Genealogy Chat

I got Benjamin Dobson's will last night. He died in 1824 and left everything to his wife Caroline. I think his son carried on the business perhaps. JT does not call himself an organ builder in 1824 only in 1846 but the firm was called Dobson and Munro in 1811!!!!!!! This is so frustrating! Was he involved in another firm later on? Was a traveller a salesman and could he have been a salesman for Dobson and Munro? If so, how did he make the leap to organ builder? Maybe his father was the organ builder who was the partner of Dobson in 1811 and JT followed him much later.

Could John Thomas have been away elsewhere in the country, when the census was taken? I realise that Sarah is shown as a widow in 1851 but was she?? Different time frame I know, but we have someone who married in Cork, Ireland in 1909. He was an organ restorer, (working on the organ at St Finbars Cathedral) and the marriage entry shows his Folkestone address. I don't know how they were contracted to work away from home but I wonder if the firms documents, (if they survive) would enlighten you as to where J.T. might be away working.... or they may indeed record his death.

that's a good point you raise. He was called a traveller in 1825 so perhaps he was away in 41 and 51. I should search other census areas for him. SOmeone earlier on this thread said he would normally have named a child after himself and there was JT Munro born in 1811 and another in 1837. The children I know about were born in 1824 and 1826. I'm going to look at those other two as well. I think JT , Sarah's husband was born between 1775 and 1800. Sarah herself was 1795. Sensible girl - she stayed in Clerkenwell and filled in the census properly so I know where she was born. ST George's in the East.

Unfortunately the 1841 census doesn't have a column for marital status, so it is unlikely to say whether somebody was a widow. Have you looked up Swan Street for 1851 already? Kate.

Hi Kate - No I haven't looked it up yet -I have to go to FRC to do that as I don't have the discs. I see that Isabella Munro was a lodging house keeper so perhaps JT left his wife and lodged with his sister? Are you able to look up 1851? It would be great if you could! Perhaps Lyla could do it if you're online today?

nudge

Jennie - you can look at the 1851 London on Stepping Stones if you can work out where to look! You have to buy credits and each credit will give you a great chunk of pages. You choose which 'film' number to view and there is a list showing you which 'film' contains which piece number and range of folio numbers within that piece. Also it has street indexes for different areas though sometimes it is hard to work out which street index you need. Anyway, maybe you can find Swan Street on there. www.stepping-stones (.) c o (.) uk remove dots and spaces. Kate.

Thanks again Kate. I joined and went exploring but they don't seem to have the number of the lodging house , 5, where Isabella and possibly John was or the number of the organ building business , 21 where the mystery Munro probably was. I have an old map of London and I think I got the area right. It is Swan St between Mansell rd and Minories. Oh well !

Thank you so much for your time travelling efforts Lyla! I think the Janet was Isabella's sister but I wonder who the two men were. Lodgers? Sounds a bit odd to me? When I get back from holiday I might pop over to the FRC and look at the film there - whatchathink?