Sue Johnston Uncovers White Plague Family Death | Who Do You Think You Are

Looking back over her family tree, Sue's has discovered a reference to a first wife with whom great grandfather James had at least one child, a daughter. Can she find out more?
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Sue Johnston's story revolves around the relationship between two men who played an important role in her family history. As she started her research into her own background she realised that they were of particular interest, because their lives reflected the increase in social mobility that followed on from Britain's Industrial Revolution.
The story of her great-grandfather James Cowan is an instructive one - an archetypal rags to riches story. He managed to pull himself up by the proverbial boot straps from the disease-ridden slums of Carlisle, and eventually became an independent man of means. His son, Alfred (Sue's grandfather), however, rebelled against the plans his father had for him, and went to work on the same railways that his father had worked on as he hauled himself out of poverty.
James Cowan was born in Scotland in 1825, and later moved to Carlisle. Records seem to indicate that he started work on the railways around 1849, at the time of the birth of the railway industry. The Industrial Revolution was changing the face of the country at this time, and the railways were at the forefront of the process.
James spent 25 years working at Carlisle Citadel station. Records show that in 1856 he started as a porter, then rose to be second head porter, and in 1861 he was promoted to second assistant platform attendant. Family legend has it that he eventually became a station manager. This, as Sue discovered, turned out to be untrue. He never made it to the top job, which could be the reason he resigned after 25 years of service. The records show that he left seven months after the death of the previous station manager, perhaps realizing that he would never step into his shoes.
By the time he left the job, however, his economic circumstances had improved dramatically. Most of his early life had been spent living in The Lanes, a notorious, almost Dickensian slum in Carlisle. Life was tough, as James's genealogy proves. His first wife, Jane Harrison, died of tuberculosis, and one of their four children also died.
In 1866 he was remarried, to Elizabeth Atkinson, and he had six further children. His place in the middle classes was cemented by the fact that he moved into a townhouse and employed a domestic servant - as the 1871 census shows.
When James left the railways, he entered the hotel business, another boom industry, and continued to succeed. The 1881 census reveals him to be a hotel-keeper, employing seven domestic servants, at the Station Hotel, Belle Isle Place, Workington. On his youngest son Alfred's marriage certificate of 1909 he is described as a 'gentleman', which is further evidence of how well he had done for himself.
This modest success meant that James could afford to provide well for his children. Alfred, who was born in 1885, was educated privately by a governess. It is clear that James wanted him to get a respectable white-collar job, which he did, as a shipbroker's clerk at the age of 15. But this obviously didn't suit Alfred. He threw it in, and went to work on the railways as a trainee fireman and an engine cleaner.
Whatever the inspiration for this move, one can only imagine the family rows that must have accompanied this decision. James had spent his life working hard to escape the railways, a resolutely working-class industry, only for his son to choose it as a career. Alfred also married Margaret Lacey, the daughter of a plate layer, and this too was probably considered an unsuitable move by his father.
Perhaps the difficulties between the two men were generational - James was after all 60 when Alfred was born, and much had changed from the time when he was a young man. Alfred also had the advantage of growing up at a time when the Labour Party was active and trade unions had gained some power. James, on the other hand, had had no support as he worked his way up the social hierarchy.

[@cantocant2346]

I love Sue. She has such a great sense of humor.

[@nigelsheppard625]

We hear so much today about the evils that Great Britain imposed on its colonies. But the actuality of life for the overwhelming percentage of British (and Irish) society was one of extreme poverty, sickness, malnutrition and an ascribed status they could only rarely escape.

[@georgina3358]

Very well put

[@Lori79Butterfly]

It’s the wealthy in all nations that are the problem! They exploit the lower classes claiming that they are creating jobs for them (& then unions were created to stop the abuses, low wages, etc.), tell lies (history) in school about how great their nation is by winning all these wars, discovering lands that were already occupied by other human beings to exploit their peoples & resources (& dismiss them as uncivilized savages to dehumanize them), buy off politicians & attempt to crush any opposition by scapegoating the leaders of these movements, & activists are closely monitored by the police!😢

[@KENNYPAUL2]

And yet the poor working class were so proud of their empire

[@5dkauhanespiritualarts775]

And the UK version is so funny because they always think they are grand and good looking..lmao

[@givenscommunications6307]

The things you learn when we dig back in our history!

[@laurabryan6938]

Just imagine being her Grandpa and his only surviving child from his first marriage they must have been really really close because of the great tragedy that happened in their family

[@paulchristopher8634]

The dreaded “ consumption “. It killed so many and still does today

[@catharinecarrington2705]

The brilliant Who Do You Think You Are You Johnson is brilliant lady and she starred in Downton Abbey she starred in The Royle Family perfect actress and she starred in Brookside as well

[@sowitandhopeitgrows]

Maybe the reason why he chose to live in that beautiful townhouse and look down on the lanes, is that he was unable to leave his first wife and children and their memory, especially as he had been present at their passing.

[@paulchristopher8634]

Or maybe he didn’t have the transport to move long distances. Remember there were no cars, buses and other transport

[@sowitandhopeitgrows]

@@paulchristopher8634 what about the Vikings? Or the pilgrims who invaded the land now known as North America? If there is a will there is a way.... Now I shall go back to sleep.....

[@caraelliott9909]

I wonder if he lived so close to the lanes as a way of keeping the memory of his first wife and lost children alive.

[@paulchristopher8634]

Maybe but then again people didn’t travel as much as they do now. Remember there was no car, buses etc

[@actiondork]

Hmmm. He was present at all the deaths and then life suddenly gets better.

[@Larindarr]

now that you mention it.... yees TB is incredibly contagious.... how did he not get infected???