Liverpool Working Lives: One Family's Story

I have been researching my husband's family who lived in Liverpool for over 200 years. I have explored some of their personal stories.But what of their working lives? From photographs, documents and census returns, I have been able to look into how they earned their living and what links there were to the city of Liverpool.

Joe Vernon Smith was my husband's grandfather. Joe served with the King's Liverpool Regiment in the Great War, but before this, he worked for his father, Joseph McDougall Smith. Joseph owned a Varnishmaking factory based around the docks in Liverpool, a trade that was important in shipping and of course in a thriving area at this time.  . I have a photograph that I believe shows Joseph, his son Joe and possibly one of his other sons. We are very lucky to have a photo showing them at work!

"Old Joe" as he was known is centre. 

I think Joe is on the right.

 

After the Great War Joe returned for a while to his position in his father's company. Sorting through the huge archive of documents my mother in law left us when she died I discovered that Joe and his father  worked on the building of The Kop in 1927. Joseph's father owned the company but  I’m sure Joe would have done much of the hard graft! I discovered the name of the Company because I found a letter on headed paper giving a reference to Joe when he headed for America..

 

 

 

From the Liverpool Echo March 1927

“If you inquire of George Patterson, the secretary to the club, he will tell you that the “Spion Kop” at Anfield has, since its inception, been particularly devoid of comfort on a wet day."

And so, it was decided to add a roof..

 "With the exception of the roof trusses and the four stanchions in the terracing, all of which will, however, be painted with selected local bitumastic rust-proof paint from the Mersey Varnish Company, Bootle, the remainder of the steel is completely buried in the concrete casings.”

My husband has been a Liverpool fan for decades and for all those years, standing and seated on the Kop, my husband stood beneath the very roof his grandad worked on!

Daniel McDougall Smith

Daniel was born on 26th May 1888, one of four sons born to Joseph McDougall Smith and Fanny Vernon. Unlike two of his brothers, Daniel stayed in Liverpool but unlike Joe, he did not work for his father's varnish making company. He was a cook, who progressed to "chief cook" by the time of the 1911 census and also gives his occupation as that "rotisseur" who is the chef responsible for all spit-roasted, oven roasted, grilled and in some cases fried foods. He worked on the Lusitania until early 1915. Sadly, he joined the merchant navy and died when the ship he was on (the Bayano) was torpedoed in March 1915. He was married to Dorothy Alice Leigh. There were no children and she never remarried.

 

 

 

 This photo is of all the cooks on board the Lusitania.

He was noted to be "chief cook", presumably there were several

 

 

Postcard sent to his family from New York

Henry Banks Rich  

Was  my husband's great grandfather. I have recently blogged about him. He was a shipwright, as were his father and his father's father. A great tradition and very much linked to the port of Liverpool.

 Henry at work

 

 

Henry was a member of the Shipwright Association 

 

Henry's Daughters, Lilian, Doris and Grace 

 

They all worked at some stage before they married. Sarah, the eldest (my husband's grandmother and Joe's wife) carried out domestic duties at home and at one stage had her father, four sisters and a brother to look after. They lived in a small terrace house. It must have been a very hard life.

I have found a photograph of Lilian and Doris, standing outside of a shop. I was thrilled to find that in the 1921 census, Lilian actually gives the name of the shop, because she describes herself as a shop assistant and puts the name of the shop as S & J Wallace. I have found the shop in a Trade Directory, and it was a grocers and provisional store.

 

Doris left and Lillie

 

 

Lillie also worked as a nurse. 

I cannot find any records, so I think she worked

in an unregistered capacity.

Catherine Grace  

Catherine (knows as "Gracie) was Henry's youngest daughter. Born in 1906, her mother died when she was 4.

 

 

 

Grace and her family lived at number 12 Cowley Road

for most of her childhood.

I think this is Grace standing outside that address 

(There is a helpful No. 12 visible!)

 

We know that Grace worked as a milliner - before she married I found her in a city directory as working from a shop in Cherry Avenue, Walton. Grace lived to be 112 and became the oldest person in Britain for a while. She mentions working as a milliner and owning a shop. When she married, she gave up working outside of the home.

These two families are an excellent illustration of working life in Liverpool in the late 1800s and early 20c. Trades associated to shipping, working on the big liners and women working outside of the home. The family were exceptionally close - we have 100s of photos of them and very many of them in a group - on holiday, days out or weddings. A wonderful example of a close family who worked hard to keep their families together. I will end with some of these photos!

 

 

This photo shows most of the family. 

All four sisters are there - (one is the bride!)

Also here are Joe next to his wife and holding his baby son

"Old Joe" and Henry stand at the back. 

1920

A few more family photos.

 

 

I love this one. Lillie, Sarah and Doris are here, along with Sarah's

two brothers in law. I love Sarah and Doris's outfits!

What seems a truly happy, family day out.

 

Sarah, "Gracie" and Lillie with various children and

Doris's husband.

Henry Banks Rich - A Dedicated Father 1861-1932

I have been telling the story in my blog of the Vernon Smith/Rich families of Liverpool and in particular Joe Vernon Smith and his wife, Sarah Banks Rich. I wondered what else could be added to their story? Fortunately there are quite a few photographs and items in the wonderful personal archive of my mother in law that we inherited. These tell the story of a working class family from Liverpool who lost two children in infancy, one aged 17 and a son aged 23 at Gallipoli. Henry  was widowed when his wife Sarah was just 43, leaving him with four daughters aged 8 - 17. Sarah was the 17 year old who took over the running of the house and bringing up her sisters.

I believe this is Henry's wife, Sarah. She seems unwell in

this photograph. She had 8 children who survived childbirth

the first when she was 23 and the last aged 39. She died four years later

Henry was born in Liverpool in 1861. According to his baptismal certificates his father Thomas was a shipwright. I have found Thomas on census returns and Henry's  grandfather was also a shipwright. As Henry did not have any sons, he was the last of his family to carry out this trade.

 

 Henry Banks Rich. Henry worked at the port of Liverpool

However, I have found him on the crew lists of transatlantic liners.He appears

to be on board a ship in this photo.

He must have spent many months at sea, away from his family. 

Indeed he went to sea the year of his marriage in 1889

 

 

 

 

We have the badges that show that Henry was a member

of the Shipwright Association. 

 

We have a LOT of photos of the family! Here are some of his children - the daughters before they married and his son Tom, before he emigrated to Australia - to die at Gallipoli in 1915.

 

 Doris and Sarah as girls

 

 

Mabel, who died aged 17 

Grace, the youngest, is centre. I think she is with Sarah and Doris.

Grace lived to be 112! 

Doris and Lilly worked in a family general store. 

I think this is in the Great War years.

The four sisters. Tom can just be seen driving the car!

 

 

 Tom emigrated to Australia just after his mother died in 1910

He was doing well (we have some letters he sent home to "my dear old dad") and

was hoping to train as a vet. Sadly, he died in 1915 at Gallipoli. 

His younger sister, Grace, lived to be 112 and spoke about the moment

that her father received the telegram of his death. He had to leave the room 

as he had broken down in tears. 

The family remained incredibly close; although Sarah and her husband, Joe, emigrated to the USA in 1929, they came back three years later. Sarah missed Liverpool and her family! Below are some photos of the family before and after their various marriages. I have 100s and they are all wonderful!

 

 

 The gang's all here! Henry, his four daughters and son. 

I don't know who the man on the left is but could it be 

one of Henry's brothers?

The gang's all here - plus additions! Henry is seated left. The older man

on the right is his son in law's father. We have all four daughters plus various

children! 

And here are more photos of this happy family. Henry had such tragedy in his life. Losing four children and his wife before he was 55. And yet his family seem to have included him in many holidays, day trips and family get togethers. He died at the age of 71 - quite an age for someone born in 1861 and who lived a very hard life at sea and at the docks. He lived to see all of his daughters married and his many grandchildren.

There are so many family members in these wonderful photos. I have so many more that my next blog will feature ones that show more of this "ordinary" and yet "extraordinary" family. One that had links to WW1, Liverpool trades, emigration. WW2, the Lusitania, a Military Medal and what was an obviously very close family life.

Christmas From The Trenches

I have blogged about my husband's grandparents - Joe and Sarah - whose lives I researched following the discovery of a treasure trove of photos and lots of other items such as autograph books, medals, telegrams and more. However, the biggest treasure of all was Sarah's collection of postcards sent from her family and friends that dated back to the early 1900s.  The greatest find in the album were dozens of postcards sent from Joe during his service in the Great War. In this blog I will share the story of the beautiful silk Christmas cards. 

Joe and Sarah had been sweethearts before the War and married in 1915. Just days later they were to be separated by the War and did not see her again for many months, when he was injured in September 1917 and sent home (see my blog https://historicalclues.blogspot.com/2022/01/joe-and-sarah-mr-and-mrs-vernon-smith.html)

Joe spent at least two Christmases away from Sarah but did not forget her hobby of collecting postcards and sent her dozens. The silk postcards he sent for Christmas are wonderful.

 

 

Postcard sent to Sarah from France. Dec 1916

Embroidered silk postcards were popular souvenirs during World War One (1914-1918). They were often sent home by soldiers serving in France and Belgium.

The postcards themselves were made by out of work French civilians and refugees, they were embroidered by hand and mounted on a piece of card. Some examples, had a silk pocket, which contained a written note or letter.

We even have the little card with his message on it!

 

Joe also wrote on the back of this card - he did not always do so. I wonder if those with no words on had been sent with a longer letter -very sadly lost!

As can be seen from the back of this card, and indeed all other communications that we still have, Joe was extremely affectionate. 

Joe was in the KLR but after being seriously injured in 1917

(when he was awarded the Military Medal)
he returned to England and after months in hospital, joined the 

Military Foot Police and was not demobbed until 1919

 

Sarah at the time of their wedding. Sarah's mother died

when very young, leaving Sarah as the eldest daughterto look after her 4 sisters, 

brother and father. 

 

Joe had been very close to Sarah's family for many years before they married and knew all them very well.  He also sent cards to her family. I have a lovely silk christmas card sent to Sarah's father, Henry Banks Rich, back in Liverpool.

 Joe also wrote on the back of this card, that seems to have 

been sent at the same time as Sarah's.

 

 

Joe survived the War although the serious injury to his head affected his hearing for the rest of his life.

Sarah and Joe settled down to life in post war Liverpool and had a son and daughter. They briefly emigrated to the US but came home after three years due to Sarah's homesickness.

This photo of the happy family was taken just before they emigrated.

 

Joe and Sarah had many happy years together - I have the photos to prove it! Here is an absolutely charming photograph of one of their family Christmases. I am guessing by the age of some of the family members that it is the 1950s. Joe died in 1957 and although he is not in the photo, I am pretty sure it was him who took it. He was a very keen photographer of the family! so I would place it in the early to mid-fifties. It is clearly Christmas tea - I love how it shows the food and drink of the time. Bread and butter, cups of tea- no alcohol! Sugar lumps!

This wonderful photo shows Joe and Sarah's family. I can

see Sarah, her daughter (my mum in law) and her husband.

Also Sarah's son, sisters and brothers in law. I love it!

 

 I have many wonderful items from this remarkable family including 100s of photos, pre WW1 autograph books, postcards, medals, union badges, telegrams and letters. The family lived mainly in Bootle and surrounding areas, in Merseyside. Sadly no local museums are interested in the huge archive. This is why I am blogging about the items. They can be saved for posterity! If interested, there are many blogs that I started, beginning in 2022. The stories go back well over 100 years. Happy Christmas!

Every Picture Tells a Story Part IV - "Whoops!" - Less than perfect photos (?)!

As previously mentioned, my husband's family not only took lots of photos (100s!) but they also wrote on the back of many sharing with us their thoughts and comments on them. This gives us a lovely glimpse of their lives,  sense of humour and the places they visited - written by themselves. Occasionally though, there are exasperated comments - explaining that their photos are "not very good". These are not only fun to read- but untrue; they are are really "very good"!

"This should have been all of us, on our back garden steps

Elsie Baines snapped up and left us all out!"

 

You can sense the slight annoyance here! A classic mistake - even today many of us have photos that have been truncated! It is also slightly blurred and in a very poor condition. I recognise my husband's (long lived - 112 years) great aunt on the left, standing somewhat awkwardly. Her neice, Elsie is pictured with her doll (both Elsie and her "dolly" are much photographed!). I don't know the other lady and of course, the others have all been obliterated!

"Not very good of Elsie but thought you could have

an idea of her doll's house that Grandma bought her last Xmas.

The garage is on Elsie's side"

 

I have found several photos that are deemed not very good which are actually lovely! I wonder if at the times many of  these were taken (pre WW1 and inter war years) more formal photos were in vogue. This photos seems to me to be a charming photo of a happy little girl with Granny's Xmas present! Maybe the informality seems far more endearing to modern audiences? Many of these photos have comments that would almost suggest that they were sent to somebody in the post - rather like the writing on postcards. 

"I think I was too near when taking this"

 

This further shows that less formal or composed shots were considered something of a failure. In fact, today, making the subject fill the whole frame is very popular. This is Elsie yet again- there is absolutely nothing wrong with this photo and is a delight!

"This one is really not too good"

 

Not true! it is really very good indeed! That cheeky smile!

"This taken a month ago is not very good. Gracie was tired. 

She would not keep her thumb out of her mouth"

 

 "Taken a month ago" shows the immediacy of the writing on the back and also that the person who wrote it is expecting someone to be reading it very near to the date of the photo. I have no idea of the year. Gracie was my husband's great aunt's name. However, she was born in 1906 and so this would be around 1907/8. I think the clothes make it appear to be a few years later? Again, the comment that it was not very good isn't true! 

Finally, a couple of photos that in my opinion, are just wonderful. They show a very happy family. And no negative comments written on the back!

My husband's grandparents, Joe and Sarah

with his mum and uncle

 

 

The Vernon Smiths and Richs

My husband's grandparents, great grandad, 

great aunts and a few unknowns! A big family.

 

The gang's all here!

A huge and loving family - perfect photos!