8-26 Stafford St ,Islington ,Liverpool

[dennison]

Hi, and hello, I am fairly new to tracing my ancestors and as most of my family hail from Liverpool I thought this would be a useful place to look.
My great grandfather Thomas Dennison Johnstone came to Liverpool around 1890 aged 19, , his address has been found as that above.
I wonder if anyone has any information about Stafford St, because in the census there are about 50 young men listed at the address and everyones occupation is connected to Drapery business, be it as either , drapers assistant, drapers apprentice, drapers superintendent.
Could it have been some form of training college . or a large companies in-house school.
Any info would be most welcome. and thanks for taking the time to read this.

[dickiesam]

Hi Dennison and welcome,
For the benefit of the crew here this is where Thomas Dennison is in 1891:
RG12 - Piece: 2918 Folio: 40 Page: 6
Address: 8 To 26, Stafford Street, Liverpool.
DENNISON, Thos Lodger u/m 19 1872 Drapers Apprentice Cumberland.

The following 3 [up to Page 9] summary pages are all for the same address, all lodgers and appear to be all live-in staff at a substantial drapers and ironmongers. The last entry is for a John Baird and his family. The family are also 'live-in'. He is 47, a draper, and bn in Ayrshire.

[Katie]

Could it be something to do with T.J. Hughes. I'm sure some one will know.

[dickiesam]

In 1901 it is still a substantial Drapers. In the 1910+1 #s 1 to 15 Stafford Street have become a Hostel for staff at Owen Owens Dept store. The rest of the street up to # 26 appears to have been redeveloped.

T J Hughes would have been around the corner but they weren't in operation until well after 1911. I think they started out around 1925.

[Bertieone]

A bit earlier,

A Green & Co Directory, 1870, Liverpool & Birkenhead.

Drapers, Silk, Mercers and Haberdashers.

John Beck, 8 Stafford St,
John Baird, 25 Stafford St,
Thomas Beck, 26 Stafford St,

[dickiesam]

A bit earlier,

A Green & Co Directory, 1870, Liverpool & Birkenhead.

Drapers, Silk, Mercers and Haberdashers.

John Beck, 8 Stafford St,
John Baird, 25 Stafford St,
Thomas Beck, 26 Stafford St,

Hi Bert,
By Jove, I think you've got it! That middle name of John Baird fits with the 1891 census entry and that address was a drapers pre-1891.

[MaryA]

Well done lads, all done and dusted within a couple of hours. My first thought like Katies was T J Hughes, which had affiliations with Owen Owens, but was much later, I wonder if they took over this company?

[dennison]

Wow, thanks everyone for prompt replies it is much appreciated. however, be gentle with me, were the whole streets accommodation 1 company, or was it made up of a number of different stores ? It seems that Owen and Owen opened their first Drapery shop 121 London Rd which appears to be just round the corner from Stafford St, perhaps they used the lodgings there for their staff?
Any way thanks again for the speedy responses, fantastic

[dickiesam]

Wow, thanks everyone for prompt replies it is much appreciated. however, be gentle with me, were the whole streets accommodation 1 company, or was it made up of a number of different stores ? It seems that Owen and Owen opened their first Drapery shop 121 London Rd which appears to be just round the corner from Stafford St, perhaps they used the lodgings there for their staff?
Any way thanks again for the speedy responses, fantastic

It would appear from the censuses that the entire block of Stafford Street from # 8 to # 26 was a single store. Sometime after 1901 but before 1911, the store closed and part of the block was redeveloped into housing. Owen Owen opened his draper's shop at 121 London Road, Liverpool, in 1868. The company did not take an interest in T J Hughes until 1925. From what Bert found, Baird's could have been a largish rival store and it may have closed following his death.

In 1901 he and his family are here:
RG13 Piece: 3446 Folio: 111 Page: 10
Address: Hightown Hotel, Virgin Lane, Little Crosby, Lancashire
BAIRD, John Head 59 1842 Draper, travelling - own account - Scotland

It is possible he had sold the business, perhaps to Owen Owen, and gone solo as a Drapery salesman. He isn't in the 1911 unless he returned to Scotland. But this could be his death since there is no John Baird in Wales in 1901, and he may have retired to the Cardigan Bay coast as many people did...

Death: BAIRD, John
Registration district: Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire
Year of registration: 1906; Mar qtr
Age at death: 61
Volume no: 11B; Page no: 41

[dennison]

once again thank you to all who helped , I have found it most helpful...cheers