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Messages - RayAngel

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Essex Lookup Requests / Re: "The Blue House" BRADWELL-ON-SEA in 1891 or 1901 Census
« on: Tuesday 19 September 23 00:02 BST (UK)  »
Hi y'all...as we say over here.  So very interesting to see the box of interests re-opened some 18 years following the last post.  Keith, I'm so happy you've re-connected to some branches of the family tree.  This has given me some stimulus to trace some of my family tree.  So I gather that Nora was my kind Nanny's first name.  I must now beg forgiveness for some false memory:  Nora, as I now know her first name, did not have a Ken nor anyone I recall living with her.  Ken was the son of our neighbor where we moved nearby some months later.  I don't know how she kept up the rather large property, it was picturesque and she was constantly tending to things.  I had a vague idea of wealth by age 10 and she did seem quite comfortable in that respect.  We did live "next door", but it was within the same building, I suppose modified along the way to allow a portion to be rented out.  To the left of Blue House was a vegetable garden that Nanny tended.  I sort of remember a small greenhouse also.  In front was the typical kept lawn and hedges.  The lawn continued to the right and around to the back of home and was beautifully kept with rose and flower gardens separated by short hedges and paths, very picturesque.  Seems her property was about 1-2 acres, unless the  vacant field behind was also hers.  I recently saw an ad for Blue House Cottage for sale, following an earlier sale in 2016.  That's too bad seeing as it had been in the same family for so long.  Perhaps Nora had no heirs interested in keeping it after she passed in 1980 (as posted earlier, although I thought a later date), so the home has changed hands a few times since then.  There's no need to knock on the door should we tour England again, as it's so very different now.  I shall visit the Kings Head, St. Thomas Church, perhaps St. Cedd's school and of course show the wife St. Peter's Chapel down on the Wall.
I am so sincerely sorry for the stir over the non-existent Ken (in this case).  Best to all, and TTFN.

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Essex Lookup Requests / Re: "The Blue House" BRADWELL-ON-SEA in 1891 or 1901 Census
« on: Saturday 16 September 23 22:08 BST (UK)  »
Hi Keith, cool to find someone interested & even related.  What was Nannie's (Ms. Kershaw) first name?  She seemed old to me then, I'd say about 45-50 yo, lol; her son Ken was probably mid-late 20's.  In our family of 4 (surname Angel), the parents were fairly young with mom Fern at 29 and dad Al (for Albert) 27.  They loved it there also, we were considered well-off but really were not as an enlisted man's family, except for the money exchange rate so preferable to the US.  You got back at us in 2010 when wife & I were astounded at your prices on visiting in 2010, lol.  How is your mom related to Nannie that I adored?  If possible please attach a picture of Blue House Cottage (one in internet not a very good one) or others of Bradwell if you think of interest.  I use to play in/around the King's Head pub with the son of the proprietor; we'd get kicked out & go across the street to that ancient church. We of course went to the primary school down the block (now St. Cedd's) of which I cannot find much history about....we were told it was related to the Roman occupation, although it may be more like the Norman conquest.  Tell mom "Hi" from the Angels.   

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Essex Lookup Requests / Re: "The Blue House" BRADWELL-ON-SEA in 1891 or 1901 Census
« on: Friday 15 September 23 00:07 BST (UK)  »
Stumbled across this website whilst looking up Blue House Cottage.  In 1959 at age 10 I lived there for a year or more; dad rented the left half for our family of 4.  I loved Ms. Kershaw who quickly became my Nanny.  She was widowed, I really don't remember her first name (& my parents now deceased so can't ask them  :().  I loved to sit with her in her beautiful gardens listening to tales & playing with "Conkers" that I made from her horse chestnut trees.  She made me hot tea on her coal-burning stove on cold mornings, taught me how to suck sweet sap from honeysuckle.  Sweet as honey she was, only time I saw he upset was when a group of fox hunters galloped over her short hedge & galloped across a portion of her beautiful property out back.  Some of it was farmed, her son Ken taught me how to plow using their ancient tractor. The roofs were very short & my 5'10" dad would bump his head on roof beams. The front door was "locked" using a board slid over 2 supports (like in movies of ancient fortresses).  It had a thatched roof that didn't leak, at least not much, but smelled foul sleeping at night (in a top bunk) if raining.  Believe she was from London as she told me stories of placing in basements during the German Buzz-Bomb attacks.  I went to the local school, which is hundreds of years old.  Was taught cursive using a wooden stem with metal tip, using an ink well & blotting paper, I kinda liked that.  I did not like their toilet paper, was similar to kitchen wax paper, so I carried regular TP from home, lol. We moved a few miles further out Maldon Rd. to a "new" place only 50 yrs or so old & were considered "fancy" because we had indoor bathroom & hot water tanks.  Us kids then went to school in Maldon.  I loved every minute living in England & was at least a year ahead of classmates upon return to US.  My parents went back to England about 20 years ago & Ms. Kershaw had passed but believe they did see Ken. 
Hope y'all don't think ill of me posting so much later, perhaps it'll stir other's interest, it sure was memorable for me.     
 

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