[ElizabethHerts]

OH and I have been to Surrey Family History Centre today.
My 2x-great-gandparents had a large draper's shop in Guildford High Street that continued to the 1960s. M&S is there now.

When it closed my grandmother's cousin, the MD, Leslie White, deposited many documents with the Archives. This included photos, title deeds, indentures, staff books, accounts etc.

OH and I managed to get through three boxes, then my back was really complaining, so we've left the other three boxes for another time.

I was really chuffed as they had many photos of the shop and also some of my 2xgreat-grandfather William Edward White, and also one of him with his wife Elizabeth (Bessie). It also had references to Elizabeth's father, including his will.

The best item was the staff wage book and a double page dedicated to my great-grandmother, Ada Quintrell.
It was entitled "Miss Quintrell" and gave her wages, and the fact that she did a 3 year apprentice (as a milliner). The last entry along the side I like very much :
"Left Decr 24/90 to be married going to Chertsey Good girl"

What the writer - either W.E. White or Bessie his wife?? - didn't say was that she was to marry Herbert Edward White (13 January 1891) , the son of W.E White and Bessie, and that there was a shop in Chertsey that Herbert was to run. Unfortunately, Herbert was very sickly and gave up work after a while and died in 1902 when my grandmother was 9 years old.

I have taken so many photos today - hopefully I'll be able to work out the chronological history of the shop, as William Edward White was in partnership with others for a long while.