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Thank you Richard. My son trained as a metal fabricator so I'll quiz him, meanwhile, I'm off to Google this!

Pedrocut, thank you so much for all this information and directions to expand my searches on Ancestry. All this information really helps me to see how Matthew built up his business, he must have been quite an entrepreneur despite his humble beginnings. His father was a labourer as were his...

This would have been Matthew's grandson Albert Picken, who joined the business aged 13 years old. Yes! I think it's highly likely that they did buy Mr Wizzard out. By the 1960s, my brother recalls playing in the back-to-backs behind the factory and the footprint of the factory took up a fair...

I like it! Yes, he could well have done, except in 1914 this would have been his grandson Albert Picken. You'd have thought the likes of the Pickens with their dirty industry, would have kept the vacuum cleaner business busy!

Thank you Mike, another lovely find. :)

Thanks for your reply Malcolm. The factory number was 24, it seems that I was looking at the serial numbers not the house numbers on the census! I'm planning a trip to the Birmingham library to take a look at old records and get some colourful details for the book.

This is fantastic, thank you! The first thing that struck me was the date. For years I have been researching my family and find that dates constantly repeat. The date of the patent is my son's birthday. Isn't this a fantastic document ... so clear. Thank you again.

This is so useful, thank you. They obviously extended Frankfort Street and reused the Macdonald Street name. The factory in the 1990s was almost opposite the end of Gee Street, so you are about right.

Thank you so much for this. This is book 2! Albert was William's only son and started in the business aged 13 years old. Albert was a wonderful man, he tucked my Dad under his wing and mentored him when he joined the factory after marrying my Mum. Mum was Albert's granddaughter.

Can you imagine how much smoke they must have been churning out to be a nuisance when everyone else was churning it out!

Amazing! I'm totally new to uncovering this information. Where did you find this?

For interest here are the notes my father made in 1979 about the history of the factory. He refers to the business growing so big that he covered "the whole of his garden", which I think is much more likely to be the whole of a dingy back yard! Is it feasible for an 'ordinary man' in the 1850s...

This is fantastic! Where do you find this information? I know that Birmingham was a centre for rifle manufacturing for hundreds of years and I believe that Joe Murdoch, who took Matthew as his apprentice, was an ex army armourer. There must have been some influence here. My husband is ex Army...

It really is and there are some extraordinary twists and patterns of behaviour in the family which unwinds throughout the 200 years. It's quite a story which my Dad always wanted written. It's only now, when I stumbled across a publisher who told me to 'write the book', that I have the courage...

This change of name from MacDonald Street with an existing MacDonald street in place has confused me a little. However, we know that the factory was in the current Frankfort Street. I'm trying to understand how my ancestor could have bought up a group of back to backs on what was the original...

Thank you for your comment Pedrocut. Matthew Picken's business was for wireforming and officially formed in 1854, although it grew from his back yard in what is now Frankfort Street. I do wonder if the carriage manufactory was one of his children. That will be another rabbit hole for me!

Thanks Lyn, I'll do that.

Hello, I hope I can re-ignite this Frankfort Street thread (edit - this new thread started for Matthew Picken). I'm Sara and I'm writing a family saga based on my 3 times great grandfather Matthew. He set up a business in Frankfort street when, I believe, it was named MacDonald Street. He...

Hi Lady Penelope. I'm Sara. I'm writing a book based on my family who started a wire component business in Frankfort Street but back in the 1830s when I believe it was known as MacDonald Street. If I search MacDonald St on Google, another street comes up. I'm trying to piece together how my 3...