A FAMILY treasure trove of photographs, birth certificates and memorabilia have been sent to the Examiner in the hope that we can find them a home.
They come from John How, of Waltham Abbey, Essex, who wondered what to do with the boxful of archive material that had belonged to his late wife Janette.
Janette was the daughter of Winnie Whittaker who lived in Victory Avenue, Paddock, before moving to London with her husband Laurence in 1933.
Winnie was born in 1902 and was the daughter of woollen weaver Joe Hirst and Emma (née Sykes) of Quarmby Road, Lindley.
Laurence was born in 1904 and was the son of Richard Henry Whittaker and Ruth Ann (née Sykes), of Dalton Green.
Winnie was a secretary and shorthand-typist and went south in 1933 with a glowing reference from her previous employer, Huddersfield accountants H W Wood and Co. John How says that grandma Whittaker had a bakery just outside Huddersfield.
He believes another branch of the family had a furniture shop in the 1960s or 1970s that was demolished to build a new road in the town centre.
Another family name he remembers is Hatch.
"Gordon Hatch worked for Hanson's for many years and his son was Geoffrey Hatch," he says.
The archive is old and musty but includes photographs more than 100 years old, postcards, a Hirst family Bible, letters and documents.
If any surviving family members would like the collection they should contact The Examiner.
