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What job did your Great Grandfather do - and would you want to do it?


Butch

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Apologies if this seems a bit intrusive (participation is voluntary) - this is one of those "down the pub" subjects that used to come up in conversation.

Normally it's "grandfather", but as many of our Grandfathers very probably fought in WW2 and then returned to civvie life, I thought an interesting angle might be to go back further in time and see what our forefathers did, and if the job still exists today.

On my Dad's side, he was a Ramsgate fisherman, although he didn't live in Ramsgate, he would commute at the start of the week and sleep at a crew mates house or even on the boat. We're going back to pre 1900 now, and being a fisherman back then is probably, in some ways similar to today (regarding the physical effort and hazards). I think he was either too old or had a "protected occupation" to fight in WW1.

Could I do it? - Nah, my sea legs aren't the best and I'm not a massive fan of the smell of fish. The job itself still exists but in very very small numbers and mostly charter fishing for sport.

On my Mum's side he was a "maintenance man" fixing, repairing and servicing cotton and woolen looms in Factories. Apparently he had a fairly decent business going at one point. That's all I know of him, again not sure if he fought in WW1 or not.

The job probably doesn't exist anymore in it's original form (in the UK at least).

Could I do it? - the mechanical side of things, probably. The chances of losing several fingers due to lack of health and safety rules means that it's not a job I'd particularly relish, however.

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My four Great Grandfathers 

one miner , was gassed in WW1, had 14 children ( two died as infants ) , he was a keen photographer and lived until he was 89

one general labourer  , found a newspaper story that he ( aged 10 ) and his mother were arrested for theft , his father was out of work and as a family of 10 they were surviving on 1s a day from the sale of sticks ....the jury let them go ....  he was in the Army before WW1 , but unfortunately his records were destroyed during WW2 ,  his wife of 5 years died of TB in 1913 , his mother brought up his two young children , he died aged 61 

One farmer , was in army pre war , had eight kids , found newspaper clippings where where he was declared bankrupt at some stage , died aged 45 ( may have been suicide ) 

One farmer , eight kids , died 34 in 1918 of Spanish Flu 

very hard lives 

Edited by Stillearly
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On my mother's side GGF -- one was a firefighter, not sure about the other.

On my father's side GGF -- one was a coal miner & farmer, the other a farmer and a logger.

. . .

I've worked as a farmer, logger & a firefighter...so...yeah.

Edited by lazarus
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All I know of is my mother's maternal grandfather & that was he was a bargee but had to give that up or my great grandmother wouldn't have married him.They lived right next to the Grand Union & that was my first address until I was 4yo.

My paternal grandfather was in the Boer war and that's all I know except that he eventually had both legs amputated & died just before I was born.

My maternal grandfather won the Military Medal in WW1 & was in the ARP in WWII.He was a roadsweeper when I was young and repeatedly gave me some of the best advice I've ever had: "Whatever you do,get a trade".

Sorry for the thread drift but that's all I know.

 

Edited by coxyhog
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Interesting topic.

I am an American.

On my mother's side, I really do not know. My Grandparents were immigrants from Czechoslovakia, who arrived in the US in the early 1900s. My grandfather worked in the Chicago stockyards 6 days a week 12 hours a day. On Saturday night he got drunk.

He and my grandmother left Czechoslovakia due what my aunt told me was religious persecution. They were distant cousins who loved each other, so they immigrated to America. Word is that Grandpa was a handsome man with a roving eye (hmm might be a bloodline thing). My grandparents had 10 children, 5 of whom died before they were 21. The COD ranged across (The Spanish Flu, Rheumatic heart disease, and one uncle who was supposedly murdered at the lake front for competing with the Italians at the lake front during Prohibition).

My non-criminal ancestors tended to be skilled carpenters. They built the house that I grew up in.

 

On my father's side of the bloodline:

I have a large book called "The History of Texas". It was published over 100 years ago. I have given it to my daughter-in-law who is interested in these types of things. It shows that my family surname originated from Scots (called McDonald) who changed their name to (their British landlord's name with his permission) in order to exit the UK via South Hampton to North Carolina. Upon arriving in North Carolina in the 1790s, they immediately starting heading West and spent the next 200 years marrying Irish lasses. 

They were members of the Confederate Army. Due to the death of my father in the Korean War, I was partially raised by a Black Nanny in deep state Texas. My mother was in a deep state of depression given the death of her husband. I was 2 years old at that time. We went back to Texas, when I was about 6. My former Black Nanny asked to see me. I had no recollections of her. I heard my Grandfather say "I do not want an N-Word in my house".  My grandmother, a racist in her own right IMO, stood up against him and said "she helped that boy a lot".

My former Black Nannie was permitted to see me. After all that I had heard I was antagonistic toward her. She looked into my eyes and said "they got to you". Something about that comment caused me to look into her eyes and she said with a smile "you are still there".

I hope I am still there.

And no, I do not want anybody's previous life. I appreciate the sacrifices that they made which I have benefited from. It is good not to be an arrogant street punk from the South side of Chicago. I partially thank my Black Nannie for that.

 

Edited by ChiFlyer
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On my mother's side I knew all four of my great-grandparents.

Her paternal grandfather was a pretty wealthy farmer, her maternal grandfather was physician and director in residence of a lunatic asylum.

On my father's side all were already deceased before I was born. His paternal grandfather was a black smith (and possibly a farrier, his other son was a farrier), I think his maternal grandfather owned a bakery with attached shop.

Edited by Freee!!
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Not any idea what my great grandparents did ,

My mother’s father  was a ship’s engineer in the merchant navy 

the days of the steam engine 

Could see enjoying that life 
 

my dad was the eldest of ten but was illegitimate 

His Irish Mother claimed his Father was a member of the Black and Tan 

can’t see many wishing for that career 

 

 

Edited by gs joe
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On 7/1/2022 at 5:00 PM, Butch said:

Normally it's "grandfather", but as many of our Grandfathers very probably fought in WW2

I must be a lot older than you as my grandfathers both fought in the Great War. My paternal grandfather was a professional soldier, a sergeant who took part in the first armed encounter with the Hun at Mons. The British soldiers only had Lee Enfields but they were so well-trained and disciplined that afterwards the Germans reported they had come under sustained machine gun fire. He was also in the Battle of The Somme where he was badly injured and had to be shipped back home to Blighty, but it didn't stop him from re-enlisting after the war was over.

I know less about the the maternal grandfather, but he rose to the rank of lieutenant and was seriously damaged by mustard gas, I don't know which battle this was or if it was just while waiting in the trenches. He recovered and became the station master at Port Talbot Parkway, but sadly his lung damage caught up with him one winter and he died more or less just as my older brother was being born in 1950.

As to the great-grandparents, the paternal grandfather's family were market gardeners at Wickhamford in Evesham, and we still have family living there today. I think the family had been in that game for generations. My paternal grandmother's family were from Tiverton and Exeter, but they didn't have any money so I guess they were farmhands or labourers. When my grandmother finished in school she worked as a scullery maid at Blundell's School in Tiverton until she somehow met my grandfather and they married. On the maternal grandparent's side, there was some serious money, one or other of the great-grandfathers had owned a mill or factory in the Neath area in the days when the area was a boom town. My mother grew up in a very fancy house in Sketty, a nice part of Swansea, but by then the money had mostly gone and they eventually had to downsize to a terrace in Abbey Road, Port Talbot.

My pee chai knows a lot more details as he's done all the genealogical research as far back as records allow. I like to know the broad picture but haven't honestly got the patience to bother with the whole family tree like he has.

Oh, and just out of interest, my paternal grandfather was one of 12 brothers and they all served in the Great War, two of them making the ultimate sacrifice. The family was in a lot of newspapers at the time. After the war, one of the brothers, Charlie, moved to Alberta where he because a millionaire. My brother keeps in touch with that side of the family and Charlie's son celebrated his 100th birthday last year. That was another one for the local newspapers, they had photos of him eating a steak and drinking a beer on his birthday. 

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We never talked about my Father's side due to the fact we never talked about my absentee Father. 😄

No idea what my maternal Grandfather did as he died in the London Blitz.

My Scottish Grandmother survived as by then she had been living with "Uncle Len" who was the nearest Grandfather figure in my life. He was a sponge bleacher by trade, mascot to our darts team, and averaged 6 pints of Guinness a night until 2 days before he died at age 82.

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5 minutes ago, Nightcrawler said:

My GGF was a bit of a c*nt apparently, and I have tried to follow in his footsteps. By all accounts he was a Chef by trade. 

You've surpassed him my a considerable margin on that one.

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15 minutes ago, Butch said:

You've surpassed him my a considerable margin on that one.

Thanks. I was wondering if I could be living up to his expectations

I have French blood running through my veins and my ability to perform expert cunnilingus is evident in my DNA

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I have no idea idea about my great grandparents, both of my grandfathers died before I was born. My dad’s father was a farmer who died when my dad was only 12. He had to drop out of school and start work in a lumber yard. After Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Navy, while hiding a poorly set arm, which was repaired on the kitchen table when he was a boy. He was found out while doing pull ups when his drill instructor saw he couldn’t straighten his arm. He went on to work for the 3M company. He died on his first day back at work after knee replacement surgery, from a blood clot. 

My mother’s dad was a Methodist preacher, and apparently a bit of a carpenter as I’ve been in several houses that he built. He died of cancer in the 1950’s. His wife, my grandmother lived with us the rest of her. She was born in 1900 and lived until 1987. She drove a car one time in her life, driving a Model T into a ditch, breaking its axle.  She said once was enough. She went into a movie theater once and left when the actor sat down on a milking stool next to a bull. She said she had seen enough.

I did the dna test and ancestry search on one on those websites.  Maybe 400 years ago, my ancestors lived in a part of London called “St Andrew Holborn Above the Bars”. I guess that’s where I get it from. I spend plenty of time on Soi 6 above the bars.

 

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bit of an odd one as my lot were all late developers, my GRANDfathewr was born in 1886, to give u some idea

so: Dad's side.. Matthew was a farmer, tough as nails and very strict, which he passed on to my domineering grandfather.  Westmoreland was a tough place to live.  despite him all his children did well and were well educated, thanks to his wife..  who came from money.. Other Gt Grandfather was a chancer, left his wife to live in bournmouth.  he and his brothers were done for fraud, they owned a coachworks and took payment but didnt deliver as they were broke.. got hard labour for that.. their sister.. she married a woodyard owner, and they founded, what you know as Jewsons ! .  Mums Side, well my granny was an irish orphan, her father bred over a dozen kids in belfast, wife died, remarried from "the other side", then they put the kids in an orphanage and started their own brood.  the other, was a WW1 soldier, publican and small time builder, with a wife who was a black market dealer in ww2.    what a line up :)

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On my mother's side, my Great Grandfather was an Uhlan (Prussian lancer) on the east front in WWI.  He brought the family to the US after the war and worked as a mechanic in factory, maintaining machinery.  I did pursue a technical career, but computer science and electronics rather than mechanical, though I picked up quite a bit of mechanical engineering knowledge running multi-discipline projects.

On my father's side my Great Grandfather was an Austro-Hungarian infantry officer, and didn't make it through the war, so I never met him.  The rest of his family came to the US after the war.

Edited by tko
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