commercial travellers 19th/20th

[Gilly Lewis]

Both my paternal & maternal my grandfather's were travellers and they have been difficult to locate on the 1871/1891/1901/1911 censuses because they were absent from home at the time. William Jackson bn abt.1867 Yorkshire & Lewis Leonard Levi bn Warwickshire abt1848.
Any suggestions?
Thanks Gilly

[devonblue]

Hi, I have had a real problem trying to find some of my travellers.  Were they Romany type travellers or true commercial travellers, the old equivalent of todays sales reps?

If they were the Romany type you may have to what I did and search the wider family and even other travellers in the area and then see what turns up. I definitely found some that way and also found what happened to their siblings etc as they did seems to all move around the country in little groups interchanging between them as they went.

For the commercial travlers i.e. the sales reps, What about trade directories? Do you know what they sold? What about the wives and  children who stayed at home? What about their siblings? Do you know where they were, sometimes people turn up in another household with wrong name.

Hope that gives you some ideas.

[suziejmartin]

Hi

Have you come across Birch or Joshua Cooper who married Louisa and lived in Deal Kent?

My great, great Grandad was Henry Birch.  He was a tin plate worker, Hawker, China Mender amongst other occupations.  He travelled Devon, through Hampshire, Croyden in Surrey to London.

Susie

[Gilly Lewis]

Hi,
They were both commercial travellers/merchants. William Jackson (my grandfather, formerly a comedian) according to one census 1901, travelled in mec engineer equipment, might have been to do with motor cars or even the railway? Other than that, I have no other info. My other grandfather, Benjamin Levi (Lewis) travelled at one time, but not 100% certain, mantles, etc.
Anyway, sometime ago I tried the 'Commercial Travellers Directory' 19/20 century because at one time names of C.travellers were listed. But couldn't find out anything. However I will try, Trades.
Thanks for your input!
regards
Gilly

[buoygenealogy]

Hello Gilly,

Just googled the words commercial traveller and it came up with your message.

You say that there is a 'Commercial Travellers Directory' - where can I find this directory please? I'd love to see if my William Matthews is in it! He last appears in Tunbridge Wells as an Commercial Traveller (Wines & Spirits) residing at 22 Calverley Street in the 1901 Census.

He is my grandfather's father. Nothing is known about him as he "left the family while his children were very young" - Grandad was about 5 and living with his mother Eleanor Georgina Matthews (nee Hutchinson) and 7 siblings at 64 Wanstead Park Road, Ilford, Essex at the time of this census so I'm keen to find his whereabouts from 1901 onwards.

Thank you very much,

Jemima Buoy

[Gilly Lewis]

Hi Jemima,
I don't really know or I cannot remember where you would get the directory from. I remember years ago wanting to find  information regarding my father, who was a commercial traveller. When he died in the 1970's my mother received some kind of pension from this organization. They, if I recall there was some sort of union/federation. I didn't have any luck at the time. However you could try google as I will.  Have a go and let me know how you get on, vica versa. By the way, Wanstead Park, I used to live in Wanstead abt twenty-five years ago.
Regards
Gilly

[sweetlady]

Did you know there were COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS  SCHOOLS

I recently  found out  about one in PINNER  and found out  about one of my  family  who went there from 9  to 14 when they were expected to leave


Good  luck with your  relations they could  have  gone there soon

sweetlady

[Gilly Lewis]

 Sweetlady,

Thanks for that. I'll have to find out if there was such a school in Yorkshire in the 1880's.

[Christopher]

Warwick University hold records for the United Commercial Travellers Association from 1883 onwareds (MSS.79/CT) www.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/ead/079CT.htm

Denbighshire Record Office hold records for the UKCTA - North Wales and Colwyn Bay
Leicester and Rutland Record Office have UCTA 1914-1978: minute books
North West records from 1897-1915 are in the Manchester Archives and Local Studies
Nottingham University hold local records from 1908.

The Association merged with merged with ASTMS in 1976

As far as I recall from my days as a commercial traveller and receiving trade information the only school the Association ran was the one at Pinner  www.royalcommercialtravellersschools.org.uk/index.html