My great-grandfather on my maternal grandmother's side was Samuel Poyser.
This is a pic of Sam when he was a younger man.
My great-grandfather on my maternal grandmother's side was Samuel Poyser.
This is a pic of Sam when he was a younger man.
This is a pic of Sam later in life.
He worked as a rivettor at the Thames Ironworks and later as a wheelwright making wheels and pushcarts for the old Rathbone Street Market.
41 Wilberforce Street
noted on 1901 census.
71 Scott Street
1908, at my nan's baptism
Sarah Street
(now Appleby Street)
Apparently damaged in the Silvertown Explosion, possibly the cause of the move to
Boyd Road
(changed to Tarling Road)
Florence Street
(off the Hermit Road)
mrsrosedempsey@aol.com
South Carolina
USA
A few months ago, I did not even know my great-grandfather's first name. Now I am beginning to get to know him as a person, even though he died a few months after my birth in 1955. To view his, his wife and my nan's graves, please go here.
So who was Samuel Poyser, and what do I know about him so far?
Sam was one of 9 children born to Matthew John Poyser and Emily Burgum. In the 1901 census he is listed as a "carrier for a rivotter" working at the Thames Ironworks. Many other family workers worked there as well. I can only imagine the worry it caused when it closed down and he and so many others were suddenly out of work.
Various family members have contributed memories of him. From these sources, I have found that he was a mild-mannered man who did not touch alcohol, but that when his temper was aroused he lived up to the reputation of his red hair.
However this is the same father who lovingly, but fairly strictly, raised 5 children of his own and who my nan always told me she loved very much.
And who, after his wife's death, became the subject of much gossip on the old Rathbone Street market, because of his habit of pushing a cart from his yard on Fox Street, down to the market for one of the ladies, Clara Lee. Despite the wagging tongues and possibly attempts at matchmaking, Sam stayed true to his "Polly" until his death some 20 years after hers.
What I have found interesting is that, at a time and in an area not known for it's wealth, my nan and her sisters all had piano lessons. This goes with other people's perceptions that if he had any extra money, it was spent on his children.
As I've explored the streets where he lived, many sadly now long gone, it has been a brilliant exploration and trip back into history. I know there is much more information out there and I'll enjoy putting it all together to understand more about my great grandfather and his life.