Re:Excellent!

We've had some e-mails and letters from far and wide (and not so far!), and here some are. If you send a e-mail or letter please say if you would like it to be published here (and if so, whether you would like your e-mail address included). Some minor edits for formatting etc may occur!

From: "Lesley Anderson" <anderley@sympatico.ca>
To: <webmaster@carlton-cambridgeshire.org.uk>
Subject: Excellent!
Date: 10 March 2002 22:19

Hi! I have been researching my ancestors for over 20 years - I started very young! :) I now live in Ottawa, Ontario Canada and I wanted to say that having a website like this to come to - to get a glimpse of where my ancestors lived is so wonderful!! I have visited England many times on business and pleasure, but I have never been able to make it to
Cambridgeshire.

My great-grandfather William Thurgood came from Carlton Green and he and his brother George moved to Chesterfield, Derbyshire in around 1881 to work in the iron works. They left their mother and father (James and Mary Thurgood (nee Howard) and family behind. Up until now, I had no idea what the area looked like or the church, etc. Does St. Peter's have any cemetery/tombstones? I have looked into the microfilm of the parish, but there are no cemetery listings. Also, my James Thurgood is listed as a horsekeeper in 1881 - would that be for Lopham's Hall? Are there any employee records or land records I could look up? Also, it looks like everyone moved around - I have him recorded as being born in Lt. Thurlow (you have it listed in 1881 as Gt. Thurlow). Where abouts is that? A man
called me years ago who was also a Thurgood and his came from Gt. Bradley, so I am sure there is a connection!

I think you're doing a great job!! Are you interested in genealogy?
Anyhow, wishing you all the best in 2002 and looking forward to your answer.

Lesley Anderson (nee Thurgood)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Further e-mails to/from Lesley are here.

From: "gradee" <gradee@tinyworld.co.uk>
To: <webmaster@carlton-cambridgeshire.org.uk>
Subject: Website
Date: 17 April 2002 22:02

Hi, 

I have just finished looking at your wonderful website. Congratulations! I enjoyed every minute of it.

My father lived in Carlton, he actually lived at 171 Carlton Green while he was working as a farm labourer, so I was really excited to see a photograph of the house on your site. His family, Thompsons, also lived in Carlton but so far I have been unable to trace them.

The other photograph of interest was the one of The Woodman Spare the Tree.
My grandfather and grandmother ran a greengrocer business from there. I'm not sure if they were also Licensees. Apparently my grandfather, Arthur Foster, was a very colourful character who carried the fruit and vegetable around to local villages on a horse and cart. Unfortunately, he also liked his ale and often 'Prince' the horse would arrive home minus grandad who had fallen off drunk. He died in 1947 and was buried in St.Peters churchyard. My mother lived at the Woodman as a child and when she married my father they lived in the cottage next door for a while. My eldest sister was born in the Woodman and was christened at St.Peters.

Both my parents and indeed some of my aunts an uncles attended the old village school.

Carlton means a lot to me as it plays a vital role in my history and I look forward to visiting your site many times in the future. I'm especially looking forward to more photographs.

regards

Dorothy from Norfolk

From: "gradee" <gradee@tinyworld.co.uk>
To: <webmaster@carlton-cambridgeshire.org.uk>
Subject: Re: Website
Date: 20 April 2002 21:53

Hello,

Thank you for your email.

Of course you can post my letter to your letters page if you think it may be of interest. You may also include my email address if you wish. I am at the moment trying to trace my family history so it may be of some help to me if people recognise the families mentioned.

If I find out anything else about Carlton I will certainly let you know.

In the Carlton Essay reference was made to the the roof of 171 Carlton Green being raised in he 1930's to accommodate a higher floor. I would like to add that this must have been done no earlier than late 1936 as my father was still living there then. He told me about climbing a wooden ladder into the roof space where he slept on a mattress filled with straw. In fact he was a smoker and one night he fell asleep and set fire to the mattress. Luckily he woke up in time and was able to throw the mattress out through a small window, no further damage was done and no-one was hurt.

I've just had a thought. Could that small window give a clue to the identity of the property? Or do both 171/172 and 170/169 have small windows in the roof space?

I don't know who my father was living with at the time. Maybe if I can find the family they will have information etc.

I'm going to get in touch with Greene King next week to see if they have any information on the Woodman and see if it did indeed lose it's license in 1937. My grandparents were living there at that time so I'll be very interested to see why it was lost.

I will let you know the outcome.

bye for now

Dorothy