John D. Braddon

Jack's father, William Braddon, was born in Poughill near Stratton in the extreme northeastern section of Cornwall, in 1809. William became a Master Mariner, with at least one certification having been issued at the Port of Dublin, Ireland, in 1840. Jack's mother, Mary Margaret Grantham Boyle, was born in Sandymount, in a southeast section of Dublin, about 1830.William and Mary were married in 1865 and settled in Courtown, Ireland, where Jack was born two years later.

John Dayman Braddon, commonly called "Jack", came to the United States from Ireland at some point prior to 1882, at approximately 15 years of age, after his father, William Braddon died, and his widowed mother, Mary Margaret Boyle Braddon, emigrated with John and her other children to join a family member in Chicago. After the death of his mother, in a big city and a new country, at age 20, he had responsibility for the welfare of his two young sisters. For a livelihood he first found employment in the Herdig and Seaman's Theatre in Chicago, where he developed skills as a Scenic Artist. (He remained in the Theatrical business for his lifetime. ) Within five years he met and married Emily Clara Bryant. About the time that his second son was born, he became associated with William Fox and opened the first Nickelodeon Theatre in Chicago. Thereafter he and his family moved from city to city opening new type theatres that combined vaudeville with the "black and white silent flickers. " First in Chicago, then to Pittsburgh, then to New York and then on to Philadelphia. At this point Jack apparently decided to revert to Scene Painting and opened his own Studio at 432 North Third Street, Philadelphia.

In 1904 he organized a new business and incorporated in the State of New York under the name "The J. D. Braddon Scene Painting Company. " He owned one third interest and his two partners Samuel Speck (President) and Fred Darcy (Treasurer) each held on third interest. While living in Bay Ridge Jack went off to Jamaica, West Indies for a year to film the picture "The Daughter of the Gods" with Annette Kellerman. This may have been a first effort in underwater motion picture photography.

In 1921 Jack was transferred to Europe to produce three motion pictures, one in Germany, one in Egypt and one in Italy. In producing "Nero" Jack met many influential Italians (including Count de Malpasuti and d'Annunzio) and enjoyed a good life. While in Europe the "Talkies" began to change the motion picture business and Jack never quite caught up because the emphasis shifted abruptly, from the big extravaganzas and spectaculars (like "Ben Hur" and "Nero") where scenery was all important, to the intimate and close-up boudoir scenes to accommodate the sound recording.

By 1926 just about all the movie business had left New York and gone to Hollywood. Jack resisted the move to the bitter end but finally gave in and moved to California for a fresh start. In California Jack and Emily settled down to a very quiet and contented life. He no longer had heavy responsibilities at the studio and enjoyed a more normal home life with weekends and vacations he had never experienced before.