O J Brown & Son Butcher

A Memory of Blackwood.

I have no memories of Blackwood as such. My interest started when I retired and took on my Genealogy! Anyway, I knew about Ossie Brown and the family butcher's shop in High St but especially his father, Arthur J Brown, my grandfather's brother. They were born and brought up in Llantwit Fardre, near Pontypridd, where their parents Edwin/Edward Brown (born 1865 Red Lion Tce, Bedwellty) and wife were the licensees of the village pub 'The Bush Inn'! I didn't look into it, just added that fact to the tree!
A couple of weeks ago hubby and I were out and about, in the car, enjoying the beautiful valleys when we stopped at Argoed (cannot resist a graveyard) A gentleman was working on his garden and asked if we were looking for someone? We got chatting, as you do! I mentioned the butcher's shop in the High Street, so he told me about the annual history day. The next one will be in April and maybe I would find something out about the Brown family.
Not wanting to wait that long, got straight onto one of the branches of my tree, in Blackwood and couldn't believe how many twigs or relatives there were in the 1840's, mostly living in Charles Town, The Rock and Pontllanfraith.
BROWN, STOKES, SHEPARD, BURRIS, COLEMAN, WILLIAMS, FERRIDAY, LEWIS, HARDY, MATTHEWS, FREEMES, MORGAN, DAVIES, JONES
Elizabeth Maud Stokes was born in Hall St,1886. Her husband William Jones and herself married in Libanus Chapel 1907. Maud was a well known character about Blackwood! Always ready to help anyone in dire need, including loaning out furniture for neighbours parties and adopting 2 orphaned Stokes/Morgan nieces in 1929.
William Jones brother Sydney was involved with the early Labour Party in Wales, attended a Socialist college in Oxford and then helped educate younger party members. One of these was Aneurin Bevan, one of the great Labour Politicians of the 20th Century and the one who introduced the National Health Service to the UK. Early meetings were held in the chapels but after pressure from the coalmine owners, the clergy banned these meetings. William and Maud allowed the meetings to take place in their home in Blackwood.

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