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Headstone in a Coventry grave yard


Ray T

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Derek when i sort through my collected data I then do seperate lists under Surnames & quite often a pattern will form.The said mentioned Houghs files match with his christian name(unusual for a boatman)& data as well as his wife. Their children most Baptised in the same Church.some died young,parish death records dont give a lot of information but if you are lucky a few churches still have the second attached book this records more detailed info on the person who reg the death & their address & occupation, amount paid, where buried, if a headstone, sometimes even the funeral directors details.Weddings in a church would have a seperate book on the dates of bans & personal info on the couple.A lot of the Churches are long gone & these books lost,destroyed or sold to private collectors even archived in unusual places.(my Daughter was baptised in an Army Chapel in a now closed down barracks),a long search found the books in the War section at Kew.The poor wife of Hough gave birth around 1901,1903,1905 1906,1908,1910,1912,1915,1918,& the last i know in 1920,as i said not all survived

,she herself died early 1920s. its interesting to note that he lists occupation from around 1903 to 1910 as Canal or boat engine driver. 1915 onwards as just plain boatman.I have several other family lists that follow the same sort of occupation pattern,my personal thoughts & only my thoughts is that when boatmen started to get boats with an engine they where proud to boast the fact hence canal engine driver or engine driver on canal.come the 1920s most boats had an engine

hence everyday boatman.please note no christian names or places are given if anyone thinks this family might be part of their tree i would be happy to share details & then let them decide. I often wonder in todays way of life with quick divorces,reg office weddings & cremations.how much info our great grandchildren will find about us.

Jeannette

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Thank you both, but Alan, as my Grandma once said to me: "You keep picking at that hole and you'll fall through".

 

I perceived a 'contradiction' through the following:

 

"I think you can really only say that if your "Canal Engine Driver" is actually recorded as resident on a boat you can be confident it means they are driving a steam canal boat.

 

On the other hand, a land based address does not prove they are not a boatman by trade. Someone like a tunnel tug driver is a boatman, but would not live on a boat, normally, and would get enumerated at a land based address."

 

I'll stop picking now in case I fall through.

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  • 2 weeks later...

HI. My name is simon martin. Bert wallington was my great uncle,my grandmothers brother. She was frances wallington then

married my grandfather.He was from the canal too. I knew him as alfred best. Full name was john alfred best.They both worked the grand union

canal. There children were barry ron john (janet my mother) lucy(jackson)married george jackson both buried in same graveyard and

margret. there were three other children but died at a very young age.

My grandfather did a programme about the rodger canal boat but saddly died before it was restored.

When my grandparents finished working the boats they became lockeeper at stockers lock Rickmansworth Herts.

Im trying to find My grandfathers history. I think he was born in gloucester.

Any info would be grateful

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Welcome Simon. There are still folk working on BW maintenance who remember working with Alf Best, Ian Tyler being one, and who has a great respect for him. Ian lives aboard his boat SENTINEL at Bulbourne yard. He's not much for writing, so a trip might be best.

 

I remember him only in passing Stockers Lock in the early eighties when he was resident there. Always had an array of implements and bits of gear on display and all painted up. Kept a tidy garden too.

 

I'm sure you must be familiar with it, but the opening sequence of 'There go the Boats' sees Alf and Mrs Best steering DARLEY and AYR around Lady Capel's with two lads on the motor cabin top, while a third must be in the cot beneath a shawl on the Butty top under the eye of Mrs. Best.

 

Link to the film.

 

EDITED to add:

Aah! I see you have found it on another thread!

Edited by Derek R.
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Hello

Mary Jackson 1899- 1992

Charles Wright 1892 1946

Married in Paddington in 1928

links to the Harrisons through the Wrights. Jacksons are also linked to the Hambridge & Freeth boat familys. Narrow boat summer 2007 has a section covering the Jacksons. Eddie Hambridge has done several articals through out the years on his family. Jeannette

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A good resource for family research is http://www.gravestonephotos.com/public/az.php?letter=A.

Find your family name,all names are alphabetically listed and if your family name is on the list,drop them an email and they will send an image of the headstone. I traced a few of my ancestors and living relatives this way.

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  • 1 year later...

Just seen this. As a child I knew Bert and Emily Wallington quite well. They were my Uncle Bert and Aunt Emily. Not real of course, but I do remember them as a very warm and kind couple. Sam Horne is my father and I remember quite vividly that 1962 Winter where they went tree cutting on the canal itself. Dad's still around, living in his cottage in Berkhamstead. Quite frail now, hardly able to use his legs. He also suffers from vascular dementia. He can remember 50 odd years ago like yesterday. What he did five minutes ago is a mystery to him. Mum died last year and he took it pretty badly. We hope to take on a train ride to Birmingham next week to see where mum was born at Gas Street Basin.

 

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Oldboy, the headstone is in Lenton's Lane Grave yard, Coventry, not far from my late wife's.

 

ETA just realised I've already posted this information further up in the thread.

 

Senility rules wacko.png

Edited by Ray T
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