It is one thing to find out about our ancestors and kin and
what they did 100 years ago or even 200 years ago. Imagine how wonderful it if to find out
something about distant cousins that are alive today!
I was doing a typical google search and found something very
exciting about a fifth cousin (we share the same 4th great grandparents) and with permission given by Worcester
News, I am going to copy some of that article here.
A WORCESTER man has reached an impressive milestone by
turning 100 years old.
Lorimer Meredith Dobson, who is known to most people as
Meredith, still lives independently in his home in Worcester, and is still
quite the man about town.
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| Picture taken Jan 20 2014, just 19 days before his 100th birthday. |
Eileen Dobson, his daughter in-law, said: "He is
still very active and still goes down the shops and says hello to everyone, a
lot of people know him.
"We are all extremely proud of him for reaching this
milestone, it's incredible. He still remains a loving family man and it's
amazing how fit and strong he remains."
Meredith was born on February 8 in Radley, Oxfordshire.
At the age of five, he arrived in Great Comberton, near
Pershore, before moving once again to Rushwick in 1931 with his parents.
The former King's School student spent his entire life
working at Metal Box factories in Perrywood, Worcester, where through his work,
he visited Wales, London and South Africa and trained as an engineer.
While working in Neath, Wales, he met a woman called Vera
at a weekly dance in the Church hall in 1939- they married 14 months later.
During his time living in Wales, Meredith and Vera had
two sons called John and Richard.
In 1953 the family re-located to South Africa where
Meredith was working a superintendent at the Metal Box factories there.
It was in Cape Town where Vera and Meredith had their
third son, Gordon.
In 1958, via Neath, the family arrived in Worcester where
they have lived ever since. Vera sadly passed away in 2005. Meredith's interest
in sport may have something to do with his being very active, as he was always
a keen football and cricketer.
His love of
football transpires into a love for Worcester City Football Club, and until he turned 95,
the loyal supporter went to all their home games and even some away fixtures.
In order to keep track of his beloved club's progress now, he buys a copy of
your Worcester News every publication day.
Meredith celebrated his birthday with a lunch with all
the family and then a party with friends, old work friends and neighbours
joining them.
We are connected to Lorimer on his paternal side. His father was Lorimer Austin Dobson, born
1881) and his mother was Evelyn Smith. His
grandparents were none other than Benjamin Alfred Dobson (born 1847) and
Coralie Palin.
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| Are you aware you can do this kind of relationship chart on the family website? |
I could write oodles about Benjamin Dobson – but will stick
to the highlights. Benjamin was a prosperous business man and co-owner of a cotton mill in Bolton, Lancashire. He even wrote two books about milling
cotton. He was then elected mayor of
Bolton in 1894 and died while in office in 1898. A statue of Benjamin, purchased by public
subscription in 1900, is standing in Victoria Square beside the Bolton Town
Hall.
Coralie Palin’s parents were cousins. William Thomas Palin married Mary Helen
Palin in 1850 and Coralie was born in 1853.
Her great great grandparents were the “Portrait Palins”. Will discuss the “Portrait Palins” in
another blog.
 |
| Coralie Palin |
So much has changed in this world since Lorimer Meredith Dobson was born. He was born at the beginning of WWI, lived through the depression, lived through WWII and seen three Kings and now a Queen. All the amenities we take for granted to today were almost unheard of back then. I can only imagine the stories that he would be able to tell!
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