My grandfather must have arrived in Peel 1884/5 from France aged about 14/15.
Family stories say "he was in service" presumably with a family in Peel area where when he was "pinching strawberries from off a plate" he was photographed as proof of his crime! Either before that or later "I worked with the penguins and was always being bitten by them". Around that time were there many well to do families who hired help and where would the penguins have been? In 1891 he was married and lived in Laxey working as a miner. His sister, Annie, gave birth to a son in Ivy Cottage in Peel in 1885 but no mention of her or Albert on 1881 census. Their father was "a seaman with Marseille connections" (born in Yorkshire!)but no record of either parent on 1881 or 1891 census. Another story was he used to follow "John Cains muckcart" and shout "Cain the Muck" This gentleman had the task of collecting human waste and dumping it wherever. I assume he would have worked for the "council" or had his own "business". Any ideas or suggestions to find clues, greatly appreciated....Pat