The Diary of Nathaniel Bryceson Revisited

[Jo A]

Hi folks - I have just discovered this diary through Googling the name of my great grandfather George Lea.  He is too late (1840 - 1911) to be the George Lea of this diary but was certainly part of the same coal merchant family.  I have a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings from a relative which are mainly about Highgate families in the 1880's and 1890's death notices, birth notices, odd little stories.  It also includes an original receipt from Eccleston Wharf dated March 11 1846 so could have been written out by the man himself.  I haven't examined the book in detail yet, it is in very tiny print but there is a huge amount of names in there.  Would be definitely interested in hearing from anyone else with an interest in the Leas.

[Ruskie]

Hello Jo A,

You are very welcome to join us and our discussions about Nathaniel. Unfortunately as you can see, we have come to a bit of a standstill, as we have hit a lot of brick walls. It is excellent to find another descendant of the family we have enjoyed researching and who became such a big part of our lives for over a year.

I am very interested in the information in your scrapbook. Do you have any idea who put the book together, and an approximate date?
Could you be willing and able to scan that Eccleston Wharf receipt you have so we can compare the writing to see if it was written by Nathaniel?
It would be wonderful if you could work your way through the scrapbook to see if there are mentions of Nathaniel or anyone else he mentions in his diary. I'm sure all of us who have taken an interest in Nathaniel's diary would be very grateful.
Alternatively, would it be possible (or would you be willing) to take scans of the pages, particularly those parts of it which mention names, which we could have a look at? Specifically mentions of any characters who may connect with Nathaniel's era.

Have you read Nathaniel's diary yet? I know it is a LOT of work for you (and a lot of it is chit chat), but you may wish to go over all of our previous threads discussing Nathaniel's Diary. There are links to everything at the beginning of this thread.

So we can put your great grandfather George Lea into context within the Lea family, do you know who his parents were? In case you haven't discovered yet, Nathaniel Bryceson's grandmother (affectionately known as 'Granny Shepard') was Mary Lea born on 14 June 1771 in Birmingham. Mary Lea married John Shepard in 1796. So, you are related to Nathaniel Bryceson! 

So, as you can guess, we are all interested in the Leas.  I think that there was another Lea descendant who joined us in this discussion at some stage, but I can't remember where or how they connected with the family I'm afraid.

And last but not least, welcome to rootschat! I'm sure we would all love to help you with any research into your family - Leas or other branches. 

[Jo A]

Hi thanks for such a detailed and rapid response. There is a cutting about NB  dated 1909. Haven't read all the threads so don't know if this is new to you.

[Ruskie]

Hi thanks for such a detailed and rapid response. There is a cutting about NB  dated 1909. Haven't read all the threads so don't know if this is new to you.

I would be very VERY interested to see this!  A scan (or photograph if too delicate to scan) would be absolutely wonderful if possible.  I think Nathaniel got a mention in a publication called "Notes and Queries" around 1909 - is this what the article refers to?

If you can find the time to read some of our threads (maybe in conjunction with the diary itself, as our comments and discussions follow the diary day by day, so it will easier for you to follow our discussions  - if you understand what I am getting at.  ) - you will get the idea how Nathaniel and his diary turned into quite an obsession for many of us for over a year. It was so sad when the diary ended and frustrating that we know that Nathaniel wrote other diaries, whose whereabouts are unknown (if they still exist).

We are (eventually) hoping to see the diary published, and any extra documents I'm sure will be of interest.

 

[Jo A]

Hi again, the cutting is a short 'character piece' which is mainly verbatim quotes from Nathaniel about his hobby a s a collector. I  think I would like to contact Westminster before posting it in  case they have any projects in hand it would tie in with, though, of course as a published item it may be  accessible elsewhere. I' ll take á photo of the Eccleston Wharf bill and post on Flickr.

[Ruskie]

I would be very interested in reading the article about Nathaniel. If you prefer to offer it initially to Westminster Archives rather than posting it here, that is your decision of course, keeping in mind that they published Nathaniel's Diary back in 2010, so I don't know if the subject is "yesterday's news"or "gone off the boil", so to speak.  If you have a look at their website they always have some interesting topics - I see there is a cookbook/recipes online at present.

They may well be interested if you wish to donate the entire scrapbook - this is something for you to discuss with them if they are interested, and I obviously can't speak for them. Let me know if you would like the details of some contacts at Westminster Archives who know a lot about The Diary.

Would you not consider posting an image of the Eccleston Wharf bill here where everyone who has been following these threads, and is interested in the subject, will be able to see it? I, for one, do not have a Flickr account and have no idea how to view Flickr images. Simple instructions on how to view would be appreciated if you decide to go the Flickr route rather than posting it here. 

[Jo A]

Thanks - if you could point me in the direction of someone who might be interested I can take it from there.  I would rather keep the cutting book in the family though.

[Ruskie]

Thank you very much for posting the images Jo A.  Would you be willing to transcribe the newspaper article for us?

I would rather keep the cutting book in the family though.

That is perfectly understandable and I would feel the same way, especially if you have someone in a later generation who is interested in family/social history. 

I will send details of a contact at Westminster Archives via Personal Message.

I was looking through a couple of our old threads about the Diary (looking for the sections where we mention the Leas) - I remember they took a bit of effort to sort out - I think I recall some bankruptcy, a parting of the ways of a couple of the Leas, and one of them returning to a previous occupation. Nathaniel is also quite critical of his boss George Lea. I think George must have had a bit of a fall from grace - he is a "Lighterman" in the 1851 census and "out of business" in 1861.

I would be interested to know how you connect to this line of Leas.  Who do you descend from? (Obviously don't give us any personal information or details of anyone still living). Do you know who put your scrapbook together?

Thanks again for posting the images.

PS. I feel quite confident in saying that the writing on the Eccleston Wharf bill, is not Nathaniels. Others may wish to see what they think.

[Jo A]

Hi 

I will get in touch with the contact at Westminster Archives and see what their response is. I've had a chance to go through the cuttings book in more detail now.  It's almost all newspaper cuttings apart from a watercolour of a house, the bill, a burial bill for C Lea, and a transcript of a marriage register.  Most of the cuttings are bdm announcements, there are some wills, inquests, reports of sermons, bits of local history esp Highgate.  There aren't any other references to NB or many others to any George Lea.  Thomas Lea seems to feature quite a bit. 
Anyway George Lea was my great-grandfather and died in 1911 at the age of 71.  He married Fanny Gurney and had two daughters, Fanny Gurney Lea and Nancy in the 1880's.  They married brothers, name of Johnson.  Fanny Gurney Johnson had a son and a daughter born 1920 who is my mother. There's a history of late marriages so I'm not quite as ancient as all this makes  me seem!  I don't know who compiled the scrapbook but they seem to have had an obsessive interest in the Leas and their relations.  Most cuttings seem to be between 1880 and 1900 with a sudden halt in 1920, the latest one is the birth of my mother.  She is still alive but has dementia.   There was a family tragedy in 1921 which could account for the sudden end of collecting cuttings.
I don't know who George Lea's father was but thinking it may have been Thomas Lea who I'm guessing was the brother of the Eccleston Wharf George Lea and was evidently much more successful in the coal trade than poor old George.
I've had another look at the NB cutting and he mentions his grandmother but not his mother, which ties in with his earlier writings.  He states that his grandmother had 11 children!  I'm not sure how reliable a narrator he is...
One of my mother's cousins is still alive but I spoke to his daughter today and he's been more interested in the researching the Johnson side than the Leas.  The Johnsons had a gold thread manufacturing business so more exciting than coal perhaps.