Colinjones
New Member
While researching my family history, I realised that we might possibly be responsible for the name of this road on the boundary of the Village Trust area. I found the 2009? thread by Sandra Coley which suggested Mary Vale might have been the name of the housekeeper at Bournville Hall, which was demolished about 1900 to create the Girls Recreation grounds. Dare I suggest an alternative? My Great-great grandfather Thomas Terry (born Solihull 1798) married his second wife Mary Ann Vale in 1827, and their second son William became a Temperance Missionary working in Bournville on behalf of George Cadbury from at least 1891, while he was still living in Princess Road, Edgbaston (with my eventual grandfather as lodger!) By 1911 he had moved to17 Selly Oak Road with his wife Ann (Voas), while my grandparents Ernest and Ada Jones with their first child Leslie (my father) were living at 56 Linden Road. William died in 1918, still in post to the best of my knowledge.
The family were not Quakers, but were heavily involved in establishing the Church of Christ chapel in Beaumont Road (immediately opposite the off-licence, which was the nearest alcohol sales could get to Bournville territory!), a tradition which continued through my parents until about twenty years ago when my brother retired from his positions as Secretary and Treasurer, and moved away. My grandmother continued to live at 218 Mary Vale Road where she ran her business of milliner and haberdasher with only one assistant until she was well into her 80's.
Bearing in mind that the local authority (presumably the Kings Norton and Northfield UDC ) and the Post Office would have needed to approve the naming of the road, is it not possible to surmise that the Cadburys asked William to suggest a name for it during the course of his employment, which would have been an opportunity for him to memorialise his mother? Comments or further evidence would be welcome.
The family were not Quakers, but were heavily involved in establishing the Church of Christ chapel in Beaumont Road (immediately opposite the off-licence, which was the nearest alcohol sales could get to Bournville territory!), a tradition which continued through my parents until about twenty years ago when my brother retired from his positions as Secretary and Treasurer, and moved away. My grandmother continued to live at 218 Mary Vale Road where she ran her business of milliner and haberdasher with only one assistant until she was well into her 80's.
Bearing in mind that the local authority (presumably the Kings Norton and Northfield UDC ) and the Post Office would have needed to approve the naming of the road, is it not possible to surmise that the Cadburys asked William to suggest a name for it during the course of his employment, which would have been an opportunity for him to memorialise his mother? Comments or further evidence would be welcome.
