Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

My GG Grandfather, Alexander Alexander, immigrated to England from Prussia in 1848. In the 1851 census, he's living at 16 Mount Pleasant, and is listed as a "Professor of Languages." My understanding is that the University of Liverpool had not yet been founded in 1851. Any thoughts on what a professor of languages would be doing in Liverpool back in 1851?

A second question. My ancestor remained in England until 1856, when he married in Birmingham, and left for Boston. Are there any good sources where I might locate Alexander between 1848 and 1856, and learn when he was in Liverpool, or what he might have been doing?

Thanks in advance for any help!

CvilleDan

Just a thought: the use of 'professor' probably means 'teacher' in this case, with no university link. Music teachers similarly called themselves 'professor'.
D

My thoughts like yours Daggers.
Maybe a private tutor to the children of the wealthy in Mt Pleasant?

Tina

It's my day for agreeing with everyone. I'm sure it was simply a teacher. If you read some of the history of Liverpool and Manchester from the 1840s both had a steady stream of German merchants /migrants coming over for trade or to escape from unpleasant regimes on the Continent - most famously Marx and Engels but plenty of others.

Ken

Hi Kwr

My Yorkshire mate had a Polish father, she has traced her gggpa back to Prueben when it was part of Poland.
I looked in Google and got lost with the history

Tina

Thank you all for your insight. Given that "professor" likely meant "teacher," I'm now going to focus on whether Alexander may have taught at the nearby King David school, which had been established in the early 1840's. Given family lore that Alexander was a Hebrew teacher when in Boston, it seems plausible that he did the same sort of work in Liverpool.

Dan