This iconic painting of the Battle of Gettysburg shows Private Hugh Bradley (centre white shirt) laying into Confederates with his rifle butt. He was killed in the deadly hand to hand fighting that day but was revered for the ferocious fight which he put up before his death. The painting was dedicated to his memory. Hugh was born here in Moyard, the eldest of seven children to Bernard Bradley and his wife. Bernard died young and his wife took her children to a new life in Philadelphia
This house was built by a Francis Bradley at some period in the early 1800`s. It would have been built on the site of a small clachan of houses which disappeared in the 1840`s.there were, at a time, three Bradley houses on this site the foundations of which were uncovered in recent years. The occupants of those houses were, John, Francis and Bernard. When Bernard died at a young age, his wife took her seven children to America and settled in Phoenixville, Pa. where there were other Moyard Bradleys already there. For more information SEE: The story of Corporal Hugh Bradley, the hero of Gettysburg.
Eventually the only house which remained was that of Francis Bradley, who passed the farm to his son, John, who also reared his family there.
These Bradleys were called the John Franks to distinguish them from so many other Bradleys. This would mean that Francis had a son called John and his family were the last Bradleys to live in that house. It is said that these people were renowned singers. The last of this family to pass away was married to a John Morris in Crock and her son was called Packie John.
Then, in the 1901 Census, we have a James McCullagh, his wife Rose and their daughters Sarah and Ellen listed as occupants of this house. James came from Glenelly and only stayed there for a short while. Then, by 1910, the place was in the ownership of another Glenelly man, Tammy (the miller) McSorley, his wife Margaret and their children, James, Tom, Rose, Michael and Maggie. It is said that the neighbours feared for the McSorleyy family, moving into a house where T B had wiped out the Bradleys before them. However, none of the McSorley family suffered any serious illness or ill effects from living in that house thereafter.
Some years later then, young Tom married Lizzie McNamee (Altayeskey) and they and their family, Michael, Thomas, John, Margaret, Henry and Roselene, were the last family to live in this house.