Weavers/Millworkers in Dundee (or Forfar?)

[Douglas1379]

Hello acorn baby do you know who Thomas Dickson Hutcheson's parents where the name hasn't popped up in any of my ancestry research but could be interesting

[acorn baby]

Hi Douglas1379, I have his parents as William Hutcheson, a Jute Mill Mechanic and Amelia McEwan. When Thomas Dickson Hutcheson (a Hotel Waiter) married Adeline Massie (a Tin Box Maker) in 1904, he was at Benvie Road and she at Lawrence Street. Does any of this sound familiar? Thanks

[markw78]

Loved the photo here is a colourised version, hope you enjoy
Rgds
Markw

[acorn baby]

Loving this colourised version, thank you!

[markw78]

Your very welcome acorn baby..
Regards
Mark W

[Sprinkles]

I found this old thread when searching the site for Dundee related threads.

My great granny was a jute mill worker and I was looking at one of the women in your photo and I think it could possibly be her but I am not certain.  I haven't got any photos of her when she was a young woman only one from when she was in her 40s but I can see similarities, particularly the shape of the nose.

Do you think your photo could have been taken in the 1920s? 

I have attached a snip of the woman in your photo who I think could possibly be my great granny as well as the one of her when she is in her 40s to hear what others think.

Thanks, Nikki. 

[acorn baby]

Hi Nikki

Yes I'd agree that there are a lot of similarities between your great granny and the lady in the photo. Unfortunately all the information I have on this photo comes from the suggestions in this thread, as I found it in a collection of hundreds of photos from my grandparents and it unfortunately had nothing written on the back.

For some reason, I've always suspected that the man on the extreme right, without the glasses, is a relative. Annoyingly I have no proof of this, but a few branches of the family worked in the mills at various times and I just have a feeling about him.

One possibility is someone who worked at Ward Foundry, but he died in 1913 and I have no photos of him to compare to this one. I was hoping that this thread would help me to discover the date when and place where the photo was taken so that I could perhaps confirm whether this could be the man in question.

Do you know which mill your great granny worked in?

[Sprinkles]

...

Do you know which mill your great granny worked in?

Hi acorn baby

No, unfortunately I have not discovered that information yet.  I only know that she worked in a mill based on her marriage certificate from 1940, which recorded her occupation as being a "jute preparer".  My granddad is no longer around, and my mum only remembers her granny working at Timex when she was a child (in the 50s/60s) and later in a cafe in a shopping complex before she was killed by a drunk driver in 1970.  I live in Australia and have only been to Dundee once (and didn't really get to see much when I was there) so I don't really know which shops - mum thinks it was near the main street (would that be the Overgate?).  She emigrated to Australia when she was 18 so she is a bit fuzzy on the details now!

Just in case it helps identifying the date of the photo down the track - my great granny's name was Margaret Glancy married name Thain (husband William Thain, who was a carpenter/builder, I believe).  On her marriage certificate in 1940 (she was about aged 36 then) she was recorded as living at 17 Lawrence St, Dundee. She lived in North Tay St, Dundee when she was young with her parents.  My granddad lived in Helmsdale Avenue, Kirkton when he was growing up. Not sure if Margaret lived there though as he was raised by his grandparents. 

Regards

Nikki, Australia.

[acorn baby]

Hi Nikki

I had family who worked in Timex too. I'd think the shopping complex would be the Overgate (or possibly the Wellgate, but that's further from teh centre of town).

The names you mention are not familiar to me, but the address is!! My great grandparents lived at 4 Lawrence Street from when they married in 1907. My great grandad's sister and other family members were at 8 Lawrence Street in 1911.

I have still never figured out which mill(s) they worked in, but he was an overseer and she was a jute winder. Unfortunately the photo in this thread is not of them but (I suspect) must be someone in the family at one of the Dundee mills!!

Thanks for getting in touch, and please feel free to save the image of your great granny