Records show that my 2xgreat grandfather William Joseph James Gibson was at least the third generation in his family to carve fancy mirror frames for a living. The looking glass frames that he carved were luxury goods, but he and his wife Phoebe, nee Wakefield, raised their family of seven in cramped conditions in Victorian … Continue reading William and Phoebe Gibson: Tough times for a frame carver
Wakefield
Great grandmother Phoebe Caroline Gibson: A comfortable North London childhood?
My Dad's maternal grandmother Phoebe Caroline Gibson was born in Hornsey, a North London suburb, in 1877, the daughter of a Looking Glass Frame Maker. The few records from her childhood give little insight into what life was like. Can I find out more about the areas and houses she lived in? From Hornsey to … Continue reading Great grandmother Phoebe Caroline Gibson: A comfortable North London childhood?