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  #1  
Old 03-10-13, 15:46
ElizabethHerts ElizabethHerts is online now
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Default Surrey Family History centre joy!

OH and I have been to Surrey Family History Centre today.
My 2x-great-gandparents had a large draper's shop in Guildford High Street that continued to the 1960s. M&S is there now.

When it closed my grandmother's cousin, the MD, Leslie White, deposited many documents with the Archives. This included photos, title deeds, indentures, staff books, accounts etc.

OH and I managed to get through three boxes, then my back was really complaining, so we've left the other three boxes for another time.

I was really chuffed as they had many photos of the shop and also some of my 2xgreat-grandfather William Edward White, and also one of him with his wife Elizabeth (Bessie). It also had references to Elizabeth's father, including his will.

The best item was the staff wage book and a double page dedicated to my great-grandmother, Ada Quintrell.
It was entitled "Miss Quintrell" and gave her wages, and the fact that she did a 3 year apprentice (as a milliner). The last entry along the side I like very much :
"Left Decr 24/90 to be married going to Chertsey Good girl"

What the writer - either W.E. White or Bessie his wife?? - didn't say was that she was to marry Herbert Edward White (13 January 1891) , the son of W.E White and Bessie, and that there was a shop in Chertsey that Herbert was to run. Unfortunately, Herbert was very sickly and gave up work after a while and died in 1902 when my grandmother was 9 years old.

I have taken so many photos today - hopefully I'll be able to work out the chronological history of the shop, as William Edward White was in partnership with others for a long while.
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Old 03-10-13, 19:09
Lindsay Lindsay is offline
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It sounds like a real treasure trove! Should keep you busy for a while...
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Old 03-10-13, 19:20
ElizabethHerts ElizabethHerts is online now
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Lindsay, I'm going to try to chart the history of the firm through various partnerships etc. A sign said it was founded in 1799 so I've got to try to work out what happened through the years.
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Old 03-10-13, 19:30
borobabs
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Sounds like you had a great day Elizabeth and bet you carnt waiting get back and see what else is there as well
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Old 03-10-13, 21:19
tenterfieldjulie
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Sounds like a great day Liza .. look after your back.. Julie
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Old 04-10-13, 06:31
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Merry Merry is online now
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Oooh, I am so jealous! Sounds as if you have some fantastic finds there Elizabeth.

I really want to go to the Cambridge RO where they have 13 or more boxes of records placed by my Maynards. I've been saying this for more than 20 years now and am still no nearer to getting there! lol
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Old 04-10-13, 07:39
ElizabethHerts ElizabethHerts is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Merry View Post
Oooh, I am so jealous! Sounds as if you have some fantastic finds there Elizabeth.

I really want to go to the Cambridge RO where they have 13 or more boxes of records placed by my Maynards. I've been saying this for more than 20 years now and am still no nearer to getting there! lol
Merry, you must make a plan and go! I'm sure what you'd discover would make it worthwhile.

I must admit it has taken me a while to get to the Surrey History Centre. I'm so pleased I did. By the way, it is very impressive. Lots of space, free parking, oodles of room inside and very helpful staff. They respond very quickly to e-mails too.
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Old 04-10-13, 09:05
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*wishes Elizabeth's back gets better really soon*

What a wonderful find. It must have been a hard decision to leave the remaining boxes unopened.

Merry you have to go now you have told us. We all want to know what is in there.
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