Samuel Holmes - A Proposed Forward to Robert Young's Book on Timothy Hackworth.

This pdf below, by Samuel Holmes is published here as a resource and was for the FOREWORD to 'Timothy Hackworth & the Locomotive' by Robert Young.  Jane Hackworth Young, who sent this copy, says

 "As it went to 75 pages. Robert Young wanted to be very careful at not completely degenerating George Stephenson, but it does contain some very important details as well as some incorrect ones."

Who was Samuel Holmes?

Jane, who has been busy transcribing letters written by Samuel Holmes to his cousin Robert Young (both men grandsons of Timothy Hackworth) says in an article in Globe, a journal published by the Friends of the Stockton and Darlington Railway that "the letters verify many claims and provide invaluable information to researchers. The main aim of Samuel and Robert was to obtain recognition of Timothy Hackworth's important contribution to the Steam Locomotive. Both were well qualified to write about him as they were successful engineers - Samuel in New York and Robert in Malaya. While Robert's claims were measured, Samuel sometimes overstated the case."

 While more information has come to light since, this forward from the 1920's may be a useful resource for anyone researching the history of the locomotive.

Jane Hackworth Young writes - "Samuel served a five year apprenticeship in the drawing office and shipyard of messers Pease and Co in Sheffield and was then appointed its chief draughtsman, so the Pease / SDR connection remained. In 1870 Samuel was contracted to build an iron road for the Canadian Government. He went on to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad,subsequently setting up his own shipping business and then moving to New York. Samuel Holmes died in 1920. Samuel,who retired in 1916, wrote letters of advice to Robert Young, supporting Timothy Hackworth's engineering skills and this PDF tract was a proposed but unused forward to Robert Young's Timothy Hackworth & the Locomotive'.

                     Samuel Holmes (Timothy hackworth's Grandson) in Quebec.

The Globe - Journal of the Friends of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Edited by Caroline Hardie.

Samuel Holmes Proposed Forward to Robert Young's Timothy Hackworth and the Locomotive. You can scroll down it or click the arrow top right to see it full size and down load or print via Google Drive.

John Wesley Hackworth Letters

 This letter in pdf form was contributed by Jane Hackworth-Young and is from John Wesley Hackworth to George Edward Young dated Darlington Nov 29th 1882.

Letters found in the Joan Hackworth Weir Collection sent by John Wesley Hackworth

John Wesley Hackworth's personal notebook 1876

John Hennon Hackworth 1893

John Hennon Hackworth (1843 - 1923) was the fourth child of Thomas Hackworth (1797 - 1877) but his three eldest siblings all died as children. (Thomas, of course, was the only (and younger) brother of Timothy Hackworth).

I don't quite know the history of this material that I found in a case of Hackworth material kept by John Wesley Hackworth's great granddaughter Joan Hackworth Weir nee Parsons.

John Hennon Hackworth was, as stated above, was descended from Timothy Hackworth's brother Thomas but seem to have taken over some of John Wesley Hackworth business and the london premises after his death. I will add these letters here and fill in any details that come to light as a when!

The original address of 147,Queen Victoria Street London corresponds to one of John Wesley Hackworth's addresses. in 1885 John Wesley Hackworth seems to be living or perhaps had an office or other premises at this address while still having a darlington address of Victoria Road which runs up to Darlington Railway station. The current railway station at Banktop was built in 1887, shortly before John Wesley Hackworth's death in 1991. Here are two letters to and from JWH.

These are some adverts for John Hannon Hackworth after moving to 46 Queen Victoria Road in London.

It seems that John Hannon Hackworth bought the Machinery and hardware Company in 1894 and rescued them from liquidation.

There also this item from the London Gazette with the material and is probably where the above cutting came from but I'm not sure how it all fits - it's here as source material, but I can't explain it at present.

There is also this Patent letter from 1887 - possibly one of John Wesley Hackworth's

John Wesley Hackworth - Replies to Letters in the 19c Press in Regard to Timothy Hackworth's Legacy.

 John Wesley Hackworth - Replies to Letters in the 19c Press in Regard to Timothy Hackworth's Legacy.