A reltive of mine born 1839 and died 1915 in Rotherham was called a Tea warehouseman employing 16 hands.?

Question

in the 1901 census of Rotherham he is called a retired tea trader.Does anyone know how he would have worked,and where the warehouse would have been.He lived at Merril House,Gerrard Rd.How would the tea get to land locked Rotherham ?

Answer 1

> Does anyone know how he would have worked . .

He would have bought tea by the carload / boatload, if he employed 16 hands, and sold it by the crate. He would be called a "Wholesaler" or "Distributor" today in the US. He (or his workers) may have re-packaged the tea from 50-pound boxes / bales into 8-ounce tins with his name on it. He may then have sold cases of these tins to grocers and tea shops.

The tea would have gotten to him via canal boat, or railroad or both.

If you can find old business directories in the library, you may find him.

Answer 2

As to the last part of your question, tea and other goods would travel down the canal most probably.  Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation I think.  Or the Chesterfield Canal.  Or both.

Answer 3

You might be interested in a previous answer.

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