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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Kent => Topic started by: scatt on Wednesday 26 November 25 15:46 GMT (UK)
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A couple of years ago when I was very new to tracing family members I relied on Smart Matches too heavily on MyHeritage. Back then I came across a match that claimed Joseph trained seals for Barnham circus. Now I'm looking for hard evidence to substantiate this. Would anyone on here know where I could look?
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Did you check his occupation on the various census entries? In 1851 & 1861 he is a mariner & in 1871 a Master mariner
1881 - Master mariner employing 2 men
On each census he is with his family in Kent which doesn't suggest somebody involved in a travelling circus
Do you mean Barnum & Bailey's circus as I can't find a Barnham's unless it was just a local one
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Google quotes this in connection with a paper on JSTOR:
"Joseph Catt, in Ramsgate. Harbour.6 Catt had caught, tamed and trained a seal, and, having inspired Woodward's sophisticated practical work ."
Sea Lions, Greasepaint and the U-Boat Threat: Admiralty Scientists Turn to the Music Hall in 1916
https://www.jstor.org/stable/531951
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If you sign up for an account with JSTOR you can read the paper. It says (page 436) that Captain Joseph Catt owned an aquarium in Ramsgate harbour, and had caught and trained a seal. This inspired his son in law Captain James Woodward to train performing seals and Catt accompanied Woodward on public performances including in America with Barnum & Bailey.
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Thanks for the quick response.
Thant's great thank you ShaunJ.
I've signed up to JSTOR to read the article - very interesting it is too.
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There are several newspaper mentions of Catt's Aquarium in the 1870s.
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See mention of the aquarium here:
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/British_Medical_Journal/Q-H2yZqc3MQC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=catt+s+aquarium+ramsgate&pg=PA620&printsec=frontcover