What Is The Origin Of The James Upshall Name?
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I remember reading about it.
Ken Barnes said something about it being the name of one of Barry Jones family members.. or an estate.. or something.
Ken Barnes said something about it being the name of one of Barry Jones family members.. or an estate.. or something.
Family name, specifically it was Ken's paternal grandmother's maiden name. Ken's father was Kenneth James Upshall Barnes (1919-1981), and his father's mother was Annie Kate Upshall (1874-1949).
I'll add (for no particular reason other than it appeals to me) that Annie's father's name was Archelaus Upshall (1829-1900).
I'll add (for no particular reason other than it appeals to me) that Annie's father's name was Archelaus Upshall (1829-1900).
Do you have piles of notes or have you committed all this stuff to memory? I'm constantly astounded by what you know. Remarkable!
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Partly memory, mostly notes. There’s too much to keep in ltm, although it’s surprising the odds & ends that do stick.
But primarily like so many things nowadays it’s more about remembering where you put the information than remembering the information itself.
As for this particular example, it’s basic genealogy. You can’t understand family businesses (and almost all businesses began as family businesses) without knowing the people involved. I’ve laboriously developed literally scores of family trees, frequently going back many generations, to identify key individuals, how they were interrelated, and the roles they played. The Barnes family is only one of many.
More Upshall "trivia"...most pipe makers spray their blocks to read the grain, but Ken would just lick the block. Maybe not the best practice...didn't he die of stomach cancer? Also, I don't recall ever seeing Barry smoke a pipe; he would roll cigarettes using Old Holborn tobacco.
I remember Ken sending me a link to a video he made of himself shaping the blocks on his table saw, and, yep, he was licking the blocks. He was probably the greatest cutter of that period.
I recently bought a Tilshead (Upshall Second) from @ssjones so I actually just read about the origin of the name. I dug a bit into the Ken Barnes files that you posted as well. They took forever to open on my country-ass satellite internet. 
Unfortunately, someone already beat me to the punch with the answer. The pipe I purchased is a fantastic smoker.
Unfortunately, someone already beat me to the punch with the answer. The pipe I purchased is a fantastic smoker.
I couldn't locate the video that Jesse mentioned, although I feel quite sure that I have a copy somewhere. I did locate this photo that Ken sent me of him cutting blocks at Charatan.
Some of us here were amused to see Ken licking some briar on a Zoom meet, perhaps a year or so before he passed. I deeply regret not having reached out more over the years to help record his vast knowledge for posterity.
Apropos of nowt, I note that he was a "leftie" (like myself), giving full rein to his right hemisphere - it counts for a lot, like the practice of letting the briar tell him what it will do. Poor sod fell just before his state pension. Harsh, very very harsh.