The 19th century was a time of tremendous social and economic change in England. The industrial revolution and growth of the railroads created economic growth, new job opportunities, and shifted segments of the population from their traditional rural homelands to the cities. How did this affect our English Casbon ancestors? We can gain some insight… Continue reading Occupations
Tag: Croydon
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!
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
Going, Going …
The sister villages of Meldreth and Melbourn in Cambridgeshire are my ancestral homeland. Records of Casbon ancestors in these villages go back to the mid-sixteenth century. Families occasionally moved from one village to another, or to other nearby villages, but there was little reason or incentive to go further. The situation remained stable for over… Continue reading Going, Going …
A Working Vacation in East Sussex
This story comes from the Sussex Agricultural Express of August 31, 1934.[1] I hope you’ll take the time to read the entire article. The highlighted section refers to “Mrs. Casban, of Croydon,” who has been picking hops at the same farm for 64 years. Mrs. Casban was Margaret (Donovan), the wife of Samuel C. Casban… Continue reading A Working Vacation in East Sussex
Honoring Our Veterans: Leonard Casban (1887–1917)
This article appeared in the July 6, 1916 edition of the Banbury Guardian newspaper.[1] “Private L. Casban” refers to Leonard Casban, son of Samuel Clark (1851–1922) and Lydia (Harrup, ~1852–1924) Casban. Readers may recall that Samuel once worked in Meldreth as a Coprolite Digger, and Lydia worked in a worsted woolen mill when she was… Continue reading Honoring Our Veterans: Leonard Casban (1887–1917)
New Document Breaks through a Brick Wall
Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post about George Casbon, an orphan who was sent from England to Canada to live and work when he was 15 years old, under the auspices of Doctor Barnardo’s Homes.[1] I knew that George was born June 11, 1914, that his birth was registered in Croydon, Surrey, and… Continue reading New Document Breaks through a Brick Wall
George Casbon – A Canadian Mystery
One day, while doing research, I came upon this passenger's manifest of a ship bound for Quebec, Canada, from Liverpool, England.[1] Detail from passenger list of the Duchess of Atholl, departing Liverpool, England 20 September 1929 (Click on image to enlarge) I’ve underlined information pertaining to George Casbon, age 15. His last address in the… Continue reading George Casbon – A Canadian Mystery