A Letter From My Great Grandfather

April 30, 2012

We have been delving into family history because we have a large collection of old photographs and documents to get us going - like you do.

My maternal Great Grandfather, Thomas Beach, born 1816 originally of Quedgeley Manor Farm, Gloucestershire was sickly as a child and young man so he had a nurse. Unfortunately he and she got better aquainted than was required for the job and his father said to them both 'here's a shilling good buy'. Suddenly they were living a rather different lifestyle in Cheltenham. My Grandfather was born in 1871 and in the mid-1880s was sent to South Yorkshire to work in the pit.

Here is a letter written by his father in 1888:

Letter from Thomas Beach, 19 Malvern Street, Cheltenham, Dec 2nd -/88

Dear Brth & Sister

We were pleased to hear from you respecting Oda and no doubt you had a difficult matter to find him employment giving you much trouble and we hope he will be steady and listen to your kind directions

As long as he remains with you under your protection you must satisfy yourself but if his earnings gives sufficient to do so not to put you to any expense. We hope he be kind to his aunt not to give her a lot of trouble and behave himself respectfully at all times as long as he remembers you for your kindness.

We intend in the Xmas week to send hamper of vegetables for he liked to make a great hole in a tidy dish full being growing make him heavhy he must feel a great change in his work and also climate with all the different sights and manufactorys.

If you can your sister would rather he was at work above the ground for she feels rather timid as soon you can conveniently manage it – still if he don’t dislike it and of course cannot get at present any other employment let him continue on if he pleased his employers which I hope he will do.

Tell him there is not a day but what Mother and myself think of him for he left behind him his peculiar ways we cannot forget - His Mother Bot 5 Pigs to day and some fowls

Dr Henry I think you have undertaken a hard task in trying to improve our lad in education. I shall be happy in hearing if you can for it would be a great benefit in many respects

Please write when you can find time we are all tolerable well besides myself I have gout in feet

Remember me kindly to Mrs Hughes and Oda with your Sister’s kindest love to both from

Yours affectionately

Thos Beach

Please thank your Brth for his kindness in interceding on Oda’s behalf/ give my kind love to him and tell him I will send him a scrip some day

We complain about text English these days, but this letter includes a great many supersctipts which have not copied over from the word document. For example where it says Dr Henry should read D(superscript)r for 'Dear'.

Grandad Beach lived with us until his death in 1960 when he was 89 and I was 17. He was the epitome of the perfect Grandad; Stalin moustache, rosy cheeks twinlky eyes and a great sense of humour. He had worked at Edlington Colliery until he was 70 as a collier and kept his 2.5 acre 'garden' going until he was 80.

Just thought I would share this.

Malcolm