jeannette smith harrison

i think John Tonks first wife was Agnes otherwise known as Nancy they married 26th feb 1881 @ Christ Church Stone in Staffordshire i am not 100% sure of her surname as she gives a different name from her fathers in some records but the same surname in others Well spotted Captain Pegg now Lesley knows that the boat name was not a red herring . I also have some baptism records of Tonks children being baptised at Brentford but like you have not been able to tie them in with one of the two main Tonks familys

Mike's description reminded me of how my Dad told of how he got his chain down to the grabbing a handful to make up to sell for beer money. it seems it was common practice with a lot of boaters at the time there must have been loads of these chains around at the time but like many things they it getting fewer

Congratulations pete look forward to hearing your progress with Otley. now you will have a place for your many cans & bowl's

Lesley i have answered another post on another forum . The person you asked about John Tonks married Martha Smith feb14th '1887 at St Micheals the Angels Middlewich witnessed by George Rowley , Sarah Brooks & Thomas Smith (Father) Martha died in 1906 & he married Rachel Done in1907 Daughter Selina witness at her wedding where from my Harrison boat people On Selina's Wedding cert John gives his occupation as lockkeeper He poss married before Martha i have a name but no wedding records as proof .I have some copies of Tonks family photos given to me from a Tonks family member from about 15 years ago you are welcome to them 1891 John & Marha with 2x daughters are in Odd Rode 1907 still in Odd Rode but this time with wife Rachel 1 William Tonks also a boatman married into the kendall boating family in & most of their children where baptised @ Buckby Wharf a 2nd William Tonks married into the Green boating family connected to myself & John boswell Sorry i can find no link in my records with any of the Tonks to the boat Italy

Hello Guy There where to my knowledge 4 different Gee familys I don't have a lot of info on them but 2 lots def worked the Grand Union would your Thomas be a Thomas Gee/Watkins who's wife was called Emma this Thomas had a brother's George & Robert & a sister Eliza there may have been others but these are the ones i have on my list

That's a better picture than the one's i have seen Ray. I think there must have been a lay by or area there where the boat people could tie up for lengths of time as i have several wedding & birth certs for other family members (Harrison, Nixon Manders Bradshaw) giving the Punch Bowl address

Sorry don't know what went wrong but i did send you a copy of the said mentioned cert over a year ago when we where discussing mine & your Humphries another of Grandads many sisters Aunt Emily also married a Humphries have attatched wedding cert just in case you are missing that one same Humphries family but a different line . As you can see Harriett was a witness @ Emilys wedding the other is A Harrison nee Ann Stokes the lady who has her picture in a lot of Canal related books & places known as the Brentford boat girl. Henry Humphries was better known to family as Harry

Many years ago (50 odd) i was told that the road that i walked leading from Horton road to the road where my familys settled was once a branch of the Grand Union canal leading to what the boatmen called Otter Dock where the bricks would be loaded to go to a basin near Paddington . when the basin & branch was filled in they lined the sides of the canal there with trees this then became Colham Lane. Chimney Chain may be able to tell you more on this as his folks settled off this road as well.

Peter do you have any docking record for Ushworth for the feb of 1944 just under 6 months before the wedding cert date ? Aunt Harriett died feb 1944 on Usworth as stated in her death cert & norm if a boating family member died the boat would be docked & the steerer given a changed boat . I do have several records of this happening to other family members some did take back the boat after the 4/ 6 week period that was often used in the docking after a death, The boat people where very superstitious & once the boat had been empty & the norm cleaning & fumigation when needed done it was thought the persons spirit had left the boat & the boatman would then take the new wife on board . An early wedding soon after a loss of his wife does not mean he was heartless & did not miss his wife but was often a necessity as the boatman would need a mate to help with the running of the boats & to look after his children

38 Horton Lane West Drayton was a family home of many of my Sibley boating people who worked between the brick works & canal carrying Uxbridge libary & family centre may still have a few books & info also Yiewsley has some local area history books Ronnie Wood of the rolling stones lived with his parents opp the works when his dad first came off the boats

Tommy Humphries has on his wedding cert Bawtry listed as his abode when he married his second wife Ellen Ward in aug 1944 His first wife being Grandads sister Harriett Harrison ,Alf their son is still with us & is a treasure for information when i visit him

Peter have messaged you with contact details of the tea room

I think you may be right there Derek this is def not the book that was there back last year. Here is a larger view of the contents

Have just got back from Cowley Lock with ref to the case in the tea room (Toll house) the locked display case holds a record book but not the one that was there some time back . The chap that leases the building said that the case & contents are part of the building & he does not have a key for the case or any other books or documentations on the premises he has had lots of people calling in on the belief that there are other record there but has been told that Uxbridge library hold some records

So it is Ray that I never noticed . Grandad & Dad had their names scratched deep into their windlass because they could not read or write if they needed to make their mark & so as not to be looked down on they would copy from the windlass something they almost always carried on them

I came across one in the back of my Dads shed it has JHS9 2 on one side & 16-87-1 on the other often wondered about the marks

Attatched photo was sent to me a few years back by David he was sent it by waterways world who had asked him to identify some of the people in the photo . David thought it quite funny as this was the day he came to Stoke Brurne to view & sign paperwork for the home he & Jean lived in for many years . He waited around as he knew we where due through that day & Uncle Mark was David's friend from his working days @ Brentford & they had got each other in & out of many a scrape over the years . second left is David Blagrove (bowler hat) he is talking to my Grandad on the boat is Grandads brother Mark Harrison on the right (blue cardi) is Dolly & standing on the gate blue trousers is me .Grandad had gone along with them to help & taken me with him to see my cousins . I think this was early summer or Easter after the freeze

I was with my Grandparents @ Bulls Bridge & was going with the last remaining boat kids that where taken to the School in Norwood Green. Mum & Dad where @ trout lane just before Packet Boat Marina ,half way through the freeze my parents got a house so I was sent back to them to attend the local school Dad got work on the bank & granddad worked in the sheeting store @ Bulls bridge until he retired & moved to Yewsley At its worst you could walk from the layby across to the other side of the cut

Alan I am going to Cowley next week on a separate matter & will call in if the café is open & ask . Have you seen the new book out this week =The Twilight years of Narrow Boat Carrying sponsored by Braunston Marina = several unseen Photographs from the Mike Webb collection. one you may have seen before Flamingo & Beverley in July 1970

Back last year there was inside the café a glass top case with a record book on display. Will look when I am there again in the next week or so will also ask if he still has the others .

I was almost sure this is Not Tom Humphries the person is too tall & build is to big to be Tommy as I remember him . so I enlarged the picture & showed it to my uncle Alf Humphries ( son of Tommy from his first wife Harriett my Grandads sister) who said that is was not his Dad