Brangwin Family Newsletter: May 2002

Welcome to the May 2002 edition of our family newsletter. In last month's newlstter I indicated that there would be an article following up on Elizabeth Cowan's children. As further research is required before this can be completed, the promised article has been held over for a future edition. In the meantime we will look at that part of the family that turned up in Illinois. This month we look at Mary Ann Brangwin and next month we will look at her niece, Ann Brangwin. I would like to thank the many people who have assisted in piecing together the Illinois data. Firstly, there was Andy J Neufeld who has a general Dodwell interest; Debbie Gibson whose husband is a descended from Homer Dodwell; Helen in Idaho who provided a look up in the 1880 census for Dodwells in Illinois and finally, but by no means least, Dorothy Albert for her assistance in supplying names, dates and places as well as much valuable material, some of which you will see next month. I must also put in a plug for a number of organisations who have been providing data which can be viewed from the comfort of my home computer. I'm not sure if 'comfort' is the right term but I'm sure you get the message. Ancestory.com who hosts our Myfamily.com family web site is one of those organisations. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to readily access material such as the US census images. The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, otherwise known as LDS or Mormons, have put much energy and funding into the collection and filming of genealogical materal worldwide. They make this available to researchers throughout the world which means that it is possible to view films of original records close to home without having to travel halfway round the world. I am always disappointed when permission to film records has been denied as it makes it so much more difficult finding the answers to family history issues. Incidentally, probably because I spent far too much time at the local LDS family history library, I was asked to join the staff and have been a volunteer since the beginning of last year. In this way I am able to give back something to the LDS FHL in return for all the assistance I have received in my research.

Congratulations are extended to my niece Sandra Barnett, the eldest daughter of my older brother, John. Sandra married Welshman Gavin Rowley at Nyerimilang Heritage Park, Lakes Entrance, Victoria, Australia on Saturday April 27. Lakes Entrance lies 320kms east of Melbourne. Sandra and Gavin currently live in England just out of Bedford.

Contributions to the Newsletter are most welcome. If you find something that you would like to share please send it to me so that it can be included. My email address is lwuth@hups.net

Greetings from Central Illinois. This is the land the people from the east and west coast refer to as 'fly over country'. I suppose they mean there is nothing here that's important, but this is the heart of the corn and soybean country. We have rich soil brought here by the big glacier so many years ago and adequate rainfall and only specialty crops are irrigated. I have lived on a farm most of my life and I remember having cows, pigs, sheep, chickens and growing wheat, oats, hay, corn and soybeans but farming has changed in this area and it has become corn and beans only. The price of land is about $3000 and acre and it makes it an economical reason why the land is put into corn and bean production. Now the prices for these crops are below cost and so we will see more changes in the future.

Macon county had only a few residents in 1830 but by 1850 people were pouring in from all areas, many coming from PA and the east. I am not sure when the Dodwell-Brangwin family came to IL but it was most likely about 1853. after living in Essex Co, NJ for a couple years. We know they were in Essex Co. NJ in 1852 and in Livingston Co. in 1860 and then moved about 85 miles south to Decatur. Decatur would have been a growing city when Edward started his dairy business here. Abraham Lincoln was nominated for President of the U.S. from Decatur and Springfield, IL is only 40 mile west so our car license plates carry the motto "Land of Lincoln". Life would have been hard with only the strong surviving. Family lore told that although one of Edward's brothers had to write back to England for money, but he did not. Today Decatur is a town of nearly 100,000 people.

I am not of the Brangwin line but my husband and children are, and I have been working family history for a number of years after trying to get my husband involved as the Doctors wanted him to have a hobby after his heart surgery. He had always liked history and did enjoy all the things I found out about the family and would go with me to cemeteries and libraries but I had to keep the records. This is a fascinating hobby as I have learned so much history and met the nicest and friendliest people. The computer has been truly amazing, not that I have found data on it but it has put me in touch with people who have provided the answers I needed. Lorraine found me through a Dodwell relative in Texas and has given me Mary Ann's last name and family history.

I have been trying to find Mary Ann Brangwin Dodwell's grave. The family was of the Catholic faith and as there were no Catholic cemeteries in or near Pontiac, Lexington Co. I have read that most were taken to Bloomington, Morris, Joliet or Ottawa for burial. Family lore has always been that she was buried around Kankankee which is in this area but I haven't found her yet.

I have enjoyed reading Lorraine's newsletters and the pictures of England. Of course the more I read the more I want to know. Another family story was that Edward said he left England because they {don't know who they were] did not like who he married.

My husband Corwin John Albert would be the great great grandson of Edward Dodwell and Mary Ann Brangwin. We married in April of 1949 and he was in the Korean Conflict but never went into Korea. Years later we believe it was because it was because of his heart as he had open heart surgery with a valve replaced in 1976. Depression followed and later diagoinased as manic depression. With medication he was able to farm for several years and then needed a pace maker. Our son was graduating from high school and had taken a job in a factory and I told him if he wanted to farm he would have to quit and take over. He decided to farm and has enjoyed farming.. He owns a few acres, and rents the other land 50/50. Brian's father, grandfather and greatgrandfather were all farmers. Brian has a son in first grade and he was to write a paper about what he wanted to do when he grew up and he wrote he wanted to be a farmer and then he could get dirty.

Our oldest daughter is Judy and she is a music teacher for grades K-5 in East Peoria,IL. Her husband is a Lutheran minister and they have three children and the oldest is married. No children but 2 big dogs, they are greyhounds which were racing dogs until one year old and then are either adopted or put to sleep. Grandma [me] thinks babies would be better as they can be cuddled and spoiled.

Our second daughter, Carol Ann is married and is a rural route mail carrier, in fact she has the route I carried before I retired. Her husband works in a bank and does farm loans. They have 2 sons in college and think they will have lots of extra money when the boys graduate.

Our son, Brain is married and his wife works in the Visa department of a Credit Union. They have a daughter Nicole who will graduate from high school next month and Clint who is in first grade.

A picture of my family takes in about 1960, Corwin, Brian (2) Judy (10), Dorothy, Carol Ann (6)

Corwin passed away in November 1995. Beside his heart problems he had ALS which is commonly called Lou Gerhigs disease. After his health problems became worse, I took the test for Substitute Rural Mail carriers and hired on in 1979. I worked as a substitute until I had enough seniority to have my own route, I loved the job but winters in Illinois with ice and snow can be very scarey. I retired about a year before Corwin passed away and now I keep busy with volunteering at the local genealogy library, the Hospice office, church work and keeping house and my own yard work. I bought a computer 3 years ago and have really enjoyed learning to use it and the emails. Certainly wish I could tell Corwin all the family history I have found using the computer. I believe he [in spirit] does know only I can't hear the surprise in his voice when I tell him.

In the February newsletter it was mentioned that three Brangwin women had been found in Illinois. This month and next we look at what happened to two of them. Unfortunately, we have not found any further reference to Jane. Perhaps one day we will find her and can provide an answer. Until then, here is the story of Mary Ann. We will look at niece Ann next month.

A recap. Mary Ann Brangwin was born in Long Crendon about 1820. She was the daughter of Thomas Brangwin and Ann Baldwin, the second of their three children. She married Edward Dodwell on May 15, 1845 in Long Crendon. The Dodwells, like the Brangwins, were a long standing Long Crendon family and both families were prominent members of the Baptist church at Long Crendon.

At the time of their marriage, Mary Ann was a 25 year old spinster of Long Crendon. Edward was a 24 year old bachelor, of Kensington. They married by licence and both signed. The witnesses were Edward's brother Timothy and Esther Dodwell who was probably Timothy's wife.

We only know of two children who were born to Mary Ann: Edward J who was born in England on March 2, 1847 and a daughter whose name is unclear but is either Mary or Patty [according to one of the census who was born in Illinois about 1857.

The family had arrived in the US prior to the 1850 census which was taken on August 9. The family was living in Caldwell Township, Essex Co, New Jersey. Edward was a farmer and owned $500 worth of real estate. His age was given as 28. Mary Ann's age was given as 30 while young Edward was 3.

By 1860 they were living in Livingston Co, IL. [Note: IL = Illinois; Co = County]. The family moved from Livingston Co to Decatur in Macon Co, IL some time during the 1860s.

Mary Ann died sometime before July 4, 1869 as Edward married his second wife, Elizabeth, following the issue of a marriage licence on that date in Tippecanoe Co, Indiana. Edward died on August 4, 1881 at East North Street, Decatur, Macon Co, IL. Edward's obituary appeared in the Decatur Daily Republican on August 6, 1881:

The funeral of late Edward Dodwell took place from the Catholic Church this forenoon.
Father Mackin officiating. The attendance of friends was large.

On Thursday Aug 4, 1881 at his residence on East North St. Edward Dodwell age about 65 years died.

Mr. Dodwell was well-known in this city. He built up a large and profitable dairy business and was respected for his upright dealings. The funeral will take place on Saturday.

At some stage this part of the Brangwin tribe had become catholic. This may well have been the influence of Edward's second wife who was Irish. To date no indication has been found of when the family became catholics.

Edward J Dodwell the son of Edward Dodwell and Mary Ann Brangwin was born in England on March 2, 1847. He emigrated to the US with his family in 1852 and settled in Illinois. On his 22nd birthday (March 2, 1849) he married Lucinda C McGinnis in Macon Co, IL. Lucinda had been born in Illinois in December 1848 and she died in either 1913 or 1914 in Macon Co, IL.

According to the 1900 US census, Lucinda had 10 children, 6 of whom were still living in 1900.

When the 1920 census was taken, Edward was living with his daughter Maude and her husband John F Albert. He was 72 and widowed. He died in Bement at the home of his daughter Maude, aged 78, on November 8, 1925

Mary Dodwell was the second known child of Edward Dodwell and Mary Ann Brangwin. She was born in Pontiac, IL around 1857. She married John Kelly, an Irishman, on July 3, 1876 in Macon Co, IL. She died in 1913. Her obituary reads:

Mrs. Mary Kelly of 1029 East Cerro Gordo Street died in St. Mary's Hospital complications of diseases. Mrs.Kelly was born in Pontiac in 1855 and came to Decatur when she was 2 years old. She leaves 6 children. Mrs. William Highland of Mason City, Iowa, Mrs. William Burns, Mrs. Charles Miller, Mrs. Fred Pashal, John Kelly, Richard Kelly. Burial in Calvary Cem.

John Kelly was born about 1840 in Ireland, arriving in Illinois around 1853. He died on March 27, 1893 at 540 E Marrulta St, Decatur, Macon Co, IL. Cause of Death was meninigitis. He was buried in the Catholic Cemetery in Decatur, Macon Co, IL.

The name of this family varies between Kelly and Kelley, just to confuse the records!

From this point on, any reference to Macon Co should be taken to be Macon Co in Illinois.

Oliver Edward Dodwell was the eldest surviving son of Edward J Dodwell and his wife Lucinda. He was born in February 1870 in Illinois according to the 1870 census. He married:

According to the 1920 US census, Oliver was a coal miner and wife Beryl was running an hotel.

Lewis D Dodwell was the second surviving child of Edward J Dodwell and his wife Lucinda. He was born in 1872 in Illinois. He married Ida Witt on August 2, 1893 in Macon Co, IL.

At the time of the 1920 census, Oliver and Ida were living in Decatur in Macon Co, IL. Oliver was 47 and his trade was given as moulder brass and he was working in a factory.

Ida had been born in Germany about 1877. She was 42 at the time of the 1920 US census. She had arrived in the US in 1885 and had been naturalized.

George W Dodwell was the son of Edward J Dodwell and his wife Lucinda. He was born 1873 in Illinois. He married Emma Boehm on April 12, 1899 in Macon Co, IL.

In 1920 George was a companyman for a coal mine and he was living in North Jordan Street, Decatur, Macon Co, IL.

Maude Mae Dodwell was born in 1874 in Illinois, the daughter of Edward J Dodwell and Lucinda his wife. She married John T Albert on August 12, 1896 in Macon Co, IL.

At the time of the 1920 US census, the family was living at Long Creek in Macon Co, IL. Maude's father, Edward J Dodwell, was part of the household. He was listed as father-in-law to John F Albert.

Earl and Thelma with their children on the occassion of their 50th wedding anniversary
Left to right. Back row: George, Eleanor, Bernard, Gloria, Corwin Adrian and Dale.
Front row: Sandra, Beverly, Earl, Thelma, Carrol and Betty

Albert Dodwell, the fifth surviving child of Edward J and Lucinda, was born in Macon Co, IL in 1876. He married Laura B Meyer on September 10, 1898 in Macon Co, IL. This was Laura's second marriage and this one ended in divorce. Nothing further is know on Albert and Laura at this time.

Capitola May, the last surviving child of Edward J and Lucinda, was born in 1880. She married Audry O Sullivan on February 24, 1904.

Mamie Kelly was the daughter of Mary Dodwell and John Kelly. She was born in Illinois about 1882 in Illinois, most likely in Decatur. On July 7, 1903 she married William Burns in Macon Co. From the 1920 census we learn that Mammie or Mamie, as she appears in 1920, was living in Decatur with her husband, four children, all of whom had been born in Illinois:

The following obituary was published in the Decatur Daily Review on August 4, 1970:

Mrs. Mary "Mamie" Burns, 85, of 1227 N. Warren St. died at 3 a.m. Monday in Lakeshore Manor Nursing Home.

Requiem High Mass and Holy Communion will be held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in St. Patrick Catholic Church. Friends may call after 4 p.m. today at the J. J. Moran & Sons Funeral Home where the Rosary will be recited at 7:30 p.m. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery.
Mrs. Burns was born in Decatur, a daughter of John and Mary Dodwell Kelly. She was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church.

She married William Burns on July 7, 1903 in Decatur. He died on April 16, 1963.

Surviving are daughters Mrs Everett (Florence) Burgener, Moweaqua; Mrs. Adrian (Alice) Hathaway, Santa Monica, Calif.; Mrs Ray L. (Marie) Burns, Decatur; brother John J. Kelly, Decatur; sisters Mrs Elizabeth Hyland, Duluth, Minn.; Mrs. Kate Miller, St Louis, Mo.; six grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren.

Clara B Kelly was the daughter of Mary Dodwell and John Kelly. She was born on April 30, 1890 in Decatur. She married Fred W Paschal in 1909 and their known children, both born in Illinois, are:

According to her obituary which was published on March 10, 1968 "Mrs. Paschal was born in Decatur on April 30, 1890 the daughter of John and Mary Dodwell Kelly. She was a life long resident of Decatur. She married Fred Paschal in St. Louis in 1909. He died in 1949. She leaves a daughter Mrs. Clara May Bowers of Decatur, a son, Fred of Decatur, 3 sisters: Mrs. Mamie Burns of Decatur, Mrs Elizabeth Hyland of Duluth, Minn, Mrs Katie Miller of Belleville, a brother John Kelly of Decatur, 5 grandchildren, 7 greatgrandchildren. A brother preceded her in death.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Brintlingers Funeral Home. Burial in Graceland Cem."

As you can see, there are still quite a few loose ends to tie up. If anyone is able to assist in tracking down the descendants of Mary Ann Brangwin your help will be most welcome.

Lorraine invited me to write about my recollections of growing-up in post-war Britain, a time of dramatic events, considerable hardship and momentous change. I have compiled the following mostly from my own memories but some facts have been “corrected” by relations.

I apologise for the fact that there are so few photographs to accompany the article but, as readers will no doubt appreciate, home photography during the wartime years and those immediately following, was something of a rarity. It is just one example of how difficult it was to conduct life as we know it now.

I was born on the 25th of July 1940, the 9th surviving child of Francis (Frank) Frederick Brangwyn and Madge, née Heather. There was a 6-year gap between my next eldest sibling and me and the family consisted of six brothers and two sisters. One child died during infancy.

My place of birth was Isleworth, Middlesex, UK and the easiest way to describe its location to modern-day readers is by stating that Isleworth is about 10 miles east of London Heathrow airport. This house would turn-out to be my home for the next 30-odd years; families didn’t move around as much then as they appear to do now.

The picture above shows the street where my home was located, before it was fully developed. The trees at the end of the road were removed to make way for further houses but the gardens did retain some of the original fruit trees that formed the orchard before construction started.

My home was on the right-hand side of the street as viewed and was almost the last one in the row shown on the picture. The house was one of about 20 in a cul-de-sac, built on the site of a former orchard. Many of the houses were of mixed design and of varying size and I’m sure it must have been a puzzle to our neighbours that the largest family in the street occupied one of the smallest properties.

The house was a pre-war semi-detached dwelling with 3 bedrooms, one bathroom and one toilet. There was a kitchen and two rooms on the ground floor; one was designated a living room and the other was originally intended as a separate dining room but was always used as another bedroom. It seems inconceivable now that such a large family could have been raised in a home of such modest proportions but “individual bedrooms” was an unknown concept then!

By the time I arrived on the scene, one of my elder brothers had moved out and two others were doing National Service, so the overcrowding was not quite so bad as the reader might first imagine. When the war ended and the two enlisted brothers were demobbed, things were a bit more crowded, to say the least. One of my brothers got married in 1944, which eased the situation slightly. I was oblivious to all this overcrowding anyway!

Needless to say, for a property constructed in the early 1900s, there was no central heating, just open grates in some of the rooms for coal fires and a coke stove in the kitchen was the only source of hot water.

The garden, quite modest in size, was well stocked with fruit trees, these being the remnants from the orchard that existed before the housing development took place. Naturally, my mother made good use of the fruit and the apples, plums and cherries formed the basis of many a home-cooked pie for dessert. The apple trees were of an old variety no longer found on sale anywhere to my knowledge; there never has been a finer apple for stewing or baking!

My father kept chickens but I was not too keen on getting close to these, as they always seem to attack me whenever I ventured into their wired enclosure. I don’t know whether any of them ended-up on the dinner table for Sunday lunch; if they did, it didn’t put me off eating them.

As I was born during the early stages of the war, my memories of that period are few and far between. None of the young children of the family were evacuated to safe countryside locations, as was the normal procedure. I do recall having to take shelter when the air raid warning sirens sounded and I was able to differentiate between the warning and the “all-clear” signal from quite an early age. Unlike some of our neighbours, our house did not have an Anderson air raid shelter in the back garden; our usual place of shelter when the siren sounded was either in a cupboard under the stairs or beneath a half-size billiard table in the living room. I believe the reasoning behind these designated zones of safety was that, when a bomb exploding nearby damaged a house, very often the staircase was left intact. There was no such protection against a direct hit, however. The safety zone under the billiard table was selected because the slate table, mounted on very sizeable solid wooden legs, was (it was thought) able to withstand falling debris. Luckily, the efficacy of these two “shelters” was never put to the test and our house did not suffer bomb damage.

Both of these safety zones were small and only able to accommodate my next eldest brother and myself; if the air raids were at night, we used to sleep under the billiard table in the sitting room, whilst the rest of the family decamped to the kitchen or elsewhere. It was always considered safer for the rest of the family to sleep on the ground floor if night time raids were expected and there was much carrying-about of mattresses and bedding. Bombs were dropped in our locality (I believe the intended targets were local electricity generating stations and railway lines) and I don’t recall any “near misses”, thank goodness.

One other vivid memory of the air raid consequences was the obligatory wearing of a gas mask, which I truly detested. It was a special size, made for small children and, even though it was designed with a Mickey Mouse image, I really hated wearing it.

Two of my elder brothers were called-up for National Service during the war and were serving abroad; when they were home on leave, it was exciting (for me) to see them in uniform.

When the war ended and people were able to travel more freely, I recall seeing bomb damage wherever we went. It was many, many years (decades, even) before all such damage was replaced with new construction.

Severe rationing of food, clothing and other household utilities was in force during the war and for many years afterwards. As the family was so large, with each member (child or adult) being allocated a ration book, my mother always said she was never short of basic essentials like meat and dairy products.

There were shortages of everything during the war years and for a considerable period after 1945. Even when the war finished, rationing continued and even bread (which was not actually rationed during the war) was rationed between 1946 and 1948. With rationing, came queues although I don’t have any particular recollection of being involved in them.

Everyday items such as paper, string, soap etc were always used very frugally and nothing was ever discarded if it could be utilised elsewhere. Recycling is not a new phenomenon for those who were raised during these years of austerity.

When rationing was eventually phased-out it was amazing to see the range of products gradually increase, as manufacturers increased production. Being a child, my most vivid memory is of the huge increase in the variety of sweets that were on display in the shops. Not only the range but the fact that you could buy any amount you wanted, as long as you had enough pocket money. Sweets were one of the last items to be freed from rationing.

This was the era of most goods being sold loose, by weight and nothing was pre-packed. Butter was cut from a huge slab and cheese cut with a wire and wrapped according to each customer’s particular requirement. Biscuits were displayed in large tins and sold by the pound; ham was carved off the bone whilst you waited at the cold meat counter.

I clearly recall the first day I attended my junior school, aged 5. The building was of Victorian design, quite foreboding in appearance although I hardly recognised that fact then. It was quite a small school and I was the last in a long line of children from my family to attend, so my surname was well known to the teachers.

On my first day, I was alarmed at the number of other children who were quite grief stricken at being left when their parent departed after delivering their charges to the school. There was much wailing and a lot of tears that first day.

The school was within walking distance of my home (although I doubt many children of the current generation would agree to that statement) and, in the early years, I was accompanied by an older brother who dropped-me off on the way to his own school nearby. I returned home for lunch each day and it was not long before I was expected to make the journey unaccompanied. With only minimal amount of traffic to worry about in those days, it was not considered risky.

This was the period of “assisted passage” emigrations to Australia and New Zealand and many of my fellow classmates departed to make a new life at the other side of the world. I had little concept of the distances involved in these journeys but I was quite upset that so many of my friends were leaving England.

My Mother had the daunting task of raising three young children of school age after my father died in 1949. With seven children still living at home and four out working for a living but earning very modest salaries, finances were stretched. Things were far from easy but there was never a sense of deprivation that I was aware of. She always prepared a cooked lunch every day of the week and I (plus other members of the family who could get home within their lunch hour) used to enjoy these meals. I distinctly remember that, whilst attending both Primary and Secondary schools (for a combined period of about 10 years), I never once had to endure a school dinner!

Sunday lunch was usually a family affair, with roast meat or occasionally chicken (a rare treat in those days, not at all commonplace as it is now) and a hot pudding. The remains of the roast would serve us for Monday lunch, with possibly enough meat left over for sandwiches.

Shopping was done on an almost daily basis and, as it was long before the arrival of supermarkets, that meant travelling around between several different shops for bread, meat, groceries and the like. There was a limit to what could be carried home from the shops, which meant only small amounts could be purchased at any one time.

Some goods, such as potatoes, fish, bread and, of course, milk were delivered by roundsmen, Local grocery stores and a butcher also provided a delivery service for a weekly order; lads on bikes, balancing their substantial loads with great skill, delivered these.

It is worth remembering that in this period (1945 - 1955), my mother had none of the household appliances that are now considered essential. We had no refrigerator or freezer, no washing machine, spin or tumble dryer (consider that with 9 children to raise and remember that this is before the era of disposable nappies), no steam iron, no telephone, and certainly no prepared meals from a supermarket! The house did not have central heating but there were open grates for coal fires in 4 rooms (including 2 bedrooms) and the kitchen had a coke burning stove, which also supplied the hot water. Needless to say, this boiler was very rarely allowed to go out and woe-betide any member of the family who let the boiler extinguish through neglect.

I always remember the tradition of having one of the open fires lit in a bedroom if any member of the family was unwell. It was a real luxury to have a warm bedroom; in fact, during the winter, it was quite common to wake up in the morning to see ice formed on the inside of the windowpanes!

During an average winter, when the temperature dropped to below freezing, it was quite usual for the water pipes to freeze inside the house. If we were lucky, the mains water supply might still function on one tap in the kitchen, which meant that all water for washing etc had to be heated by the gas hob, as the coke-fired boiler could not be used in these conditions. There was minimal time spent in the bitterly cold bathroom in these situations, although we did have portable paraffin stoves to use providing we could obtain the fuel for it.

There was a severe winter in 1947 that is forever etched in my memory. Months of sub-zero temperatures were accompanied by heavy amounts of snow. In this exceptionally severe winter, even the mains water supply to the house froze and residents were forced to use a standpipe in the street to obtain water in buckets or whatever could be used. Root vegetables were frozen in the ground and could not be harvested and transport was severely disrupted, adding to the difficulties in obtaining coal deliveries and essential food supplies.

As nobody who lived at home had a car, everyone just accepted that to get anywhere one used public transport and all children quickly learnt to travel alone from a very early age. We lived some distance from a bus stop or train station but it was just a fact of life that you had to walk to the nearest point of departure before you could start your journey proper. The bus and trolley bus services were frequent and reliable, as was the local train service to London. Trams were being phased-out in the mid-1940s and I only recall making one trip on a tram, with my father, on a central London route.

I developed a great passion for train spotting and spent countless hours at one of the major rail junctions on the Southern Railway called Clapham Junction. Here were numerous tracks carrying express and local services to and from London and the southern part of England. Steam locomotives were still hauling many of the trains at this stage and I used to marvel at their power and sheer presence. I still enjoy riding in a steam hauled train whenever I get the chance.

In the immediate post-war years, there was no television broadcasting on a regular basis, just intermittent transmissions for a few hours a day. Apart from cinemas and dance halls (for those old enough to attend) everybody else relied on the radio or gramophone for entertainment at home. The records were 78s in the early days but I distinctly remember the arrival of the LP, record changers and radiograms in the early 1950s. I developed a love of classical music from hearing it played frequently on our record player and had got used to the frequent interruptions when a symphony was contained on about 10 double-sided 78s. I thought the idea of a whole symphony on one LP was amazing.

Radio was by far the most popular form of entertainment and amusement, with comedy shows and serials such as “Dick Barton”. Most news was gleaned from radio broadcasts as well although the newsreels shown in local cinemas kept us informed of major events both from home and overseas.

Other forms of family entertainment were board games such as Monopoly, card games (the adults only gambled after the children were despatched to bed!) and music provided by those who could play an instrument. We didn’t possess a piano but one of my brothers played the accordion and I seem to recall someone playing a banjo but I can’t remember whom!

At the age of 11, I moved-up to the next level of education and, once again, the school was located within walking distance of my home. This was a much larger establishment and I was not too happy with the number of pupils, compared to my junior school. It lacked the family touch that I had experienced at the junior school and felt very impersonal to me. It was also my first experience of having to wear a school uniform and the dress code was strictly adhered to: school cap, blazer, white shirt, grey trousers and black shoes.

Nevertheless, one settled in and made friends and quickly adapted to the new regime, which was quite strict in those days. I am still in contact with a fellow pupil I met on the first day at that school.

Again, it was quite an old building with limited facilities; it was also strictly segregated. The playground areas for boys and girls were separate and rigorously patrolled to ensure there was no fraternisation between the sexes!

In the early 1950s, there was still an atmosphere of austerity and things like new textbooks in the classrooms were a rarity. The only school visit that I recall was to a local fruit and vegetable market; I remember it because of the early start we had to make that day. Many of the customers at the market (shop traders) were still using horse-pulled carts to carry-away the produce they purchased and the market had their own farrier on site. I remember watching horses being shod and was quite alarmed at the amount of smoke emanating from the poor horses’ hoof when the red-hot shoe was applied.

Modern technology and the Internet have meant that it is now possible to make contact with other pupils who also attended that school during the same years as I did.

I well remember the radio announcement of the death of King George VI and the special editions of newspapers that were printed with a black border. (I still have one of those in my possession!) Following the funeral of the King, watched on the (black and white) newsreels in the local cinema, there was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II to look forward to, especially as all schoolchildren were given a days holiday.

We did not possess a television in 1953 but, luckily, an aunt who lived fairly close-by did own a small set. My Mother and I were invited to spend the day watching this momentous event unfold in real time in front of our eyes. I thought it was wonderful, even if the screen was so small it was difficult to appreciate the grand spectacle of such an event and the crowd scenes were reduced to a mass of blurred images!

Within days, I was able to see the colour newsreel of the event in a local cinema and it looked very much better on a big screen.

There were 6 cinemas in our locality and it was my major form of entertainment in the 50s and 60s. This was the boom period for the cinemas, each showing 2 films per night plus a documentary, a cartoon and a newsreel. In fact, my passion for the cinema led me to take-up the job of projectionist when I left school.

My first experience at earning wages was for helping the local milkman on his delivery round. At that time, a horse pulled the milk cart and I always remember thinking how clever it was of the horse to remember the route of the round. He used to move-off on a command from the milkman, move down the street a few houses and then stop again whilst the glass bottles of milk (freezing cold in the winter!) were delivered to the doorstep.

I only did this round at weekends and Saturdays was the day money was collected for the previous weeks’ deliveries. I was thrilled when I was given a tip when the customer handed-over the cash for the bill.

I also did a paper round after school finished; this was hard work because I didn’t own a bicycle (I never did learn to ride one!) so the delivery was done on foot. Not only did I and the other delivery boys have to do the “rounds” but also we were expected to collect the bulk delivery of evening newspapers (there were 3 titles published every day then) from the local railway station. The papers (a heavy, bulky bundle) were sent down from London on a local train and just dumped on the platform for us to struggle with back to the shop, where we had to mark them with the delivery addresses. It was almost slave labour and all for a pittance!

This photograph shows me with my brother Philip, when he took me on a holiday in the early 1950s. (If only the date had been noted on the back of the print!) As you can see, it was on a camping site but we had the luxury of a caravan.

I left school at 15 with only basic examination qualifications and I was eager to get a job and earn some money. I had a job already lined-up before I left school and started work 2 weeks after I left the school. I worked as a trainee projectionist in a local cinema, a job I enjoyed tremendously. It was a labour of love for me, despite the (what we now call) “unsociable hours”; I never tired of the work and learnt the art of presentation that is not found in the multiplexes of today.

Although I moved between cinemas, I stayed in that profession for about 6 years before I ventured further afield and went to work in London.

A county of England, bounded by Hertfordshire, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Buckinghamshire. It is one of the least counties in England, being only about 22 miles in length, and 14 in breadth. It contains 7 market towns, and about 98 parishes, without including those in London and Westminster. The air is healthy; but the soil in general being a lean gravel, it is naturally a district of little fertility, though by means of the vicinity to the metropolis, many parts of it are converted into rich beds of manure, clothed with almost perpetual verdure. Besides the Thames, the Lea, and the Coln, Middlesex is watered by several small streams, one of which, called the New River, is artificially brought from Amwell, in Hertfordshire, for the purpose of supplying London with water. Indeed, the whole county may be considered as a demesne to the metropolis, the land being laid out in gardens, pastures, and enclosures of all sorts, for its convenience and support. London is its chief place, and county town. Population, 1,576,636. (From Barclay's Complete and Universal English Dictionary, 1842.)

In 1889 the Administrative County of London was formed from the City of London, and parts of Middlesex, Kent and Surrey and was divided into boroughs. In 1963 this County was replaced by Greater London which also took in the rest of Middlesex and parts of Essex and Herts as well as some county boroughs. New London boroughs were then formed. [T.V.H. FitzHugh, The Dictionary of Genealogy, 1994.]

"Thirty years ago it was thought quick travelling from London to Oxford in 20 hours, but twice last week the 'Royal Magnet' Cheltenham coach performed the journey from Cheltenham to London, a distance of 100 miles, in 8½ hours, with a full load, including a stoppage of 25 minutes for breakfast; but we are happy to inform the public, and the friends of humanity, that the proprietors (Messrs. Horne, Boyce and Chaplin, Thumwood, Gilbert, Dangerfield, and J Haines, jun.) will not in future suffer any racing whatever by the above coach, but that it will continue (taking no notice of a rival coach lately put on the same road) to perform the journey in 11 hours, which they hope will ensure a continuance of those favours so liberally bestowed on them by a genereous public, for nearly two years."

For those making the journey in 1824, 11 hours must have seemed a vastly welcome improvement over the 20 hours of the 1790s. But within 30 years the railway had come to both Oxford and Cheltenham and even 11 hours began to look quite snail-like...

This somewhat challenging statement appeared in The Pembrokeshire Herald on March 22nd 1861, immediately before census enumeration day on April 7th 1861.

Pray, ladies, have you made your minds up as to what age you intend to be for the next ten years? Because the 7th of April, dears, is drawing sadly nigh at hand, you had better be prepared to answer this momentous question. It would be awkward to be taken by surprise at the last minute, and to let the truth slip out in the presence of a maid-servant, from whom you have for months, perhaps, been carefully concealing it.

Moreover, some ladies are apt, by the mere weakness of their sex, to let their inclinations get the better of their actions, so that their hands are often guided by their hearts, instead of being biased by the judgement of their head. Thus it happens when a Census sheet is set before her, Lovely woman makes (unconsciously of course) a wrong return, and states what she would wish to be instead of what she is. We have known ladies in this way to completely lose their natural control over their limbs, as to let themselves record the somewhat startling information that they are several years younger than they were ten years ago.....Nay, in a case which we can vouch for as having come under our notice, a lady called herself but two years only older than her daughter... Arising, as they do, from causes which are quite beyond all feminine control, we would not class these errors as intentional deceptions, nor say too harsh a word to the fair ones who commit them. On the contrary, we hold that to ask ladies their ages is a most unmanly act, which no woman of spirit for an instant should submit to...... Aim a census paper at her, and she sinks at once, half paralysed with fear lest her true age should be revealed by it......As every birth throughout the kingdom is annually registered, it simply is not possible to hide one's real age, so as to be clear of the danger of detection; and how foolish one would look if one were found out, and then fined (which one is liable to be), we leave to ladies who read Punch, and would not like to see their names there, to endeavour to imagine.

I hope you have found this edition of the Brangwin Family Newsletter of interest.

I would like to thank Dorothy and Geoffrey for their articles as well as Margaret for her invaluable input yet again.

That's it for this month. Next month we will look at another part of the family. And who knows what else will be featured!

If you have anything you would like to contribute I would like to hear from you.