Hawker-negative connotations?

[Tees]

Hi!

I have a burning question that needs to be answered:

Does the term "hawker" have a negative connotation in these days back in 1800s?

The reason I am asking such question is that I got the confirmation from the registrar on the death certificate on one of my ancestors. I thought my ancestor already changed the occupation by this time because the census showed him as an agricultural labourer.

Yet the entry stated otherwise. It actually matched other certs I have on this ancestor.

I am puzzled because the Trade Directory did not list my ancestor in it.

Kind regards,

Tees

[PaulineJ]

Hawker == street seller

I don't think your one (or mine) was felt to be of much import to the 'yellow pages' of the time. Mine isn't in the trade directories either.

Pauline

[Tees]

Hi Pauline!

Interestingly, the Richmond Trade Directory did list few hawkers in it. My ancestor had lived there for a long, long time.

I am trying to understand why there is the different information on this ancestor's occupation. One census showed that he was an agricultural labourer. Yet his wife's death certificate showed him to be a hawker and he was an informant.

It made me wonder if my ancestor was ashamed of being a hawker or an agricultural labourer in either sources (the census and the register book).

In other words, I am hoping I was not barking up a wrong tree as my ancestor had a very common first and last name. (I dread to learn that I have been tracing a wrong person. That is my main concern now.)

Regards,

Tees

[PaulineJ]

There have been other postings about old occupations and at least one discussed a career swap between ag lab and
a 'wheeler and dealer' of commodities required by the local farmer's wifes.

Try googling 'old occupations'. Several sites should come up. Try starting with this one.

http://www.gendocs.demon.co.uk/trades.html

PAuline

[Tees]

Hi Pauline!

I am not sure I understand you-the career swaps as required by the farmer's wives? How can one require?

Could you explain a bit more on this?

Thanks for the website on old occupations. It will be quite handy when I do further research on the occupations.

Regards,

Tees

[PaulineJ]

A famer's wife would have needed pots/pans and all other varieties of household goods. A hawker would trade whatever was needed door-to-door. See also

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,31004.msg119582.html#msg119582

Pauline

[casalguidi]

Hi Tees

Many of my ancestors were hawkers but they also did other work according to the seasons ie.fruit & veg picking, hop picking.  Some hawkers were often listed in official records ie. church registers/civil registration as labourers because they weren't tradesmen as such.

Casalguidi

[Tees]

Hi Tees

Many of my ancestors were hawkers but they also did other work according to the seasons ie.fruit & veg picking, hop picking. Some hawkers were often listed in official records ie. church registers/civil registration as labourers because they weren't tradesmen as such.

Casalguidi

Hi Casalguidi!

Please forgive me for my belated reply.

That is what I thought. I got the certificates last week.

It turned out that my ancestor was a hawker of woolen goods! Wondering if there are any good source of information that I could look up on??

It was on his last child's birth certificate that I know what he was hawking. As to his wife's death certificate, he was simply a hawker.

Now I am bizarre for I could not find this ancestor William Thompson in the death entries. My good friend and I found the census information on him in 1871 but he was in a workhouse and his occupation was listed as a farmer. His birthplace was not exactly same as other birthplace he stated on other censuses. The age and martial status are about right.

I could not find him in Census 1881 which suggested that he may have passed on. I still could not find him.
 

This William Thompson was located in Richmond, NR of Yorkshire and his birth year is either 1804 or 1808. His birthplace is in Belfast, Ireland. After 1865, he was a widower.

He left his last child with his firstborn son whom was my ancestor in 1871. Does that mean he was dead or somewhere. That is my biggest question now.

Hope someone could help me out with this puzzle!
I would appreciate any good help!

Kind regards,

Tees

[casalguidi]

Hi Tees

A difficult one

Are you certain that the certificates which list William as a hawker relate to the same family of the William who is an ag lab in Richmond 1861 with wife Elizabeth and daughter Jane Ann?

It may be worth investigating the William THOMPSON in the workhouse 1871 if you feel that he may be yours.  Somebody of his age in the workhouse would often be due to infirmity/illness so it could be suggested that this could also be the reason for any change of occupation ie. ag lab to hawker if any illness or infirmity prevented him from working the land as he always had.  Any surviving records  (admissions/discharges/deaths) should give date and reason for admittance and date of discharge/death http://users.ox.ac.uk/~peter/workhouse/Richmond/Richmond.shtml

Best wishes

Casalguidi