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  1. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    Thank you Richard. I've been on a huge learning curve!
  2. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    To everyone involved in this thread, I'm excited to say that the novel I posted about 13 months ago is now published and available everywhere, including Kindle. A Legacy Forged is receiving terrific reviews on the historical content too. I wanted to show your acknowledgement in the image below...
  3. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    I didn't expect to be so passionately drawn into the history of Birmingham when I started this project. I don't consider myself a Brummie even though my roots are right there. But I do feel very strongly about wanting to see the vibe in Birmingham lifted. It was a great city once and it's so sad...
  4. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    Thank you, I appreciate your quick reply. I'm happy to do whatever feels the right thing to do. You're right, it IS about the history. While I'm writing fiction, it was so important not to have any historical bumps in the road!
  5. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    I wanted to pop back in to thank @Pedrocut @Astoness @Richard Dye @pjmburns for your wonderful assistance in finding nuggets of information. The first book, A Legacy Forged, is now signed off and I hope to publish on 25th October this year. Your encouragement and generous assistance in finding...
  6. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    Thank you for finding this. This event will be recreated, a fictional version, in the second book which is currently being written.
  7. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    I hope you might be interested to know that this small advert that you found, ignited a big story in my novel. I wanted to say thank you for finding and sharing it. I'd like to mention you in acknowledgements. I'm happy to use @Pedrocut as your name but, if you prefer, you can email me at...
  8. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    Pedrocut, you'll never guess. You were right! He probably did buy up Sarah Cudd's cycle fittings, OR he started manufacturing pedals for her!
  9. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    I love that you found this. There was so much hope all the way through from Matthew and then some crazy twists and turns happened and the whole thing turned into a historical family saga!
  10. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    I love it. The history is coming together.
  11. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    Things can get a little muddled on Ancestry. Matthew senior's father was definitely Matthias. He also had a son named Matthew. Matthew Junior keeps popping up to confuse me with dates!
  12. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    Yes, I picked this up on Ancestry. Matthias was a labourer and worked in Kemberton, Shropshire. That's where his son, Matthew Picken, set out from when he was ten years old. I love Sarah's signature. It looks for well controlled and makes me think that she was an educated woman. I did wonder if...
  13. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

  14. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    Very sad for Birmingham and its illustrious industrial past.
  15. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    When I look at the challenging times for industry and the UK just in the 20th century alone, it is an achievement.
  16. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    It's a book of fiction based on the truth of how the business grew over 200 years. I WISH I could find something out about Joe but he hasn't appeared in my Ancestry searches and I didn't want to get sucked down rabbit holes instead of writing! I am prone to enjoying a rabbit hole but I must get...
  17. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    Thanks for the Kelly's Directories tip. The factory went into liquidation after 6 years of horrifying upheaval for my parents. The did everything to keep the company solvent although they were in their 70s. The bank finally called in their loans in 1996. Almost 200 years after Matthew started...
  18. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    Thank you. I'm really grateful for these snippets but aware I need to join in too! Decided to use the youth who died story in Book 1. It gives a lovely opportunity to start to bring in another thread that weaves its way through the future story.
  19. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    Oh lovely Sarah Sophia. Bless her for suffering so long. Are you finding these in Ancestry Pedrocut? I'm loving them. It really colours in their life for me.
  20. WriteTheBook

    Picken Matthew

    Wow! That's a find. Thank you. Worth including, I reckon.
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