Hidden Treasure Part 2



JSTOR Part 2
While searching JSTOR using key words, one result kept coming up:  book reviews for “Family Structure in the Staffordshire Potteries…”.  At first I ignored the results, how could a book review help in my family research.  I continued to search, gather and download articles to read at a later time. The more I searched in Staffordshire, England using keywords:  coalmining, Hanley, Potteries, etc., numerous book reviews continued to be scattered in the results. 

Then, I looked closer at the title of the book:  “Family Structure in the Staffordshire Potteries 1840-1880” by Marguerite W. Dupree.  I was elated, the time-period included the years the Hugh(1) and Margaret(2) family lived in Hanley, Staffordshire, England—the Potteries!  Hugh and Margaret arrived in Hanley, between 1857 and 1859 and left Staffordshire when they immigrated in April of 1886. Suddenly, I began looking closer at the book reviews because they were relevant to my family history.
Next, I went to Amazon and located the title for sale as a used book.  I had my daughter order it for me, and it was delivered to my front door a few days later!  

The book was written for statistical purposes to explore the family organization at a time-period when men, women and when children were employed in the Potteries.  The book examines the fertility rates, marriage ages, death, disease, and working conditions.  Does this relate to my family—why yes it does!  The book includes a description of two homes in Hanley as written up in a local newspaper!  The book includes Acts that were passed regarding the safety and ages of employees in the Potteries, information and statistics about religions of the area, local societies, education and even migration to the area.  Included are statistics and descriptions about employment in the local coal mines, death and disease, infertility and all other matters that relate to people who lived in Staffordshire between the years of 1840 to 1880.  The book has ended up being a wealth of historical context for our family as it pertains to them and their living conditions in Hanley during the nineteenth century.  

This book, “Family Structure in the Staffordshire Potteries 1840-1880” written by Marguerite W. Dupree has been a valuable tool in putting our family into historical environment of living in Staffordshire, England.  I will update this blog with interesting information I have found in the book that relates to our family.

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