended up a skilled tradesman and. His children did even better in Manchester: one son became a shop worker and the other a clerk. Thank you again for your blog.
Hi David, thank you so much for reading! I think part of what draws me to this topic is how easily people can see a similar impact of the industrial revolution in their own trees. Richard Pickering’s life sounds fascinating, and I’m glad to hear that he went on to live a good life and provide well for his children too!
I know Skelton, as do many from the York area. I grew up in a village on the A19 on the other side of York, Escrick. Funny how our ancestors all left to work in the city and later, when we were successful, we went back to the countryside. Interesting to look at what people died from during the industrial revolution.
I love this journey thru the generations from an occupational standpoint! Your writing is very engaging; I wanted to know what happened to each generation. I really appreciated the pictures of each home. How many children did each generation have?
The most similar journey I have is my Spence family. My 2x great-grandparents, John and Elmira Spence, left the farm about 1890 when their children ranged in age from pre-teens to married adults. The family moved to a mining town, Springhill, Nova Scotia. The only thing I know about their education is they were all literate, when not everyone was.
My great-grandfather William Spence, who was in his late teens when the family moved, was a miner all his life and retired from it in the 1940s.
My grandmother Bessie Spence's siblings all went to school thru 8th grade. Some wanted to continue, but that was not an option, as the family needed their wages. The brothers were all life-long miners who retired. Some had 13 children, others 7 or 3.
My mother Anne Robertson's generation, all born in the 1920s and 1930s, graduated from high school and some went to college. They worked in various fields, including education. Most had 3 children.
Another piece of the puzzle is that the mines opened with the discovery of coal in the 1870s and closed after too many deadly explosions in the 1950s. The town went from non-existent to booming to long decay.
Thank you allowing us to visit your family thru time.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Anne! I'm very pleased you enjoyed reading.
Thomas had 8 children, George had 12, Joseph Robert had 3, and George Arthur had just one. My grandad Bob then had two children. Quite a few of my ancestors had 12+ children, and I simply can't imagine it... I think I'd lose track of them! Haha
Thank you, too, for your insights into the Spence family! I, too have a line of mining ancestors (my mother's paternal line) that I'll be writing about soon enough. Hope you're having a lovely weekend ❤️
I’m so excited to have found your work. My family tree (in America) was heavily influenced by the Industrial Revolution in England, with ancestors who left their villages and moved to the cities, where they ran into Mormon missionaries who were having enormous success among the impoverished factory workers in the cities. (I am not Mormon.) They sold them false hope of “a land flowing with milk and honey” in the Utah Territory in America. Thousands emigrated to the States and many of the young women were coerced into polygamy. I’ve actually written a book about one of these girls from my own ancestry. I’m fascinated with learning more about their lives in England and the socio-economic climate of the time that led so many people to join the Mormon church and leave England.
Yeah the stories of the church’s success in England in the mid-nineteenth century is fascinating. They convinced thousands to come to America with promises of homes and land and food enough for everyone. When they reached America, though, many were expected to walk on foot halfway across the American continent to get to the “promised land.” Of course I wouldn’t be alive if they hadn’t done it, so I do have to admire their strength, but there was a lot of tragedy. So many died before reaching their destination. I’d be interested if you ever run into research on Mormon missionaries in England during that time.
That's so very facinating. It's interesting to think how different my own family tree could have been if any of my ancestors had been convinced by these Mormon missionaries! Your book sounds like my kind of thing — I'll be sure to pick up a copy!
Fascinating, and I have some parallels to your story in my family. My great great Grandfather, Richard Pickering, was born in 1844 in Hull. The census records show he was a cooper (barrel maker). Sometime between 1881 and 1891 he moved to Openshaw in Manchester, to work as a Chemical Cooper, and dye maker. I’m guessing that the skills Richard and your ancestor had were in short supply in Manchester, which is why they moved. Richard’s move to Lancashire coincides with the worldwide ‘long depression’ from 1873 to 1896. Industry was hit badly, forcing many people to uproot and move long distances. Another of my great great grandfather’s moved from Sheffield to Missouri USA in 1884, presumably looking for work. Sadly he died in a boarding house in a drunken stupor, so not such a good outcome for him. Richard was an illegitimate child and lived in some of the worst slums in Hull, but he seems to have made the best of an unlucky start and ended up a skilled tradesman and. His children did even better in Manchester: one son became a shop worker and the other a clerk. Thank you again for your blog.
Hi David, thank you so much for reading! I think part of what draws me to this topic is how easily people can see a similar impact of the industrial revolution in their own trees. Richard Pickering’s life sounds fascinating, and I’m glad to hear that he went on to live a good life and provide well for his children too!
I know Skelton, as do many from the York area. I grew up in a village on the A19 on the other side of York, Escrick. Funny how our ancestors all left to work in the city and later, when we were successful, we went back to the countryside. Interesting to look at what people died from during the industrial revolution.
Oh, Escrick looks just lovely! 😍 And agreed!
I love this journey thru the generations from an occupational standpoint! Your writing is very engaging; I wanted to know what happened to each generation. I really appreciated the pictures of each home. How many children did each generation have?
The most similar journey I have is my Spence family. My 2x great-grandparents, John and Elmira Spence, left the farm about 1890 when their children ranged in age from pre-teens to married adults. The family moved to a mining town, Springhill, Nova Scotia. The only thing I know about their education is they were all literate, when not everyone was.
My great-grandfather William Spence, who was in his late teens when the family moved, was a miner all his life and retired from it in the 1940s.
My grandmother Bessie Spence's siblings all went to school thru 8th grade. Some wanted to continue, but that was not an option, as the family needed their wages. The brothers were all life-long miners who retired. Some had 13 children, others 7 or 3.
My mother Anne Robertson's generation, all born in the 1920s and 1930s, graduated from high school and some went to college. They worked in various fields, including education. Most had 3 children.
Another piece of the puzzle is that the mines opened with the discovery of coal in the 1870s and closed after too many deadly explosions in the 1950s. The town went from non-existent to booming to long decay.
Thank you allowing us to visit your family thru time.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Anne! I'm very pleased you enjoyed reading.
Thomas had 8 children, George had 12, Joseph Robert had 3, and George Arthur had just one. My grandad Bob then had two children. Quite a few of my ancestors had 12+ children, and I simply can't imagine it... I think I'd lose track of them! Haha
Thank you, too, for your insights into the Spence family! I, too have a line of mining ancestors (my mother's paternal line) that I'll be writing about soon enough. Hope you're having a lovely weekend ❤️
I think I would lose track of them too! I have a hard enough time with 3!
I can’t wait to read your post on your miners.
I looked thru my ancestors, and nobody has the kind of straight line that your Thompsons do. Yours just fits in social history perfectly.