Giuseppe Bracchi (Joseph Brackey)

[Astoria]

I'll have a look on my old maps for you, I have a feeling I may have plotted these addresses at some point.

[Astoria]

Thanks Astoria,
I sent away for Naturalisation record of Giuseppe and found the info that you have just sent me.
I appreciate your help all the same.
In one of your earlier posts you said you do not know Wales but you do know Morecambe.
I am trying to find out where the exact location of "1a" Queen st was in 1901?
Or was it a flat ?
As my family were living there in 1901 Census.
I went to Morecambe earlier in the year, to do research in Library in the Trade Directories & phone books.
Queens Hotel is on the seafront and into Queen St.
At the moment Sams fish bar is listed as 1-3 Queen St. The Brasserie is listed as 2 Queen St.
Tried looking on old maps for 1 "a" but could not find ?
Also trying to find out which "number" on Marine Rd Central is the equivalent of the old "6 Queens Terrace" and what shop is there now ?
As i have took lots of photo's of shops but cannot pinpoint exact addresses.
Hope you or anyone else may be able to help
Many thanks

I think I can be fairly certain that 1a Queens Street was a flat above what is now Sam's Fish Bar, there was a little alleyway which ran to the left of 8 Nelson Street and the entrance would have been through there, on the left, my friend had the flat to the right above your families chip shop, you had to climb a ladder to get to it (I will pop round and have a look this week).

Working round the pubs, Queen's Hotel and Pier Hotel.

In 1901 the Queen's was 60 Queen Street but in 1891 it was 1 Queen's Terrace, (now 273-4 Marine Road ) the Pier Hotel was 9 Queens Terrace, (now 284-285 Marine Road - originally the Pier Hotel did not extend right to the corner of Clarence Street.

Working between the two addresses I think 6 Queen's Terrace is now 279 Marine Road - 5 to the left of the Queen's Hotel, about halfway down this part of the terrace. (Again I will go and have a look this week)

From memory I think there is a little shell shop round about there, they have been there for almost 50 years, I will go and quiz them.

This article will be of interest to you if you haven't already seen it -

thevisitor.co.uk/looking-back/Party-time.3735740.jp

It should work if you copy and paste it into your browser (so my behind the scenes advisor tells me)

Just to add the numbering of Queen Street has changed several times, originally the numbers were not odd and even for opposite sides of the road.

[Brackster]

Thanks Astoria,
I ran out of time while I was at Morecambe to work places out, just took a bunch of photos and tried to work it out back home.

I guess where your friend use to live above the Bracchi chippy at 8 Nelson St, is now where the Lord Nelson has extended its premises to, it looks on my photo that it extended the pub to do Live music & Karaoke.

I had seen the article in "The Visitor" of Ernest Brackeys street party,
I tried e-mailing them a couple of months ago to see if I could get a copy of the photo, but have had no reply.

Thanks for all your help

[Astoria]

I ran out of time while I was at Morecambe to work places out, just took a bunch of photos and tried to work it out back home.

If you look at the roof line rather than what is at street level, it may be easier to work out the numbers, many shops have been knocked through to their neighbours,

I guess where your friend use to live above the Bracchi chippy at 8 Nelson St, is now where the Lord Nelson has extended its premises to, it looks on my photo that it extended the pub to do Live music & Karaoke.

What is now the Lord Nelson used to be a hair salon where I did my training in the 70's, my boss was born in the building, I think, son of a fisherman, lost at sea. He turned it into a wine bar in the 80's. He lived above the chip shop when he first married. The chip shop was owned by Italians in my day but they were not Brackeys.

I had seen the article in "The Visitor" of Ernest Brackeys street party,
I tried e-mailing them a couple of months ago to see if I could get a copy of the photo, but have had no reply.

I might be able to help you there, I went to school with the editor (small town) I will give him a call this week.

[Brackster]

Thanks again
You are a "mine" of information !!!
If you do manage a copy that would be brilliant, I had never seen his face till that photo, from what I can see he has a resemblance of my Grandad.

Anthony & Co had 8 Nelson st, in 1901 (after J Brackey).
This was P Antoniazzi, L Mosoli, & G Moruggi maybe some of there relatives had stayed on and took it over again after Ernest Brackey ?
(or possibly the Brucciani's or Obertelli's ?)

Just thinkin out loud !! but just noticed the "Astoria" Cafe in 1934 directory, (J Obertelli 52 Marine rd)
Have I just hit onto where you based your name on ??? (wild guess ha,ha)

[Astoria]

Anthony & Co had 8 Nelson st, in 1901 (after J Brackey).
This was P Antoniazzi, L Mosoli, & G Moruggi maybe some of there relatives had stayed on and took it over again after Ernest Brackey ?
(or possibly the Brucciani's or Obertelli's ?)

Pietro Antoniazzi aka Peter Anthony, yes, could have been one of his relatives, I want to say Macari but I'm not sure, the son was called Marco I think.

It wasn't the Brucciani's - they came later I think from Tuscany if memory serves. It wasn't the Obertelli's.

Just thinkin out loud !! but just noticed the "Astoria" Cafe in 1934 directory, (J Obertelli 52 Marine rd)
Have I just hit onto where you based your name on ??? (wild guess ha,ha)

You are quite right, my G Grandad died in 1931 - J Obertelli (Giovanni) was his eldest son the only one to be born in Italy. The Astoria was part of the Alhambra buildings down the West End of Morecambe.

I took some photos today and will see if I can work out your Queen's Terrace address later, some of the buildings are almost single storey now, which I don't think they would have been originally, I think there must have been storm damage at some point maybe the great storm of 1907 or possibly even a later one. A trip to the library is called for I think.

By the way my G Grandmother was called Luigia Besagni (does the name ring any bells)

[Brackster]

What !!! Luigia Besagni wife of Giuseppe (b 1850 Bardi)

Makes us distant relations, if correct ?

The Obertelli's & Bracchi's must have shared a few jugs of ale, around 1901 in the Bradford Arms (ha,ha)

They must have been friends !! especially coming from within 10 miles of each other in Northern Italy.

[Astoria]

No, a different Luigia but I think they must be related.

There is a reference to Joseph Brackey in a book at the library, can't find my notes on this - but it read something like. " Joseph Brackey who was instrumental in bringing over Italians (padrone?) such as the Obertelli brothers who were purveyors of ice cream and hokey pokey" (a kind of cinder toffee, still very popular in New Zealand, I believe.)

[Brackster]

Do you know who the parents are of these possible sisters

Domenica J M Bracchi b1940 Pontypridd Glamorgan
Giovanna M Bracchi b1947 Pontypridd Glamorgan

both have Mothers maiden name Obertelli,

I cannot find a marrriage record in UK, so cannot find Parents forenames?

[Astoria]

Hi Brackster,

No I don't know your Pontypridd sisters, but I will ask the family.

My best guess, working from old maps and census entries is that 6 Queen's Crescent is now Lees's Games, I was totally wrong about the buildings originally being higher. If you look at the Francis Frith site there are two photographs of that stretch of the promenade dated 1906, and you will be able to count the dorma windows between the Queen's and the Pier.

I will see if the library has anything else next visit.