Zachariah Pearson: Man of Hull by Marian Shaw
There is not a statue of Zachariah Charles Pearson (1821-1891), twice Mayor of Hull, on the land he gifted to the City for its first public park. Why not? Here the great-great-granddaughter of the Victorian philanthropist builds a life-story from a fascinating mix of family and local folk-lore and photographs, genealogical research, and the resources of local, national and international archives - as well as travel to the United States and long journeys online. Thousands of pieces of jigsaw spread out on the table are brought together to make up a picture of Zachariah's life as he built up his business from humble beginnings and rose to fame, fortune, and philanthropy. By the age of 21 he was captain of 'the finest ship then sailing out of Hull'. Within the next three years he was married and the owner of his own vessel - a young entrepreneur expanding his trading routes and establishing his businesses around the world, ready to turn events to the advantage of his family and the development of his city. What could go wrong? As the book reveals, dramatic world events, bad luck and poor judgement were to bring prolonged financial and social disaster.In his later years, when rebuilding his public presence in Hull, Zachariah certainly maintained a lower profile than his previous flamboyance. A fascinating slice of the history and life of nineteenth-century Hull.
'Very exciting news! Marian Shaw, great-great-granddaughter of Zachariah Pearson, has published a book about her ancestor, the founder of our beautiful ParkThis is a must-have for all Park lovers and supporters, containing as it does maps of the area and 66 black-and-white historic illustrations.' Friends of Pearson Park Newsletter, October 2016; 'I enjoyed the personal story of Zachariah, an unusually ambitious man, and his family - with his extraordinary life events starting in Hull then his huge losses and how he coped with it. I learned about world events, shipping, the northern city of Hull, Garibaldi, the US Civil War (this was very well explained), the process of the law in London at that time, as well as the influence of newspapers and journalists. The author is able to describe attitudes at the interesting time of Victoria and Albert as well as the loyalty of the people of Hull to their benefactor. .. [and] the infighting and envy of others. The research links up generations and gave me a very good idea of life at that time, particularly around 1860-65. I enjoyed the author's sense of humour and personal asides very much; her hard work has produced a real tribute to the family. The final section of the book gives a very comprehensive and fair reflection on a man who is well worth the effort of getting to know.' Dr Adrienne Regan.
Family rumour and casual curiosity prompted history sleuth Marian Shaw to start exploring the life of Zachariah Pearson, but once she began to uncover the breadth and complexity of her great-great-grandfather, her interest became an obsession.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781845301569 |
| ISBN 10 | 1845301560 |
| Title | Zachariah Pearson: Man of Hull |
| Author | Marian Shaw |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Zeticula Ltd |
| Year published | 2016-09-23 |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |