|
Youghal |
| ||||||||
| Dorset holidays | Electronics & DIY | Family History | Cigarette Cards | Misc | Natural History | Wild Food | Walks | |||
| Biographies | Bann Valley families | Torrens families | Hewson family | Old Photos | Youghal | Bibles | ||||
| Census data | Devine family | Long family | World family | Ships | ||||||
Letter from Jack Fox to cousins Sarah Emma (Devine) Torrens and John "Jack" Morrison.
Ontario
Canada11 July 1931.
My dear Cousins Em + Jack
I received your welcome letter on Friday so am speeding up with a reply in the hope that it will reach you before taking your trip to England. Thanks very much for the snaps, also for Bob's card; am sending one on to my sister Lou so that she can inform her daughters of his address. We do not see much change in either yourself or Jack except that you are both rather on the plump side. Poor Lily doesn't seem to have altered much since we last saw her through a microscope + we thought her hand looked all misshapen with rheumatism. Her sufferings must have been terrible towards the end. No doubt the troublous times caused a whole lot of it too. Am glad to know Bobs is doing well in his practise + that he likes the part of the country he has settled in.
Fancy George being in Alaska still, I must write to him shortly thanks for his address. I will give you all the information I can Em to help you in your travels.
My mother as I understand in her girlhood days lived at Church Path, Gillingham just a matter of a few miles from Chatham. Gillingham of course was just a village in those days but the church was still there in the years 1894 to 1897 when I was in Chatham but of course the place had grown immensely by that time even. My mother, + your Dads + Uncle Jacks names were Divine. Mothers Christian name was Eliza, Uncle Jack called her "Moggie" + used to say that was what she was always called by the boys, Bill, Jack + George. You will probably get records in the Church at Gillingham of their births. Your dad was the youngest boy of the Divine family. When Uncle Jacks first wife died he came to live with us at 8 Stone Lane Stoke Road, Gosport, Hampshire so you were very near the old spot when staying at Southsea, its only just across Portsmouth Harbour He married again + went to live at Liss, a country place in Hampshire there were no children either by his 1st or 2nd wife. Originally their (THE DIVINES) Family name was Woodman but in which generation I do not know but he used to tell us their parents or Grandparents were paper manufacturers + the first Bank of England note with a watermark was made by them #1 + at that time was in the museum at Kensington, London #2. While living with us he was in communication with Somerset House about money in Chancery but it would have cost more than he could afford at that time to lay his claim. It was over business + financial affairs that the name was changed from Woodman.
Afterwards all the boys joined the navy. Mabel has just turned out a photo of you + Jack as bride + bridegroom which we were given when in Ireland expect you have one around still.
My mother was buried at Anns Hill Cemetary Gosport + Uncle Jack I think at Liss. I do not seem to have heard much of Uncle Bill except by name + that he rang the Shandon Bells. My Brother Harry is a patient in Hants Mental Hospital + has been there practically ever since the war. Lou often visits him its quite near Gosport.
Poor fellow he has suffered a lot owning to service to his Country but his isn't a serious mental case. I remember after coming home from Sierra Leone he was blind + suffered from Sciatica, + was in Hosp; a long time. Your Brother Tom was stationed at Gosport when he visited us. He was at that time undergoing his recruits training in Shooting at Fort Browndown. Am glad Bobs + Cecil are so fond of each other + together quite a lot. Well my dear cousins I have written about all I can think of for this time so am leaving the last page of letter for Mabel to complete. Love to you all from all of us.
Your loving cousin Jack.
Dear Emmie
We were pleased to get the few pictures of yourself + family. You have altered very little except for getting stouter. I laughed when I saw the single flower in your hand.So you are going to explore my home County, Kent, the garden of England.
If you care to call on my sister in Gravesend I will write to her + tell her that you may visit her. She still lives where she did when Hilda was born + Hilda made that her home when she visited England two years ago. She, like you just has two boys one 27 + the other one 17.
I have been sorry I stopped writing to Lillie but I was a very busy person at that time & I neglected writing for so long that I was afraid if I wrote her + she had, in the meantime passed away it would have upset them. Have used up my space so must say goodbye.
Love Mabel.
#1: An email to the Bank of England in 2008 was replied to. They say:
I can find no trace of the Woodman family in the context of printing or papermaking in the Bank's records.The earliest watermark in a Bank of England note was the work of Rice Watkins of Sutton Courtenay in Berkshire.
#2: An earlier email to the Science Museum in South Kensington got a similar reply (now lost) - that they had no record of any Woodmans and the earliest watermarks were by someone else entirely.
