Common Ancestor Tales

Blanche Edith Colvin was born in Aldershot at South Camp army barracks. Her father Richard Colvin had joined up at a young age from the slums of Central London. Her mother Harriet Lock was from a large family who had been based in Sunbury on Thames for generations.

Blanche was the eldest of six siblings who were all born in Aldershot. However the family moved out to Egypt. Blanche and her siblings were clearly part of an active life in Egypt as they all married into army families in Alexandria.

Blanche married George in 1895. She quickly had two children only to be widowed.

She then travelled to Scotland to stay with her in laws and train to be nurse.

The next records available for her are when she is back in Egypt marrying and older husband Pantaleon Schlizzi who was from a greek shipping family. She went on to have two further daughters in Egypt.

Sadly she lost her only son William in 1917 in the battle of Passenchendaele near Ypres (Flanders). Blanche searched for this son for several years before being finally sent a letter confirming his passing. And then she was widowed again when her two youngest daughters were only 7 and 8.

She died in Ashford, Kent where she lived close to her Schlizzi daughters.

George Simpson Smith was born at Netley Barracks near Southampton a large hospital site. His father William was originally from Liverpool where his father had been a Stone Mason. His mother Ann Evans was from Pembroke Dock in Wales. Both her parents were the mining community at Amroth, Pembrokeshire. The family there can be traced back over 200 years.

William and Ann had eight children who were born in Netley, the channel islands, Edinburgh and Fort George, Inverness. So clearly William had a variety of postings. When he retired he took up position of port at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where the family lived for many years.

George was the third child and he joined up in Edinburgh at the age of 14 – the royal artillery. He then spent time in Aldershot.

At the age of 17 he was sent out to Egypt. He married Emma McHugh who was from an army family in Alexandria. Sadly she died shortly after giving birth to his first child. There is no trace of the child Emma Smith – so I assume she died alongside her mother.

George remarried fairly quickly to Blanche. And his first son William was born and Ruby a year later. By this point George was head of the fire brigade in Cairo. Sadly he died in at home in the barracks in Alexandria aged 29. We have no record as to cause of death.

Martha Lea Gollins (1862-1938) was born in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire to Frederick Gollins and Martha (nee Lea). She was baptised at St Mary’s Kyre park near Kyre green farm where her grandfather lived.

Sadly she was only 3 her father and her only sibling a 14 year old sister died of Smallpox. The records state that Frederick was unvaccinated.

In 1871 Martha was living as a boarder in a small school in Leominster. Her mother was working as a housekeeper in Kingsland not that far away.

She then went on to teach in schools. Firstly in Buckinghamshire and then in Yorkshire. Her mother died in 1882 in Leominster. By the age of 28 she is recorded in the 1890 census as the principal of a girls school in Yorkshire.

She met David who a Vicar on Anglesey (Bryngwyn or Bryngwyn) at around this time and they were married. Martha learnt Welsh when she got married and became fluent.

They had two sons fairly quickly who were both born and brought up in the vicarage. Both sons joined the Royal Welsh Fusiliers as soon as the war was declared. Rowland lied about his age to go to war, he was only 16. Luckily they both survived and the family were happily reunited.

Their oldest son Jim married Ruby in Liverpool in 1920 and they had a daughter who stayed at the rectory for some of her first year. Rowland also went on to marry Helen Keating in Liverpool.

Martha and David continued living in Bryngwran after David retired moving to a small bungalow. Martha died in 1938 aged 76.

David Rowland Morgan was born in Llanrhystid, Cardiganshire, Wales. He was baptised at St Brigid’s Church in Llansainffread an ancient church over looking the sea. He was brought up at Alltwyd Farm which looks out over Cardigan Bay from just above the main road to Aberwystwyth.

His father David snr owned some Lime Kilns down below the farm which were used for making fertilizer. David jnr came from a large welsh speaking family of at least 10 children. He always maintained strong links with his parents and siblings even though he moved away.

David studied at Lampeter college to be a Vicar right at the start of the church of Wales. He gained a position at Bryngwran on Anglesey and served there for some years before he married.

Family stories say that some of his sisters were at the school where Martha was teaching in Yorkshire which is how they met.

They were married in Morley, Yorkshire. He was 40 years old. Before they were married he had a large vicarage built next to the church to acommodate his new family. When he retired he named his bungalow – Alltwyd cottage after his parents home.

David died a year after Martha. He was 86 years old.