Joseph Hingley was born in Cradley in 1850 and emigrated to the United States in 1873 with two brothers, Noah and Simeon. Simeon continued on to Australia, whilst Joseph and Noah settled in Oregon, US.
In 1911, at age 61, Joseph left Portland, Oregon to visit his place of birth. On his journey across America to New York where he embarked on the ship RMS Campania, Joseph visited many places, including Salt Lake City, Colorado Springs and Niagra Falls. All these places as well as his stay in England are recorded in the diary that he kept.
Joseph's stay with relatives in Cradley forms the core of the diary and this part is available for download below. It gives many insights into Cradley as it was in 1911 and the changes that Joseph saw, in people and places, compared with when he left thirty eight years earlier.
Joseph's great grandson, James Hingley Hicks, has transcribed and illustrated the diary. Many of the illustrations are photographs and picture postcards that Joseph Hingley collected during his stay in Cradley, and then stored away in safe keeping for future generations. We have published these images already on Cradley Links, please check the Photographs section in Archives.
The Illustrated Diary is available for download here PDF (click below). It should inspire all of us interested in our local or family history to keep a diary like this of significant events in our lives, for the benefit of our children's children.