Barge People

[Genealogy girl]

I have some relatives from the Dummer family...originated in Southall, London. It has been thought that they were Barge people but is there any way of confirming this ? I did find one cesus that said they lived at top lock...could that be where a barge was moored. I know the Grand Union Canal goes past Southall. Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks

[Geoffers]

Someone just recorded as living at 'Top Lock' may just have been an employee of the canal owner who worked on maintenance.

Are there any certificates for children (birth or marriage) which record the father's occupation as being connected with working on some sort of vessel?

Does anyone appear on another census as working on barges, boats, etc?

[Mutley]

There is a London Canal Museum, it does have a family history section that may give you some guidance
www.
canalmuseum.org.uk/collection/family-history.htm

[Genealogy girl]

Hi Geoffers This comes from verbal family history told down the generations and most of the people seem to be labourers. It was thought they were actually living on the boats and working along the way etc. I'll check the Canal Museum to see if I can find anything?

[Genealogy girl]

Thanks Mutley that seems a good bet.

[louisa maud]

Have you found any baptisms for them, sometimes they had their children baptised nearest church to where they might have moored, I have a whole family of mine who were bargees on the grand union canal, which possibly runs near Southall, they had at least 13 children, can you imagine that on a barge, also their daughters had their own canal boats at ages as young as 16, must have been a hard life

Louisa Maud

[Genealogy girl]

Hi Louisa
The Grand Union does run through Southall....don't suppose your family were connected to the Dummer's??? How did you confirm they were actually working the barges?

[louisa maud]

Hi G G
It was mostly through the family but sometimes I found them on barges on the Grand Union, Bulls bridge and Harlington area, we recently went to have a look at Bulls Bridge only to find it a dead end on the canal and a huge big outside shopping centre there, sometimes their addresses are names of boats as that is where they were living at the time of the census.

LM

[Genealogy girl]

Hi LM
Thanks for all your help...as I said before one lived at Top Lock so I feel that is some proof....apart from that it is purely heresay.

[Geoffers]

Hi Geoffers This comes from verbal family history told down the generations and most of the people seem to be labourers. It was thought they were actually living on the boats and working along the way etc. I'll check the Canal Museum to see if I can find anything?

I thinkl you need to begin with basics - is this in the period of civil registration? If so, do you have birth or marriage certificates and what do they record for occupation? Does it back up the oral history?

In the census that you have found (what is the reference?) what is recorded for the occupation for the head of household?