Remembrance Day Photo Collage - Day Five

My grandmother, Lillian Edith MATTHEWS inherited her middle name from her Aunt, the sister of her father, Edith Annie Matthews born 1877 in Rugby Warwickshire. Despite this my Grandmother knew very little about Edith other than she was a "nurse". My Grandmother never remembers seeing her. Research shows that the miles between my Grandmother's family and that of Edith were not great, yet there appears to have been little communication between Edith and her brother.

What brought the family from the Midlands down to Guildford, where they lived in Merrow parish is unclear, but Edith did share one thing with her mother, they both died young.

I had inherited a few photographs of Edith, this photograph of her in a type of military uniform, and another two photos of Edith with her children, the first with an older boy and girl and the second photo of the same two children with a young baby. That confirmed that Edith did indeed marry and have a family.

I turned at first to the military style photograph. Edith would have been too old to have been especially active during the Great War 1914-1918, so I pondered on the Boer War. Family history indicated that Edith was a nurse, so I researched the various avenues available. Edith Matthews had never been a nurse, but perhaps was a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD)?

I put the nurse aspect on the backburner for a while and instead sought Edith’s marriage certificate.

I eventually found it at Holy Trinity Guildford in 1902 where Edith married a Charles JELLEY. I was delighted, what a fun surname! It was not going to be too difficult to research Edith’s new family….or was it?

As soon as the 1911 Census was available to search I did. The search revealed that she was, in Redhill Surrey with her husband, two children Charles and a daughter Edith Mabel and her father, John Matthews who was recorded as a boarder.

1911 Census

I did a search of a death certificate for John Matthews. I found him in the Redhill registration district for 1927 residing at St Johns, Redhill although his place of residence was at 114 Walnut Tree Close, in Guildford. This was an address I was very familiar with as my Grandmother had been born there in 1912. The informant was a G. A. Read, occupier. Why was the death not recorded by Edith?

Death certificate of John Matthews December Quarter of 1927 Reigate Surrey

So, it would appear that Edith and my Grandmother's father, also called John must have had some communication in regard to their father. John senior did according to my Grandmother live with them in Guildford, and like many families my Great Grandmother had in law problems and referred to her father in law as a dirty old man. I guess that he suffered from various conditions that affect elderly gentlemen!

While searching the Great War Service Records on Ancestry for another relative I did an off the wall search for Charles Jelley. I did not really expect to find that he would have been active. Much to my surprise he was, aged 41 years, called up as a reservist for the duration of the war. Having served during the Boer War with the 6th Dragoon Guards, he was discharged medically unfit in 1916. As I read through the record I spotted that another child had been born to the family, a baby girl Olive Kathleen in 1916. She sadly died aged 7 months and a copy of the death certificate was in the Great War Service Record for Charles Jelley. That confirmed the photographs of the children with Edith.

The photograph here is of Edith Jelley (nee Matthews) with children identified as Charles, Edith Mabel, Olive Kathleen.

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There is still no picture of Charles Jelley. The Service Record revealed something else of interest, and that I had been unaware of. The family had moved to Paddington London. As always, as one question is answered so another few arise.

I searched the online facility of FreeBMD to see if there had been other children born to Edith and Charles. None were found, but I found a death for Edith Jelley in the June Quarter of 1921 just aged 40 years. I felt such a wave of emotion. Here was Edith's death. I sent off for the certificate hoping that I had found another Edith Jelley, alas no, the certificate arrived. Edith Annie Jelley aged 40 years, wife of Charles Jelley a restaurant manager of 13 Malbern Road Kilburn. The death recorded by E. HARRISON sister in law who had been present at her death.

I knew that the surname of Harrison did not appear on the Matthews side of the family, therefore I assumed that E Harrison must be the sister of Charles Jelley. Using the search facility on FreeBMD I searched for the marriage of a Jelley to a Harrison. My luck was in and it revealed the marriage of Eliza Jelley to George Ernest Harrison in the December quarter of 1895. Then I spotted when I had another look at the marriage certificate that the marriage Charles to Edith had in fact been witnessed by Eliza Harrison. Which just shows that you should often look back at previously located information, sometimes we forget what we already know!

I may never know anymore about Edith, although there are lots more questions about their time in London, what happened to their children, although I have managed to trace the grand daughter of Edith's son. How did Charles become a restaurant manager, just to name a few.

I suspect that Edith was a VAD and helped to nurse Charles back to health. They lived next door to one another, a fact gleaned from their wedding certificate and were friendly faces to each other and I would like to think that potentially a romance blossomed as they married in April 1902 and Charles was discharged in June of the same year.

Whilst I can not at this time establish anymore about Edith and her time "nursing", she does deserve to be recognised for the contribution she and others like her made during the Boer War and the First World War.

Sources

• FreeBMD
• FindmyPast - Census 1911
• Ancestry  - Service record of Charles Jelley
• GRO for the various Certificates
• Family members who provided the photographs

Family Connections - A Reflection

I suddenly became aware, following my telephone conversation on Friday that I had with Edith's Grandchild, that on this particular line the descendant path stops here. For some strange reason I felt a degree of sadness and to be honest I have thought and reflected quite a bit on the conversation.

I offered to share the details,documents and photos but this was politely declined because quite simply no emotional connection was felt to Edith as a Grandmother, who was deceased before this Grandchild was born. Truly I am saddened.

I looked again at my Jelley family research and even though it is believed there are further descendants through the other child of Edith's,  I suspect that there will be little interest, even if I successfully manage to locate them,

This conversation had been my first major breakthrough on this line in many years and this conversation is certainly the first between descendants of Edith and descendants of Edith's brother John in around 100 years.

As I sat and wrote up my journal for Friday making notes of the conversation and recording the information gleaned, I decided that I shall share the details with the Jelley one name study, but the feeling of sadness remains. Illogical it might be, but fact it is.

Wonderful News - Family Connections!

Regular readers of this blog may recall my research into the life of my Great Great Aunt Edith Jelley nee Matthews. You can read the details on the webpage HERE.

Well research showed that the little boy in this photo did indeed marry and have a descendant. I spent some time yesterday pondering on whether I should make contact.

I located a road name,but not the number. Directory Services could give me a phone number but not a house number so it was either phone and potentially sound like and excited mad woman or write a letter and hope that the post man (or woman) knew their customers.

I pondered and pondered. Watched the news over lunch and pondered a bit more. In the end I decided that I would probably sound a bit enthusiastic, perhaps a bit excitable, like Alfie does when he knows or senses it's WALKIES time.

I rang, and after a few rings the phone was answered. I explained who I was and what I thought I knew and after a few moments, I was greeted with the voice of my several times removed cousin. This is the first contact this side of the family had spoken to my branch of the family. How wonderful is that?

I shared what information I knew, offered  copies of the photographs I had and in exchange I was given the small snippets of information that really I think define the issues that arose once Edith had passed away, aged 40 in 1921. I left my phone number, so we might keep in touch.

As I shared the information with Stuart during our time walking Alfie, I felt a strange sense that perhaps somewhere, looking down was Edith, knowing that perhaps that despite it being over 90 years later, someone, somewhere still cared enough. I can now look at this picture and see things in a different light, and know that whilst some would perhaps not have telephoned, I am glad I did.

Beyond the Internet: Week 8 - Certificates

Continuing the weekly theme, inspired by Family History Across the Seas.

The early marriage certificate featured below, is the marriage of Richard BUD, who is my 4 x Great Grandfather.  Richard married Sarah Kemp in Stoke Next Guildford on 21st July 1796. This record was copied from the early church records which have been filmed by the Church of Latter Day Saints.

What is truly wonderful is that I can see the writing of Richard and his sister Elizabeth. Guildford was only about 5 miles from Guildford and was a bigger market town than nearby Godalming. It was also Sarah Kemp's parish. After the wedding Richard and Sarah returned to Puttenham where they raised their family.

Once Civil Registration came into force in 1837, the amount of data a certificate increases as you can see here, from the Marriage certificate of my Great Aunt in 1902, Edith Matthews to Charles Jelley.




Whilst the Certificates can provide details on the name of the father, perhaps the witnesses give a clue to family members, or the address. Even the occupation, nothing can be assumed to be 100% correct. In this case, it does not reflect that Edith and Charles had met whilst he recovered from an injury in the Boer War. So, whilst he perhaps was a labourer, he should have put soldier, as he was not discharged from the Army until June 1902.

Across the border into Scotland and the certificates provide much, much more information. In 2010, I accompanied my husband to register the death of his father. The registrar asked for details of my late father in law's occupation and that of his wife and any previous wife's. Had my sister in law registered the death she would not have provided accurate details and my mother in law would have had a an absolute fit at being asked for details of his first wife, whether she was deceased or not.  I should mention that clearly on the certificate it states that failure to provide correct information is subject to a £1,000 fine. Having registered the death we were issued with a small certificate, free of charge, which gives next to nothing in regard to genealogical data (this is the same in England). We paid for a full certificate.

Fearless Females - Day 9

March 9 — Take a family document (baptismal certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief narrative using the information.

The document I have chosen has formed part of an earlier posting for my Ancestor of the Week theme.

I eventually found the marriage of Edith Matthews, my Grandmother's Aunt at Holy Trinity Guildford in 1902 where Edith married a Charles Jelley. I was delighted, what a fun surname! It was not going to be too difficult to research Edith’s new family….or was it?

Marriage Certificate for Edith Matthews to Charles Jelly 8th April 1902

From the day I obtained the marriage certificate I was able to trace further the family from the 1911 Census which showed the family living in Redhill Surrey, I also located the birth of two children, which I had already knew existed by the photographic evidence I had. When the First World War military records were made available via Ancestry I did a search, not really believing that I would find anything about Charles, but I did!. It showed that he had been called for service and as part of this service record was the birth certificate for a third child, again I have a photograph which revealed two older children and a baby, which had sadly died in 1916.

I may never know anymore about Edith, although there are lots more questions about their time in London, what happened to their children, How did Charles become a restaurant manager, just to name a few. I suspect that Edith was a VAD and helped to nurse Charles back to health. They lived next door to one another, a fact gleaned from their wedding certificate and were friendly faces to each other and I would like to think that potentially a romance blossomed as they married in April 1902 and Charles was discharged in June of the same year.

Ancestor of the Week - Edith Jelley nee Matthews

My grandmother, Lillian Edith MATTHEWS inherited her middle name from her Aunt, the sister of her father, Edith Annie Matthews born 1877 in Rugby Warwickshire. Despite this my Grandmother knew very little about Edith other than she was a nurse. My Grandmother never remembers seeing her. Research shows that the miles between my Grandmother's family and that of Edith were not great, yet there appears to have been little communication between Edith and her brother.

What brought the family from the Midlands down to Guildford, where they lived in Merrow parish is unclear, but Edith did share one thing with her mother, they both died young.

I had inherited a few photographs of Edith, one of her in a type of military uniform, and another two photos of Edith with her children, the first with an older boy and girl and the second photo of the same two children with a young baby. That confirmed that Edith did indeed marry and have a family.

Figure 1 - Edith Matthews with her children identified as Charles & Edith Mabel

I turned at first to the military style photograph. Edith would have been too old to have been especially active during the Great War 1914-1918, so I pondered on the Boer War. Family history indicated that Edith was a nurse, so I researched the various avenues available. Edith Matthews had never been a nurse, but perhaps was a VAD?


Figure 2 Edith in her military style uniform


I put the nurse aspect on the backburner for a while and instead sought Edith’s marriage certificate. I eventually found it at Holy Trinity Guildford in 1902 where Edith married a Charles JELLEY. I was delighted, what a fun surname! It was not going to be too difficult to research Edith’s new family….or was it?

Figure 3 - Marriage Certificate for Edith Matthews to Charles Jelley 8th April 1902

Over the Christmas period of 2008 Findmypast opened up the search facility to the 1911 census. I could barely control myself! On Christmas Day, whilst the turkey was in the oven I nipped into my study for a quick search for Edith. There she was, in Redhill Surrey with her husband, two children Charles and a daughter Edith Mabel and her father, John Matthews who was recorded as a boarder.


Figure 4 - 1911 Census

I did a search of a death certificate for John Matthews. I found him in the Redhill registration district for 1927 residing at St Johns, Redhill although his place of residence was at 114 Walnut Tree Close, in Guildford. This was an address I was very familiar with as my Grandmother had been born there in 1912. The informant was a Read, occupier. Why was the death no recorded by Edith?


Figure 5 - Death certificate of John Matthews December Quarter of 1927 Reigate Surrey

So, it would appear that Edith and my Grandmother's father, also called John must have had some communication in regard to their father. John senior did according to my Grandmother live with them in Guildford, and like many families my Great Grandmother had in law problems and referred to her father in law as a dirty old man. I guess that he suffered from various conditions that affect elderly gentlemen!

While searching the Great War Service Records on Ancestry for another relative I did an off the wall search for Charles Jelley. I did not really expect to find that he would have been active. Much to my surprise he was, aged 41 years, called up as a reservist for the duration of the war. Having served during the Boer War with the 6th Dragoon Guards, he was discharged medically unfit in 1916. As I read through the record I spotted that another child had been born to the family, a baby girl Olive Kathleen in 1916. She sadly died aged 7 months and a copy of the death certificate was in the Great War Service Record for Charles Jelley. That confirmed the photographs of the children with Edith.

Figure 6 - Edith Jelley (nee Matthews) with children identified as Charles, Edith Mabel, Olive Kathleen.

There is still no picture of Charles Jelley. The Service Record revealed something else of interest, and that I had been unaware of. The family had moved to Paddington London. As always, as one question is answered so another few arise.

I searched the online facility of FreeBMD to see if there had been other children born to Edith and Charles. None were found, but I found a death for Edith Jelley in the June Quarter of 1921 just aged 40 years. I felt such a wave of emotion. Here was Edith's death . I sent off for the certificate hoping that I had found another Edith Jelley, alas no, the certificate arrived. Edith Annie Jelley aged 40 years, wife of Charles Jelley a restaurant manager of 13 Malbern Road Kilburn. The death recorded by E. HARRISON sister in law who had been present at her death.

I knew that the surname of Harrison did not appear on the Matthews side of the family, therefore I assumed that E Harrison must be the sister of Charles Jelley. Using the search facility on FreeBMD I searched for the marriage of a Jelley to a Harrison. My luck was in and it revealed the marriage of Eliza Jelley to George Ernest Harrison in the December quarter of 1895. Then I spotted when I had another look at the marriage certificate that the marriage Charles to Edith had in fact been witnessed by Eliza Harrison. Which just shows that you should often look back at previously located information, sometimes we forget what we already know!

I may never know anymore about Edith, although there are lots more questions about their time in London, what happened to their children, How did Charles become a restaurant manager, just to name a few. I suspect that Edith was a VAD and helped to nurse Charles back to health. They lived next door to one another, a fact gleaned from their wedding certificate and were friendly faces to each other and I would like to think that potentially a romance blossomed as they married in April 1902 and Charles was discharged in June of the same year.