FAMILY HOME - Esmie and Mercel

FAMILY HOME

Craighead

Manchester

♣♣♣

Construction on the Austin Family home started in 1955. It took Mercel and Esmie three years to complete the construction. The carpenters that built the home was her own brother Edward Grant and his assistant carpenter Hopeton.

Mercel had the vision that most people at the time could not envisioned. Though small in comparison to the homes that are being built in the 21st century, he wanted to go bigger and better that anyone. He did not know at the time where the money was coming from, but he was not afraid to build a 5-bedroom home, with kitchen and dining quarters downstairs and an inside bathroom on the main floor.

The construction of the family home finished in 1958. However, Mercel had the home locked up for a few years while he furnished it. Once it was all furnished he still did not move in. He was fearful of leaving the comfort of the two-room home of his mother-in-law house at Sodom where his wife grew up. He had already made a move from Bigwoods where he owned a two-bedroom home with Esmie.

Esmie wanted to move so badly that she complained to her sister-in-law Irene Smith from Chudleigh, Craighead and one day while he was at his farm, Irene came to the house and moved everything into the new house.

Now in the year 2018, the house is still standing strong and looking beautiful as ever.

CONTRACTOR: Edward Grant ( biggest contractor in Craighead during his time)
Contractor helper : Hopeton

Craighead, Manchester - The Austins

HISTORY OF THE AUSTINS' FAMILY Craighead, Manchester, Jamaica, W.I. ♣♣♣♣♣ AUSTIN, WHITE and GRANT FAMILIES The Austin, White and Grant families can be traced back to the early 1800s in the parishes of Manchester and Trelawny, Jamaica . The main districts in which the families resided were Allsides, Warsop, Trelawny and Craighead, Manchester. Garden of the home in Jamaica where Esmie spent her days relaxing during the summers(1989-2010) Thomas White Father of James White James Horace White and Christina Priscilla McLeish-White Parents of Arabella White-Grant Arabella Grant Mother of Edward, Esmie, Clarence and Roderick ABOUT THIS BLOG Mercel & Esmie Austin Austin’s, Grant’s & White’s From Craighead, Manchester, Jamaica This blog was started as a reminder of the wonderful parents Mercel Austin and Esmie Merisa Grant-Austin were. ♣♣♣♣♣ Click to see Romance Novel - Passion and Fate Click To See Romance Novel - Disa

PUBLISHED BOOKS

SO LITTLE AND YET SO MUCH LOVE

When Mercel and Esmie had their first set of children, life was a lot simpler, yet they were very happy together as a couple. During the 50” s through the early 70” s, most Districts in Jamaica did not have electricity, running water or phones. Life was a lot less complicated and children were a lot happier. They played together and stayed together. Relationships were a lot more binding and respectful. When people died the body would stay no longer than two days before being buried. It took two days as the coffins had to be built by a district carpenter. At nights the body would be taken out of the house and put outside as it was much cooler. During the days, coffee would be burned underneath the bed to suppress the scent of the decomposition. Then in Craighead there was a town crier, Miss Larry, a poverty-stricken widow who was more than happy to get her payment from just being given a whole lot of coffee to drink. If someone in the District was terminally ill, a lot of

Craighead, Manchester, Jamaica Austin/Grant Family

Search This Blog