Gift for my Great Grandmother - What's Yours?

[StanleysChesterton]

Truth serum.

LOL. I think we'd all think that a great gift for us
Who was the father?
Where did X really go?
Why did you ....?

'Time' as much of mine to her as she gave to me   she died  1987 age 90 and all I have are wonderful memories, I know she wasn't perfect and I remember one or two 'telling offs' but she was Nan... that special - special lady in my life.. 

Ah, time.... that thing we all wish we had once too much of it's passed!

[jaybelnz]

My gift would actually be for my great great grandmother!  I would bring her a copy of the book "Mrs. Haliburton's Troubles, her copy of which was destroyed in the Great Flood of SHEFFIELD in 1864.

I would also give her husband, my g g grandfather, a print off copy of the PDF file that I have about the flood!  Also for him I would print off a copy of this flood claim record, below, that states he was a Traveller!  I have always wondered why he is stated to be a traveller? 

He was a clerk, next a Troop Sergeant in the 12th Royal Lancers, then after buying himself out, held various management positions with the Lincoln, MANCHESTER and SHEFFIELD Railways.  Perhaps he may be able to give me an answer!  Hope so!

..........

Flood claim John Gibbons Mathews

Particulars of Claim   
Amount of Damages Claimed   
Damage to Personal Property       Loss and damage to the following articles   
            
        Pair of cloth Trowsers, Dark Grey Coat, 2 Hats, pair of patent leather Boots, cleaning and washing Clothes, pair of Lady's Slippers pair of Boys Elastic Side Boots pair of leather leggings Writing pad Groceries Books, consisting of Boys School Books Mrs. Haliburtons Troubles, Work on Homepathy, 2 Prayer Books, and other Books   £8   9s       
     Paid Mr. Sykes for Medical Attendance       12s   6d   
     Loss not being able to attend to business   £2   2s       
                £11   3s   6d   
 Certificate Granted
3 July 1865    

> SFCA Home | Search   > Claim 3972 Summary   > Claim 3972 Maps   ◄►
       £11   3s   6d   
    Certificate Granted
3 July 1865    Assessed by Consent at   £2   9s       
Note: Line 2: Homepathy [sic]

.............

But...... It has been a bit of a puzzle to me why he is recorded on this record as a traveller!

He was certainly in the "travel" business with the Railway, but his father was an Irish Landowner, a Gentleman, his son was an Accountant, worked for GTR in Canada, his wife the daughter of a Coaching Company -  all in all quite a wealthy family!

And anyone know how much would £11.3.6d in 1865 be in today's money? 

Jeanne









 

[StanleysChesterton]

My gift would actually be for my great great grandmother!  I would bring her a copy of the book "Mrs. Haliburton's Troubles, her copy of which was destroyed in the Great Flood of SHEFFIELD in 1864.

I would also give her husband, my g g grandfather, a print off copy of the PDF file that I have about the flood!  Also for him I would print off a copy of this flood claim record, below, that states he was a Traveller!  I have always wondered why he is stated to be a traveller? 

Maybe it was their little joke as he travelled by train round the offices/region every day and they'd have a bit of a laugh at how he'd come from such a good background and was now a 'traveller'.

And anyone know how much would £11.3.6d in 1865 be in today's money? 

Fascinating insurance claim!  I wish I had something like that.  I'd never heard of the Sheffield flood!

Re £11 in 1865, there are various values.  You can fiddle around on http://www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare/

But then you end up with three figures and are, really, just as confused as you're not sure which figure is meaningful to you.

It was certainly about 3 months' wages for a "run of the mill person" I'd say.  But the relative value of things was different back then.  e.g. it might've bought you 1/4 of a house in some areas, others not.  The purchasing power gets out of whack because the prices of different things have changed so much between then and now.  Then £11 might've bought you X best Sunday shirts .... now you can pop into Asda and probably get 3 for £10 in a sale.

So nailing its actual value in terms that are meaningful to you can be tricky. 

[jaybelnz]

Ok, thanks.  I've just checked his employment records again. I only have one that picks up his pay details.

In 1860 he was Coal Traffic Superintendant with Manchester, Sheffield and Lincoln Railway!

Weekly pay        £3.16.11d.   - Annual £200.00 with percentages

So, a little more than 3 weeks pay on his claim, (so long since decimal currency I've forgotten how to do the math with £ s d.  )

Interestingly, when I first started working in 1969, 105 years later, as an insurance clerk, I was paid £2.10s per week! Which at that time equated to $5pw.  The minimum wage in NZ is now just a little over $14 per hour!

If you are interested in reading about that SHEFFIELD Flood, heaps on Google, and images too.  Makes very interesting reading.  If you would like to read the document that I have, re the event and subsequent investigations etc, PM me you email details and happy to send you a copy!

Jeanne

[StanleysChesterton]

Interestingly, when I first started working in 1969, 105 years later, as an insurance clerk, I was paid £2.10s per week! Which at that time equated to $5pw.  The minimum wage in NZ is now just a little over $14 per hour!

If you are interested in reading about that SHEFFIELD Flood, heaps on Google, and images too.  Makes very interesting reading.  If you would like to read the document that I have, re the event and subsequent investigations etc, PM me you email details and happy to send you a copy!

My first job, while still at school in 1975, was a 4-day Easter weekend job.  I worked 12 hour days for a "friend of my dad", without knowing how much I'd be earning.  It was an over-stocked, crowded, dusty, old-fashioned grocery store with a cellar down steep steps.  My job was to stack the shelves continually and lug things up/down the cellar stairs and put out/pull in the display of vegetables at the front of the shop. I can remember having to move about lots of crates of milk continuously - and bags of onions too.

I'd wanted to buy a little plastic jacket (£5).  At the end of working the Easter weekend, 48 hours, I was given £14.  I never returned!!  Cheeky, that wasn't very much even then.  About £0.30, or 6 shillings, per hour. After that experience I went temping, as a filing clerk/typist, in the holidays for £0.84/hour, so nearly 3x as much.

I'll leave the Sheffield information offer on the table for now, I'm already snowed under with stuff to read and things I should be doing at home instead of being here online

It's all such an obsession, one has to learn when to say "STOP!"

[jaybelnz]

No worries, just let me know when you are ready, and happy to send it!

Jeanne

[StanleysChesterton]

Right now I'm trawling the Sun insurance documents at the National Archives online -and- watching two re-runs of WDYTYA I've not seen before and one of them involves a regiment two newly-discovered great uncles joined/died with.... so keeping half an ear out on that in case I investigate them/their war at some future point.  They're my first "war finds", so not going into war at the moment as that's a whole new raft of learning/understanding   I'm sticking with "Regular, findable people in a tree that stayed in England, in the counties I know/understand"

[Mowsehowse]

It is my understanding that my gr-grandmothers lived wealthy and comfortable lives in Central Europe.

So I could give them a moments clear insight into the politics of their day, and the strength to safeguard their circumstances.   

Or, more selfishly, I could give them back their (no doubt,) expensive sewing workbox and silver chatelaine in the hopes I would inherit them one day.

[Mowsehowse]

Thinking about it some more, what about a beautiful journal book, with a section for recipes.  It would be marvellous to pore over and treasure now.