Genealogy Chat

Hi Christine,

just going back over old postings to see if i have missed anything!!

the marriage you in Geddington 1812 found is too early as Alfred's father would only have been born at about that time - by the way, where on earth did you find such an early marriage????

Alfred was born in 1846. in the census' for 1851 there are 2 Alfred's - both born in Northamptonshire. the 5 yr old was born in Kettering - father Isaiah and the 1 yr old born in Geddington - father Enos. There are lots of John's but none I can locate in that census with a son called Alfred.

Is there another way that i can check to make sure i am right in thinking Isaiah is Alfred's father? I am just going to try to go back another generation and want to make sure that i am as right as i can be before i order the certs!

Elaine

Thank you for your help Christine - I wouldnt have discovered this if you hadnt suggested getting in touch with the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers!!

You are a star!!!

Elaine

ps/ I will indeed keep you posted of any new info!!!

That is fantastic.

Please post if you find anything more.

Fascinating stuff.

Christine - I have had a reply - look!!!

"Thank you for your family history enquiry.

The BOA was founded in 1895 as the world’s first professional body for ophthalmic opticians.

Charles David Taylor BOA (member by election April 1898), address given simply as ‘Bridlesmith Gate’, was a very early BOA Member, number 162. He still appears in the 1938 BOA Yearbook but had in fact died in October 1937. The precise date is not given.

Arthur Charles Taylor FBOA (by examination May 1927)of 11 Bridlesmith Gate was BOA Member number 2159, admitted June 1927. He is listed as deceased March 1955 but was fully paid up to that point so presumably still in practice right up to the end. Again, the precise date of death is not given.

The Blue Book of Opticians 1939 (a one-off publication intended to be an annual list of optician’s businesses…but the War got in the way) lists both a James Taylor and the aforementioned Arthur Charles Taylor at the 11 Bridlesmith Gate address. From this I conclude that in 1939 James Taylor was still practising personally as an optician (at a very advanced age????) but not a member of a professional body, leaving that sort of thing to his son. Professional qualification was of course an entirely voluntary route until the Opticians Act of 1958.

There was also a business at 192 St Ann’s Well Road, T.F, (Thomas Francis) Taylor & Son run in partnership with an A.W. (Allen William) Taylor FBOA (by supplementary examination August 1928) BOA Member no 2539 admitted August 1926. This may be a mere coincidence of surname but Allen and Arthur seem to have been near contemporaries. A.W. was still in practice to at least 1969 and is listed as a holder of the SMC Diploma in 1964. In the early 60s he moved address to 15 Bakerdale Road.

Our records follow individuals rather than businesses, so I am not sure that I can assist you any further. From our yearbook for 1960 there are no Nottingham-based opticians with an address at Bridlesmith Gate, nor is there any body corporate with ‘Taylor’ in its name for 1960 (the earliest date at which bodies corporate practising as ophthalmic opticians had to be registered) so it is looking like the business closed. If your continuing researches turn up other names then of course I can look those up for you."

I havent managed to find an 'Thomas Francis' or 'Allen William' yet - but will try and do more research on this.

What a nice chap- I only emailed him last night and he replied so promptly!!! He is correct about the age of James though - if the records are correct - he was still practising until he was 106 yrs old!!!!

Elaine

This is interesting
This family emigrate but are from Nottingham.
they are opticians
surname Taylor and one is Burton Taylor.
worth a closer look


http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/t/a/y/Geoffrey-W-Taylor/PDFBOOK1.pdf

Children of Charles Taylor and Emma Simkins are:
i. Oliver Jacob Taylor, born 05 Apr 1855 in Walford, Hereford, England; died 06 Feb 1932 in Lawrence,
MA.
More About Oliver Jacob Taylor:
Age at death (Facts Pg): 76
ARRIVAL: Boston March 14, 1887
Census: 1900, Pacific St, Lawrence, MA Optician confirms arrival 1887
Occupation: optician in own shop
PLACE DEATH: Lawrence General Hospital, Lawrence, MA
ii. Burton Charles Taylor, born Abt. 1859 in Walford, Herefordshire, England.
More About Burton Charles Taylor:
Census: 1871, Walford, Herefordshire, England
Christening: April 30, 1859
1 iii. Walter James Taylor, born 14 Dec 1860 in Walford, Hereford, England; died 18 Aug 1913 in Concord,
MA; married Albertha A Tuttle 26 Oct 1888 in Charlestown, MA.
iv. Catherine Martha Taylor, born 1863 in Walford, Hereford, England.

Surviving brothers and sisters, Mrs. Fred Merriam of Wilkes-Barre, PA, Mrs. George Taylor of Afton,
N.S., Mrs. Marshall Miller of Lawrence, MA, Charles H. Taylor of Lynn, MA, Walter H. Taylor of
Maynard, MA, Prof. O.J. Taylor of Lawrence, Burton Taylor of Nottingham, England, Frank Taylor,
Wallace Taylor and Gilbert Taylor of Lawrence, MA. Funeral services at the Legault home on Bear Hill,
Milford. Her occupation is listed as housewife in death certificate. She was buried on 13 Oct 1906 in
Maynard, MA. Her parents and their place of birth are the same as the obituary.

I went to the Kent family history fair and glimpsed some info re apprenticeships but I could not for the life of me remember his name .

Sorry.

I was suffering from information overload. However the info exists. You could start a thread on records to see if any can supply apprenticeship records for opticians or spectaclemakers.

Anyway you seem to be on track with what you are doing.

Christine,

I have now tried the British Optical Association. I will let you know if and when I receive a reply!!

Elaine

Oooopss!! email to Neil has just been returned undelivered.

Will check out their website.

Elaine

Hi Christine,

I have finally received a reply from the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers - and I am afraid that the news is not good!!!

"Firstly the bad news - we have no record of either James Taylor or Charles Taylor. There is quite a stretch of time you are considering. Optical examinations and courses did not start until 1895 with the British Optical Association and 1998 with the Spectacle Makers Company in this country. Experience was obtained on the job, usually by means of an apprenticeship. But anyone could set-up as an optician until long after the introduction of examinations. After the First World War a health insurance scheme had been introduced by the insurance companies and opticians who had obtained the qualifications from the existing examining bodies were "recognised". Thus any optician worth his salt would have got a qualification.

The Spectacle Makers Company members mainly, but not entirely, came from London and the south. The British Optical Association, having been founded in Manchester, their members came mainly from the north and the midlands.

In view of this it might be worth while enquiring for the Taylors at the B.O.A. Museum, where the B.O.A. records are kept, the organisation itself becoming absorbed by the College of Optometrists. The curator there is Neil Handley at [email protected] who might be able to help."

I have emailed Neil Handley today - and will let you know if I get any response.

At least it is another avenue for me to try!!!

Elaine

It certainly is one of those occupations where you find generations involved. Who knows? She looks cute in sunglasses though.

Hi Christine,

I have emailed them today - I will let you know if I receive a reply and what it says!!!

Thanks for your help!

Elaine

ps/ Is your grand-daughter to become an optical something or other? lol [it seems to be something you keep within the family- certainly within my family, anyway!]

You can but try.

Yes, I did manage to get a picture. Thanks for the link - I assume that if I email them they will help me?

Elaine

http://81.130.213.163:8002/cgi-bin/lcl.exe?a=d&k=FKTDSMFZS
Some contact details as requested.

Yes I am well. I have just been to my dughters playing with my grandchild. She is so sweet at 15 months.

My understanding is that they have to believe in a God. Being Jewish would not preclude him. Strange one that though. Certainly Jewish names.
Have you been able to obtain the picture at all?

Christine

oh - and I forgot to report back on what I discovered at the local Ilkeston library about Alfred Burton Wood.

He was an Alderman and Overseer of the Poor. He was a business man and a member of the Rutland Lodge of Freemasons and stood as a candidate for the Town Council - but was unsucessful. Unfortunately, he went bust in 1898!!!

The most amazing finding for me though, was that he was a churchwarden of the local CofE church!!!! I was led to believe, by the only living relative that I know of, that he was Jewish. My OH informs me that in order to become a freemason you have to be CofE - that they wouldnt entertain a Jewish member. I dont know whethe this is correct or not. If anyone out there knows different - please let me know!

Elaine

Hi Christine,

Do you have access?

Hope you are well - not spoken lately!?

Elaine

I wonder if the Worshipful Company of Spectacle makers may be able to help.

Fantastic.

Hi Christine,

I have found out a little more about the Taylor family.

It would appear that James Taylor [Jane's father] started his career [1885 census] as a lace maker here in Nottingham!! He then went on to become [in 1866] a 'photograph material dealer and picture frame maker' The first record I can find for him in the trade directories at the Nottingham Achives is in 1866. His occupation changes to 'optician and manufacturer of photo frames' in 1881 - and then he is sometimes listed as optician and sometimes both up until 1922 - after this his listing is just optician.

He stayed in the same premises for all the time he was trading. I can only access up until 1956 as this was the latest trade directory the achives had.

The building is still in existence - so I have of course, been to have a look. It is now a clothing shop!! [but I got a lovely picture or two!]

James' son, Charles, was also an optician - so I am assuming that he took over from his father when he retired.

I dont know what happened with the opticians - whether they went broke or ran out of opticians in the family or sold out to another optician? I dont know how to find out this information - but it would be interesting as a closure point, for me anyway.

As far as the other branch of the family [where you suggested apprenticeship records] I did look in the Nottingham Archives - but they dont keep records for Ilkeston - despite the fact that at this time Ilkeston was classed as Nottinghamshire. So it looks like a trip to the Derbyshire Achives for that.

It was the first time I had been to an archives - and I learned a very important lesson - find out as much detail as you can BEFORE you go there. The archives are not the answer to every question - we have to have all the clues together for us to be able to find the answers! SO - before I visit the Derbyshire archives I shall have to do a little more research and make myself a list of what I want to find and which records are the best way to find the answers!!!

Elaine