I rely on the internet so much that it’s easy to forget that there are other ways to get information. Sometimes all it takes is a phone call. Do you remember when we used to look up numbers in the phone book? In this case, I happened to be browsing the web site of the… Continue reading The Obituary of Mrs. William Biederstadt
Author: Jon Casbon
An Unexpected Visitor
One of my fellow genealogy bloggers, Liz Gauffreau, recently posted an article about a visit from the Prince of Wales to Toronto, Canada, where her grandmother was working in 1919. This reminded me of a photograph that I have, and I promised Liz that I would write about it soon. Here is the photo. Here's… Continue reading An Unexpected Visitor
More Servants!
My last two posts profiled two individuals who entered into domestic service as a ladies-maid and footman, respectively. Before I leave the topic altogether, I want to pay tribute to many other Casbon family members who worked as domestic servants. I’ve combed through my files to find those Casbon relatives who were listed as servants… Continue reading More Servants!
Footman
My last post dealt with Elizabeth Casbon, a lady’s maid. Today we’ll look at a male servant who placed a newspaper advertisement similar to those placed by Elizabeth. In this ad, “W. Casbon” is seeking a position as first footman. He gives his age and height. He says he has a “good character” (reference from… Continue reading Footman
“Situations Required”
The title for today’s post comes from the July 22, 1887 London Morning Post.[1] 1887 We see that “E Casbon” is seeking a position as a “Maid to One or Two Ladies.” She is twenty-five years old, has experience as a dressmaker, belongs to the Church of England, and has “good references.” She is living… Continue reading “Situations Required”
Musings on John, Continued
In the last post, I hope I made a convincing argument that John, baptized Casborn in Orwell, 1721, is the direct ancestor of myself and many of today’s Casbons, Casbans and Casbens. However, I pointed out one inconsistency in the records. John was trained as a cordwainer, or shoemaker. However, the man who was buried… Continue reading Musings on John, Continued
Musings on John
This is a follow-on to an earlier post titled “Stuck on John,” in which I described how my research into the origins of the Meldreth branch of the Casbon family hit a “brick wall.” I had been able to trace the ancestry to a John Casborn who married Anne Chamberlain in 1742.[1] The problem was… Continue reading Musings on John
A Christmas Baptism
This is a short post, just to celebrate the season. Here is the barely legible baptism record of my third great-grandfather, Thomas Casbon (1803–1888). The register is written on parchment. In this case, in addition to smudges, the ink has degraded or flaked off. Here’s what the entry says: [Born] Novr. 3d. Thomas, son of… Continue reading A Christmas Baptism
Croydon
“You never get away from that thing in your hometown that it has over you. You don’t outgrow where you come from." – Brian Fallon As a child of a military family, I never had a hometown. We moved every few years to a variety of locations in and out of the United States. The… Continue reading Croydon
New Homes, New Names
First, let me wish all of my readers a Happy Thanksgiving! ******************************************** I recently documented how the numbers of Casbon ancestors living in Meldreth, Cambridgeshire, dwindled, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century.[1] Today I’ll highlight two brothers who left Meldreth in the 1860s. Not only did they leave the ancestral home, but they also left the… Continue reading New Homes, New Names