I've lost the plot

[ghallen]

The heat today has addled my brain. I very almost convinced myself earlier that one of my direct ancestors from the late 1800s was sentenced to a month in Wandsworth for "big time onions growing".

One day I'll figure out how to read the fancy handwriting.

[goldie61]

 

There is a board here on Rootschat especially to help with things people can't read.
You could 'clip' the bit you can't make out, and post it on here. Somebody will probably be able to help you.

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/handwriting-deciphering-recognition/

[ghallen]

Thank you I found that board earlier.
The mystery has been solved. My "big time onion growing" turned out to be "stealing some onions growing" which makes more sense

[goldie61]

 

[trish1120]

 

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

I received a marriage cert and read the groom's father's occupation as 'clerk and water master' which given where the family lived and the maritime links for the groom seemed reasonable. It caused quite a stir in some maritime circles........I had to go back days later and tell them it actually said clock and watch maker.

[jbml]

Ah yes, those poorly-transcribed entries!

I spent AGES on a wild goose chase, trying to find evidence in Southampton for an ancestor whose place of birth was recorded on the census as Southampton (seemed reasonable at the time ... )

Only ... it wasn't!

When I took a really long, hard look at the manuscript census entry, I decided that it didn't say "Southampton" at all. It said "Som. Taunton"

So I switched my search to Taunton, Somerset and ... BINGO!

[carol8353]

When I took a really long, hard look at the manuscript census entry, I decided that it didn't say "Southampton" at all. It said "Som. Taunton"

So I switched my search to Taunton, Somerset and ... BINGO!

I have ancestors from Taunton Somerset. When they first appeared on Ancestry,they had nearly all been transcribed as Taunton SOMALIA 

I also researched a friend's ancestor who had been deported to Australia for stealing tinsnips !
Turns out it was his 2nd offence (the first one was stealing a gentleman's handkerchief) and it actually said Turnips.....not tinsnips 

Carol

[jbml]

Oh Carol ... don't you sometimes wish you HADN'T taken quite such a close look? Theft of tinsnips is just SO much more entertaining a thought.

Incidentally, my brother who is a history professor at an Australian university tells me that there has been a lot of research done recently into the reasons for convict transportations. It has been one of those "everyone knows" things for generation ... most transportees were sent to Australia for ridiculously trivial offences.

Oh really? Says who?

Well, says they themselves, actually, in circumstances where nobody could go back and verify their claim.

EVER so many Australian convict-descendants have a family story that it was for some truly trivial offence ... and some were. But by no means all of them.

Think about it. If you were transported for a truly horrendous (but non-capital) offence, and on your arrival in Australia you were asked what your offence had been, would you have told the truth? Or would you have said "Oh, I stole a pair of tin snips to cut up my turnips ... "?