Eileen Brennan (1905-1969)

This is my paternal grandmother, Eily. My memories of her are minimal, as she died when I was very small, but I had a sense of her being gentle and loving. For a long time, we knew little about Eileen's life, but recently I have learned a lot more, and have a new found strength of admiration for this woman.  Despite growing up in a loving, hardworking and supportive family, Eily found herself in a very difficult marriage, with 9 children to support. Dealing with domestic violence and the needs of a growing family, Eileen eventually made the decision to move to Melbourne with her children, and forge a new career for herself. At 49 years, she began training as a psychiatric nurse, and spent her free time travelling around Melbourne visiting each of her children who resided in care. It was along haul, but eventually she purchased a block of land in Blackburn, and built a new family home for them all. There is so much to admire about Eileen; her devotion to her family, her sacrifice, perseverance, courage and  determination. Her story reminds me that it's never too late to steer your life in the direction you want. I'm inspired by her vision for a new life, and by the love and support she received from her brothers and their families. Sometimes family love can provide the force to overcome life's difficulties, and deliver a happy ending. It's a shame that Eily didn't live long enough to meet all her grandchildren, but I reckon her last years were happy, peaceful and rewarding. Most definitely, her legacy lives on.

A Sheep Rustler in the Family!

Sylvester Cox was the uncle of Martha Cox , who married William Stevens in 1858 and emigrated to Victoria. I dont know a lot about the COX family. Martha's father was Robert Cox, a butcher..

John Flower- The Leicester Artist

John Flower 

JOHN FLOWER, 14th Oct, 1793 - 29th Nov, 1861

John Flower's only child, Elizabeth married William Kempson, our Henry's brother. Flower was known as 'The Leicester Artist', and produced many well known paintings and sketches of life around Leicester in the 19th Century, focusing on landscape and architecture. As well as producing many, many pieces of work, John Flower also taught painting and drawing, and was known as a good-natured, friendly man. William and Elizabeth Kempson were evidently close to her parents, sometimes sharing their home, and attending the same Church community.

Here is a taste of his work..

Old Buildings on the West Bridge, Leicester. 1826

Kirby Muxloe Castle, Leicestershire

An exhibition of John Flowers'work was held in Melton Carnegie Museum, Leicester in 2011, entitled  'A Self Taught Genius'. Google John Flower in images for more examples!

Cousin Charles Darwin, and the Wedgwood family.

Our link to Charles Darwin, and the Wedgwood Family.

The Kempson-Wedgwood- Darwin connection...

{How my mother, Norma would have LOVED discovering this connection!}

In April, 1864. Major William John Kempson married Louisa Frances Wedgwood, in Pembrokeshire, Wales. 

William's grandparents were John Kempson and Mary Boultbee, the brother and sister of our William Kempson and Elizabeth Boultbee, and so the Major was a cousin of our Thomas Kempson.

William KEMPSON and Susannah ROPER

          -William KEMPSON b 1753, Birmingham m Elizabeth BOULTBEE b 1755

                          *   -Thomas KEMPSON b. 1778 m Charlotte Sophia STOKES 1778

          - John KEMPSON b 1761, Birmingham m Mary BOULTBEE b 1757

                            - William Brooke KEMPSON b 1795 m Elizabeth ROBERTSON
                                             - William John KEMPSON b 1835 m Louisa Frances WEDGWOOD b1834

Louisa Wedgwood was the granddaughter of Josiah Wedgwood II, himself the son of the Staffordshire Potter. Josiah Wedgwood was close to Erasmus Darwin, and their families became intertwined by marriage.
Erasmus'son, Robert married Josiah's daughter, Susannah Wedgwood, and their son, Charles Darwin married his cousin, Emma Wedgwood. Charles Darwin was therefore both Uncle and Cousin to Louisa.

On 20th June 1867, Louisa wrote a letter to her Aunt Emma, in which she appears to be providing Charles with observations regarding her new baby's tears.Evidently, Darwin had been making enquiries regarding baby's tears for his work on Expression. The baby she writes about is Jessie Kempson b 1867.

My Dear Aunt Emma,Will you please tell Uncle Charles, that I have been making enquiries in my nursery about the tears. but I can only give him hearsay evidence as I cannot see such small a thing as a tear. My nurse says that tears begin to stand in a baby's eyes when they are a few weeks old & that they begin to run down the cheeks at about 6 weeks. My baby is just 4 months & the tears run down her cheeks in a piteous manner when she crys, which I am happy to say is very seldom. of course I need not say that there was never such a baby since the world began! but I have never seen such a happy, good tempered little soul. The whole house is-(2 pages missing).....my private secretary has gone out boating so Amy fills his place..

www.thedarwinproject.ac.uk

Charles Darwin

Louisa's husband, Major William Kempson, was the brother of a renown Hereford Architect, Frederick Robertson KEMPSON b 1838. Frederick's granddaughter, Rachel b.1910 married Sir Michael Redgrave, and became Lady Rachel Redgrave, actress and matriarch of England's most famous acting dynasty.

Eliza Ann Rowe ( 1864-1923 )

Millie's mother, Eliza

Eliza Ann Rowe was born in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, in 1864. Her mother was Caroline Rowe, but although she grew up with George Bliss as her father, Eliza's parentage isn't clear, and she refers to herself as a Rowe. In fact, the issue of parentage is rather confusing throughout Eliza's family, across generations of Rowes. Surnames are used fluidly in this family!

Regardless, Eliza grows up as the eldest child, with a younger brother and sister. George works as a labourer, and Caroline as straw plaiter, a trade which Eliza also takes up.Straw plaiting is very prominent in this district, and the work is plentiful and paid well in these years. At 20 years, Eliza gives birth to a son, Frederick William Rowe in 1885. His birth certificate gives father as 'unknown', and Eliza as a single straw plaiter. She marries a local labourer, George Rainbow, in 1887, and settles down to family life in Two Waters Rd, Hemel Hempstead. She and George have 2 girls, Annie (1891) and Lily (1893).

Eliza and George Rainbow

Eliza Ann Rowe/Bliss  c1884

Of course, tragedy strikes, as it usually does for working class families in the 19th century, and George dies in 1895, leaving Eliza to raise 3 children alone. The straw plaiting industry suffered a sharp decline through the 1880s, and the work for this trade had all but dried up in Hertfordshire, so Eliza's plaiting skills are probably not much value to her family anymore. She must have found work however, because in 1901 she and her girls are still living in Two Waters Rd, along with a new partner, labourer Tom Cave, and their baby, Thomas.

Frederick, Eliza's illegitimate son, is no longer living with her, and there is no clear evidence of him elsewhere. Perhaps Frederick also died, or maybe he just moved away? There's a photograph of a young man on a bicycle, taken in Newport, which was kept with the portraits of Eliza and the Cave family.There is I think, a family resemblance and it's possible that this was Frederick. Definitely some further research required here.

Eliza and Tom don't appear to have married, and the 1911 census record confirms this. Although they claim married status, Tom has left blank the column for length of marriage in years. In this census, they have 4 children- Annie and Lily Rainbow, Thomas, now 11, and Millie, aged 6.  Tom is working as a groom, and the older girls in the paper mill. In 1911, the Cave family were living at 153 Lower Marlowes, still in Hemel Hempstead.

The  1911 Census included for the first time, information about the length of the marriage, and number of children both dead and surviving. It was completed by the householder themselves.

View here-   Cave's household census

As head of the house, Tom Cave completed the census form, and was clearly  a bit confused by it. Perhaps he wasn't fully literate, as there are several spelling errors, including his own name. Although the numbers of children are confused, it appears that there have been two of Eliza's children die before this time. In fact, given that all 4 living children are accounted for in this household, it would appear that Frederick and one other child had died.