A DOUBLE family reunion took place when 75 descendants of the Thom and Dugdale families gathered from as far afield as Australia, USA, Norway, Denmark, Abu Dhabi, and all over the UK.
Two generations ago the Thom family was known for its close connections with Foster, Yates and Thom, boilermakers and heavy engineers in Blackburn. The Dugdale family owned cotton spinning mills and the two families were united in the early 1900s when two Thom brothers married two Dugdale sisters. Sue Humphreys, daughter of Bunty Devlin (nee Thom), organised the event after she started researching the family history three years ago with her son, Michael.
With the help of Blackburn Library and the internet, they uncovered a wealth of facts about the two families and their impact on employment and industry in the Blackburn area.
At the reunion, at the Clarion Hotel, Billington, local historian Sheila Shaw gave a talk about the life and times of Blackburn and its industrial heritage.
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