FRANK STRINGER - fancy pearl worker

[fudge]

I'm wondering if any members have any information about this trade as I really don't know anything about it. Also, as I'm not from Birmingham, I would like to know more about these areas of the city.

Frank Stringer was my mother's great-uncle. He was a tortoiseshell, pearl and ivory craftsman. In 1881, he and his wife Maria lived at 87 Charles Street (above a sweet shop) He was a tortoiseshell, pearl and ivory craftsman, Maria was a shopkeeper.
According to the Birmingham Trade and Street Directories, Frank Stringer was listed at 60 Church Road until 1944. In 1945 that address was listed under Amy Stringer, I'm not sure who Amy was.

In other trade directories, F. Stringer is listed as ‘pearl ornament manufacturers’ at Albert Buildings, Camp Hill in 1894 and in 1909 at 192 (back of) Camp Hill, but by 1916 he no longer has a business address. Is Camp Hill in the same area Church Road or Charles Street and what are the Albert Buildings?

His daughter, Florence Althorp (nee Stringer) and her husband Ernest, were also pearl workers, possibly in King's Norton. The 1901 census lists Florence Stringer as a pearl worker, and on Florence and Ernest's marriage certificate their employment is listed as pearl workers.

any info on this topic would be very helpful,

fudge

 

[Louisa]

The book you want is a very old book called Birmingham and Midland hardware districts by Samuel Timmins which describes in great detail all the trades in Birmingham around the nineteenth century. Page 440 gives details of pearl button makers but I am not sure about the term Pearl craftsman but I would think that working with pearl materials may be a similar thing to making pearl buttons.

this is the link to the Google book https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=b...tricts&f=false

You can also get a digital copy of the book on disk quite reasonably priced from

www.midlandhistoricaldata.org

This website will also have lots of other interesting historical information about Birmingham and also has copies of the Gentlemans magazine.

It takes a bit of menouvering to understand how the site works and I usually have a £5 subscription if I find anything I want to search or have a copy of or I buy the disk. A well reccommended site.

Hope this helps
Louisa

 

[mikejee]

Fudge
You have two Frank Stringers, father & son.
Looking at the electoral rolls, Frank Stringer was at 60 Church Road in 1912, with an additional address listing, which was presumably his business address, at 4 back of 192, Camp hill. The business address is listed “shopping”, so maybe there was a shop there at that time.
In 1920 he is listed with wife Maria only at 60 church road, but also with a Jihn Dodsley in the house.
In 1925 there is just Frank and Maria.
In 1930 Frank the elder is at 58 Church road (alone , as far as people eligible to vote are concerned). Nest door at no 60 is Frank the younger with (presumably) his wife Amy.
By 1935 and 1939 (and 1945) Frank the elder has moved away or died, and at no 60 is Frank (jnr though it doesn’t call him that) and Amy.
In 1950 there is an Amy and Harold H.Stringer at no 60

As far as Albert buildings are concerned I attach an 1890 map showing what I think must be Albert buildings in red . It might be the buildings both side of the alleyway or possibly just those larger ones on the north side. I have marked both. I think “back of 192” and “albert buildings “ refer to the same buildings.
Church road is not very near camp hill, and is a pleasant residential area, while camp hill was industrialised. No 60 is still there, though undoubtably messed around with on the picture with a black line in front, from Bing maps. As to Charles St, are you sure its not Charles road, or charles Henry St or Charles Arthur st, or Great Charles St?

 

[fudge]

Hi Mike, I believe the street was Charles Henry, sorry for that omission. Also, would Harold H. Stringer not have been list as living at 60 Church Road before 1950 if he was not of voting age? I'm trying to figure out how he and Amy and Frank Stringer Jr. were related - it seems obvious that they were most likely mother, father and son, but I can't seem to find anything to back that up in my limited searches - no marriage dates for a Frank Stringer and Amy, nor any birth dates for a Harold H. Stringer.

thanks a lot for all the info you sent a long, very helpful,

fudge

 

[fudge]

Hi Louise, thanks for your info, I'll definitely look into that. Sounds very interesting,

fudge

 

[Aine]

Hi, My father was Frank Stringer and lived in Church Road. His mother was Amy Stringer and his brother Harold i.e. my uncle. My father's father was Frank Stringer and his father also Frank i.e. my great-grandfather. He was a pearl worker in Birmingham.

 

[fudge]

Hi aine; wow! Nice to hear from you. Do you know when your grandparents were married? Your grandfather would have been my grandmother's cousin.
Looking forward to learning more about the Stringers.
Fudge

 

[Aine]

Hi, Got your messages. Thanks. My grandmother Amy was born 1898 and married Frank Stringer (grandfather) in 1920. and they had 3 children between 1923 -1927. Did Thomas and Frank have any more brothers or sisters do you know?

 

[fudge]

Hi Aine, Frank and Thomas's parents were John and Ann Stringer. According to my mother's Aunt Annie, they had as many as 21 children, but only 8 survived. They were Sarah (b. 1848/49); Emily born 31st August, 1850; John (1852), Henry (1855); Frank (1857/58); Elizabeth (b. 1860); Thomas (b. 1862) and James (b. 1869/70).

Amy and Frank married in 1920 - was her maiden name Horlock? Their sons were Frank and Harold, who was the third child? Do you know the date in 1920 that they got married? Also, do you know the birthdates of Frank, Harold and their third child? Was Frank, your father, in WII? Last question for now, I just wondered what the house at 60 Church Road looked like - outside, inside, was it close to 'the six ways" (do I have that right?); was it a big house etc. I like those little details.

thanks for the info.

Fudge