This one has me stumped. I came upon this military record recently.[1] This is the first of seven pages documenting Thomas Casbon’s military history. The Short Service Attestation, Army Form B.265 is the equivalent of a military enlistment application. The applicant, or recruit, signs up for a term of 12 years, “for the first seven… Continue reading “alias Baker”
Tag: Peterborough
Financial Difficulties
We haven’t visited the Peterborough Casbons in a while, so let’s check in on them. For a refresher, this branch of the family arose in the area of Littleport, Cambridgeshire, and over the course of two generations, ended up in Peterborough sometime before 1851.[1] By 1870, the third generation of gardeners consisted of two brothers,… Continue reading Financial Difficulties
Origins: The Earliest Ancestors from Littleport
Reader be forewarned! This is one of those strict genealogy posts – all names & dates – no interesting stories. I won’t be offended if you decide to pass on this one. With this post, I intend to summarize my research into the origins of what I have called the “Peterborough Casbons”, so named because… Continue reading Origins: The Earliest Ancestors from Littleport
A Family Outing
I am grateful to Tony Casbon of Peterborough for sharing some of his old family photos. Photographs help to connect us to the past and give glimpses into the lives of our ancestors. They also provide evidence of significant events, dates, places and relationships. Sometimes old photos can present challenges – where and when were they… Continue reading A Family Outing
“Two Children Drowned”
This article appeared in The Cambridge Independent Press, May 21, 1859.[1] Newspaper image © The British Library Board; all rights reserved; with thanks to The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) (Click on image to enlarge) Sarah Casbon was the second child and first daughter born to John and Rebecca (Speechly) Casbon of Peterborough (see “How doth… Continue reading “Two Children Drowned”
Pleasure Gardens and the Temperance Movement
This article from the Stamford Mercury of July 27, 1855 got my attention. [1] Newspaper image © The British Library Board; all rights reserved; with thanks to The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) (Click on image to enlarge) The article provides a little insight into the scope of the Casbon gardening business in Peterborough, and highlights… Continue reading Pleasure Gardens and the Temperance Movement
How doth your garden grow? Part 3
After a brief interlude, it’s time to resume and conclude this series on the Casbons of Peterborough. Generation 4, Children of John Casbon (1832-1885): Thomas (1854 – 1910), Sarah (1855-1859) Mary (1860 - ?), Elizabeth (1861 - ?), John (1863 – 1925), and Sarah Jane (1865 - ?) Casbon If you’re keeping track, Thomas, born… Continue reading How doth your garden grow? Part 3
How doth your garden grow? Interlude
As an introduction to this series I presented this advertisement for a flower.[1] I mentioned that I couldn’t say for sure if the Peterborough Casbons were responsible for developing this flower, but that I would provide some supporting evidence later. Well, here is the evidence: From this ad, dated 1882,[2] it is clear that the… Continue reading How doth your garden grow? Interlude
How doth your garden grow? Part 2
I’ve been trying to decide how to best proceed with the story of the Peterborough Casbons. Part of the challenge is in deciding how much or how little information to include. The other part is in trying to turn limited information into a narrative that will be interesting to somebody besides myself. The nice thing… Continue reading How doth your garden grow? Part 2
How doth your garden grow? Part 1
In the course of my web ‘wanderings’ I came across these two items. The first item is from a Washington, D.C. “Descriptive catalogue of new, rare and beautiful plants, dahlias, chrysanthemums, geraniums, fuchsias, carnations, verbenas, phloxes, &c. for spring, 1871.”[1] The Charley Casbon flower described is listed under “New Zonale and Nosegay Geraniums” that “comprise… Continue reading How doth your garden grow? Part 1