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Cotton Mill expert James Howarth, who came to Finland in June 1841, with wife and three children. They got three children and also buried three during their stay 1841-1845 in Tampere (Tammerfors, Swedish form), where James acted as a technical manager in Finlayson & Co:s Cotton Mill, at first on the side of spinning department and then later as a technical supervisor of whole mill.

One of children I know by name, Francis, was born before they moved to Finland (1839 or 1840). He died 20.9.1844, when he was four year old.

So, do anyone know anything about James and his family?

From Barnsley came also William Nell. He came to Tampere 1867, and he was here almost 25 years. He returned back to England and died there in 1896. He worked as weavingmaster at the Linen Mill.
His wife was Sarah Nell (Greenwood), and they had 5 daughters and 5 son.

Do yo know anything about him?

There are no regular Birth Certificates, if you meant official paper, which was given after christening. But sometimes if needed, pastor wrote a that kind of testimony for legal system.

Of course, church have records for births (also time of christening), marriages and deaths in their books

New information

I checked population register of Messukylä (Sermonvillage in English), which was then neighbour parish of Tampere (From 1877 the area, where mill located was connected to Tampere). In the end of 1850s there began linen mill, which grew quickly. When Finlayson &Co Cotton mill was the biggest, Linen mill was the second in Finland for a long time. They employed four British experts until 1860:

Levy E.
Lee, James, wife Mary, 2 children
Beevers, Josef, S(a)ara, 2 children
Dawson Edwin, Mary 2 children

According to Lars  G. Von Bonsdorf, Linne och Jern (Linen and Iron), p.314: Merrick Boyes & Co sent experts from England to Finland. Mr Lee was forced to act to be master of Linen's ret (I am not sure if this is correct term) instead of master Beevers, who had made some mistakes, and was fired. Unsatisfied James Lee wanted to leave Finland for England during the summer 1863. They needed new man, and they promised 3-4 £/week 12 hour/day for a man who came instead Mr. Lee.

James Lee and his wife Mary stayed at Tampere in the turn of 1850-1860. James probably worked as a Foreman in the Finlayson & Co's cotton mill, which was the biggest in the Nordic countries in that time. The Mill was a very modern, compared to any other mills in that time. Town was then small in 1860, some 3000 inhabitants. In the Mill. there worked 1 627 employees in 1860. The significance of the company was a quite a big.

I am writing history about the mills of Tampere, and I am very interested in James Lee's life before the Tampere period and after it. And of course I am interested in all British experts, who worked here during 1820-1930.

Jarmo