Becoming an Archive Assistant at Wakefield

My name is Rachel and I am one of six Archive Assistants based at West Yorkshire History Centre in Wakefield. I started my role as an assistant during the 2021 Covid-19 national lockdown, so I had an unusual start to archive work. As things begin to move back towards some sort of normality, I am …

A Yorkshireman in America Part 3

We hold a number of letters from Norman from the early 1930s and these letters include reminisces about Norman’s formative years in South Crosland, for instance “I used to meet our George with milk at the Armitage Bridge school, and took it over the road”. A picture of the area that was sent to him …

A Yorkshireman in America Part 2

Despite the initial difficulties Norman faced, he obviously enjoyed being in America because he became a naturalised citizen on the 10th May 1884. We don’t hold all the letters Norman ever wrote home, but we do hold one for at least every 10 years, so we can see how life progressed for him as a …

A Yorkshireman in America Part 1

I recently came across the Norman Mellor collection (ref: C407) and was amazed by the fascinating letters and photographs showing the life of an English emigrant in America during the late 19th – early 20th Century. It was too interesting to not write about, so join me for this 3 part mini-series where we’re going …