William Brown was born c.1812 in Reydon, Suffolk and was the son of James Brown, a labourer. In November 1838 he married Jane Easy, born c. 1818 also in Reydon. William and Jane had ten children born between 1839 and 1865: William, Jane, Mary Ann, Josiah, Emma, Anna, Harriet, James, Thomas and George. William worked as an agricultural labourer and he and Jane continued to live in Reydon. Jane died in 1870 of consumption, just five years after her youngest child was born. After Jane's death, William contined to live at Reydon with his unmarried daughter Emma as his housekeeper. He died some 25 years later at the impressive age of 83, which must have far exceeded the life expectancy of a labourer born at that time. His death certificate records the cause of death simply as 'old age'.

Josiah James Brown (1846 - ?) and Ellen Ruthen (c. 1851 - ?)

Josiah was the second son of William and Jane Brown. He was born in Reydon on 13 June 1845. He lived in Reydon and Southwold for all of his life and worked as an agricultural labourer and miller's carter. He was married to Ellen Ruthen November 1873 also at Reydon. They had seven children: William Francis (born 1874), Harry (c. 1877), Honor Jane (c.1881), Lily Margaret (c. 1883), Emma Edith (c. 1885), Harriett Florence (c. 1888) and Alice (c. 1890). Josiah and Ellen were both still alive in 1901 and were living in the High Street, Southwold.

William Francis Brown (1874 - ?) and Rosanna Woods (1877 - 1904) 

William Francis Brown was may great grandfather. He was the first child of Josiah and Ellen and was born on the 1st October 1874 in Southwold. In 1881, the census record shows him as a blacksmith's apprentice. In 1899 he married Rosanna Wood in the Essex village of Dedham. BY this point he was a fully fledged blacksmith. William and Rosanna had a daughter (my Grandma), Edith Violet, born in 1901 and settled in the village of Trimley St. Mary in Suffolk. Rosanna died in 1904 leaving William a widower at just 30 years old with a 3-year-old daughter. The cause of Rosanna's death is simply recorded on the death certificate as 'epilepsy'. Five years later, William married Rosanna's elder sister, Edith and they had two further children - Stanley George (born 1911) and Marjorie Evelyn (born 1912).

Edith Violet Brown (1901 - 1992)