Great Great Great Grandfather, Paul Brown

Great Great Great Grandfather, Paul Brown tells us that he was born in Scotland. However, by 1816 he was living in the vicinty of Newcastle upon Tyne in Northumberland, England. I wondered what would prompt him to move. But then I discovered that as early as 1804, a man named Richard Trevithick was hired by Christopher Blackett, owner of Wylam Colliery near Newcastle, to produce a locomotive that would replace the use of horse-drawn coal wagons. Other Newcastle inventors were also experimenting with steam engines. So, just about the time Paul Brown was living in Newcastle, a new industry was birthing. Is it possible that my long-ago ancestor was a train enthusiast and moved to Newcastle to be part of this new and exciting industry? Unfortuantely, Paul seems to have missed much of the heyday of early Northumberland railroading. By 1823 Paul and his family had moved and were living in Glamorgan County, Wales. Still, I wonder, since he lists his occupation in 1841 as "machine man," if he might have had something to do with the early machining of the new prototype steam engines. Interesting thought!

See http://www.northeastengland.talktalk.net/page68.htm#1813 for key dates in the developement of railways in northeast England.

Quote of the Day

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them."
--Mark Twain

Great Great Great Grandfather John Davis

My Great Great Great Grandfather, John Davis, may have been born in Merthyr Tydfil, at one time called the iron metropolis of Wales. The town is said to owe its name to Tydvil, the daughter of Brychan, the King of the district and very devout old man, who was murdered in 420 by a party of marauding Saxons, or, variously, Irish Picts, together with her father and brother. A church was erected on the spot to her memory and named after her, MerthyrTydvil, or Tydvil the Martyr. Tydvil is not an uncommon feminine name in Wales to this day.