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James Hardacre & Walking Pictures

James HARDACRE (1861-1947), is our 2nd Great Grandfather, from Settle, North Yorkshire. He was the fourth of six children born to Cooper & Casker, Richard HARDACRE, & farmer’s daughter, Mary CLAPHAM. James appears to have excelled at school and chose a career in teaching. After taking teaching positions in Halifax, Skipton, and Redmire, James settled in Nether Poppleton as Headmaster...

Hardacre/Hudson Comments: 0

The Gracia sisters & PacTel San Francisco

Eight Gracia sisters were born between 1901-1914, seven reaching adulthood, interspersed between four brothers. None of the sisters had reach the age of 18 by the time their father passed away on Armistice Day, 11 November 1918. From 1920 until the mid 1940’s six of the Gracia sisters worked as Telephone Operators and, of those, five worked for PacTel San...

Gracia Comments: 0

Ann Fussey’s Award for Respectable Servitude!

Our fourth great grandparents Ann SPROXTON (1797-1875) of Roos and Anthony FUSSEY (1784-1860) of Ryehill married in Sheckling cum Burstwick in the winter of 1814. The village names may appear unfamiliar but they are all in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the far east! To say the couple were productive is an understatement. Ann delivered fifteen children in 25 years,...

Fussey/Sproxton

The Gracia brothers & San Francisco Shipyard

The Gracia family of San Francisco all followed a common path in their occupations. Three out of four brothers became metal workers and six out of seven sisters became telephone operators. Their father, Emile Vincent GRACIA (1877-1918) died aged 41 from colon cancer, leaving his widow Frances with nine children under 18 years of age. The two elder sons shouldered...

Gracia

Jim Thompson’s South American Adventure

James “Jim” Thompson (1881-?), our Great Granduncle, took a leap of faith in September 1907. Married in York just four months earlier, Jim departed Liverpool bound for the southern tip of the South American continent, Patagonia. The isolated and remote location had developed a large and highly profitable sheep industry which recruited shepherds from British farms. Patagonia occupies nearly the...

Thompson

Our families and 1906 San Francisco Earthquake!

5:12am Wednesday, 18th April 1906, Northern California was struck by an estimated 7.9 magnitude earthquake, shaking the city of San Francisco for 42 seconds. 80% of the city was affected by the quake, however the subsequent four days and nights of fires caused the total destruction of historic downtown San Francisco and the loss of thousands of lives. In the...

Brandon/Gracia/Grant/Mahood/Mendoza/Thompson

Marchetti & Togliatti V State of Utah

The Marchetti & Togliatti families emigrated from Balangero, Piedmont, Northern Italy, just 16 miles northwest of Turin. Emigration commenced at the turn of the 20th Century and within 13 years both families had emigrated to the USA. The families embarked from Italy, taking multiple paths, but all ultimately passed through the copper mining town of Bingham Canyon, Utah. Immigrants had...

Marchetti/Togliatti

Wilfrid Hudson & Fortress Engineers

Wilfrid Hudson was born and raised in Bridlington, by Jane and Joseph Henry Hudson, who ran a building firm in the town. After studying civil engineering he joined the Bridlington Corporation as an assistant borough surveyor.

Hudson

Nobby Clark & The Searchlights

Albert Wear Clark aka Nobby Clark was born 1921 in Darlington, County Durham, the third of nine siblings born to a steel worker and worsted cotton spinner. Nobby followed in his father’s footsteps as a labourer in the steelworks. As with many large working class families Nobby joined the Territorial Army after leaving school. The opportunity for extra income and...

Clark/Hudson

Montreal House

1300 Stockton Street, San Francisco, California. Newlyweds, Francois & Marguerite Gracia, initially lived at 13001/2 Stockton Ave, from 1877. Known as Montreal House, it was a three story lodgings and saloon at the north eastern corner of Stockton & Broadway. Francois aka Frank worked for the Hotel, providing furnished rooms by the night, week or month, and Marguerite, aka Maggie,...

Gracia/Mahood