Starting Work

Dad's teenage years

So we go into the 1930’s and things were much better, for us anyway. The Carriage Works had opened up and were busy, Father , Arthur and Alf went back , Fred went to K&J’s the printers and as said earlier I was at the Cronehills Central school, and it was my intension not to work at the Carriage Works I took the Commercial course ,and when I left school I got a job as office boy at Chance Bros. The glass works down Spon Lane, the first rung of the ladder for my ultimate success. But alas it was not to be. After about six months Father said the job was not suitable for me, and I was to go to the Carriage Works with the others. I think he had the best motives, and to be fair to him I started he the best department which did the fitting out of the interiors of the coaches, a clean job, we wore a white apron and a collar and tie. And when we were lads you were expected to have a clean apron on a Monday morning, sometimes sent home to get one if you lived near enough which most did in those days, but I soon settled in and was reasonably content, with my pocket money and my golf money my teenage were pretty good. Except for one thing, The political and the diplomatic scene was pretty dire and everyone expected that there would be a war, which there was in September 1939. Fred was called up very early in the war, Arthur and Alf were in reserved occupations, and I not quite old enough. I was not very happy with my job in the early part of the war, So I left the Carriage Works an got a job at Harris and Sheldons a firm of shop fitters in Birmingham, nobody would believe that a Hamilton was leaving. The word went round, ’young Hamilton is leaving, and when Father knew when I got home with my tool-box, the heavens opened up, I had committed the gravest sin. But time is a great healer, and I settled in to my new job very well making parts for aircraft, which was a reserved occupation, for now I was military age.
About this time A young lady from Stourbridge named Betty Billingham, did the same as me, left her job against her parents wishes, went to the Ministry of Labour in Birmingham and they sent her to Harris and Sheldons and that is where we met. Although quite young twenty two, I was put in charge of a section making disposable petrol tanks for spitfires fighter planes, really content. That was until I got home from work one teatime and Mother handed me a buff envelope with my calling up papers inside. Ha well I had had a good run, it did not bother me greatly everyone else of my age had gone, so be it. Next morning I had a lie in and got to work late, when I arrived the foreman came over pointing to his watch where have you been etc, and I handed him my calling up papers. He was not pleased saying I was not going in the xxxxxx army, and rushed of to the office to get someone to clear it with At the Labour exchange to cancel it. But it was not to be. I reported to Norton Barracks Worcester for training, and irrespective of my experience in industry, I was assessed to be a wireless operator driver in the Royal Artillery and I was posted to Whitby in Yorkshire for training

A brush with Royalty

More from my father Joseph Sydney Hamilton

When we were young we were quite hard up as most people were who lived in the street, in spite of living in a very affluent middle class area, Birmingham Rd. and Beeches Rd., but we never went short thanks to our mother’s house keeping management, but we had to try and earn money even when we were quite young. One was taking dinners to the carriage works, our father always had his dinner took to the factory every day, and we had to take Uncle Joe’s and Uncle Ernie’s, in a basin ina wicker basket. Three baskets that meant two of us. I started when I was ten helped by Stan who was three years younger Uncle Joe lived down Trinity Rd. and I left school early Beeches Rd. and then Cronehills, run all the way to Uncle Joe’s run through Kenricks Park pick up Uncle Ernie’s Dinner down Roebuck St, then to our house pick up Father’s and we half run half walked to the works. If we were late or spilled the gravy, we were in trouble. To-day this would be considered child cruelty. One day taking the dinners I had my brush with Royalty. We had to pass the Albion ground to get to the works. And that year the Albion had won the cup, an when we approached the main entrance, men in bowler hats and police inspectors lined the pavement, and we barged through only to be pushed back has the Prince of Wales who later became the Duke of Windsor, came out and the men raised their bowler hats and cheered, and very nearly walked in to him. From there they went on to the Carriage Works for a conducted tour and father and uncles did not get their dinner till past two, their dinners were cold but could not blame us. We used to get a shilling a week for taking the dinners which mother had. One other thing we had to do was to fetch coal from the pit a Saturday morning, we had this big wooden trolley , home made which held as cwt of coal. it was quite awkward to cope with as well as the fact we had to pull it over the railway bridge. There were other lads fetching coal we left the trolleys at the bottom and we all helped to pull the trolleys over the bridge one at a time. When we unloaded we went back, to get coal for neighbours for money of course. And then when we were twelve we went golf caddying at Sandwell Park Golf Club
The rules were you had to be twelve before you could be a caddy till you were sixteen. The fee was one and sixpence a round (seven and a half pence in to-days money, sometimes you got a bit extra, mother had that and you got a penny back. We went Saturday and Sunday and evenings in the summer, that is after the dinner and coal run. When we started work we still went caddying but had sixpence back. As time went on into the thirty’s and more of us were working we came reasonably better off, than quite a lot, we were the first to have a car. Arthur bought a Austin Seven for twenty pounds in 1934,He got married about that time, and we had better cars which brother Alf used to drive and look after, A natural mechanic was Alfred. Mother had certain rules. When you started work at fourteen mother had your wages and gave you a shilling (5p). When you got to sixteen you kept your wages and paid board an looked after yourself, bought your own clothes etc. So life was not so bad compared with others

Dad's childhood story

My father wrote down his early memories when Mandy first strated the family history. In memory of him here they are

Joseph Sydney Hamilton.

Some notes on my childhood and life!

There were nine of us in the family plus Mother and Father.

This was my family in chronological order.

Father :-Walter Hamilton

Mother :-Lily Gertrude

Arthur married Minnie Bates,Children Brian and Alan

Dorrie (Dorothy) married Arthur Hawthorn one child Ann

Alfred, married Cathy Shelton one child Graham

Fredrick married Molly,no children

Syd (Joseph Sydney) married Betty Billingham, children Diana and Julia

Stanley married Irene White,children Nigel and Kerry

Norman married Olive, children Paul and Geoffrey.

Betty married Don Walklem.children Deborah Beverley and Donna

Donald married Beryl,one child Lynne.

We all attended Beeches Road Junior School, l was the first to pass for Cronhills senior school, l think some of the others went later.

We were all born and were brought up at 17 Roebuck St , number 17 was a two up and two down end of terrace house, it had an outside washouse (the brewus) the brewhouse as it was called, there was also the coal place (the coal hole) the outside toilet and a very long narrow garden.

We had a cellar which was sometimes used for coal but this always had a couple of feet of water,the top of the cellar steps was the pantry, there was no light so you had to take a candle and when you lent in to get something off the shelf there was always a danger of falling down the cellar steps.

There house had two gas lights downstairs but everywhere else you used a candle. Of course we had a coal-fire, Mother did all her cooking on the fire or in the oven that the fire heated.

Many years later we had a gas stove put in the brewus, which meant that the food had to be carried from the brewus  across the yard in all weather into the house, later when we were older we did build a veranda for cover and to link the two buildings.

                                                      1.

We were told that when our parents moved into number 17 the row of five houses were empty and they had their pick. Father picked the end one ,a prime site for his pigeon pen, the pigeons were his main interest in life that and the pub on the corner”Three Mile Oak” The upside of keeping the pigeons were the eggs which we sometimes had for breakfast, Father would kill the pigeon that were no longer useful and we would have pigeon pie. The pigeon manure which was a good fertilizer father had a very productive garden.

When we were young we were quite hard up as most people were who lived in the street in spite of living in the very affluent middle class area of Birmingham Rd and Beeches Rd in West Bromwich.

We never went short of anything thanks to our mother’s good

housekeeping management. We were expected to try and earn money even when we were quite young. Our lunch time job was taking dinners to the carriage works, our father always had his dinner delivered to the factory every day, and we also had to take Uncle Joe’s and Uncle Ernie’s in a basin inside a wicker basket. Three baskets meant two of us needed to go. I started the lunch run when I was ten helped by my brother Stan who was three years younger.

Uncle Joe lived along Trinity Rd. and I needed to leave my junior school at lunch time early (Beeches Road School.) and then later the secondary school (Cronehills) and run all the way to Uncle Joe’s, running through Kendricks Park to pick up Uncle Ernie’s dinner then down Roebuck St to our house to pick up Father’s dinner, we really had to half run half walked to get to dinners the works on time.

If we were late or spilled the gravy, we were in big trouble. Today l think this would be considered child cruelty.

Dad's letter from Burma

My cousin Ann recently showed me a letter that my father wrote to her parents from Burma when she was born. It's language and tone show that these soldiers were really just boys.

This is actual size

To Mr & Mrs A Hawthorne
19 Poplar Grove
Burlington Road
West Bromwich
Staffs
England                                                                                                26-6-44

5523158 Gnr Hamilton J                                                 7/4^th Field Rgt RA
                                                                                                c/o SEAC

Dear Arthur and Dorrie

CONGRATULATIONS. Although my regards have to travel from a remote spot of our great(?) empire, nevertheless they mean just the same. I hope the event was celebrated in the traditional manner, you know “Gulp!, guzzle! Fill ‘em up again” it really was a surprise to me, nobody tells me these things. Am I really too young? I hope the baby isn’t too old before I can see it ---she of course. If it is not too old I shall be out of this place “pretty quickly”. And if you don’t give your first daughter a name I don’t approve of, expect a nasty letter. (Don’t get me wrong, I never mentioned Betty). Speaking of Betty she tells me she is going to your place to take the baby out. I hope she hasn’t got any ideas. How do you like my future mother-in-law. Alright isn’t she. Wait till you meet the old man> he is a good old stick too, but for God’s sake don’t come in contact with the other prospective son-in-law of the Billingham family. He stinks. Set my two mad young brothers on him for me.

That’s the lot. Best of luck. Syd.

Elizabeth Webb 1814-1899

I have already written about the mysterious Mills family after 1851, but what of Elizabeth Webb, great great grandmother no 2, who married William Mills in 1832 in Wolverhampton, according to IGI.

Details are of course sketchy at this stage, but the 1851 and 1861 censuses give Elizabeth’s birth year as 1814 and her place of birth as Sedgley. According to IGI she was christened on 6^th November 1814, and her parents were John Webb and Hannah Unitt who were married on 15^th September 1811 at St Peter Or, Wolverhampton. IGI does not mention the church in which Elizabeth was christened but the parish church of Sedgley was All Saints.

We do not know what Elizabeth did, if anything for a living, as she did not work after her marriage to  William Mills who was a master whitesmith, as so many of our ancestors on this side are.

In 1841 this family is living at Sheepcot Wall Sedgley .

The couple were in Sedgley in 1851, at Dudley Road Sedgley with 6 children

William Mills	1811	Fire Iron Maker employing 3 men and three boys	Born Sedgley
Elizabeth Mills	1814	Wife	Born Sedgley
Mary Ann Mills	1834	Daughter - Tailoress	Born Sedgley
Julia Mills	1836	Daughter	Born Sedgley
Elizabeth Mills	1841	Daughter	Born Sedgley
Miram Mills	1844	Daughter	Born Sedgley
Thirza Mills	1845	Daughter	Born Sedgley
Phoebe Ann Mills	1849	Daughter	Born Sedgley

 By 1861 they have two more children

Mils	Hannah	Daughter		1854		Sedgley
Mils	Sarah	Daughter	Unmarried	1857		Sedgley

 However Elizabeth is described as a laundress and William is not there. So, is William dead, as implied by Elizabeth being “Head”, or is he away, as implied by her being “married”? I’m guessing the former, in which case he died some time after 1857 and before 1861. I have been unable to find out for sure.

The family is missing from the 1871 and 1881 census (they may be leaving in a different area), but Elizabeth turns up in the 1891 census as a widow living with Sarah Emily and Joseph Hamilton in Roebuck Street. She died in 1899 at the age of 85.

 

Who was James Morris the plater's father

This from Geoffrey Morris

I'm beginning to think that our ancestor was not George Morris but Thomas. The only likely entry I've found (so far) in the 1841 Birmingham census is for a family in Pritchit (now Pritchett) Street, close to New John Street, where James Morris, father of James and Alfred (Alfred my Grandad), was born in September 1839. Ancestry lists them as Tomes and Rosina Morris, both aged 25, but someone has corrected this transcription to James, which clearly right (see the attached). Also there was their presumed son Jos or Jas, aged one, which (if he wasn't Joseph but James) could well be my great-grandfather. Rosina is a reasonable version of Rosanna(h), whose name gets spelt in several ways. Also here is the presumed father/grandfather, Thomas, aged 65, so born in about 1796. He was a brewer, and his son (presumably his son) a labourer. Where Thomas's wife, if any, was (dead? visiting?) I have no idea. I've tried to find her through the IGI, but there are at least half a dozen candidates. Pending further and better particulars, as the lawyers say, I'm assuming Thomas is our ancestor. Which means removing a large number of relatives from my tree!

 He has a point. James the plater and Rosehannah don’t show in the 1841 census separately, but the 1841 census isn’t very reliable. However I found George Morris as James the Plater’s father through IGI which is equally unreliable.

So what makes me think that it is George rather than Thomas.

·         George was a gunmaker, as was Rosehannah’s father, so they may have known each other.

·         There is no record of Thomas having a son called James in the IGI

·         In 1839 on James the chainmaker’s birth certificate the family were living in New John Street. Unfortunately we don’t know where they were living in 1849 when James the Plater died , as he died in hospital in Bath Row.

·         Thomas is given as a brewer in the 1841 census and James as a labourer but we know that james was a skilled man, a silver plater.

·         Even if James and Rosehannah were at the same address as Thomas in 1841, he could be some other relation, with whom they were staying temporarily .

The jury is still out and it will need some digging in the parish records of St George’s and St Philip’s, where James the son of George was christened according to IGI.

Whitehouse Family Story

Origins

Whitehouse is one of those names that is very familiar and common, but a hundred years ago was only common in the Black Country. There are some instances in Wales and the North West, but it doesn’t show at all in the south and east of England.  Pretty obviously it originally meant someone who lived in a white house. The Guild of One Name Studies has one person interested in the name,. In fact they have more in common with our Morrises, being platers and gun barrel makers. but his family come from Birmingham and I can’t see a relevance to ours. http://www.users.waitrose.com/~whitehousefhc/

The Whitehouses join our story when Sarah Whitehouse married Samuel Hamlet in 1845.

Sarah Whitehouse1823- 1876

According to IGI Sarah was christened on 2^nd March 1823 at St Martins in Tipton. Her parents were William Whitehouse and Deborah (nee Perkins).

The 1841 census shows her living with her parents and siblings in New Road Tipton, and on 10^th August 1845 she married Samuel Hamlet (or Hamblet as they were spelling it that week) at the parish Church in Dudley. At that stage she was living in New Hall street, as was Samuel , although her parents were still at New Road.

At the time of the 1851 census Samuel and Sarah are living at Tividale in Rowley Regis with 2 sons Samuel William (1847) and Joseph, our great grandfather (1850). They appear to have moved to Rowley Regis between 1847 when Samuel Jnr was born in Dudley, and 1850 when Joseph was born in Rowley Regis.

By 1861 they have moved again to Park Lane Tipton, and here there is a mystery. They have  daughter Mercey, and there son Samuel is only 10. I can’t find a record of the Samuel Jnr dying and another son  being called Samuel. It should also be noted that Joseph, who we know was born in 1850 is listed as being born in 1857 in the transcript of this census, giving his age as 4, while the original looks more like 14 to me. Still not right, but closer.

As we know Samuel Snr died in a pit accident in 1862 when Sarah was 39. In the 1871 census she is shown as a widow living with Joseph, now 22 and Mercy who is 14 at Sedgley Road East in Tipton.

The newspaper reports of Samuel’s death say that he had 6 children. I have found five so far.
Joseph 1849
Samuel 1851
John 1852-1859
Isaac 1855-1857
Mercy 1857

John aged 8 was drowned in the pit shaft at the same colliery as his father in 1859, three years before the death of his father. The death certificate quotes from the coroner that "how he got in the said water no evidence to shew". Isaac died aged 2 of inflammatory dropsy. Samuel Jnr has disappeared. I can’t find him in the censuses or a record of his death.

Joseph married Sarah Emily Mills in 1873 and Mercy (with another spelling variation – Humphlett) married Henry Brakewell in1876. Sarah died in 1876, aged 53 of liver disease. .She was still living at Sedgley  Road and her death was registered by her sister Anne  who is married to Joseph Brierwood.

William Whitehouse 1791-1874 and Deborah Perkins 1795-1877

I can’t find a definitive birth record for William. According to IGI there were two William Whitehouses christened at St Mary’s Handsworth in the relevant time period  Wiiliam 1 was christened on 26^th June 1791 and his parents were Daniel and Elizabeth. William 2 was christened on 21^st September 1792 and his parents were Isaac and Eleanor. Often you can make a sensible guess by the use of a name in the next generation, but William and Deborah had sons called Daniel and Isaac and a daughter called Sarah. Until I can get to the parish records and check William and Deborah’s marriage records I won’t know which is the right record, and the trail ends here for now.

According to the various censuses both William and Deborah were born in West Bromwich and William was boatman.

William and Deborah married at St Mary’s Handsworth on 9^th September 1816 according to IGI.

They spent their married life at New Road Tipton. Looking at the map, New Road is very close to the Walsall Canal and quite near to the junctions of the Walsall Canal with the Tame Valley Canal and the Birmingham Canal, and Dudley Port. Tipton – Venice of the Midlands.

William and Deborah had 6 children

William                 1821
Sarah                     1826
Daniel                   1826
Anne                     1830
Isaac                      1833
Thomas                                1839

In the 1851 census William and his sons Daniel and Isaac are boatmen. Their youngest son Thomas is shown as being born in Church Aston Shropshire, perhaps on a boat trip. They have a lodger , Joseph Brierwood (who later married their daughter Anne) and their grandson unnamed Hamlet aged for is also there. This is most likely Samuel Jnr, although he also shows on his parents census form.

By 1861 William, now 69, has stopped being a boatman and is a labourer. His sons, Daniel 35,, Isaac, 28 and Thomas 21 are all unmarried, living at home and working as boatmen.

In 1871 only Isaac is still at home, although there is also another grandson, Thomas,  and by 1881 William and Deborah are both dead and Isaac and Thomas are lodging with a family called Partridge in Mill Street, just across the A461 from New Road.

William died in 1874 and Deborah in 1877