LondonLover1982 wrote:Hi
I am not from London but a lot of my family was and I am a sort of "Adopted Londoner" due to my maternal grans mum being from there. Islington to be precise. I know a great deal on London and have many hsotory books including Soho Past, Islington Past, Camden Town Past, Memories of Holborn, plus many more.
Hi Ben. My grandmother's family all lived in the Limehouse area at the turn of the century (1900). The story I have been told is thus:
My great grandparents died young (he died in 1902, not sure when she died) but they left 4 children orphaned. My Nan was the second to youngest, she had 2 older brothers and a younger sister.
Ok, apparently one of the older brothers was married so he and his wife took his 2 young sisters in. My nan got a job working as a handstitcher, not sure what they called it but she would sew the linings into men's hats and jackets with those tiny little stitches, She was going out with the bosses son at the time and she would have been 20 years old. We never had a real name for this man but he went by the nickname of "Izzy" so I am assuming that perhaps his name was Israel or Isaac? Or even that this could have been a shortened version of his surname. I think what I am looking for is a Jewish tailor? They must have owned a business for my nan to be working for them.
Anyhow, Nan got pregnant. He wanted to marry her and take her to America but he didn't want the baby - the shame I guess - but she wouldn't give up the baby and she didn't want to leave England. The baby was born January 1914, so we are looking about April 1913?
Talk about brick wall!! And no, the father's name is not on the BC.