What is the most interesting occupation in your family tree? (#1: locked)

[GRACELAND]

 












 

[westhamlee]

George william cherry my great grandad was a submariner in the 1st world war

[Teea]

On Sunday 21st November AlgarvePete wrote

I have a couple of boot clickers in my tree.Does this mean they stood around street corners clicking their heels? .Regards,Pete

I hope I'm not duplicating a reply, but it is a skilled job in the boot and shoe trade. I thought that someone else could probably come up with a more succinct description and Google came up with:

BOOT / SHOE CLICKER This was one of the skilled and best paid jobs in the shoe industry. A clicker CUT out the leather for the different parts that made up the shoe and the term comes from the sound made when carrying out the job.

from a useful brief list at http://www.countrylovers.co.uk/craf/oldcraft.htm

There's a fuller description of the trade in Victorian times at http://www.victorianlondon.org/publications3/newtoilers-23.htm - which is a good time-waster for pursuing the social history side of genealogy!

Teea

[Fitty]

I finaly tracked down my Coastguard, James Woodgate....what an interesting fella he's turned out to be.

He joined the Royal Navy between 1840 and 1850 after a bit of research i've found out his last vessel was the HMS Queen. After that he joined the Coast Guard service and served in Kent, Dorset and Devon.  He was promoted to Commisioned Boatman on the 17th June 1865 and then to Coxswain in 1870 http://dover-lifeboat.dovercliffs.co.uk/coxwains/coxswains.htm#

During his time as Coxswain he won 2 Silver Medals and 2 Bronze ones for bravery at sea.  I have found details of one of his Bronze Medals which he won for bravery 20/9/1867 at East Cliff, Dover.

I have to wait now till after christmas to get the details of the other 3.

Here is a pic of the HMS Queen in Portsmouth in 1842 - strange to think that my James might have been on Board then!

[JillJ]

Fitty,

Wow!   That is impressive!   Bet it's made your Christmas!

Jill

[Amy K]

I finaly tracked down my Coastguard, James Woodgate....what an interesting fella he's turned out to be.

Wow Fittty, you must be so happy!

[Fitty]

To say i,m pretty chuffed is an understatement 

[petere]

I have just found a 1901 census which records one of mine as being a scavenger (in London).   Well I'm proud of him and I expect him mum was too.

Peter

[Amy K]

I have just found a 1901 census which records one of mine as being a scavenger (in London).   Well I'm proud of him and I expect him mum was too.

Peter

Today he'd be called "a purveyor of recyclable materials" or some such thing!!

Isn't it amazing what our ancestors did to make a living? So many old occupations are dying out.