William Croad was born in Jersey in 1817, the son of Robert Croad, who came to the island from Dorset in 1806. William became a master carpenter and married Marguerite Pineaux (shown as Pinel in baptism registers), daughter of Jeanne, who ran a small grocery shop in Colomberie.
The tradition handed down through the family business is that William Croad entered undertaking after being asked by several distressed fathers to make small coffins for their wives' stillborn children, an occurrence that was altogether too common in the early 19th century.
The new business prospered and moved to 46 Colomberie and in due course William's eldest son William followed him into the business and took full control when his father died in 1876. William jnr married Jane Susan Le Feuvre in 1861 and their three sons entered a partnership to run the business when William retired in 1910.
Robert died in 1914, and in 1930 the business transferred to 39 Colomberie. The German Occupation years were difficult and George had been left running the business on his own, aged over 70, because William had died in 1936.
George took the business to its centenary celebrations in 1949, joined by his daughter Izett, but when he died in 1961 control passed to Frederick Norman Jervis.
There was a further move to 89-91 Don Road in 1965 and the following year the business was registered as a limited company. In the 1970s it was merged with a rival concern and the name Croad ceased to exist in Jersey undertaking.
Family tree
