Mr. & Mrs. Workman

[Ray Perks]

I am researching a item related to the Titanic.

It refers to a Mrs Workman was married to a manager (Mr Workman) of the White Star Line at the time of the loss of the Great Ship.

It is thought she "worked" possibly with survivors, their families and possibly the families of the deceased.

I have as yet found only one reference to a Mr Workman and am keen to find out any such information that may be available regarding this lady and her husband.

Cheers

 

[Ray Perks]

I am researching the work of a Mrs Workman who apparently worked with the families involved with the loss of the Titanic. She was quite likely to have been married to a manager (Mr Workman) of the White Star Line.
Cheers

 

[Ray Perks]

Hi,
I have posted a request elsewhere on ET but am hoping that a post here will solicit more comments.
The pictures of the inkstand are self explanatory but I am seeking any information on Mrs Workman.
I understand that she (Mrs Workman) was the wife of a manager of the White Star Line at the time of the loss of the great ship. I am also lead to believe she "worked" with the families involved. Because of her efforts she was presented with this silver inkstand by Ismay Imrie & Co.
Need some help lads!
Cheers
Ray

 

[X----- X-------]

Hello Ray,

I hope I can give you some more insight as well as further assistance with your request.

Last Friday I was down the Southampton Archives Dept and added your enquiry onto my list to check a hold load of other matters associated with this vessel of the past.

I am please to report back that there was a Mr & Mrs Workman residering in Southampton. I did checked the Kelly's Directory for Southampton and found two entries for this surname under the year of 1901. They obviously both lived in the port right up until the outbreak of the First World War. What happened afterwards remains a bit of a mystery.

These are names I founded listed on page 359.

Workman Geo, Catherington House, Millbrook, Southampton.

Workman J Reece C.E. Catherington House, Millbrook, Southampton.

It may be wise to check the British Census for 1901. I even went further and found that the surname doesn't even appear in any of the pages of the Minute Book's for the Titanic Relief Fund.

I really hope this proves a bit of a breakthrough.

Best of luck.

A.W.

 

[Ray Perks]

Hi Andrew,
first of all thank you so much for thinking of me when you were in Southampton on Friday, you are very kind. Equally THANK YOU SO MUCH for the information. As you may expect I had done quite a bit of work but the trail ran cold after spending a long day looking for references to this woman in the National Newspaper Archives in London. After spending so much time believing the family lived in the Croyden / Purley area (because theirs sons and grandsons attended the Whitgift School there) it finally dawned on me they must have been living in Southampton, Liverpool or Belfast. In hindsight it is obvious they would have been in Soton and boarded their sons at Whitgift. I am not a time served researcher so am feeling my way with all the different records that need to be checked but the info you have given me has suddenly made life so much easier, again a big, big, thankyou!
I do know that Mr Workman was listed in Whitgift's archives as a "Steamship Manager" but can find no reference as yet to the Mrs Workman.
I am presuming that the inkstand was presented to Mrs Workman in the year or so after 1912 and will now have a look for newspaper reports withing the Soton area for 1913 onwards. Once again thank you so much, you are very kind and have been of immense help.
Cheers
Ray

 

[X----- X-------]

Hello Ray,

Good of you to reply back. I know where you are coming from, like I also know from past experience how frustration can so easily take over. I usually try and advise people not to go down that road and it has a habit of destroying all avenues of discovery.

However, if the grandchildren were at a private school as you claim, then some of the education records must still be surviving. If I were in your shoes then I would switch my attention with the National Archives web-site and see which of the best records come up for the Croydon area.

Equally if your going to spend time searching the various newspapers for the Southampton area, then the best holder can be found at the main library along Jewry Street in Winchester. They more or less house nearly all the articles for the various Hampshire newspapers that were published during that period of time. Some are still in business, whilst others are concealed to history books.

If there's a need for anymore advise then by all means contact me privately and we'll see what can be done to assist you.

All the best

A.W.

 

[Ray Perks]

Hi again Andrew,
thanks for that.
On the advice of a friend of mine I did a search on the Newspaper Archives website and came up with a number of newspapers of the period and checked these laboriously during my day there, alas to no avail.
I think I'll now do the same for the Soton area and check to see if I can find any references to this woman there. What I need is a reference that describes what she did and I guess the local rags are the best place for this sort of thing. I think it would be fairly straightforward albeit longwinded to find her family (tree) details to complete the info on her, possibly an obituary may also give details of her life and actions.
Cheers
Ray

 

[Senan Molony]

There was a Mrs Workman who was involved with one of the special fundraising theatre galas in London in April/May 1912...

 

[Ray Perks]

Hi Senan,
so many thanks for that. It's just the sort of thing I'm looking for! Do you have the source please or any more info?
Cheers
Ray
ps I'm away from home at present so my responses may be a bit sporadic.
R

 

[John Golledge]

I came across this forum when searching for details of my great-grandfather Joseph Reece Workman and can add the following information if it is of any assistance.

Joseph Reece Workman, born c1861, was a civil engineer by profession being involved in both the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway and in the opening of the tomb of Tutankhamun. I am however unaware of any connection to the Titanic. He was widowed prior to 1900 and as such the Mrs Workman referred to could not have been his wife, my great-grandmother.

George Workman, his father, was born c1834 and married Elizabeth Reece Cook?, born c1832. It is possible that this could be the Mrs Workman to whom the inscription refers, although I am uncertain as to whether she was still alive at this date, if she was, she would certainly have been of a great age!

Hope this is of some help.

 

[Ray Perks]

Hi John,
it is me that is researching the inkstand and thank you for your post which I read with very great interest. I believe I have identified the husband of the Mrs Workman as one Vernon Workman who has links with the Croydon and Southampton area of the UK and is described as a "Steamship Manager". Sadly it sounds as your great grandfather is not of the Workman family I am looking for.
Thanks again!
Best wishes

 

[Phyllis Ascah]

To Ray Perks.
I have emailed you directly, but have a little more info. My Grandfather was Matthew Henry Workman and my Grandmother Rachel (Davies) Workman. My father was Vernon Workman (died 1956). The inkstand you show is in my brother John's possession now, handed down by my mother who died in 2005. We all lived in Purley, then Sanderstead, but emigrated to Canada in the '60's.
I would be most interested in any follow up info you have.
Thanks, Phyllis (Workman) Ascah, Toronto

 

[X----- X-------]

Ray -- haven't forgotten your request but I may have a link on the Census records for England. A number of various Census records do appear for a family under the surname of "Workman". This is the only family I found after a full in-depth search by cross-referencing a number of the small selection of Southampton Directories and matching both with the Census records. The 1911 Census is really what I would call your best shot. There is, as always a big "however" in the way as a high level of uncertainly stands as I cannot make the claim that this family of Workman's are linked to the treasured icon you so rightfully possessed.

The mother is -- Elizabeth Reece Workman. Aged 80 years, Widow.
The son is - Joseph Reece Workman. Age 50 years Widowed. Occupation - Civil Engineer Disengaged
The daughter is - Ann Reece Workman. Aged 24 years. Single.

The family as a whole are residering at "Inglenook" Winchester Road Bassett Southampton.

Otherwise living in an affluent area of Bassett, does pitch family standards as exceptionally wealthy for 1912.

My next daunting task usually ends up as a class of "head-bashing-against a brick-wall" by taking the next step higher and searching the local paper's and observing carefully what may have been reported with the Southampton editions.

I hope the above makes sense.