William John DREW, Mylor Bridge - The Saga Continues

Well, it appears that we're back where we started with this gentleman. "Our" William John DREW did marry Julia A CAPLE. A personal message in my B_G Forums inbox this morning. I quote:

Dear GeoffD

By accident, I found your 'Cautionary Tale of William John Drew x 2' yesterday and nearly fell off my chair!

I am the great great grand-daughter of Edward George Drew who was born at Mylor approx 1829/30 and son of Elizabeth Dingey (with his father possibly Edward Drew born circa 1810). Elizabeth shows in the records as unmarried.

Edward George Drew (1829/30) was employed mainly as a carpenter and a sawyer at Mylor and married Mary Reid. They had numerous children one of which was William John Drew, also a sawyer of Mylor and, later, a shipwright, working at HM Dockyard, Devonport, Plymouth, and born circa 1864 at Mylor.

William married Julia Annie Caple, born 1866 (her father, Robert Caple, a copper miner, married Jane Trevean of Wendron). William and Julia Drew, who lived at Mylor and later at Torpoint, Cornwall (near HM Dockyard) had 5 children (William Reginald - killed on HMS Hawke in First World War; Winifred - died in childbirth; Julia - my grandmother; Cecil; and Gladys -her son still lives in Cornwall).

Do let me know what you think of the above. I would be delighted to hear from you as we are obviously distant relatives.

With good wishes
Gail

All the descendants of William John are the same as those that the previous informant listed. So, for the second time, B-G Forums has come good with people reading one of my 'stories' and responding. Chris was the other, of course.

Retirement and Other Things

Well, folks, I am two weeks into retirement and still feeling that I am just slacking off. Hasn't truly 'sunk in' yet.

The EARLY Family, of around Newton Abbott

I know, it is well outside West Penwith's ambit, but there's been a little brick wall that has been bothering me. Great-uncle Frederick William DREW married Florence Annie EARLY, daughter of George EARLY. Now, off on a twig of Mum's side of the family we have:
My Great-grandfather John TUCKER (of Wilts.) first married Ellen MAUNDRELL (from whom I am not descended). Ellen's brother Samuel MAUNDRELL migrated to Australia with his wife and first child, Elizabeth Ellen, known as 'Nellie'. She married Frank George EARLY.

I have long wondered whether there was any connection between Frank George and George. The local Historical Society (located in Early Street, named for George's family) could not help, neither could the descendants of Florence Annie or any of her siblings. Then, the other day, I was looking at SmartMatches on GenCircles, and I saw Florence Annie's name pop up. The tree that included her had enough clues for me to go looking through the Devon Census, and it appears that Frank George was the nephew of George by virtue of being the son of Richard Dewdney EARLY, older brother to George EARLY.

It seems that a fair few of them migrated to Queensland, including the parents of George and Richard, during the 1880s.

So, that's one more little mystery sorted out. Just goes to show that you should never stop looking.

William Stanley Drew (1862 - 1940)

I thought all you fellow Drew researchers might be interested in this article as it features one of our relatives William Stanley Drew, son of William Drew & Ellen Pezzack, behaving quite heroically. I came across it in a recent edition of the Cornishman - my parents still send me a copy to keep me in touch with the motherland.