One Thomas Bradley

This article caught my attention because of the surname Bradley in it. It is one of the family lines in our ancestry. However, that Thomas Bardley mentioned in the clipping lived in Yorkshire, England, not in the US.

Clipping source: Cruger & Moore. Telegraph and Texas Register (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 40, Ed. 1, Wednesday, July 29, 1840, newspaper, July 29, 1840; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth48097/: accessed December 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

Reading the piece, I thought,  "I wonder how long he lived."

The condition described as "falling into a sleep" was probably a coma caused by some sort of brain aneurysm or another neurological condition. If it had need the previous, the bleeding would haved reoccurred again and again and/or finally, brought death.

I tried to find out more about Thomas, but not much luck with it.

Baby Thomas was christened in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, on 25 December 1817 (1).

Besides that, there is different data regarding various men by the name of Thomas Bradley who lived in England. 

Considering, the area where the family lived (Huddersfield, West Yorkshire) and his condition mentioned in the 1840 newspaper, I assume the young man did not live long. That is why the death record registered on 4 August 1846, in Caverley, Yorkshire, England, would probably be related to the family members mentioned in the above article. If that was so, "our" Thomas Bradley passed at the age of 28.

On the other hand, there is a census record from Huddersfield, Yorkshire of 1840. The data informs that a Thomas Bradley, born in 1817, was a lodger and lived in Leighton (Huddersfield, Yorkshire) in 1861 (2). So, perhaps, he lived longer despite all odds. Or, maybe not, who knows.

PS

Google info says that Leighton is a hamlet in North Yorkshire. Perhaps there was another one near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire? 

Source:

1. "England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NKQ2-WNY : 4 February 2023), Thomas Bradley, 1817.

2. "England and Wales, Census, 1861", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7C8-SSH : Sun Mar 10 08:26:56 UTC 2024), Entry for Thomas Bradley, 1861.

It happened in 1897

A mysterious airship traveled across the states, and in April of that year, it arrived in Texas. The numerous sightings of the "air train" were reported by many (including the ones regarded as "truthful citizens"), while others were hoping to see it and travel in it.

Clipping source: Ousley, Clarence. Galveston Tribune. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 17, No. 129, Ed. 1 Monday, April 19, 1897, newspaper, April 19, 1897; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1253119/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rosenberg Library.

Clipping source: Cain, Thomas C. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 8, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 24, 1897, newspaper, April 24, 1897; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth205344/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.

Clipping source: Gardner, J. W. The Daily Texarkanian. (Texarkana, Ark.), Vol. 13, No. 215, Ed. 1 Friday, April 16, 1897, newspaper, April 16, 1897; Texarkana, Arkansas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1656744/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Arkansas State Archives.

The assumptions and speculations on the air ship (ships?) origins had no end. 

Clipping source: Ousley, Clarence. Galveston Tribune. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 17, No. 129, Ed. 1 Monday, April 19, 1897, newspaper, April 19, 1897; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1253119/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rosenberg Library.

 

Clipping source:  Ousley, Clarence. Galveston Tribune. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 17, No. 128, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 18, 1897, newspaper, April 18, 1897; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1252872/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rosenberg Library.

The air ship designer was found?

Clipping source: The Houston Daily Post (Houston, Tex.), Vol. Thirteenth Year, No. 7, Ed. 1, Sunday, April 11, 1897, newspaper, April 11, 1897; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth84148/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

 Some suspected it could be a secret state project.

Clippings source:  Gardner, J. W. The Daily Texarkanian. (Texarkana, Ark.), Vol. 13, No. 215, Ed. 1 Friday, April 16, 1897, newspaper, April 16, 1897; Texarkana, Arkansas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1656744/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Arkansas State Archives.

More and more sightings were reported.

Clipping source: The Galveston Daily News. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 24, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 17, 1897, newspaper, April 17, 1897; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth465634/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Library Consortium.

Some people suspected the craft was out of this world.

Clipping source: Wheeler, Jesse O. The Daily Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 213, Ed. 1, Tuesday, April 20, 1897, newspaper, April 20, 1897; Brownsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth115928/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

Some claimed they not only saw the air ship, but also photographed it.

Clippings source:  Ousley, Clarence. Galveston Tribune. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 17, No. 127, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 17, 1897, newspaper, April 17, 1897; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1252926/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rosenberg Library.

Others quickly discredited the photos and somebody, inspired by the air ship craze, wrote a poem abut the mysterious vessel.

Clipping source: Ousley, Clarence. Galveston Tribune. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 17, No. 128, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 18, 1897, newspaper, April 18, 1897; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1252872/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rosenberg Library.

The air ship flew over El Paso in the middle of the night.

Clipping source: El Paso Daily Herald. (El Paso, Tex.), Vol. 17, No. 93, Ed. 1 Tuesday, April 20, 1897, newspaper, April 20, 1897; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth295941/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

And the judge saw it too.

Clipping source: The Galveston Daily News. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 25, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 18, 1897, newspaper, April 18, 1897; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth465540/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Library Consortium.

 More truthful citizens observed it in Texas.

Clipping source: The Galveston Daily News. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 25, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 18, 1897, newspaper, April 18, 1897; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth465540/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Library Consortium.

Noah's ark?

Clipping source: The Galveston Daily News. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 56, No. 24, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 17, 1897, newspaper, April 17, 1897; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth465634/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Library Consortium.

Did it multiply?

Clipping source: Ousley, Clarence. Galveston Tribune. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 17, No. 128, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 18, 1897, newspaper, April 18, 1897; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1252872/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rosenberg Library.

Some claimed they had been taken for a ride in the air ship.

 

Clipping source: Lowry, J. H. Honey Grove Signal. (Honey Grove, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 8, Ed. 1 Friday, April 23, 1897, newspaper, April 23, 1897; Honey Grove, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth387865/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Honey Grove Preservation League.

A few lucky Texans had a chance to inspect the air ship.

 

Clipping source: Source: Cain, Thomas C. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 8, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 24, 1897, newspaper, April 24, 1897; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth205344/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.
 

The air ship passengers spoke English and they talked to a local sheriff.

 

Clipping source: Wheeler, Jesse O. The Daily Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 219, Ed. 1, Tuesday, April 27, 1897, newspaper, April 27, 1897; Brownsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth115934/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

 

An extraordinary person was spotted among the air ship passengers.

Clipping source:  Wheeler, Jesse O. The Daily Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 218, Ed. 1, Monday, April 26, 1897, newspaper, April 26, 1897; Brownsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth115933/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

Mr. Schrader (the person really existed) was another phenomenon and a kind of celebrity of that time. He used "blessed handkerchiefs" during his divine healing sessions. Well, it was quite a different story, though.

Was the air ship real? Did it really travel around the state? What do you think?

Clipping source: Cain, Thomas C. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 8, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 24, 1897, newspaper, April 24, 1897; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth205344/: accessed April 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.

• Kudos to "The Portal to Texas History" for the old newspapers.
  

Brown Vest Mystery

Have you ever experienced anything strange you could not or found difficult to explain?
Here is my story.

2012 - second half of the year

I bought a winter piece of clothing in an online store in Poland. A nice and warm vest it was - a piece of clothing good for chilly winter days. In Texas, however, the vest spent most of the time in the closet - warm Texas climate/winters made it stay there, resting on a hanger.

2020 - wintertime

Last winter I came across a folded piece of the paper which had been hidden in the inner folding of the vest.

The folded paper had been hidden in that corner like in a pocket

The paper had been stuck there for all those years. I was stunned when I saw what was written on it. The piece contained some information written in Polish about a late lady by the name of Zdzisława Piekarczyk. Here is the translation of the text.

March 5, 2011 age 70 Zdzisława Piekarczyk

- survived by husband Tadeusz, daughters Jola, and Ania, grandson Alex
- in 1 and a half months she would have celebrated a golden wedding anniversary
- raised in the Truth, baptism 1951, mom learned the Truth straight after the war

What was she like?
Modest, humble, easy-going
- hospitable (Pioneers, NP ???)
- selfless (served meals at a construction site)
- supported her husband who served as an elder

Here is the other side of the paper.

When I found the note I had a feeling that it was me who was meant to find it.

How come?

I have no idea.

I have no idea who the lady was and why somebody placed that note in the vest folding.
What religious group did Mrs. Zdzisława join? Was it JW or maybe some other congregation?
I am also not sure about (Pioneers, NP). In Poland, there were no Pioneers (the youth organization which worked and was popular in Russia). However, we did have Polish scouts. Maybe Zdzisława was a girl scout? Another thing is the NP acronym - no clue what it was supposed to mean.

Certainly, the note was written by one of the late Mrs. Piekarczyk's daughter.

How did the paper end up in there/ beneath the vest folding?

Here are my ideas for possible explanations.

1. The daughter worked in a packing facility of the online store and placed the note as a memento, to make her mother be remembered/share the word about her?

2. The vest was bought earlier by somebody else. Maybe then it was worn by the daughter at Mrs. Piekarczyk's funeral or memorial service. The previous lady used the folding as a pocket, where she kept the eulogy ready to be read at the service. Later, the note was forgotten and the vest was returned to the online store?

How it really was I have no clue. The other side of the paper is a mystery too. The names and the numbers look like some kind of a register. Is it a part of a cemetery register? I have tried to find those names (including a Zdzisława Piekarczyk) in the online records of Polish graveyards but did not succeed. I guess, the paper will remain a just stunning mystery.

The Mystery of Floaters

Maybe you have heard about a floater in the river while watching a thriller. Well, this is not the kind of floater I want to write about today. However, the one which I mean can give you a thrill too. When it appears suddenly, totally out of the blue, and when a black frame starts jumping in your eye in each and every direction, spoiling the vision. When it makes your eye so sensitive that you cannot stand the light as it makes you feel pain and you can hardly keep your eye open. No way you could read or look at the computer screen. And because of it all, you want to stay in a dark room all of the time or would rather go out in the night only. Darkness brings relief - no pain, no floating sensations, no dark frames in your vision. The thrill is even stronger if some 'flashy lightnings' seem to struck inside your eye before the black frame appears. You get scared if you know what the flashlights may be a sign of.

Scarborough Fair

So you visit a specialist as soon as you can. When you hear 'it is only a floater - it is very common - many people have floaters' you feel great relief because of the word ONLY.
You think to yourself 'OK. A floater. Never heard about it. Having spent most of my life in Poland, never heard about anybody who had that. Even now, when I tell someone in Poland about it (in Polish and using the Polish name for 'floater'), they ask what it is. Not so common there or what? Is it a matter of the climate difference - the hot and dry air here and cooler and more refreshing weather in the north of Europe (when you need some fresh air being at home there - you just open a window - air condition is hardly ever needed)? Or maybe there are some other reasons - I just rolled my eyes too suddenly or something?'
Hmmmm. The mystery of floaters.