Did John D Watson have a shop in Blackhill?

[emfranky]

Does anyone know how I would find out if John Davison Watson owned a shop in Blackhill? There is a story in the family that he did but I can't find anything to do with it. According to the 1911 census, he was living with wife and his, then, 8 children at 11 Durham Road; he was said to be a Cartman for Mineral Water Manufacturer. I know he lived in Blackhill from about 1911 - 1919. In 1919, he had been working as an Engine Fitter for the Consett Iron Company.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[pb3]

emfranky

               I've attached a PDF showing JDW's burial details. Is it possible that he had a sideline selling mineral water from home? There were quite a few 'pop factories' locally up to the 1940's and 50's.

                       PatB.

[emfranky]

PatB,

I suppose it is possible that he sold from home, however, at the time of the 1911 census it says "worker" so maybe that was later? There was a mention of him being involved in a company called "Wood and Watson" but we don't know if that story is true or not. 100 years on, the stories get a little frayed and muddled! Maybe he just worked for them. Not sure.

Thank you for the burial record, I went up to the cemetery on Friday night but couldn't find any headstones for him or two other people I know are there, do you know how I would go about finding if there are headstones?


Thanks again,

emfranky.

[pb3]

emfranky

               I had a walk along to the cemetery yesterday to see if I could find a headstone for JDW. There isn't one, but there is a Council marker for his grave position. I assume you have been in touch with the Council to have his grave position marked. In case you are still having difficulty finding his location the attached photo should help. It shows a group of three headstones on the Southern edge of Section 10. The surnames on the headstones are Harrison, Bell and Walton. They are quite dirty and difficult to read but their grouping is quite distinctive. If you look behind the tree against which the Harrison headstone is placed you will find a wooden stake with the surname Watson written in ink along its length.

          I think the Council must be cutting back on the size of their identifying stakes, as part of their economy measures, since this one is smaller in section and length than previous ones I've seen.

          If you are visiting the cemetery by car I would suggest that you park it just inside the bottom entrance, check the location of Section 10 on the plan at the entrance and then walk to the location of the marker - the twists and turns around the interior part of the cemetery are pretty tortuous.

          Have you tried Kelly's Directory for Mineral Drink producers in the area at the time? Could be worth checking.

          Good luck with your researches.

                             PatB.   

[emfranky]

PatB

Thank you so much for that! It'll really help Yes, I rang the council on Monday and they've sent me a couple of things as well. Do you know where I would find the Mineral Drink Producers directory?

Thanks again for all your help,

emfranky.

[pb3]

emfranky
 
                Kelly's Directory is a general reference listing businesses in a given area in a given time period.
If I wanted to refer to a particular copy I would ask at my local library; if they did not have the relevant volume in stock they should be able to access it from another library.

                         PatB.

[Rena]

You can download and search the 1899 and also the 1910-1919 Durham directories, which can be found on the "Historic Directories" webpage:-

http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/cdm/search/collection/p16445coll4/searchterm/Durham!Watson/field/place!all/mode/exact!exact/conn/and!and/order/nosort/ad/asc

[SueStepline]

Hi
There was a pop factory on Gilesgate in Durham called Wood and Watson
I am trying to trace the last Mr Wood (his initial was H) who we believe moved to a farm near Darlington when the factory closed in the 1990s
Sue