Barnabas' occupation?

[onyx_treasure]

     I agree with victoriawinters.  I have a question about Barnabas'  inheritance.  I seem to recall Joshua and Jeremiah were partners.  Joshua could have chosen to leave his portion of the business to Jeremiah.  In parallel time, Bramwell was not part of the business.  Was Barnabas just an employee when we first see him in 1795?  Were the Collins family into shipping and shipbuilding?  I read a fan-fic once that said Barnabas was a shipwright(carpenter employed in the construction of ships).  I always thought he had a working knowledge of every aspect of the family business through apprenticeship.  I don't think he held any position of power since his father seemed very much in control of his son and any money his son would have access to.[spoiler]  Joshua treated him like an employee sending him to the shipyards in the pooring rain.  He threatened to leave him without money or the ablity to get a job when he married Angelique[/spoiler]

[stefan]

I don't think he held any position of power since his father seemed very much in control of his son and any money his son would have access to.Spoiler:

Well, Barnabas was suppose to be only about 25 to 30 in 1795, so even if Barnie was going to inherit most of Joshua's business, it would have been normal for a father to treat the son as an underling. I understand that Jeremiah might have had his own share of the business, separate from Joshua, that probably would have remained with him and his heirs. Also, Joshua and his son were very different types. Joshua was a rather dry, business-like, shrewd and controlling character - probably a wokaholic, unlike Barnabas, who seemed to be more influenced in life by his romantic feelings. Obviously, Barnabas was a far more sensual person. Perhaps Joshua felt Barnabas needed more discipline and it was his duty as the father to teach him the emotional tools to successfully carry out the family name and the business. That's how I saw their dynamic.

[BuzzH]

Joshua was a rather dry, business-like, shrewd and controlling character - probably a wokaholic, unlike Barnabas, who seemed to be more influenced in life by his romantic feelings. Obviously, Barnabas was a far more sensual person. Perhaps Joshua felt Barnabas needed more discipline and it was his duty as the father to teach him the emotional tools to successfully carry out the family name and the business. That's how I saw their dynamic.

I agree wholeheartedly w/this.  Joshua was domineering and stern, and IMHO scared the shit out of his son.  Probably he scared Jeremiah as a boy too, but by the time of the 1795 plotline Jeremiah had grown a sack.  Barnabas was more than likely coddled by Naomi and as such more in touch w/his feelings etc...a bit of a mama's boy you could say (which is how I see Frid as well).  This is something that I'm sure infuriated Joshua no end.  By the time Barn married Angelique though, he was starting to be his own man, and I think what caused Joshua to respect him a little as they got along more as equals near the end after Josh finds out Barn is a vampire.

[Luciaphile]

     I agree with victoriawinters.  I have a question about Barnabas'  inheritance.  I seem to recall Joshua and Jeremiah were partners.  Joshua could have chosen to leave his portion of the business to Jeremiah.  In parallel time, Bramwell was not part of the business.  Was Barnabas just an employee when we first see him in 1795?

Well, I think entailment was pretty much a British thing back then, although I could be wrong. If an estate was entailed it would always pass from eldest son to eldest son and could only be broken if the father and the son agreed to it. It would seem plausible to me that Joshua was entitled to leave his money to anyone he chose. It is also possible that Jeremiah's portion of the business was also an inheritance.

Were the Collins family into shipping and shipbuilding?  I read a fan-fic once that said Barnabas was a shipwright(carpenter employed in the construction of ships).  I always thought he had a working knowledge of every aspect of the family business through apprenticeship.  I don't think he held any position of power since his father seemed very much in control of his son and any money his son would have access to.

He was most likely dependent on his father for money. I don't think he would have been apprenticed in any formal manner. Those usually entailed binding contractual agreements and tended to involve trades (blacksmith) or proper "professions" (e.g. the law). The Collins family is supposed to be upper class and in those days that would not have encompassed carpentry of any sort. It seems likely that while Joshua and Jeremiah probably had their areas of expertise, they would have had to wear multiple hats in the business (although without getting their hands dirty). Naomi mentions Joshua being at the shipyards and again it seems plausible that this was the source of the family's wealth--although evidently they were involved at some point in trade with Martinique (sugar to rum). Commercial canning didn't get going until the Civil War (it was around in Napoleon's time, but there was some kind of process that needed to be developed to prevent food spoiling/food poisoning prior to the Civil War). I've always supposed that as shipbuilding waned as an industry, the family took up commercial canning (sardines) and relied on that for their money.

Since Naomi defies Joshua disinheriting Barnabas and gives him and Angelique the Old House, I think it's safe to say she had her own money (settled on her in marriage agreements perhaps).

[onyx_treasure]

     Thanks Luciaphil.  I was hoping you would chime in.  I have read some Dickens novels and it seems even sons of the well to do can be mistreated.  I always thought that was an angle the writers might play with.  Joshua seemed to respect Jeremiah more than his own son.  He did not seem that close to Sarah either.  He told Miss. Winters in an annoyed voice that Sarah was in his library and she would only stay in the nursery if Miss Winter was with her(like spending five minutes with his daughter was torture).
     When I read the fan fic about Barnabas as a shipwright, I did not know the meaning of the word.  The way the story was written it made it seem more like he was an engineer.  After I looked it up and saw the world carpenter, it made Barnabas seem more manly. 

[victoriawinters]

I doubt Barnabas, Jeremiah or Joshua directly had anything to do with the actual labor for the construction of ships.  I'm sure they had people for that or it was contracted to someone else that specialized in ship building.

Barnabas' marriage to Angelique was a huge disappointment to Joshua for the following reasons:

1) She was in a lower social class.
2) Was a servant.
3) Had no business connections to help cement Collins family wealth.
4) He probably didn't like her.
5) It would have reflected poorly on his social class and position.

Josette on the other hand was a best choice in his mind because:

1) She was in the correct social class.
2) Her father was a shipper and client of the family business.
3) Her father would have other business connections to refer the Collins family business.
4) He felt she was more suited to Barnabas.
5) It would have reflected positively on his social class and position.

In the upper class, it's all about your family connections, social class or business connections.  It may not always be about love.  The marriage of yesterday was not necessarily about romance or feelings of love.  It was duty.

I believe after Barnabas' marriage to Josette his inheritance and position in the family business would have been sealed.  However, right to inheritance was not set and sealed to the eldest son and a father could and would change the inheritance rights.

In the current case, none survived.  Joshua adopted Daniel and the rest is Collins family history all the way to the 1960s Collins family.  Untraditionally, women in the family inherited controlling interest in the family estate and business.  To wit, Judith and Elizabeth had controlling interest of the family business with the understanding that the next male inherited all when of age (Jamison and David).  Thus, it was not a given that the first born son would inherit.  Occaisionally, it skipped a generation.

[Julianka7]

One point about Elizabeth I garnered from the early episodes,
She had control of the business and Collinwood because she bought
Roger's share from him. He ran thru his money and had to live on her
bounty after that.

[MagnusTrask]

wow... sounds more like parallel roger to me.

too many spoilers in this thread for me. 

[Nancy]

a bit of a mama's boy you could say (which is how I see Frid as well).

It's always interesting in see how fans perceive actors whose work they admire.  For example, the above comment is the exact opposite of reality where that actor is concerned. Oh boy, how much the opposite.  Stories I could tell, lol. 

Nancy

[Willie]

I always pictured Barnabas as being groomed to take over Dad's business.  Maybe he served in the Navy for a while, to gain an understanding of sailing and make a man out of him, then when he came back to Collinsport, Joshua would have perhaps started him out doing manual labor, for just long enough to have some understanding of shipbuilding techniques.  Joshua just seems like the type who would pride himself on having his son working alongside the laborers in order to REALLY know shipbuilding inside and out.  Later (like in 1795) Barnabas would have assumed various management positions to give him a good understanding of all aspects of the business.  Eventually he'd be some sort of vice-president, 'till dad died and then he and Jeremiah would run it.  Barnabas, being the son, would be in control, but considering Barney's personality Jeremiah would be somewhat of a co-president.

[IluvBarnabas]

You guys have made me curious....what about in the present time, after he became human, did Barnabas EVER have a job at all? I know he couldn't exactly hold down a job (at least not during the day) when he was a vampire but it occured to me we never saw Barnabas in the present time, as a human being, put in any 9-to-5 hours. Of course he did have [spoiler]Cassandra/Angelique to deal with and Adam breathing down his neck, pestering him for a mate most of the time. And then it was trying to help Chris find a way to end his werewolf curse, then dealing with Quentin's ghosts, then the Leviathans, etc.[/spoiler] :-


Perhaps Barnabas had enough of those family jewels to tide him over....enough to hold him over so he didn't have to work?

[Darren Gross]

He worked for Vandelay Industries.

[Angelique Wins]

You guys have made me curious....what about in the present time, after he became human, did Barnabas EVER have a job at all? I know he couldn't exactly hold down a job (at least not during the day) when he was a vampire but it occured to me we never saw Barnabas in the present time, as a human being, put in any 9-to-5 hours...

I've thought (and included it in my fan fic) that it would be a natural thing for him to have one of those historic sailing ships that you see from time to time.  They do costumed reenactments and have "battle sails" where they engage in mock combat and fire cannons at each other (sans cannonballs, lol!) and are available for charters.  It would tie in with his family history and fit in Collinsport nicely. So that's my theory!  

Judy

[michael c]

according to lara parker's trashtastic "the salem branch" barnabas is apparently looked at as a "poor relation" and has been reduced to earning his keep as a dealer of persian rugs.

one of the numerous off-putting things about this tale.

i think on the show itself it's implied early on in the storyline that barnabas has willie sell several pieces of estate jewelry and that's where much of his funds comes from.

besides his monetary needs are actually rather limited if you think about it.surely liz doesn't charge him any sort of rent on the old house.there are no utilities in the house.it's doubtful willie is particularly well compensated for his employment and for much of the time his dietary needs are sated on the cheap.

he is rather nattily attired.perhaps much of his dollars go to collinsport's finer haberdasheries.

[arashi]

besides his monetary needs are actually rather limited if you think about it.surely liz doesn't charge him any sort of rent on the old house.there are no utilities in the house.it's doubtful willie is particularly well compensated for his employment and for much of the time his dietary needs are sated on the cheap.

he is rather nattily attired.perhaps much of his dollars go to collinsport's finer haberdasheries.

Wow good points! I too had often wondered where Barnabas' spending cash comes from, not thinking that he really didn't need tospend $$ on anything at all.