jp1885

Thanks!

To my shame, I never replied to this post back in 2015 to thank you both for this information. My apologies. i recently looked up my great-grandad in the 1921 census, and it states his employer was one Thomas Swift of Horseley Fields.

Hi all. I'm currently looking into the family tree, especially my two great-grandads from Wolverhampton. Can anyone help me wih the following? Great-grandad John Hodson, b. 1878. I know he lived in Ward Street and later Horseley Fields, and worked as a canal boatman. According to my nan, he used to transport coal from the coalfields to Wolverhampton power station, working for a company called 'Swift' - he died when she was young and she is now 99 years of age, so is a bit vague on the subject! Does anyone know if there was a canal transport/haulage company called 'Swifts' or something similar? Thanks in advance!

He's listed as a canal boatman in the 1901 census, so I don't know how far in the stations history that is. I'm pretty sure he was a worker as opposed to owner - according to nan they were too poor to give him a headstone when he died. I'll see if i can get my aunt who still lives in Wolverhampton to pay a visit to the archives. Thanks! His address both in the 1901 and 1911 censuses and the Merridale burial record is at Ward Street, Horesley Fields, so not very far from the canals.

Hi Jeanette, thanks for the info! I've found a record in St. James' but not the others, so ill take a proper look. Thanks also for the pointer to the cemetery website and census - something else to check! Does anyone known what route the coal barges would have plied to take coal to the power station?

Hi Derek, thanks for taking the time to reply! That's a very useful thread - I'm no stranger to Ancestry.com and freeBMD, so I'll take another good look. Luckily I have photos of most of my great grandparents, but John Hodson still eludes me!

Hi, A newbie here! I've been researching my family tree and have discovered that my great grandfather (John Hodson 1878-1926) was on the canals in Wolverhampton. According to my grandmother, he transported coal to the power station. Does anyone know of any repositories for information on canal workers during the early 1900s? I have found an entry on his marriage to Emma Mills on a parish records database on the Canal Museum website, and some census records, but id be fascinated tomlearn more about his job, the company he worked for or the boat he worked on etc etc. Thanks! Jon