JOHNSON - Ware - Help Please.

[roaminmamma]

Thank you so much for that Valda, I will make sure that I phone them and tell them of my visit and what I would like to acsess.

I have been in discussions with ancestry over Abigails Death certificate and we discussed the 1841 census where she was put as Independant, they said that usually means someone on their own seperated, that is why I presumed they were living apart as otherwise they would have her down as married.

I am intending to visit the archives and the museum and I believe it is the priory that holds all the information and pictures of the Bargemen, I am going in October mid month and arming myself with all the information I want to find.

Many thanks for your help

Chrissy
xx

[Valda]

The census column heading is

'Profession, trade, employment or of independent means'.

It is asking how the person obtained their living - Abigail has answered she was of independent means which could mean anything and probably means I'm not prepared to tell the census enumerator much of my business.

There is no question on the 1841 census which asks what status a person was - widowed, married single etc. so Abigail could not answer married to a question that was not on the form.
You could not put married in the occupation column. Marriage was not considered an occupation.
Woman more often left their occupation blank even if they were making a living often as a laundress or a dressmaker.

As Joseph was a bargeman you would expect his occupation to take him away from home as it would mean travelling on the canals. How often you can't tell. A census is only an extremely brief snapshot of who was staying in that household on that one night.

Of independent means does not usually mean separated - for a working class woman separated would usually mean close to destitute. It was an economic necessity for working class women in Victorian England to make a go of their marriages. Women whose hubands left them would be blamed by society for their inability to sustain their marriages.

Ancestry is an American company. I would be surprised if many of the people who work for it know a great deal about Victorian England mores of the 1840s.

Regards

Valda

[roaminmamma]

Thank you Valda for your help, I understand it better now


Chrissy
xx

[benzon]

Hi there

Sorry to disappoint but even if your ancestor wasn't buried in a public grave, you certainly wont find much in St Mary's churchyard now.  It has all been grassed over and all the headstones removed around the perimeter.  Very, very sad.

Some of my ancestors were also bargemen in Ware.  Ware had a thriving malting industry (not that you would know that now) and the River Lea gave access to London.   I also made an enquiry of Ware Museum some time back but their reply was in the negative which I found completely surprising in view of the fact that there were so many bargemen and maltsters in Ware in the 1800s.

Did also try to do a bit of research to establish who actually owned the barges that went up and down the Lea i.e. were there barge owners or were the barges owned by the malsters themselves.  Never really drew any firm conclusions.

Valda may be right about the "of independent means" indicating that your ancestor didn't want the enumerator to know her circumstances as from what I know a lot of these bargemen lived in the very poorest areas of the town.  Having said that though, Crib St does back onto the River Lea so perhaps your chap did actually own his own barge.  On the other hand though, Kibes Lane is the next street along and it is described as one of the most poor and densely occupied areas of the town.

Sorry this is all a bit in the negative but I know only too well that the staff at HALS will be most helpful and you certainly should be able to find something in the parish records.   Also enquire about the Poor Law records for Ware.  I haven't actually looked at them and know some parish poor law records are more extensive than others, but if he was ill and unable to work, then he might have had to apply for parish relief.  Just a thought.

Benz

[benzon]

Washn't clear whether you have the baptism dates for the children of Joseph and Abigail or not.  So just in case you haven't -

All baptised Ware, Herts

Ann 08 June 1819
Anna 08 Apr 1821
Caroline 08 June 1823
Isabella 21 Oct 1825
George Frederic 01 Aug 1830
William Thomas 01 Aug 1830
Maria 26 Aug 1832

My guess would be that George and William were not twins, just baptised on the same day.  Suggest that one was born c 1827 but you may be able to glean that from your census returns.  However, do bear in mind the rounding of ages that applies to the 41 census.

Benz

[roaminmamma]

Thank you so much Benz for your post have been unwell and just catching up with posts. I did write to the museum of the Bargemen but never received a reply, but I am not put off and will be going down there to see everything and see where my family lived, will keep you in touch with what I find.

Chrissy