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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: DIAshurst on Sunday 14 January 18 19:05 GMT (UK)
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I think it might be ‘word monger’, others think ‘wood monger’. Taken from a marriage certificate I obtained from the records office. Any help would be great.
David
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Wood monger
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Woodmonger
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woodmonger
Sandra
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Thanks Sandra. I’ve searched and searched trying to find him and an associated occupation without success. My suspicion of it being Word was fueled by his sons occupation being shown as ‘iron ore miner and newsagent’ in one of the census’s post marriage.
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Welcome to RootsChat. Pleased to help. Sure you will always find someone to help with any query. Enjoy the site.
Regards
Sandra
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Wood (forest) manager?
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I agree with Wood Monger
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Thank you for your responses
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the letters DO look like "wood monger," rather then "wood manager." AND I just discovered that a "woodmonger" is a wood seller.
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Yes, it's Wood-Monger, a person who sells wood.
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Yes word monger just google it. Not very flattering!
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Yes word monger just google it. Not very flattering!
Depends in which context it is used. Nothing discreditable about wood monger, or ironmonger amongst others.
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From the OED
Monger: As the final element in compounds designating a dealer, trader, or trafficker in a particular commodity. (Now the principal use.)
Originally literally a trader, as cheese-, coster-, fish-, flesh-, ironmonger, etc.; but in formations dating from the 16th cent. also in extended use (frequently derogatory), as ceremony-, fashion-, mass-, merit-, news-, pardon-, scandal-monger, etc.
Stan
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Nothing to add except (as someone interested in language and word origins), I enjoyed this thread and learned a lot.
For anyone interested I came across this blog
https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2010/11/monger.html (https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2010/11/monger.html) that explains how public connotations with the the word 'monger' have changed over the centuries.
Mike
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Thanks Sandra. I’ve searched and searched trying to find him and an associated occupation without success. My suspicion of it being Word was fueled by his sons occupation being shown as ‘iron ore miner and newsagent’ in one of the census’s post marriage.
I'm from the era when I was sent to the ironmonger shop at the top of the street to buy bundles of chopped wood to light our coal fire. (each piece of wood about the length of a man's hand).
You've mentioned the local mine and your ancestor could even have been supplying the mine with lengths of wood, eithe to be used as pit props to stop the roof from caving in or to maintain the wooden wagons. We'd probably use the term timber merchant these days.
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Yes I remember that too Rena...being sent to get a bundle of kindling (Chopped Firewood) to get the fire going ;D
Carol
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Yes I remember that too Rena...being sent to get a bundle of kindling (Chopped Firewood) to get the fire going ;D
Carol
When you think about it, all manner of carriers and baskets were made from wood that had been coppiced - in others words, trees such as willow, hazel, ash, etc., hadn't been allowed to grow into mature trees, so that shoots from the base of the tree could be harvested each year to be woven into saleable goods.
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Thanks Sandra. I’ve searched and searched trying to find him and an associated occupation without success. My suspicion of it being Word was fueled by his sons occupation being shown as ‘iron ore miner and newsagent’ in one of the census’s post marriage.
Hello
Interesting the reference to Newsagent.
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Monger being a Merchant or Trader.
A Word Monger maintained a written inventory of goods to be sold usually for a dealer, or trader.
When I was a Buyer at a Merchants handling a purchase of 16,000 items, we had a chap that prepared an "Indent " of our stock, for the purpose of requistioning or ordering goods, (like a 'stock check').
He could have been called our Word Monger, whose job it was to maintain names of items and their quantities held in stock, for the purpose of buying and selling (trading).
I would get carbon copies of the pages from his Book and decide whether to place an order, with the manufacturers of those items. The order always had to reach minimum order value, to be 'carriage paid' by the supplier.
It was no good our customers coming in and we were out of stock, as we also prided ourselves with holding items and tools, nobody else stocked.
Now much of this is computerised and only requires a stock check against a massive print out.
The inventories and checks can also discover amounts lost due to theft and resulted in five dismissals, when checked against Orders and Sales figures.
Mark
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i would say woodmonger but cross check this with any census information you have and look around the other inhabitants to see what they did. What year was the marriage?
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Nothing to add except (as someone interested in language and word origins), I enjoyed this thread and learned a lot.
For anyone interested I came across this blog
https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2010/11/monger.html (https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2010/11/monger.html) that explains how public connotations with the the word 'monger' have changed over the centuries.
Mike
Interesting. My partner is a wordmonger and a wordsmith. ;D
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Hi DIAshurst
I see your temptation but in my census occupations search I did not find anywhere a word monger. I found several other types of mongers, and in Cumberland, there are
wood mongers in different Cumberland census ie
Casson, Drummond, Harrison, Hudson, Jameson Kirkby, Nicholson, Ostle Robinson Warwick, Wood
In nearby Dumfriesshire there are two families of Bryden who had iron mongers in the family but none found in Cumberland
that funny description iron ore miner and newsagent lead me to Thomas Dixon Whitehaven which led me to William Dixon b Caton Lancashire but now 1881 in Market st Bootle staying with his brother Jabez Dixon b 1843a General Ironmonger Master who has wife Mary b 1847 Caton Lancashire Any connection?
happy to look more but need some more info
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Please excuse me if I have not thanked you for your work in this area. I cannot tell if this is the case.
I don't recognise the names that you quote in your reply, they have not appeared in my research.