Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Hi there

I am trying to find information regarding a carting company based in the Goree Piazzas in the early 1900s. My g grandfather James Ferns owned this business and despite my efforts in the LRO to find him, I am still none the wiser about this business. I have since discovered that the business was based in the Goree Piazzas. Is anybody able to advise me on how to find out about this business, please? I suspect perhaps he didn't use his name to name the company.

Also, the same man discovered a fire in (I think) a dock warehouse. He single handedly extinguished the fire and was paid a cash reward for saving the warehouse. It was this money apparently that he used to set up the carting business. I think this incident may have occured in the 1920s. Any ideas, please?

Thank you all very much.

Kathy

Can you narrow down which resources you searched at the Record Office, some of our crew have their own copies of directories that I'm sure they would check for you, just want to make sure they wouldn't be duplicating efforts.

I searched the Gores directory under businesses ie Carters. I also looked through the newspapers re the fire incident. On both occasions I searched the name Ferns.

Thanks for your help.

Kathy

Do you have a date for James Ferns' death? And did he leave a will?

Hi

Yes, 6 May 1926. I haven't been able to find a will so far either.

Thanks for your help.

Kathy

Hi Kathy,

The probate for James widow, Elizabeth Ferns 1933/34 has mention of Bernard Ferns, Horseman, assuming this is the son.
Have you tried searching for Bernard, he may have taken over the business.

I have gone as far as I can with Bernard Ferns. I do not have a will record.

I am really looking for details about the business when my g grandfather had it. I cannot find anything about it at all. I would like to know when he set it up if possible. As I said in my previous post, I believe he used the money from a gift he was given. Again I wish to verify this too. I think if this story was true there must be some record of it somewhere, but I don't really know where to look.

Thank you for your help.

Kathy

I can see where they are going looking at Bernard and even the wife Elizabeth, sometimes you need to look around a subject rather than just homing in on it and then clues arise where you don't expect them to.

If Bernard took over the business later he may have kept the same name for it, which would be a clue in itself, as you don't think it had the family name.

Please send a pm to Erika as she holds directories for 1914, 1938 and I'm sure she will help out if she can, they may be searchable by place.

Thank you for your reply.

I have sent Erika a message but the message remains in my outbox and I do not know what to do about it. Are you able to help please?

Thank you.

Kathy

Hi Kathy

the message stays in your outbox until Erica opens it, and then it will move to your sent box

Thank you very much.

Kathy

Thanks Simone.

Erika will be notified she has a message, she will come on line when she gets a chance, hope she can help.

Hi Kathy,
May I ask where you got the information from that James had a carting company?

I folks I hope this helps
1911 has a James Fernes 40 carter general carrier
Elizabeth 37 married 13 yrs 7 children 6 living
BERNARD 12 plus 5 younger sibs
also 2 older daughters perhaps from a previous marriage aged 21 & 17.
All born Lpool living 251? Burlington St Scotland Division.
1911 Gores/Kellys nothing for Ferns in Goree Piazzas.

Lancs BMD have a marriage in 1898 for a James Fernes to Elizabeth Mooney.
LRO or registrar attended.

I have pm'd Kathy, but well spotted Tina with that spelling I'd checked my 1911 &1914 but found nothing under Ferns or Fearnes.

Just rechecked them again with Fernes but no joy. Burlington St has a big gap missing between 237 & 275 in 1914 and no Fernes listed anywhere else.

Thanks for trying Erika, you too for the background Tina.

Hi there

I think I am looking for information regarding the above business, which is where my g grandfather was employed as a carter. I understand there was a fire at MacFie Sugar warehouse which he single handedly extinguished and was rewarded for financially. He then used this money to set up his own carting business. I don't know the dates but I suspect it was after 1900. Any ideas where I can look for information, please?

Thank you.

If any records have been deposited with the Record Office you would find them at the library, as would be newspapers although it would be difficult to search them without a better idea of date.

Findmypast has a newspaper search facility which includes some of the 20th Century, this might be an easier beginning to try to pin down this event, or again checking the MacFie Sugar refiners in directories might give some idea.

There are also some papers for this company http://archiveshub.ac.uk/features/06042401.html although they don't seem to mention the fire in Liverpool, at least you would know the company name only survived until 1938 when it became United Molasses. If the premises remained the same then I think they would have been further north than Goree, more Great Howard Street or Vauxhall.

There are definitely documents held at the Record Office - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/ ... ac&cid=0#0