Henry Merrison: From Principal of Railway Department, East Smithfield ... to France?

[lindsayclubb4]

I wonder if anyone can help me solve a family myth because if I have discovered anything in my researches it is that each myth contains at least a little grain of truth ... until a year or so ago I knew one of my great great grandfathers was "something to do with the railways" and indeed discovered (thanks to Mr Aspinall, Librarian at the Docklands Museum) that he had a long career associated with the railways serving London Docks.

The "myth" is that for a period he worked in France advising the French on how to run some aspect or another of their railway system ... what aspect , I do not know. Can anyone tell me whether there is likely to be a grain of truth in this? If so, are there any suggestions for researching this one to a conclusion?

Below I enclose Mr Aspinall's excellent summary of Henry's career ... no mention, not even a hint, of France!

"Thanks for your emails regarding your great great grandfather, Henry Merrison. I have now looked in the staff records for the private dock companies, and I found some details about his career, which I set out below:-

"Merrison, Henry

"Employed by: The London & St.Katharine Dock Company
Date of Appointment: 1st January 1865
Age on entry: 42 years (this puts his year of birth at c) 1823)
Post: Superintendent, Minories Transit Station
Salary: £250 per annum, which rose to £300 pa by October 1874
Career Progression: Promoted to Acting Traffic Superintendent w/e/f 1st April 1877, salary still £300pa. Promoted to Principal of Railway Department, East Smithfield w/e/f 1st January 1879, salary increased to £310 pa. Salary rose to £340pa by 1882, augmented by a Station Allowance of £30pa w/e/f 1st October 1880.

"I am afraid that the trail runs cold after 1882. There is no record of when he left the service, or how eg death, resignation, or retirement. In 1888 the London & St.Katharine Dock Company entered into a working agreement with the East & West India Dock Company, and produced a list of the Major Establishment (i.e. the senior staff). Henry does not appear on this list, so he may have left before that date, by which time he would have been well into his 60s."

[jrce]

My GGGrandfather was also a train driverjust, born c1817. He worked as a mechanic and traindriver and I think he worked for GWR. I thought you might be interested in some of the details as they might help. I have found a magazine article dated 1920 on his grandson (A J Dawson, The Dawson Car Company) that says 'he comes from an old engineering family and his grandfather was a co-worker with George Stephenson on many occasions driving the 'Rocket' . He was also a collegue of George Armstrong and these two pioneers of engineering drove some of the first engines on the Paris-Lyon-Marseilles line'. His children were born in 1843,1846,1847 Paris; 1848 Dieppe; 1856 London; 1860 Somerset. He lived in Shrewsbury in 1861 and moved to Wolverhampton in 1871 this is where his grandson A.J.Dawson started training in the GWR Workshops c1898. Do these dates fit in with the development of GWR? I would be very gratefull if anyone can help.

[Ed McKie]

I wonder if anyone can help me solve a family myth

"

"Employed by: The London & St.Katharine Dock Company
Date of Appointment: 1st January 1865
Age on entry: 42 years (this puts his year of birth at c) 1823)
Post: Superintendent, Minories Transit Station


""

Lindsay- dont you think that Henry must have had a reasonable amount of previous railway experience ? He could hardly have jumped straight in as a Superintendant ?
Where was he on 1861 and 1851 censuses for instance ?

No answers I know, but sometimes a different question can produce results.

Cheers..Ed