Death by teething and other tales: Susannah Chadwick

Above: the christening record of Henry Chadwick When my great-great-grandmother Susannah Chadwick was only 16 years old and single, she gave birth to her first child. Baby Henry was born on July 13, 1845 in Accrington, England. On his birth record, Susannah is listed as a spinster, which in the 19th century just meant unmarried …

The many careers of Robert Ingham

At the turn of this century, career “experts” were telling everyone to expect to change careers several times in a lifetime. Five to seven times seemed to be the popular prediction. Remember those advice columns? They contrasted this with previous generations who, they claimed, usually only had one career and stayed with it from leaving …

Labour Day Special: Jobs My Ancestors Did

Photo Above: Granddad Garnet Joseph Spencer in his police uniform, c. 1940s The first Monday of September is Labour Day here in Canada. In honour of that day, I'm listing the jobs my direct ancestors have done. Grandparents: Thomas Ingham – boiler operator/stationary engineer Emily (Sargent) Ingham – sewing machinist tailoring (before marriage) Margaret May …