Genealogy Chat

Updated message as to where they were from, thanks

Where did they move from? In the 1830 there was a poor harvest and hard winter, this led agricultural labourers to revolt (counties like Wiltshire were hit hard). This was the time when the reform movement (to reform Parliament) was instigated and the poor laws were amended. Many people were literally starving and your family may have travelled to escape it (though how they paid for it as you say is difficult to say). On the other hand the industrialised industries of cotton and glass were doing comparatively well in the north of England.

Well around that time people were actually having their parishes pay for their fare and provisions to emigrate because things were so tough in this country. Ireland had the famine but England was also struggling and their were many families literally starving. The 1830's was a time of mass movement for employment - mostly to the big cities but also abroad. How/why they managed to return I dont know. Perhaps he made some money out there in a new country. Have you tried to find if he left a will?

If you have a look at this site:- http://www.irishdiaspora.net/vp01.cfm?outfit=ids&requesttimeout=500&folder=158&paper=159 it talks about emigration to Newfoundland, but it seems to be mainly Irish people. Sorry I don't know anything about the subject - I just googled. Kath. x

Has anyone any idea why in abt 1830 move to New Foundland with his wife, have two kids, then come back to England? He was only a coal labourer, where would they get the money, to go and come back, and why, any ideas? Dont think they had any money, he worked in pits in Shropshire, they had two kids New Foundland then returned to Shropshire and had more family and it seems to have been all in a fairly short space of time. Thanks for suggestions so far, it is hard to build a picture of how they could do this.