A successful London tobacco/snuff manufacturer info needed!

[ShaunJ]

Interesting perhaps that he is listed as a tobacconist and is not in the lists of tobacco manufacturers in the directories.

[VictorianDreamer]

Hi Shaun,

There's a lot of 'interesting' goes on with this family! He doesn't seem to have advertised much to have had such what i'm assuming, would have been a roaring trade at the time? He was also a Deacon as Wells Street Church, but that's another story altogether!

Victoria

[GrahamSimons]

Forgive me but this deserves a Sherlock Holmes quotation: "It is quite a three pipe problem, and I beg that you won't speak to me for fifty minutes."

Have you tried Westminster Archives? http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/libraries/archives/ They might be able to help or to point you to someone who can? They might also be able to tell you whether the street numbering is the same as it is today, or whether 42-43 were somewhere else. I've just Streetviewed my way round and most of the buildings seem to be later than early C19, sadly.

One more thing on the building: are you sure it was his place of work rather than his residence? Many of the buildings in StreetView look as if they were originally residential?

My other thought is, where did the capital to set up the business come from? Worth looking into the family tree and Wills for this; also whether he married money (I have two neat examples of this in my own research - could even be that his wife inherited from a childless uncle or something).

As a much longer shot, what about apprenticeship? As this wasn't in the City of London (assuming I have my geograhy right) there is less chance of there being a direct link with Freedom of the City and a Livery Company, but worth a whirl. I've been to look at the Livery Company http://www.tobaccolivery.co.uk/home.html and it looks as if they won't have much info although they were still trying hard to protect their monopoly into the 19th century unlike many Livery Companies - I just wonder if he was trading outside the City because of that?

Hope this is helpful rather than stating the obvious or setting off a wild goose chase.

[ShaunJ]

Someone else interested in this family http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,298720.msg1809556.html

[KGarrad]

I rather think that, with businesses, it's only the bad news that gets left behind in archives!

I had a search on The London Gazette, but it doesn't look as if he ever went bankrupt?
(unlike some of my lot!!)
Also no mention of any partnerships starting or ending.

[VictorianDreamer]

Hi Graham,

I'm hoping someone in London, near the archives can help out there. I have looked on the site, but nothing jumps out at me for him in particular. Last resort will be to actually contact someone at the archives and employ them to do the hunting.
42/43 Brewer Street was long ago changed and after looking at an old map, it seems a restaurant is in the location now. As to whether it's the same building or not, no idea, which again, is why I'd love to get someone local to investigate the building, rates or any other business documents. It's definitely where he worked and lived as the insurance records mentions plate, linen, china, etc and the business storage etc at the back of the building.
As to the capital, we are still not sure on his parentage yet and would love to 'trip' on something that said "Money paid by......." but i'm not sure how likely that is, so on the one hand we are still investigating this family and it's origins and connection back to Edinburgh, the business information is the only bit I can't do much with being in Australia, apart from hire someone at the archives to look, and that will be done if no one else can help.
No Wills of any of the family have been found. Possible Wills for 'possible' relatives, but so far no mention of our particular family.

[VictorianDreamer]

Apprenticeships, we're not sure whether to look in London or back in Scotland, so that's why we're still trying to determine his actual origins. We do know that his son did an Apprenticeship with Broadwoods Pianoforte Manufacturers when he was a teen, but not sure how likely it would be to see those records just yet. I know there's new records coming out all the time for all over the place, so i do still hold out hope that our lot will miraculously appear on a document and it will all be solved....only to then start on the same questions for the next generation!

Thank you for the suggestions though, any of the help given is appreciated,  Graham.

Victoria

[VictorianDreamer]

Someone else interested in this family http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,298720.msg1809556.html

 This is my sisters thread Shaun, so yes, same family.

Victoria

[VictorianDreamer]

Hi KG,

Yes, it's seeming that way about only the bad news got reported. I just find it surprising that he paid so much for insurance without advertising. Common business sense tells you that advertising is the best way and yet there is none to be found apart from the one small one I did find.

Victoria