Genealogy Chat

Sorry, you can tell Im at dead ends all round so its this or cleaning the lavatory.

But genuinely, isnt it amazing how many 'poor, uneducated' people could play musical instruments You only have to read Thomas Hardy to know that a band would strike up at the drop of a hat. My own GGFx3 is mentioned in a book - an essay of correspondence/diary entries re a real live country parson and his rival the local Lord of the Manor - as being admonished by the vicar (in 1840) for playing his fiddle at a dance up at t'manor, which dance said vicar had condemned as ungodly. Now GGFx3 (who sounded a real creep in his reply to vicar, but thats by the by) was an ag lab all his life - but there he was a competent enough musician to be playing at Sir Johns ball. Incredible, isnt it. And where did he get said fiddle from? Did they make them themselves?

Oh wouldn't it be lovely if tv hadn't been invented (or maybe not!!). We would all probably have learnt to play instruments of one sort or another or perhaps be accomplished in sewing (or knitting if watching a hanging!!! - lol). I know life was so much harder 'back then' but in some ways I think they may have had the better deal. Snowdrops

Yes I suppose you would have more time for that sort of thing - but then you were grafting all week - wouldnt you want to have an ale at the pub, trip home and get up at 5 again next day - how on earth did they fit it in. And I suppose you just learnt to play by ear. Oh, I wish I could play an instrument, apart from this keyboard.

Relatives of mine,the Tudsburys,lived in a small village called Edwinstowe.They were a family of word carvers and cabinet makers.All four children lived in the house together from birth til death-never married-lived till their 90's-3 boys ,one girl....they must have always ben busy- Fred was a carver but he was also a wizz at machines,engines and inventing- he made his own violin and played it- this humble little family built a steam engine that travelled from village to village aswell,and gained commisions from the king to make furniture and carvings together with grand jobs down the road in Rufford Abbey..........they never moved from the village......incredible people that put my generation to shame.

Alter That's so nice you know so much about your family. Puts us all to shame how skilled they were in times gone by! Snowdrops

Oh 'H' why you fed up? Alter- mine were all Cabinet makers - but how did you find out so much about yours? Mine are maybe just not cultured people LOL janey

My Nan,bless,died last year agd 88,could play the piano by ear-never had a lesson,I can hear her now in the lounge of a grotty Bournemouth hotel playing Pennies From Heaven !!

Bless Wish I could play the piano. I love pennies from heaven janey

CJ.........found a photocopy of an article from a local mansfield paper-dont know the date-but it was a bout a wedding present being a watercolour by a local artist of by gone times- that artist was Walter Albert Tudsbury-I have a watercolour by him,same subject matter,and is very similar-a scene within Sherwood Forest. The article gave a lotof background on him and his siblings.....and the censi entries Ive found since back it all up and provide a very clear view of the family.Ive also got a carved little cabinet done by one of them,it was used to kep my grandfathers pipe and stuff in ! My aunt has got a little cabinet with an amazing carved bird in it-the detail and accuracy is breathtaking- it won a silver medal at some exhibition,but the silver medal which was displayed below was stolen years ago..........ironically the carving is far more valuable to me.

My nan, bless, was a bit posh and had gone to a private young ladies school with her two sisters - they all played musical instruments and apparently their dad played a violin and they had musical soirees - isnt that lovely. When her dad threw himself off one of his cabinets on his bankruptcy (yes, one of the loopy Hansons) her bro cleared off and she and sisters had to find husbands or work. She used to play piano accompliments to silent films and in pubs bless her - what a change that must have been after a reasonably cultured life. Just an NB - the bro disappeared in about 1911 following his dads bankruptcy and death - he returned to London in 1960!! A very old and ill man, who nan kindly looked after until his death 3 years later. Nan actually died same year. All he told nan was he had travelled the world! Oh and one of the sisters chose marriage over work and hitched with a guy who had one of the first motor car garages in London!!! Nan hung on a bit then married the bit of rough trade that was my Grandad.

Its little stories like that, that get you addicted- the technical info like census dates and reference codes gets very sterile,without the real life background.

Alter Thats wonderful, you lucky thing, sounds like a lovely family your from. Wish I had the experience to find out other things about our families. 'H' - I know how you feel now,me fed up too!!! wish the sun would come out. janey

Jane, sun is out here - its the Neighbours from hells latest letter that has got me down. They just dont give up with the lying and reneging on agreements. I dont want to go into it - but gawd they are so awful.

Am sorry 'H' I have read some of the stuff that you have put on threads, they do sound like they are from hell, you poor thing. Sending you special hugs. No sun here - just very grey looks like it may rain.

I was thinking about where they got their Victorian Instruments from.......It's one thing to make a violin, but another to make one that PLAYS!! Some statistics from 1881 census: Musical Instrument Maker 231 Of those, based in London 160 Violin/Fiddle Maker 71 In London...............46 Piano(forte) Maker 3392 In London..............3019 Flute Maker 56 In London....50 So, it looks as if most instruments were made in London. They may have been hawked round the country by itinerant salesmen (not sure about the pianos though!!) Once a village had a few instruments I suppose they would be passed around when people died.......??? I'm not saying there were NO cabinet makers who were capable of rustling up a viola in their spare time, just that I don't think that would be commonplace! Merry

Ah, but what about if you played a prairie fork? As far as I know there was only Vals ancestor producing them. He must have made a mint with cornering the market.

LOL Heather Waves to Monty : 0 )

Merry, My Tudsburys were freaks of nature!! They built a steam engine ,after hand making all the parts,perfect in every detail,and it travelled from Edwinstowe to Clipstone down the road- one of the siblings did very lifelike models of animals in snow !,....they could turn their hand to anything -church lecturns,pews,grand staircases,cabinets adourned with rabbits ,grapes,pheasnts etc.....incredible stuff....one of them even got into pyrotechnics...they must have been a sight to behold in the village...!

Alter you paint such a lovely viviv picture of this family. You can just imagine the cottage with smoke coming out the chimney and piles of wood and half made furniture stacked everywhere, music wafting out the window whilst one of the brothers painted and the sister baked. Lovely. Thank you. Snowdrops