The Blogging from A to Z Challenge is to post everyday (except Sunday) in the month of April 2020 starting with the letter A and going all the way to Z. My theme is...
Ancestor Occupations
CABINETMAKER
My 3x great grandfather George Hunter was a Cabinetmaker, carpenter, upholsterer. He immigrated to Montreal from Scotland sometime before 1812 when he married Anne Maddocks at St Gabriel Presbyterian Church.
George placed an ad to sell their property in the Montreal Herald in march of 1819.
They moved to Kingston, Ontario in 1819 and set up shop. Many Kingston establishments advertised that they sold tickets for George Hunter's furniture Lottery.
British Whig 15 April 1845, pg.3
Ad in Kingston Directory, 1855...
Kingston Penitentiary put inmates to work and they had shops for manufacturing furniture, shoes, hay forks and other farm implements. The goods were sold from warehouses in the city.
George Hunter became manager for the Penitentiary Furniture Warehouse on Princess Street, Kingston.
They opened a Warehouse in Ottawa when the Government moved there and my great grand uncle George Seale managed it for his grandfather, George Hunter.
In the Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada for 1869 George is paid $124 by the federal government in Ottawa for some cabinet work.
He was also paid $107.50 for office furniture for the Department of the Post Office and $320 for furniture for the Department of Customs.
Congratulations on finding out so much about your carpenter ancestor. My great grandfather James Danson was a joiner, but I must admit I have done little to investigate his trade, whether he worked on his own or was employed etc. I did find his name in one street directory which just termed him as "joiner" and he is described as such in a newspaper report of his funeral. Otherwise a search on the newspapers online produced no results. You have prompted me to try to find out more. James' grandson, my Uncle Harry also became a joiner, specialising in kitchen units, and I remember him making doll's house furniture for me.
ReplyDeleteNice! My dad made me a doll house but I had to make my own furniture with tiny boxes and plastic tomatoe crates .
DeleteCheck out my genealogy blog for 2014 post on wages, there’s a few links telling definitions and wages of occupations.
You always can find something of interest in your roots to share and the bits from newspapers and other resources are amazing :D Think I'd mentioned before it took me a few years before I wanted to work on my family tree because all I was finding on-line were lists of names and dates of births, marriages and deaths no history or stories to bring ancestors to life. However, when I finally started an Ancestry tree it didn't take long before my ancestors came to life and I was hooked :D Reading your blogs makes me want to get back at it :D
ReplyDeleteThere is always more to find it seems! Especially as more newspapers and publications come available online.
DeleteSuch interesting details you've found, like the Penitentiary Furniture. But I'm wondering how that furniture lottery really worked? If you know or find out any more about it, do let us know.
ReplyDeleteI tried to research that but didn’t find anything. I know sometimes winners were announced in the papers. If I discover more I’ll let you know!
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