From connections made in late1999 with Carolyn Trangmar Plants in the U.S.A. this part of the
family has been renewing its links, it has been a real success story and makes everyones time and
effort so worthwhile.

The story begins in the North-west of England at Barrow-in-Furness around 1845 when the railways
were reaching all parts of England some sixteen years after the steam locomotive "Rocket" invented by
George Stevenson  won the Rainhill trials and paved the way for rail travel.

Barrow-in-Furness has been described as being at the end of a forty mile cul-de-sac, south of the
lake district and the Cumbrian mountains, Roose is situated about two miles North of Barrow-in-Furness.
In the 16th century it took Cromwell and his armies years to find Furness abbey, being one of the last
in the country to be destroyed during the dissolution of the monastries, local folklore says it was only the
sound of the abbey bells that led them there!

John Trangmar who was born at Patcham near Brighton, Sussex in 1820 had married Margaret Fell,
when their son Richard was born  at Roose near Barrow-in-Furness in 1858 Johns occupation was given
as Platelayer a person who puts the fittings to railway sleepers for the track to clamp to. This was a new
occupation for John as in the 1841 census when living at Patcham he was an Agricultural Labourer, he
could have learnt his railway skills on the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) that was
laid nearby. 

The tracks laid around Barrow-in-Furness were used mainly to haul iron ore and slate from the mines of
the Lancashire/Cumberland border to the sea at Barrow-in-Furness, an example of the type of locomotive
used is No3 Furness built in 1846 by Bury, Curtis and Kennedy of Liverpool which is housed in the
National Railway Museum at York. 

  

Richard was the third child of John and Margaret,  he emigrated and settled in America  around 1880,
marrying Sarah Mackay in 1882 and they had six children.

The next part of their American story and pictures from it can be found on Karen and Doug Spaeth's
pages as they take up Richard and Mary's history  and its legacy today.