Can’t seem to find a decent, square-on picture of Craddocks. This on was spotted in Clarice Mayo & Geoff Harrington’s great book ‘Memories of Old Brownhills’ by David Evans.
A great request reaches me from Rose Marie Burnell, mother of the gorgeous Edward and wife of Richard Burnell, also late of this parish. Rose has started a great project, which given recent discussions, should provoke conversation and questions for all local history buffs hereabouts. I’ll let Rose explain.
Hi Bob!
Following the articles on your blog about the Craddock family, I have been inspired to make a family tree for Edward. It’s very addictive and I’m using ancestry.com which is a fantastic tool.
My mum and dad met in Brownhills (at the Hussey Arms at a Rotoract local history talk!), and as their families both lived in the area, I’m coming to realise just how much of my family’s history was played out here.
My great great grandmother was Alice Bradbury who ran Bradbury’s department store and Howard Craddock was my great great grandad who ran the grocery distribution business.
On my mum’s side, my grandmother Nancy McCarthy worked as a community midwife here and delivered many, many babies in the area (including me!)
A great one of Bradbury’s for the period image spotters. Great car, and is that a Silver Cross pram? Wonder if the occupant is still local? Image from ‘Memories of Brownhills Past’ by Clarice Mayo and Geoff Harrington.
Would you mind at all if I used your blog to ask people in the local community to share any memories or photographs they may have of Bradbury’s, AH Craddock, CT Craddock or of Nancy McCarthy with me to help ‘colour in’ the skeleton family tree I have started work on? Ancestry software allows me to add memories to individual profiles; it would be fantastic to add some detail beyond simple birth and death dates.
If this is okay with you, you are welcome to use the above on the blog. You’re welcome to have a look at the tree when I’ve done some more of it.
Rose
Thanks to all for contributions so far, and if you have anything to add, please do comment here or mail me at BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Thanks.
As a side issue, I’m particularly interested in recollections of the Midwife, Nancy McCarthy. We have scant record here of the ladies who helped deliver the next generations of locals and of their essential and caring work. Such important history should be part of the record, I feel.
Any of the ladies here care to comment?
Bradbury’s seems to be more of an emporium than a mere shop. Image from ‘Memories of Brownhills Past’ by Clarice Mayo and Geoff Harrington.