George Jäger Senior
The story that my great-great-grandfather told in his memoirs is a fascinating account of how a young man found his way from the workhouse to being a successful business owner.
Along the way he encountered many problems, some of his own making, others due to bad fortune or his naivety in relying on people who did not warrant his trust. A large part of the story is the growth of his Christian faith, describing in some detail the torments he faced.
The whole story ends very suddenly, as if once he achieved success, there was no more story to tell; or maybe even he had lost interest. Not long before that, he describes what would to most people be a traumatic period in their lives as one of great happiness.
My father spent a great deal of time and effort transcribing these memoirs and attempting without success to get them published, as he sincerely believed that this narrative deserved a wider audience. Sadly he did not live to see the arrival of the internet as a means of telling this story to a wider audience.
I have taken on the considerably easier task of scanning his typewritten transcription and breaking it down into chapters. In its original form it is a continuous narrative.
As my father's introduction explains, there are two separately written sets of memoirs. This is version B/C. I intend in due course to complete the transcription of version A.
Meanwhile I hope you enjoy this fascinating story.
1 My Father
2 Life in Sommersdorf
3 Return to London
4 Life in the Workhouse
5 Seeking Work in Chatham
6 Continuing on to Dover
7 Thence to Portsmouth
8 First Journey to Liverpool
9 As Far North as Dalkeith
10 South to Bristol
11 Hop Picking in Kent
12 Back to the Workhouse
13 Planning My Future
14 Return to Liverpool
15 Early Work There
16 Sin and Remorse
17 Start of My Search
18 Sight of Redemption
19 Joy of Baptism
20 Boiler Explosion
21 The Loss of the Pastor
22 Ups and Downs of Faith
23 Voyage to America
24 My Time in America
25 Return to England
26 Acquiring a Boat
27 Getting Started
28 Samphire Trading
29 Expansion Attempt
30 Ending in Failure
31 Various Employment
32 A New Venture
33 Starting a Family
34 Business in Preston
35 Back in Liverpool
36 Settlement and Progress
37 Dramatic Conclusion
GCJ