Barnsley exports to Finland

[brianz]

I have a 2nd Greatgrandfather James Lee b 1827 in Barnsley Yorks, Married a Mary Thornley Apr 1848 in Barnsley. They had 8 children 2 of which were born  while he was working in Tampere Finland ( I have the Baptism detailsfrom Tampere ) in the weaving industry ( he was a Power Loom Operator by trade ).

The nearest I can place him in Finland is between Sept 1856 the birth of his son James Jnr in Barnsley and Sept 1865, the birth of his daughter Alice on his return from Finland.

I am trying to find more information about why and what he was doing there and what was exported with him.
I know it is a long shot but can anyone help??

Thanks in advance, Steve

[Ebch]

Could Scotsman James Finlayson 1771-1852 be the reason?  He was an engineer who founded Tampere's first cotton/woollen industry.  He started with wool in 1828 and then changed it to a cotton mill with two spinning machines.  In 1836 he sold out but the new owner continued to expand and by 1877 there were some 12,000 spinning machines at the factory. As spinning was relatively new to Finland would there have been a demand for experienced workers?

[Ebch]

And of course James Lee lived in Barnsley so he possibly could have been employed by Wilson and Longbottom - loom manufacturers who exported all over the world. 

[brianz]

Ebch, Thanks for the reply.
I have considered James Finlayson as a possibility as he shipped a lot of technology from England, but from research found that whilst he may have been one of the main founders of the Finnish weaving industry in Tampere. By 1836 he had sold the business to Georg Rauch and Karl Samuel Nottbeck. And then as you said he died abt 1854.
What I am really interested in is what caused James Lee and his family to uproot and move to Finland for a few years. and  was he accompanying some machinery or something.

Thanks for the suggestions

Steve

[Berlin-Bob]

Hi Steve,

What I am really interested in is what caused James Lee and his family to uproot and move to Finland for a few years. and  was he accompanying some machinery or something.

There are a couple of topics on RootsChat with a similar theme: 
experienced mill-workers in Britain moved to different parts of Continental Europe.

The main reason was that the industrial revolution was more advanced in England than in the rest of Europe, so even "normal" factory workers could be classified as "skilled" by comparison.  Many english firms set up mills in Germany, Silesia, Russia, Poland, etc.

Bob

[Berlin-Bob]

Just found  topics with more details:

Topic: Batley woollen workers, Germany 1880s 
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,34233.0.html

Topic: CASSIDY emigrated to Germany
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,280109.0.html

Bob

[brianz]

Hi Bob
         Thanks for the suggestions I will have a look at them.

[Ebch]

Looking at James Lee's address in 1851 - Nelson Street, Barnsley.  That was about 200 yards from Wilson & Longbottom, Loom makers.

[brianz]

Ebch Thanks for the info,  Do you know if any employee records or anything similar exist for Wilson and Longbottom? and if so who has them.

Steve