User:Julienbrown/Josiah Brown

Josiah Browne was born in Attenborough, Nottinghamshire on 4 March 1841. He was the second son of Richard and Sarah Browne an Attenborough family that is believed to date back to circa., 1600. He originaly started his working life as a representative with a brewery in Sawley making deliveries to Public houses in the Long Eaton and Sawley areas. He used to sing in the Public houses during the week but on Sundays was the organist and choirmaster at the St Laurence Church, Long Eaton. At some time before his wedding he chose to drop the ‘e’ from his surname. He married Elisabeth Stretton from Derby at Bramcote Church on 18 January 1870. Between them they had nine children. Shortly after being married, in 1871, he established a shop called Josiah Browns which was located in the High Street, Long Eaton. This also served as the family home which was located above the shop. The shop began as an off-licence to sell beer wines and spirits together with sports goods and tobacco. Deliveries from the shop were made by horse and cart. The same horse but with a trap was used to transport the family to Church on Sundays, but being used to its daily route it used to stop at all the Public Houses along the way. After Josiah’s death in 1891 from pnumonia, the business was managed by his wife Eliza until Ernest Vincent Brown (b. 14-5-1876) took over the business in 1909. His eldest son, Henry Richard Truelove (b. 28-11-1870), had entered into the lace trade as a designer before his fathers death where he later formed his own business. Josiah is busied at St Laurence Church along with some of his chidren who dies in their infancy and a memorial was errected to Josiah in the St. Mary's Church, Attenborough.