Hi Nuala, You're spot on there about St Petersburg. Coats had the biggest thread mill in the world there from the late 19th century up till the time of the Russian Revolution, when it was nationalised without compensation. I vaguely remember a complicated story about all the title deeds, trade marks etc being spirited out of Russia by the Scottish managers in order to prove ownership in the event of the Revolution failing. Ironically, after Perestroika, the Russians asked Coats to provide technical expertise in modernising their thread industry, and (again vaguely remembered) I think some sort of a joint venture or partnership was formed, so Coats got back into the Russian market after all those years. In the late 1920s or early 30s, Coats also bought a German thread group, Mez AG of Freiburg im Breisgau, and with it came subsidiaries in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia and Romania, to add to their existing operations in other European, Asian, North and South American countries, so by the late 1930s they were truly a global group, and a very successful one at that. When they set up a new factory it was common practice to send a team of experts in every aspect of thread manufacturing, marketing, administration etc to set up the operation train local staff, and run the company. As a result, Paisley families dispersed all across the globe, so don't be surprised at Scottish connections in the unlikeliest places. Regards Ken Mathieson ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nuala Cockburn" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 7:23 PM Subject: Re: [Renfrew] Coats & Clarks > Another place Coats set up factories was St. Petersberg in Russia. My > husband's adopted great aunt was sent there by the firm to teach the Russian > girls in the cotton mill in the latter part of the 19th Century. She then > became a governess in the family of the Grand Duke of Mecklenberg Strelitz > where she remained until her death in 1908, she was buried in the family > cemetery there. > > Nuala > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Roxanne Neel" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 6:15 PM > Subject: Re: [Renfrew] Coats & Clarks > > > > Ken ~ Oh my goodness, I still have spools of Coats & Clarks thread from > > years ago when I used to sew! I assumed it was made in America... > > Thank you for the information! > > Roxanne Neel > > Cedarpines Park, California, USA > > > > > > Ken Mathieson wrote: > > > >>Hi Heather, > >> > >>The connection between Paisley and Guadalajara is that Paisley was once > >>the > >>World's leading town for the manufacture of sewing thread. There were 2 > >>huge > >>family businesses, the Clarks and the Coats, which eventually merged as > >>United Thread Mills Ltd, a subsidiary of J & P Coats Ltd, which is now > >>part > >>of the Coats Viyella Tootal group. By the end of the 19th century, lots of > >>countries were erecting tariff barriers to limit imports and foster local > >>industry. Mexico was one such, and one of the Paisley companies set up a > >>mill there (I'm not sure which), but in the 1960s & 70s when I worked for > >>Coats, they had a mill in Guadalajara and another in Mexico City, as well > >>as > >>in countless other places around the world. Some googling should yield > >>further info. > >> > >>I hope this helps, > >> > >>Ken Mathieson, > >>Uddingston SCT > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >>----- Original Message ----- > >>From: "Mariposa Obsidian" <[email protected]> > >>To: <[email protected]> > >>Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 8:28 PM > >>Subject: Re: [Renfrew] Muir, jamison, Orr > >> > >> > >> > >>>Hi: Could someone place look ont the early census for me (Paisley) and > >>> > >>see if you can find the families of: > >> > >>> Joseph Johnston (b. 1832 in Paisley, Scotland) > >>> Jean Young (b. 1838 in Paisley, Scotland). > >>> > >>> They both died in 1896 in Guadalajara Mexico. > >>> > >>> I am trying to research the family and find out how they ended up in > >>> > >>Guadalajara of all places! > >> > >>> Thanks! > >>> > >>> Heather Hess nee Wilson > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>>Cualli Tonalli! > >>>Mariposita Obsidiana, P.A. > >>> > >>>http://www.thelensflare.com/u_mariposa.php > >>>http://mariposadreaming.blogspot.com/ > >>> > >>>"I am an amateur and I intend to stay that way for the rest of my > >>>life." - > >>> > >>Andre Kertesz, Hungary, 1930 > >> > >>>--------------------------------- > >>>Yahoo! Music Unlimited - Access over 1 million songs.Try it free. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > > > > > > > > > >

My mother worked as young girl at the Coats mill in Paisley and we're now living in Australia. Sandy (Wagga x 2) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ken Mathieson" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 8:16 AM Subject: Re: [Renfrew] Coats & Clarks > Hi Nuala, > > You're spot on there about St Petersburg. Coats had the biggest thread mill > in the world there from the late 19th century up till the time of the > Russian Revolution, when it was nationalised without compensation. I vaguely > remember a complicated story about all the title deeds, trade marks etc > being spirited out of Russia by the Scottish managers in order to prove > ownership in the event of the Revolution failing. Ironically, after > Perestroika, the Russians asked Coats to provide technical expertise in > modernising their thread industry, and (again vaguely remembered) I think > some sort of a joint venture or partnership was formed, so Coats got back > into the Russian market after all those years. > > In the late 1920s or early 30s, Coats also bought a German thread group, Mez > AG of Freiburg im Breisgau, and with it came subsidiaries in Austria, > Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia and Romania, to add to their > existing operations in other European, Asian, North and South American > countries, so by the late 1930s they were truly a global group, and a very > successful one at that. When they set up a new factory it was common > practice to send a team of experts in every aspect of thread manufacturing, > marketing, administration etc to set up the operation train local staff, and > run the company. As a result, Paisley families dispersed all across the > globe, so don't be surprised at Scottish connections in the unlikeliest > places. > > Regards > > Ken Mathieson > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Nuala Cockburn" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 7:23 PM > Subject: Re: [Renfrew] Coats & Clarks > > > > Another place Coats set up factories was St. Petersberg in Russia. My > > husband's adopted great aunt was sent there by the firm to teach the > Russian > > girls in the cotton mill in the latter part of the 19th Century. She then > > became a governess in the family of the Grand Duke of Mecklenberg Strelitz > > where she remained until her death in 1908, she was buried in the family > > cemetery there. > > > > Nuala > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Roxanne Neel" <[email protected]> > > To: <[email protected]> > > Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 6:15 PM > > Subject: Re: [Renfrew] Coats & Clarks > > > > > > > Ken ~ Oh my goodness, I still have spools of Coats & Clarks thread from > > > years ago when I used to sew! I assumed it was made in America... > > > Thank you for the information! > > > Roxanne Neel > > > Cedarpines Park, California, USA > > > > > > > > > Ken Mathieson wrote: > > > > > >>Hi Heather, > > >> > > >>The connection between Paisley and Guadalajara is that Paisley was once > > >>the > > >>World's leading town for the manufacture of sewing thread. There were 2 > > >>huge > > >>family businesses, the Clarks and the Coats, which eventually merged as > > >>United Thread Mills Ltd, a subsidiary of J & P Coats Ltd, which is now > > >>part > > >>of the Coats Viyella Tootal group. By the end of the 19th century, lots > of > > >>countries were erecting tariff barriers to limit imports and foster > local > > >>industry. Mexico was one such, and one of the Paisley companies set up a > > >>mill there (I'm not sure which), but in the 1960s & 70s when I worked > for > > >>Coats, they had a mill in Guadalajara and another in Mexico City, as > well > > >>as > > >>in countless other places around the world. Some googling should yield > > >>further info. > > >> > > >>I hope this helps, > > >> > > >>Ken Mathieson, > > >>Uddingston SCT > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >>----- Original Message ----- > > >>From: "Mariposa Obsidian" <[email protected]> > > >>To: <[email protected]> > > >>Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 8:28 PM > > >>Subject: Re: [Renfrew] Muir, jamison, Orr > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >>>Hi: Could someone place look ont the early census for me (Paisley) and > > >>> > > >>see if you can find the families of: > > >> > > >>> Joseph Johnston (b. 1832 in Paisley, Scotland) > > >>> Jean Young (b. 1838 in Paisley, Scotland). > > >>> > > >>> They both died in 1896 in Guadalajara Mexico. > > >>> > > >>> I am trying to research the family and find out how they ended up in > > >>> > > >>Guadalajara of all places! > > >> > > >>> Thanks! > > >>> > > >>> Heather Hess nee Wilson > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>>Cualli Tonalli! > > >>>Mariposita Obsidiana, P.A. > > >>> > > >>>http://www.thelensflare.com/u_mariposa.php > > >>>http://mariposadreaming.blogspot.com/ > > >>> > > >>>"I am an amateur and I intend to stay that way for the rest of my > > >>>life." - > > >>> > > >>Andre Kertesz, Hungary, 1930 > > >> > > >>>--------------------------------- > > >>>Yahoo! Music Unlimited - Access over 1 million songs.Try it free. > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >