PART
TWENTY-ONE
The
Cornwall Line – 1900 to 2022
This
is the third of three sections of this family line
Updated January 2023
This is the family line of the late Terrence
James Collett (Ref. 21T25), and it was his wife Sue who kindly provided the
details relating to the twin boys of Terry’s great grandfather Edward Charles
Collett (Ref. 21Q34) whose wife died during their birth
Caleb
Knight Collett [21Q88] was
born at Creed on 22nd March 1861, with his birth registered at St
Austell (Ref. 5c 172) during the second quarter of 1861. He was the second child of John Vivian
Collett and Elizabeth Jane Knight and was two weeks old by the time of the
census on
It was originally believed that Caleb
was never reunited with any member of his direct family, but this seems to be
disproved by the information below.
Shortly after he arrived in America, Caleb K Collett married (1) Alma C
Hartman on 2nd December 1882 at Brighton, Livingston County in
Michigan. Caleb from England was 21 and Alma from Genoa Township was 19. It was during the next twelve months, that
Caleb’s brother William Collett (below) crossed the Atlantic to join them in
1883. Towards the end of 1885, Alma
presented Caleb with the first of their children who was born after the couple
had moved to Alma’s home-town of Genoa, three miles north-west of
Brighton. Only three children are named
below from an undefined number of off-spring, because three of them are known
to have suffered an infant death, one of them being Ralph, included in the
list. However, seven years before he was
born, Caleb was reunited with his older sibling Catherine Collett, who sailed
from England in 1891. At the time of the
birth of his unnamed son in 1894, and son Ralph in 1898, Caleb’s occupation was
that of a carpenter
Caleb Knight Collett was initially
employed in the copper mines of Calumet and Hecla in the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan. While there, he worked under
the guidance of Superintendent Vivian who was a distant relation through the
marriage of his grandfather William Odgers Collett and his first wife Catherine
Vivian. It was also through that
relationship with ‘his uncle’ Superintendent Vivian, that Caleb was eventually
introduced to his true uncle James Collett (Ref. 21P100) - his father’s
half-brother - who was the son of William Odgers and his second wife Jane
Miners, by whom he was later employed. The
American census in 1900 revealed more about the family than was previously
known. On that occasion, the family was
recorded at Brighton in Livingston County, where Caleb Collett was 39 and a
carpenter, his wife Alma Collett was 37 and born in July 1863 of German
parents, their son Claude Collett was 16 and born during November 1884, and
Gliff Collett was 14. While the census
return indicated that Caleb had settled in America in 1880, it also stated in
error that Alma had given birth to only two children, both living
Five years after the birth and infant
death of her last known son Ralph Collett, Alma Collett nee Hartman died on 22nd
July 1903. During the following year,
Caleb Knight Collett from England, aged 42, and the son of John V Collett and
Elizabeth J Knight, married (2) Mary A Blanke, formerly Butterfield, from Green
Oak, aged 50, and the daughter of Abel F Butterfield and Anna A Denell, on 9th
March 1904. Mary may have been related
to Mollie Blanke Pike who became Caleb’s daughter-in-law in 1920, when she
married Gliff Knight Collett. For the
census in 1910, Caleb and Mary were living at 37 Grand River Street in
Brighton, when Caleb K Collett from England was 49 and a farmer having his own
account, who had been married to 59-year-old Mary A Collett from Michigan for
five years. Living on the farm with the
couple, was Mary’s older sister Martha Butterfield aged 67. Twenty years later, Caleb was a widower who
was again living in Brighton, but at 180 Grand River Avenue, when his property
had a value of $3,000, and when he was a Justice of the Peace at the County
Office. Unlike the census in 1910 when
there was clearly an error regarding the much later date that he had first
arrived in America, in 1930 the date he entered America was more realistically
recorded as 1880
By September 1931, local records reveal
that Caleb had established his own real estate brokership under the banner of
‘Caleb K Collett – Real Estate Broker’.
He was fairly successful with the business which sold many houses in the
Brighton area of Michigan. Upon his
death, on 10th November 1945 at the age of 82, Caleb was buried at
Fairview Cemetery in Brighton, when his father was confirmed as John Collett.
where his first wife Alma was buried, together with their baby son Ralph. His son Gliff Knight Collett was also later buried
there, with two of his three children
21R66 – Claude Collett was born in 1885 at Genoa, Michigan
21R67 – Gliff Knight Collett was born in 1886 at Brighton, Michigan
21R68 – Collett male was born on 31st
March 1885 at Brighton, Michigan
21R69 – Ralph Collett was born in 1898 at Brighton, Michigan
Edith
Jane Collett [21Q89] was
born at Grampound in 1862 and apart from appearing with her family in 1871 at
St Ewe when she was eight, she was not listed in any further census records as
Edith Collett because she became a married women very early in her young
life. She was already married and had
had her first child by the time of the census in 1881. It was during the third quarter of the
previous year that Edith had married John Wellington at Haslingden near Accrington
in Lancashire. John was an iron-moulder
from Kenwyn in Cornwall and was four years older than Edith
It would appear from the 1881 census
return that John Wellington’s own Cornish family had moved to Lancashire some
years earlier, and it was to Accrington and the house of his mother, that Edith
and John moved once they realised that Edith was with-child. So according to the Accrington census in
1881, John Wellington, 22 and from Kenwyn in Cornwall, and his wife Edith, aged
19 from St Austell, were living with their four-month-old son Steven V
Wellington at 3 Taylor Street, the home of widow and dressmaker Malinda K
Wellington who was 44 and from Roche in Cornwall. Edith’s occupation was that of a cotton
winder
Also living at that address was Malinda’s
married twenty-three years old daughter Emily from Newlyn who was a cotton
weaver, and her husband twenty-five years old flagger and slater Thomas Lord
from Accrington. Two other children from
Malinda’s marriage were also living there, and they were Mina Wellington, an
18-year-old cotton weaver from Kenwyn, and two years old Salome Wellington who
was born in Accrington. The age of the
younger child may indicate when Malinda became a widow, and when she moved to
Accrington from Cornwall
In addition to all of that, Edith’s
older sister Catherine Collett (above) from St Austell was also staying with
the family and was recorded as a visitor, whose occupation was that of a
domestic servant. A few years after that
another of Edith’s sisters, Salome Collett, also moved to be with her in
Lancashire. During the next ten years,
Edith and her family, together with her sister Catherine, left Accrington and
moved to Haslingden to the south of Accrington, where they were living in
1891. Twenty years later in April 1911,
the census return confirmed the Wellington family was still living at
Haslingden. Head of the house John was
52, his wife Edith Jane was 48, and their children at that time were listed as William
John Wellington who was 21, James Wellington who was 19, Emily
Wellington who was 17, Clifford Wellington who was 14, and Ellen
Wellington who was twelve
William
Collett [21Q90] was
born at St Ewe in 1865 where he was recorded as living with his family in 1871
at the age of five years. Ten years
later, when he was 16, he was still living with his family who had then settled
in Roche, but there appears to be no trace of him living in the UK after that
time. It now transpires that the reason
for his absence was that he had emigrated to America in 1883, just prior to his
brother Caleb in 1885, and his sister Catherine in 1891. At the age of 18 William made the Atlantic
crossing on board the steam-ship the SS Alaska and arrived in New York, from
Liverpool via Queenstown in Ireland, on 7th May 1883. His ultimate destination was Michigan and it
was there, at Ironwood, that he died three years later on 26th
November 1886 at the age of only 22.
There is a memorial to him on his parents’ gravestone in the cemetery at
Roche in Cornwall
Salome
Collett [21Q91] was
born at St Ewe possibly towards the end of 1868. A record recently found in Mevagissey Bible
Christian Circuit Baptisms would seem to indicate she was baptised Slome at the
Bible Christian Chapel in Paramoor on 2nd June 1869. The same baptism record confirmed the child
Slome Collett was daughter of
Almost ten years later the 1881 Census
confirmed that Salome Collett was 12 and that she had been born at St Ewe, and
that at that time in her life she was living with her family at Roche. Sometime later Salome left Cornwall and moved
to Lancashire to be with her sister Edith Wellington nee Collett (above) and to
seek work in the cotton mills as a cotton winder. Nine years later, and during the third
quarter of 1890, the marriage of Salome Collett and William Taylor was recorded
at Burnley register office (Ref. 8e 491), with whom she had four children
before the end of the century. At the
time of the census in 1891, Salome and her husband were living in Burnley, and
with them was Salome’s older sister Catherine Polkinghorne nee Collett (above)
and her baby daughter Annie who were awaiting a sailing to America. The 1891 census return confirmed that William
Taylor was 22 and had been born in Burnley and that he and his wife Salome
Taylor, also 22 but from St Ewe in Cornwall, were living at 7 Trout Street in
Burnley from where William was a joiner and Salome was a cotton winder
In the census of 1901 Salome Taylor, aged
32 and from Cornwall, was living with her family at Brierfield near Burnley in
Lancashire. Her husband William Taylor
of Burnley, also 32, was a carpenter and joiner, while their four children were
recorded as Lavinia Taylor who was nine and born in Brierfield, James
Taylor who was eight, Stanley Taylor who was six, and John Taylor
who was three, all three of them having been born in Burnley. And it was at Burnley that the family was
still living in 1911, when William and Salome Taylor (of St Ewe) were both 42,
and their four children were Lavinia 19, James 18, Stanley 16, and John Taylor
who was 13. Salome Taylor nee Collett
died on 4th March 1929 when she and William were living at 91 Barden
Lane in Burnley and when Salome was 60 years old. Administration of her personal effects valued
at £19 17 Shillings and 10 Pence was granted in London on 19th March
1929 in favour of her husband William Taylor, who was described as a manager
In 1901 the family was living at St Wenn
in the St Columb district on Cornwall when the couple’s first four children
were confirmed as having been born there.
Their daughter of that occasion was listed as Edith Jane Blake, so named
after Lavinia’s older sister (above).
The full family was listed as Richard 31, who was a farmer at Criftoe
Farm in St Wenn, Lavinia 29, Harry Blake who was six, Edith Blake who was four,
William Blake who was three, and Richard Blake who was one year old. All of them, apart from Lavinia, had been
born at St Wenn. According to the next
census in April 1911, Richard Blake was 41, his wife Lavinia from St Ewe was
40, and they were living in the St Columb district of Cornwall with their five
children. They were Harry 16, Janie 14,
William 13, Richard 11, and John Vivian Blake who was one year old and named
after Lavinia’s father John Vivian Collett.
Of their children, Harry Blake was born in 1894 and died in 1946,
Edith Jane Blake was born in 1896, William Blake was born in 1897,
Richard Blake was born in 1899, and John Vivian Blake was born in
1909 and died in 1989
The photograph of Lavinia (above) is
taken from a large image which includes an older sister, either Catherine
Collett who was thirteen years older than Lavinia, or Edith Jane Collett who
was nine years older. It was hoped that Myrtle
Blake, the wife of John Vivian Blake (Lavinia’s youngest child), might know
which aunt it was. Myrtle was born on 20th
November 1912 and was 97 in 2009. It was
during February of the following year that Eva, the aunt of Andrée Tuck (Ref.
21R76), visited Myrtle Blake (the first
cousin of Andrée’s mother) in an attempt to discover more information about
her mother-in-law Lavinia Blake nee Collett and, in particular, which sister it
was that was with her when the photograph was taken.
David
Knight Collett [21Q93] was
born at Roche in 1876 and was four years old in April 1881 when he was living
at Roche with his parents. He was still
living at Roche with his parents and his two youngest siblings in 1891 when he
was aged 14. Towards the latter part of
the 1890s his work as a policeman took him to
It was also at Devonport where their
three known children were later born and where, one year after they were
married, they were living at the time of the census conducted in March
1901. At that time David K Collett from
Roche was 25 and Annie Collett from Plymouth was 26. The census also recorded that David was
employed by the Borough Council as a police constable. During the next decade Annie presented David
with their three children. So, by April
1911 the family living in Devonport comprised David Knight Collett, aged 34 and
from Roche, wife Annie who was 36, and their three children John Collett who
was 10, Gladys Irene Collett, who was eight, and Eva Phyllis Collett who was
two years of age
Ann Collett nee Broad died on 13th
October 1952 at the couple’s home at 27 Leighton Road, Hartley Vale in
Plymouth. Her Will was proved in London
on 22nd November that year when her husband was confirmed as David
Knight Collett, a retired police sergeant.
Her estate amounted to £857 9 Shillings and 5 Pence. It was just over seven years later that David
Knight Collett died on 27th February 1960
in the Greenbank Hospital in Plymouth, his death recorded at Plymouth register
office (Ref. 7a 782) during March 1960 when he was 83. Probate for David
Knight Collett of Charene, Austin Crescent, Goosewell Hill, Crownhill in
Plymouth names his married daughters Gladys Irene Gardner and Eva Phyliss Small
as joint executors of his estate valued at £4, 629 17 Shillings and 3 Pence. From that information it might be safe to
assume that his son John Collett had already predeceased him
21R70 – John Collett was born in 1901 at
Devonport
21R71 – Gladys Irene Collett was born in
1903 at Devonport
21R72 – Eva Phyllis Collett was born in
1908 at Devonport
It was on 5th May 1905, at
the age of 22, that he left Liverpool on board the steam-ship the SS Cedric bound
for New York and arrived there on 14th May 1905. His ultimate destination was Redridge in
Houghton County, Michigan where his older sister Catherine Polkinghorne nee
Collett (above) and her family were living, and with whom he was to spend the
next eighteen months. Richard’s
intention was to work hard and earn enough money to take back to Cornwall where
he would build his own house. When he
left England, he was a miner in a china clay works, but by the time he returned
to his home country in the autumn of 1906 he was a skilled bricklayer. His return journey across the Atlantic was
via Montreal and Quebec, the crossing to Liverpool being on board the
steam-ship the SS Ionian which docked in Liverpool on 29th September
1906. Rather curiously, once again his
age was given as 22, when in fact he was 24
Only one of the couple’s ten children
was born during the Great War, and the reason for that was because Richard
served his country in Salonika and Mesopotamia, where he contracted
dysentery. Sadly, from that time in his
life onwards in his life he suffered with poor health. Sadly, for the family, their eldest daughter
Enid May died from meningitis in 1923, and she was therefore the only child
missing from the family group photograph (below) taken around 1930.
There may have been something
contentious for the family to resolve after he had died, because he left no
Will. It was therefore ten years after he
had passed away that his personal effects of £665 were eventually settled by
administration at Bodmin on 12th October 1955 in favour of his widow
Maud May Collett. After a further
seventeen years Maud May Collett nee Nicholls died during 1972. By 2010, two of Richard and Maud’s daughters
were still alive and living in Cornwall, and they were Elizabeth Beryl and Eva
Lillian Collett
21R73 – Enid May Collett was born in 1909 at Carthew, St Austell
21R74 – Erna Amy Collett was born in 1909 at Carthew, St Austell
21R75 – Maggie Collett was born in 1911 at West Goonbarrow, St
Austell
21R76 – Hazel Collett was born in 1912 at Carbean House, St
Austell
21R77 – William Vivian Collett was born in 1913 at Carbean House, St
Austell
21R78 – Victor Owen Collett was born in 1916 at Carbean House, St
Austell
21R79 – Elizabeth Beryl Collett was born in 1921 at Carbean House, St
Austell
21R80 – Cecil Alwyn Collett was born in 1925 at Carbean House, St
Austell
21R81 – Sydney Austen Collett was born in 1927 at Carbean House, St
Austell
21R82 – Eva Lillian Collett was born in 1928 at Carbean House, St
Austell
It was also while he was in Michigan
that he married Louise, the wedding taking place at Detroit on 17th
June 1903, when William was 37. His
bride was 28 years old Louise J Westphal, who was born at Port Sanilac in
Michigan on 30th September 1875, the daughter of Charles Westphal
and his wife Fredericka Schultz. It has
not been established whether or not the marriage produced any children for the
couple. However, new information
received from Christine St Johanser during 2010 has revealed that, in his
twilight years, William returned to England for a holiday in Penryn in 1938,
when he and Louise stayed with Christine’s grandparents
For their return journey, the couple
crossed the Atlantic Ocean on board the SS Queen Mary, sailing out of
Southampton on 29th October, and arriving in New York on 3rd
November 1938. The ship’s passenger
list, kindly provided by, included the following details. William Collett was 72 and travelled using
his passport no. 56510, his wife Louise Collett was 63, and the couple’s
address was given as 5053 23rd Street in Detroit. Other details included the date that William
was nationalised, and Louise’s date and place of birth. It has since been established that William
Collett from Ladock was a resident of Detroit, in Wayne County, Michigan, from
1910 until he died there on 14th December 1956 at the age of 90
Elizabeth
Jane Collett [21Q96] was
born at Ladock in 1868, the daughter of William Collett and his first wife Emma
Jane Ferrell who died when Elizabeth was only six years old. Her father, who a corn miller, re-married in
1875 and in 1881, at the age of 12, Elizabeth was living with her new family at
Bissick Mill in Ladock. The family later
moved to St Ives, before a final move to Penryn.
Ellen
Maud Collett [21Q97] was
born at Ladock in 1875. By the time of
the 1901 Census, she was still living in Penryn with her family and was
established as a dressmaker. As Aunt
Maud to the younger members of the family, she was known for making their
school uniforms and was remembered by them as being a ‘wonderful lady’
Emily
Mary Collett [21Q98] was
born at Ladock in 1878. At the age of 22
she was still living at the family home in Penryn from where she was working as
a grocer’s assistant. Emily Mary Collett
from Ladock was living alone at St Marylebone in London in April 1911, although
it is known that she eventually emigrated to New Zealand
Annie
Collett [21Q99] was
born at Ladock in July 1880. According
to the census of 1901, Annie was aged 20 and was still living with her parents
and siblings in Penryn. Her occupation
was that of a dressmaker’s assistant, which probably meant that she was working
with her older sister Ellen Maud Collett (above). At some later time in her life Annie lived
just one street away from her brother Arthur James Collett (below) in
Kate
Collett [21Q100] was
born at Hayle in 1882. She was referred
to as Katie in some census records but was known within the family as
Kittie. In 1901 at the age of 18 she was
working as a draper’s apprentice while still living with her parents. Curiously in April 1911, Kate Collett from
Hayle was twenty-seven, a draper’s assistant and a boarder at J Yeo &
Company in Plymouth, where another boarder and draper’s assistant was Mildred
Mary Collett from Padstow in Cornwall who was nineteen years of age. In fact, there was a total of ten draper’s
assistants, with head of the household being John Hearn, a draper’s porter,
with his wife and their daughter. It is
rather strange that no other recorded of Mildred Mary Collett has been found
prior to 1911 so, at the moment, it is not known where she might fit into the
Collett families in Cornwall. What is
known, is that Kate Collett never married and lived all her adult life with her
sister Annie (above)
Clara
Louise Collett [21Q101] was
born at Penryn in 1884, the youngest daughter of William Collett and his second
wife Jane Smith. Her birth was
registered at Falmouth (Ref. 5c 170) during the fourth quarter of the year and
sadly, she was handicapped from birth.
It was at Penryn where she was baptised on 22nd January 1885,
when her parents were confirmed as William, a miller, and Jane Collett. Clara and her family were living at College
Row in Budock Water near Falmouth in 1891, when she was six years old and
attending the local school. Eight years
later, at the age of only fifteen, she died and was buried on 28th
December 1899 within the parish of Bodmin.
At that time in her short life, she was a patient at an asylum college
in Budock, the death of Clara Louisa Collett recorded at Bodmin register office
(Ref. 5c 51)
Arthur
James Collett [21Q102], who was later referred to as James,
was born at Penryn towards the end of 1886, the last child of William and Jane
Collett, whose birth was registered at Falmouth (Ref. 5c 160) during the first
quarter of 1887. It was also under his
full name that he was baptised at St Gluvias on 18th March 1887,
when his father’s occupation was that of a miller, whose family was living at
Penryn. As Arthur James Collett he was
four years old in the Budock Water census in 1891, when the family home was on
College Row, and as Arthur J Collett he was 14 at the time of the Penryn census
of 1901 when he and his family were residing at The Praze. Eight years after that census day, the
marriage of Arthur James Collett and Lily Hutchings of Penryn took place there
and was recorded at Falmouth register office (Ref. 5c 322) during the second
quarter of 1909. On their wedding day
Lily was already with-child, their son born six months later
Once married the couple settled in
Penryn, where their children were born.
According to the census of 1911, Arthur James Collett from Penryn was
confirmed as having married Lily during 1909, the same year the couple’s first
child was born. On that census day he
was 24 and an accountant with a corn and flour merchant who was still living in
Penryn with his wife and family. Lily
Collett was also 24, and their first two children were William Arthur Collett
who was two years old, and one-year-old Thomas Leonard Collett. Not long after the census day, a further son
was added to the family towards the end of that same year
During his working life James continued
in his father’s occupation by being a miller and at one stage he and Lillie
owned and worked the mill at Tremough Dale in Penryn. In later life the couple moved to
21R83 – William Arthur Collett was born in 1909 at Penryn
21R84 – Thomas Leonard Collett was born in 1910 at Penryn
21R85 – Albert Leslie Collett was born in 1911 at Penryn
Alma
Collett [21Q103] was
born at Tregony possibly near the end of 1867, while her birth was recorded at
Truro (Ref. 5c 151) during the first quarter of 1868. It was also as Alma Collett, later that same
year, that she was baptised at Cuby-with-Tregony on 27th September
1868, the first child of George Collett and Louisa Jenkins who was married on
24th February 1867. It is
therefore possible was she was a honeymoon baby. Within the Tregony census of 1871, Alma was
living with her parents, when she was three years old. Ten years later Alma Collett from Tregony was
14 and was one of three servants at Polmenna Farm, the 120-acre holding of
farmer Walter H Wevell and his large family to the south of Lostwithiel. No record has been located for Alma in 1891,
but by 1901 she was still unmarried at the age of 26. That year’s census recorded that she had been
born at Tregony and was living at Kenwyn where she was employed as a domestic
housemaid
Just under two years after that census
day, the marriage of Alma Collett and (1) George Henry Tamblyn was recorded at
Truro register office (Ref. 5c 220) during the first three months of 1903. Eight years later, the young family was
residing at Gwithian, Connor Downs, Hayle in Cornwall for the census in
1911. George Tamblyn from Lostwithiel
was 37 and a labourer, his wife Alma Tamblyn from Tregony was stated to be 38
instead of 43, and their three children were Stanley Tamblyn aged six
years, daughter Jessie Tamblyn who was five, and Gladys Tamblyn who was one
year old. The first children had been
born at Phillack, Hayle, the last at Truro.
Towards the end of that year, the birth of the couple’s last child was
recorded at Redruth register office (Ref. 5c 336) during the fourth quarter of
1911 as Lawrence J C Tamblyn. The
earlier births of their two daughters were both recorded at Truro register
office, Jessie Louisa B Tamblyn (Ref. 5c 187) during the first quarter
of 1906, and Alma Gladys Tamblyn (Ref. 5c 120) during the third quarter
of 1909
It would appear that Alma’s husband may
have been a casualty of the First World War since, during the second quarter of
1919, the marriage of Alma Tamblyn and William Tonkin was recorded at Truro
register office (Ref. 5c 321). Also
there, eight years later, was recorded the marriage of Alma G Tamblyn, most
likely the daughter of Alma Tamblyn nee Collett, and William Waters during the
fourth quarter of 1927 (Ref. 5c 291)
Care should be taken when considering
the origins of Alma Collett since, also born in 1868, was another of the same
name whose birth was also recorded at Truro.
Initially, the daughter of George and Louisa was believed to be Alma
Maud Collett, whose birth was recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 193) during the
last three months of 1868. However, she
was baptised on 1st March 1868 and was the daughter of James
Collett and his wife Ellen, who later, again as Alma Maud Collett, married
Tom James Smith at St Austell on 20th July 1892, when again her
father was confirmed as James Collett. Another
Alma Maud Collett, a spinster, died on 29th December 1938
while she was a patient attending the Portsmouth City Hospital in
Portsmouth. Her personal effects
amounted to just £24 12 Shillings and 5 Pence
Mary
Harriet Collett [21Q104] was
born at Tregony, her birth recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 146) during the third
quarter of 1869, following which she was baptised at Cuby-with-Tregony on 14th
November 1869, the second child of labourer George Collett and his wife
Louisa. She was one year old in the Cuby
census of 1871 and suffered the loss of her father when she was only about
eight years of age. By the time of the
following census of 1881 Mary H Collett was 12 and still attending school,
while living with her widowed mother at St Winnow. On leaving school Mary entered into domestic
service and, on the day of the of the next census in 1891 when she was 21, she
was employed as a housemaid at a property on Tregolls Road in the St Clements
area of Truro, not far from where her widowed mother was also recorded. It was eighteen months later when, at the age
of 22, Mary Collett married William Allen at St Pauls Church in Truro on 2nd
October 1892. Mary’s father was
confirmed as George Collett, while her husband was 24 and described as the son
of John Allen
William Allen, the son of John and Mary
Ann Allen, was baptised at Truro on 11th August 1869. By the time the census was conducted in 1901
Mary had given birth to two children. On
that day the family was living on St Clements Hill in the St Clement district
of Truro where William Allen was 30 and a painter, his wife Mary Harriet Allen
from Tregony was 29, and their two children were Lillian Maud Allen who
was five, and William Ernest Allen who was three. Four more children were added to their family
over the next decade, although only three of them survived. The baptism of the first of them Barry
John Allen took place at St Paul’s Church in Truro on 31st May
1903, and it has he who was absent from the family in 1911. The following child Marian Frances Allen
was baptised there on 29th January 1905, and the next Lesley
Nelson Allen on 26th January 1908, also at St Paul’s
Church. In each case the parents were
recorded as William John Allen and his wife Mary
Curiously, in the census of 1911, Mary
Harriet Allen was recorded as Polly Allen aged 42 from Truro. On that day the family living at 8 St Clement
Hills comprised, in addition to Mary (Polly), William John Allen who was 43,
Lillian Maud Allen aged 16, Ernest John Allen aged 13, Marian Frances Allen who
was six, Nelson Leslie Allen who was three, and Kathleen Louisa Allen
who was one year old, her birth recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 5c 114)
during the first quarter of 1910. The
death of Mary H Allen nee Collett, aged 70 years, was recorded at Truro
register office (Ref. 5c 374) during the second quarter of 1940. Her husband survived her by over twenty
years, when the death of William J Allen aged 93 was recorded at St Austell
register office (Ref. 7a 163) during the second quarter of 1962
Emma
Rachel Collett [21Q105] was
born at Cuby-with-Tregony, with her birth as Emma Rachael Collett was recorded
at Truro (Ref. 5c 144) during the last quarter of 1870. A few months later Emma R Collett and her
family were still residing in Cuby-with-Tregony but tragically, following the
death of her father when she was around seven or eight years old, Emma’s mother
took the family to at Bridgend near Lostwithiel in the district of St Winnow,
where they were living in 1881 when Emma was 10 years old. During the next year or so Emma’s mother took
her children to live in Truro, where they were certainly living from 1883
onwards. However, by 1891 when Emma was
then 18, she was a general domestic servant at the Truro home of licenced
victualler Henry Buck at Quay Street in the St Mary parish of the town. It was almost five years later that Emma
Rachel Collett married Frederick Hoskin Trewhela with whom she had five
children. Their wedding was recorded at
Truro register office (Ref. 5c 232) during the first three months of 1896
Once married the couple initially
settled in West Teignmouth in Devon where certainly the couple’s first three
children were born, as confirmed by the census in 1901. Frederick H Trewhela from Tresillian was 25
and a gentleman’s outfitter’s assistant, Emma R Trewhela from Tregony was 27
(in reality she was nearer 30), Doris G Trewhela was four, Sidney G Trewhela
was one years old, while Florence M Trewhela was still under one year old. The next census in 1911 revealed the couple
had been married for fifteen years, during which time they had given birth to
five children, all living. By that time
in their lives, they were residing at 95 Bramshott Road in Portsmouth, where
Fred Hosking Trewhela was 37, Emma Rachel was 40, Doris Gwendoline Trewhela
was 14, Sidney Gordon Trewhela was 12, Florence May Trewhela was
11, Blanche Evelyn Trewhela was six, and Ivy Kathleen Trewhela was
four years old. Emma R Trewhela nee
Collett suffered a premature death thirteen years later when in her early
forties, following which she was buried in the grounds of St Mary’s Church in
Truro on 2nd May 1924
George
Collett [21Q106] was
born at Tregony in 1872. He was named
after his father who died shortly after 1876.
At the time of the census of 1881, he was eight years old and was living
at Bridgend near Lostwithiel with his fatherless family. In the 1891 Census for Truro St Clement his
age was given as 17, by which time he was working as a shoemaker, while still
living with his widowed other. Ten years
later he was a married man of 28 from Tregony, when he was still employed as a
shoemaker. He and his wife, Maud M
Collett from Truro, were living within St Clement Urban on the eastern fringe
of the city of Truro
The couple continued to live in the
Truro area for the next six years and, during that period in their life, they
were blessed with at least two children.
Towards the end of the decade the family moved to Saltash within the St
Germans registration district, where they were living in 1911. George Collett was 38, Maud Mary Collett was
36, and their three children were Dorothy Florence Maud Collett who was nine,
Gladys May Collett who was six, and Violet Gwendoline Collett who was two years
old. The census return also confirmed
that Maud had given birth to four children, with only the three named below
still living in April 1911
21R86 – Dorothy Florence Maud Collett was born in 1901 at Truro
21R87 – Gladys May Collett was born in 1904 at Truro
21R88 – Violet Gwendoline Collett was born in 1908 at Saltash, St Germans
Joshua
Collett [21Q107] was
born at Tregony in 1875 and was six years old at the time of the 1881 Census
when he was living with his widowed mother and brothers and sister at Bridgend
near Lostwithiel. His age in 1891 was
stated as being 15 at a time when the family was living at East Rosewin Row in
Truro St Clement, and when Joshua had already left school and was working as an
errand boy. Ten years later Joshua was
still living with his family but at Mitchell Hill, St Clement Urban in the city
of Truro where he was working as a butcher.
He was 23 and was still a bachelor, whose place of birth was given in
the census of 1901 as Truro, although no record of him has been found in
Britain after that time
William
James Collett [21Q108] was
born at Tregony in 1877. His father
Like other members of the family,
William and Mary were living at St Clements Urban on the outskirts of Truro one
year after they were married. According
to the census in March 1901, William gave his age as 23, his place of birth as
Tregony, and that he was employed as a gardener. His wife Mary was 22, and by that time Mary
had given birth to the couple’s first child who was under one year old. Over the following four years two more
children were added to the family. By
April 1911 William and his family were still living in Truro St Clements, where
he was 32 and from Tregony, who was working as a jobbing gardener, Mary
Elizabeth Collett from Ladock was 30, and their three children were William
Leonard Collett who was ten, James Gordon Collett who was eight, and Olive Mary
Collett who was six years old
William James Collett was living at 13
Prospect Place in Truro when he died 12th December 1952, while it
was not until 12th May 1954 that his Will was proved at Bodmin when
Mary Elizabeth Collett, widow, was named as executor of his personal effects
amounting to £1,005
21R89 – William Leonard Collett was born in 1900 at Truro
21R90 – James Gordon Collett was born in 1903 at Truro
21R91 – Olive Mary Collett was born in
1904 at Truro
John
Collett [21Q109] was
born at Lostwithiel in 1880, the base-born child of Louisa Collett, widowed in
1877, and a man whose surname was very likely Smith. It was as John Smith, a boarder from
Devonport, that he was living with his mother and his half-siblings at Bridgend
near Lostwithiel in 1881. He was the
first of three sons born to the widow Louisa Collett. Interestingly, John Smith aged ten years and
born in Cornwall was named as Johnny Collett in the next census of 1891, when
he and his two younger siblings were living with their mother, who had taken
the family to live at East Rosewin Row in Truro St Clement. When he was only 20 years of age John became
a married man as confirmed by the census conducted at the end of March 1901. On that day, John Collett from Plymouth
(Devonport) was 20 and working as a market gardener living at Albion Place in
Truro with his wife Emily Collett who was also 20 and from Plymouth
It is currently not known what happened
to John and Emily after March that year, as no record of the couple has been
found in the next census in 1911. It is
known that his youngest sibling Stanley had sailed to Canada in 1911, so maybe
John and Emily had done the same.
However, even if the couple had emigrated, it would appear that at some
time in the future, they may have returned to England, since it was at Truro
register office (Ref. 7a 225) that the death of Emily Collett, aged 79, was
recorded during the second quarter of 1960
Sidney
Collett [21Q110] was
born at Truro around 1884, although no record of his birth or baptism have been
found. There is also a query over who
his parents were. It is possible that he
was the second of three base-born sons of the widow Louisa Collett. Certainly, in the census of 1891, Sidney
Collett aged seven years, was named as the son of Louisa Collett of East
Rosewin Row in Truro St Clement. It was
at Mitchell Hill in Truro that Sydney Collett from Truro was 16, when he was
one of the three sons still living with Louisa Collett. No record of any members of the household
have been identified within the census of 1911, with the possibility that they
had already sailed to Canada
Stanley
Collett [21Q111] was
born at Truro in 1888, his birth recorded there (Ref. 5c 129) during the last
three months of that year. There is a question
as to who his parents were, because the father of his older siblings suffered a
premature death in 1877. Within the
census of 1891, Stanley Collett was described as the son of widow Louisa
Collett (formerly Jenkins), the mother of his older siblings, who was
only 29 years old when she was made a widow.
One option could be that he was raised by his grandmother, as the
base-born son of one of Louisa’s two eldest daughters, but that seems unlikely
since all of the daughters of Louisa (Jenkins) Collett and George Collett
married and had children of their own.
According to the census in 1891 Stanley Collett aged three years and
born in Cornwall was living with Louisa Collett at East Rosewin Row in Truro St
Clement. Ten years later it was a similar
situation when son Stanley Collett from Truro was 12 years of age and still
living in Truro St Clement with his mother Louisa but at Mitchell Hill in the
town
Before the end of the following decade
Stanley sailed to Canada on board the ship The Royal George which docked in
Quebec in August 1911. The passenger
list confirmed that he was 23 and a waiter, whose intended destination was
Montreal. Four months after that, on 26th
December 1911, Stanley Collett married Minnie Pascoe at Montreal. Once married the couple settled in
Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts in the province of Quebec where their daughter was born
and where Minnie, who was born at Truro in 1890, died during January 1965. Almost exactly four years later Stanley
Collett passed away on 22nd January 1969 at the age of 81, while he
was still residing in Sainte Agathe
21R92 – Viola M Collett was born on 31st
October 1921 at Sainte Agathe, Quebec
Percy
Collett [21Q118] was
born at Tregony in 1889, the eldest child of Edwin Collett by his first wife
Martha Jane Truscott of Tregony. In the
Truro & Probus census of 1891 Percy was one year old but tragically,
shortly after the census day, his mother died during the birth of Percy’s
brother Edwin (below). For the next
couple of years, it would appear that Percy and his brother Edwin were looked
after by their grandparents in Tregony. A
few years later Percy’s father married for a second time, presenting Percy with
four half-brothers and one half-sister.
By March 1901, Percy and his new family were living in the Walthamstow
area of north London, when he was 11 years old.
Towards the end of the next decade, it would appear that Percy left the
family home in Walthamstow when he sailed to North America
On leaving school Percy is believed to
have joined the Royal Navy and was attached to HMS Majestic. The battleship was re-commissioned at
Portsmouth in February 1907 but was transferred to Devonport in June 1908. In 1911 she was taken out of service for a
refit, and it may have been at that time that Percy ended his service with the
navy, since he emigrated to Canada not long after that. After a few years in Canada, where he worked
as a longshoreman, the Canadian name for a dock worker, he entered America in
1911. According to the US Records, it
was at Detroit, Wayne County in Michigan, that he entered the country that
year. Five years later Percy Collett
married Clara Laura Schwers in Detroit on 9th January 1917. Clara was born at Wisconsin on 19th
June 1896 and already had a daughter Grace Schwers, whom Percy subsequently
adopted. Over the following years Clara
presented Percy with two sons
That
situation was confirmed in the Detroit census of 1930, by which time the family
was residing at 15722 Cruse Street, Precinct 28. Percy Collett from England was 40 and a
machinist at an auto plant, who had entered America in 1911, and was 27 years
old when he became a married man. He was
the also owner of the family home, which was valued at $4,000. His wife Clara was 34, and was 21 when she
married Percy. Her daughter Grace was no
longer living with the couple, while their two sons were recorded as Jack
Collett who was 12, and William Collett who was six years old. Living with the family, and working as a
waitress at a local restaurant, was Clara’s older sister Katherine Duprie aged 42, who was married at 24. It was the same situation ten years later when
the same four members of the family were again living at 15722 Cruse Street. Percy Collett from England was 50 and still
working at the automobile plant, Clara was 43, Jack 21 and working at a brass
foundry, while William was 15 and still in education.
It was also in 1940 when it was revealed that Percy Collett had
illegally entered America in 1911
Later in their life, and following the
marriage of their daughter Grace, Percy and Clara looked after the youngest of
her three children, Darlene Hobbs. It
would appear that the couple lived their whole life together in Detroit where,
it is now known that Percy worked for the Ford Motor Company, and it was there
also that he died on 16th May 1958.
Most of the information on Percy and his family has been kindly provided
by his granddaughter Judith Ann Safford nee Collet, the daughter of Jack Edwin
Collett, with the 1930 and
1940 census details unearthed in 2023
21R93 – Grace Collett (adopted) was born before 1917
21R94 – Jack Edwin Collett was born in 1918
21R95 – William Collett was born in 1924
Edwin
Llewelyn Collett [21Q119] was
born at Tregony on 21st November 1891, but after the fifth of April
that year. He was the second son of
Edwin Collett and his wife Martha Jane Truscott who died around the time of the
birth, or a little while after. Faced
with looking after two very two young sons on his own, it would seem that
Edwin’s father sought help from his late wife’s parents who appear to have
taken the boys into their home in Tregony.
Edwin’s father later remarried and, around 1897, he and his new family
moved to Walthamstow, taking Edwin’s brother Percy (above) with them. For whatever reason, Edwin chose to remain
with his grandparents, and it was within the Walthamstow area of London that
his family was living in 1901
Having stayed with his maternal
grandparents, it was at their home in Tregony in March 1901, that nine years
old Edwin L Collett from Tregony was confirmed as living in the census
return. His grandparents
were recorded as 67 years old John Truscott, a farmer and dairyman from
Tregony, and his wife 68 years old Nancy Truscott from Cuby. With
the passing of his grandparents during the first decade of the new century,
Edwin then went to live with his aunt Fanny Ann Polkinghorne, the former Fanny
Ann Truscott and the older sister of his mother Martha Jane Truscott. That arrangement may even have been put in
place prior to the deaths of his grandparents
So, in the census in April 1911 Edwin
Collett from Tregony was living at the home of the Polkinghorne family at Sunny
Corner in the village of Withiel to the west of Bodmin. Edwin was described as being 19 and a nephew,
and his occupation was that of a carpenter working with his uncle. Head of the household was Charles Polkinghorne
who was 49 and from St Breock, who was a carpenter in the building trade. His wife of seventeen years was Fanny
Polkinghorne aged 51 from Tregony St George.
Also working with his father was the couple’s 14 years old son John
James Polkinghorne, and completing the family was Olive Polkinghorne who was 18
It
may be of interest that Charles Henry Polkinghorne, the son of James and Ann
Polkinghorne, married Fanny Ann Truscott in Penzance during December quarter of
1893, just four years after Catherine Collett (Ref. 21Q84) married Stephen
Polkinghorne, the son of Stephen Polkinghorne and Mary Ann Knight in 1889
During the third quarter of 1915, Edwin
L Collett married Gladys H Lidgey in Truro (Ref. 5c 278), and just over one
year later their daughter Martha was born, and was named after Edwin’s mother,
whom he had never known. Edwin Collett
was 85 when his death was recorded at Truro register office (Vol. 21 0696)
during June 1977. He spent the last
eleven years of his life as a widower, following the death of his wife Gladys H
Collett nee Lidsey during the second quarter of 1956, her passing recorded at
Truro register office (Ref. 7a 206) when she was 64. It was on 2nd June 1956 that Gladys Harriet Collett of Staddon House, Mitchell Hill in
Truro, and the wife of Edwin Llewelyn Collett, passed away while a patient at
the Royal Cornwall infirmary.
Administration of her estate, amounting to £223 5 Shillings was granted
to her husband E L Collett, journeyman carpenter
21R96 – Martha D Collett was born during
the last three months of 1916
George
Odgers Collett [21Q120] was
born at Truro, either at the end of 1894 or early in 1895, the eldest child of
Edwin Collett by his second wife Florence Hannah Pill. His birth was recorded at Truro register
office (Ref. 5c 150) during the first three months of 1895. He was only around four or five years old
when his parents left Cornwall and moved to London, where they were living in
1901, at 16 Clacton Road
in Walthamstow. when George was six years old.
On leaving school, George began work as a motor engineer, as confirmed
in the Walthamstow census of 1911 when, at the age of 16 he was still living
with his family but at 12
Devonshire Road in Walthamstow
It was on 5th April 1917 at
the church of St Philip in Dalston, within the London Borough of Hackney, that
George Odgers Collett married Edith Anne Richardson, whose family came from
Whitby in Yorkshire. In addition to the
incorrect recording of his second name, the marriage register also confirmed
that George was 22 years of age, the son of Edwin Collett, and that Edith was
27 and the daughter of Joseph Richardson.
Their marriage was blessed with the birth of a son during the following
year. George was an aircraft engineer,
which may seem unlikely in Walthamstow but, apparently, there was something of
an aviation industry in that part of London around that time. As the industry declined, he joined London
Transport earning his living as a bus driver working out of the Leytonstone and
Walthamstow depot
It would appear that George and Edith
lived all their life together at Walthamstow, since it was there that George
Odgers Collett died during 1956 at the age of 61. His wife lived the life of a widow for the
next twenty years, when Edith Anne Collett nee Richardson died in 1976, aged 90
21R97 – Clifford George Collett was born in 1918 at Walthamstow
Gladys Ada Collett [21Q121] was born at Truro on 1st November 1896,
where her birth was also recorded (Ref. 5c 152) during the last quarter of the
year. She was the only daughter, amongst
a family of sons, of Edwin and Fanny Collett, his second wife, and was
born just prior to her family moving to London.
It was at 16 Clacton Road in Walthamstow, Essex, that they were residing
in 1901, when Gladys was four years old.
By 1911 the family was living at 12 Devonshire Road in Walthamstow,
where 14-year-old Gladys was
very likely helping her mother look after the men of the house, as she had left
school, but had no stated occupation.
The census return recorded that she was born at St Clement Street,
Cornwall (in Truro). In fact,
Gladys never married and had returned to Cornwall at the end of her life, with
the death of Gladys Ada Collett recorded at Cornwall register office (Ref. 7a
101) in 1971 when she was 74
Jack
Collett [21Q122] was
born at 16 Clacton Road in Walthamstow in 1899 where he and his family were
living in March 1901 when Jack was one year old. His birth was recorded at West Ham register office (Ref. 4a 423) during
the second quarter of the year. During
the next few years, the family moved home and by April 1911 they were living at
12 Devonshire Road in Walthamstow. The
census return that year confirmed that Jack Collett was eleven years old and
born at Walthamstow. When the war
started in 1914, Jack became a second-class air mechanic F/20396 with the newly
formed Royal Navy Air Service (RNAS) and served on the HMS Airship C27 based at
Pulham in Norfolk. Sadly, the airship
was attacked by three German seaplanes and was shot down on 11th
December 1917 causing the death of all five members of its crew, which included
Jack Collett
That was the second airship to be shot
down during the war, following which its sister ship, the Airship C26, was sent
out on a rescue mission, but ran out of fuel.
As a result, it was forced to land in Holland where the crew was
imprisoned until the end of the war.
Jack was eighteen when he died and his next-of-kin were named as his
parents Edwin and Fanny Collett of 1 Cornwallis Road in Walthamstow. The Royal Flying Corps was formed in 1913 and
had an army and a navy element, with a Military Wing and a Naval Wing, that
being the RNAS. The airship base at
Pulham had been secretly built in 1913, where the airships were affectionately
known as the Pulham Pigs
Frank Collett
[21Q123] was born at 16
Clacton Road in Walthamstow on
15th June 1903, his birth recorded at West Ham register office (Ref.
4a 438) during the second quarter of the year. He was another son of Edwin and Fanny Collett
from Cornwall, who was
eight years old in the Walthamstow census of 1911 and living at 12 Devonshire
Road. The later marriage of Frank
Collett and Lily N Amies was recorded at West Ham register office (Ref. 4a 778)
during the last three months of 1925.
After being married for seven years, Lily presented Frank with a son,
whose birth was recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b 511) during the
quarter of 1932. Like his younger
brother Fred (below), Frank also appears to have lived most of his life in
Essex, where his death was recorded (Ref. 5d 2010) in 1969 at the age of 66
21R98 – Roy Collett was born in 1932 at Hackney, London
Fred Collett
[21Q124] was born at Walthamstow, London on 12th
April 1904, with his birth recorded as Fred Collett at West Ham register office
(Ref. 4a 474) during the second quarter of that year. He was the last child born to Edwin Collett
and his second wife Florence Hannah Pill.
He may have been born at either 16 Clacton Road in Walthamstow, where
his parents were living in 1901, or at 12 Devonshire Road, Walthamstow where schoolboy
Fred Collett was six years of age in 1911.
He was 31 years old when the marriage of Fred Collett and Beatrice Phyper was recorded at West Ham register office (Ref. 4a
1107) during the third quarter of 1935.
Beatrice was born on 21st March 1905 at Bethnal Green and was
living at Walthamstow with her family in 1911.
As far as can be determined, their marriage produced no children. Fred and Beatrice were still living within
the county of Essex when he died, the death of Fred Collett being recorded at
Essex register office (Vol. 15 1105) in 1978, at the age of 74. Beatrice was a widow for only a few months,
when the death of Beatrice Collett, aged 72, was also recorded at Essex register
office (Vol. 14 1503) during 1979
Heather
Wanda Rookledge Collett [21R1] was
born at Christchurch near Bournemouth on 18th February 1926. She was educated at Earlsfield in South West
London and after at
Joy
Beryl Rookledge Collett [21R2] was
born on 5th September 1927 and that may have taken place at
Christchurch, just after which her parents moved to London. She was the second child of actor Charles
Harcourt Collett and his partner Else Goodwin-Rookledge whose previous marriage
had been annulled on the grounds of her husband being a bigamist. Charles was unable to secure a divorce from
his first wife, hence the partnership.
They must therefore have been difficult times for Charles and Elsie
since in January 1928, when Joy was around four months old, they decided that
she should be given up for adoption
Joy later married Barry Layzell with
whom she had a daughter Lorraine Layzell who was born in 1954. Lorraine went onto marry John Calvert, and
they in turn had a son Daniel Calvert who was born in 1986. In 2009 Joy was a widow and it was only
through ‘surfing the net’ and coming across the Rookledge website (www.rookledge.com) that Joy contact her brother Gordon
Charles Rookledge Collett (below) which resulted in her place in this family
being confirmed. At the time of the death
of Joy Beryl Layzell when she was 86, on 17th February 2013, she was
residing in the Hounslow area of London
Nigel
Harcourt Rookledge Collett [21R3] was
born at Wandsworth in South West London on 14th October 1929. He was educated at
21S1 – Ian Harcourt Rookledge Collett was born in 1960 at Kent
21S2 – Caroline A Rookledge Collett was born in 1961 at
Kent
21S3 – Keith Charles Rookledge Collett was born in 1963 at Kent
21S4 – Heather Rookledge Collett was
born in 1965 at Kent
Jean
Margaret Rookledge Collett [21R4] was
born at Clapham on 5th November 1932. Like her older sister Heather, Jean also
attended school at Carshalton. She
married Patrick E Kisbee in 1958 with whom she had three children Christopher
Kisbee born in 1960, Ann Kisbee born in 1962 and Gillian Kisbee born in
1964. Patrick died at East Sussex in
1990
GORDON
CHARLES ROOKLEDGE COLLETT [21R5] was
born at Clapham on 3rd December 1933. He was educated at the Stanley Park School in
Carshalton and at Irstead School on the Norfolk Broads for a short time in
1947. On leaving school Gordon served
with the Royal Artillery from 1952 to 1954 after which he entered the world of
publishing and later became founder, chairman, and managing director of Gavin
Martin Limited, Sarema Press publishers and KGM Limited. He married Jennifer Mary Dampier Lush at
Carshalton during 1960 with whom he had three children. Gordon lived at Beeches Walk in Carshalton
and had an excellent website depicting the milestones in his life – see www.rookledge.com.
Sadly, on 8th June 2012 Gordon suffered a stroke from which
he never regained consciousness, and despite the most wonderful care, he
tragically passed away on 8th September 2012. During his last three months his family read
to him the contents of the monthly Collett Newsletter, in the hope he might
still hear what was going on
21S5 – Sarah Louise Rookledge Collett was born in 1962 at London
21S6 – GAVIN ALISTAIR ROOKLEDGE COLLETT was born in 1964 at London
21S7 – Emma Constance Rookledge Collett was born in 1966 at London
William
John Collett [21R6] was
baptised at Ladock on 25th February 1873, the son of John Hosking
Collett and Dinah Ellen Hooper.
Tragically, his mother died and was buried on the same day that William
was baptised. However, it is now known
that the death of William John Collett was recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 103)
during the second quarter of 1873 when he was just two months old. The burial of baby William John Collett took
place at Ladock on 11th April 1873
It was previously written here that
William J Collett from Falmouth in Cornwall was 27 and a hawker, a married man
living at King Street in Plymouth with his wife and child in 1901. His wife was Sarah J Collett from Dartmouth
in Devon who was 25, and their son Frederick T Collett was one year old and
born at Bristol. Tragically, William’s
wife died nine years later, the death of Sarah Jane Collett, aged 34, was
recorded at Plymouth register office (Ref. 5b 211) during the first three
months of 1910. It is possible that she
had an infectious disease because, one year later her husband was recorded in
the census of 1911 as being a resident at an institution/hospital in Plymouth. The census return that year described him as
William J Collett from Launceston in Cornwall who was a widower at 38. New information discovered in January 2017
confirms that shortly after the census in 1911, William J Collett aged 37 died
at Plymouth where his death was recorded (Ref. 5b 144) during the second
quarter of 1911. It seems highly likely
that the institution where he was recorded, just prior to his passing, may well
have been a hospital. All of this must
therefore refer to another William J Collett
21S8 – Frederick T Collett was born in
1900 at Bristol
John
Collett [21R8] was born
at Truro St Clement in 1878, the eldest son of James Thomas Collett and Ellen
Cowl. By 1881 he and his family were
living on Tresillian Road in St Erme when John was two years old. Ten years late he was still living at Gilles
in St Erme with his family at the age of 12 years. By March 1901 he was unmarried at 22 and was
living in St Agnes where he was described as Jack Collett of Truro who was
working as a carter and horse driver.
The banns of marriage of John Collett of the parish of St Erme, a
bachelor, and Elizabeth Mary Gill, a spinster of the parish of Newlyn East,
were read on 28th August, 4th and 11th
September 1904. The wedding ceremony was
conducted at the parish church in Newlyn East on 6th October 1904,
when John Collett was 26 and a labourer residing in St Erme, the son of James
Collett, a maltster, and when Elizabeth Mary Gilly was 30 and the daughter of
Thomas Gilly, a foreman with the Great Western Railway. The two witnesses were Thomas Gilly and Edith
Collett, John’s younger sister (below).
By April 1911, the Elizabeth had given
birth to two children who were born at Zelah, five miles north-east of Truro,
with the family residing at nearby Perranzabuloe. Also, by then, John’s father-in-law may have
found a new job of work for him, since John Collett from Truro, aged 32, was a
packer employed by the Great Western Railway Company. Elizabeth Mary Collett was 36 and born at
Newlyn East (four miles north of Zelah), while their two offspring were both
recorded as being four years of aged, when they were born one year apart. They were Beatrice Mary Collett and William
John Collett, with the birth of the eldest child recorded at Truro register office
(Ref. 5c 115) during the second quarter of 1906. It was a year after, that the birth of
William John Collett was recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 120) during the second
quarter of 1907. Their daughter Beatrice
Mary Collett never married and lived all her life in Cornwall, where her death
was recorded during 1991, when her date of birth was recorded as 21st
April 1906
21S9 – Beatrice Mary Collett was born in
1906 at Zelah, near Perranzabuloe
21S10 – William John Collett was born in
1907 at Zelah, near Perranzabuloe
Sydney
Collett [21R9] was born
at St Erme, either in the last few days of 1880 or very early in January 1881,
with his birth recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 143) during the first three months of
1881. It was on 1st March
1881 that, under the name of Sidney Collett, he was baptised at Truro, the son
of James and Ellen Collett. It seems
highly likely that he was born at Tresillian Road in St Erme, where his family
was living at the time of the census in 1881 when Sidney was described as being
only three months old. He was still
living with his family at Gilles in St Erme on the day of the next census in
1891 when, as Sydney Collett, he was ten years of age. Apparently, he was only 19 when he married
the widow Catherine Alfreda Burley who was around ten years older than Sidney
and already had two children from her first husband. All this was confirmed within the Merther
census of 1901 and, by which time, Catherine had presented Sydney with the
couple’s first child. Sydney Collett of
St Erme was 20 years of age and was working as a horseman on a farm, Catherine
Collett was 26 and had been born at Gorran, while living with the couple were
Sydney’s stepchildren Beatrice Burley aged eight from Truro, and Ethel Burley
who was five and from St Austell, together with the couple’s one-year-old
daughter Ellen Collett who had been born at Truro
Just over five months after the census
day Catherine presented Sidney with the couple’s second child. The baptism record stated that Sidney was
then working as a labourer while living at Carharthen in Merther where his son
was born. Over the next four years two
further children were added to the family while they were still living in
Merther, but shortly thereafter the family left Merther to settle in
Probus. According to the census in 1911,
the family of six was living at Benton Berron within the parish of Probus
within the Truro registration district, where Sidney Collett from St Erme was
30 and still a horseman on a farm, his wife Catherine Alfreda Collett from
Gorran was 40, and their children were Ellen Collett aged 11 from Kenyon,
Ernest Edward Collett who was nine, Frederick Collett who was seven, and
Lillian Edith Collett who was five, and all of them born at Merther. Curiously, the birth of the couple’s eldest
son was recorded using the names Ernest and Henry, while the later records
suggest he was Ernest Edward, which was also his baptismal name, although it
was as Ernest H Collett that he was married in 1924. The later death of Sidney Collett, as Sydney
Collett, was recorded at Falmouth register office (Ref. 7a 36) during the
second quarter of 1953, when he was 72 years of age
21S11 – Ellen Collett was born in 1899 at Merther
21S12 – Ernest Henry Collett was born in 1901 at Merther
21S13 – Frederick Collett was born in 1903 at Merther
21S14 – Lillian Edith Collett was born in 1905 at Merther
Ellen Collett
[21R10] was born at St
Erme in 1882, the third child and eldest daughter of James and Ellen
Collett. Her birth was registered at
Truro (Ref. 5c 149) during the last quarter of the year, and it was at Truro
that she was baptised on 6th March 1883. The St Erme census in 1891 recorded Nellie
Collett aged eight years, living at Gilles in St Erme with her family. Ellen Collett was seventeen years old when
she died, her death recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 5c 135) during the
first quarter of 1900
Edith
Collett [21R11] was
born at St Erme in 1884 and was the eldest daughter of James Thomas Collett and
Ellen Cowl. Her birth was registered at
Truro (Ref. 5c 145) during the last quarter of the year. It was then on 27th January 1885
that she was baptised at Truro. Her
early years were spent with her parents at Tresillian Road in St Erme where she
was recorded as being six years old in the census of 1891. Upon leaving school Edith entered into
domestic service and had left the family home in St Erme by March 1901 when she
was 16 and working as a scullery maid at the Carlew home in Mylor, the home of
retired Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Tremayne and his wife Emma, where Edith
Collett was one of the fourteen servants employed at the hose that day. Five years later, the marriage of Edith
Collett, a spinster, and William Henry Powell Horwell, a widower, took place at
St Erme on 24th November 1906, the event recorded at Truro register
office (Ref. 5c 245) when Edith was 22 and the daughter of James Collett, and
William was 36 and the son of John Horwell. They had three children, Charles Hart
Collett Horwell born at St Erme in 1908, Charles Kenny Horwell born
at Truro in 1911, and Opre Horwell born at Newton Abbot in 1914, when
the mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Collett. The two older children were staying with
their maternal Collett grandparents at St Erme in 1911
Charles
Collett [21R12] was
born at St Erme possibly at the end of 1886 or at the start of 1887, with his
birth registered at Truro (Ref. 5c 133) during the first three months of
1887. He was four years old in the St
Erme census of 1891. According to the
next St Erme census in 1901, Charley Collett of Tresillian (sic) was 14 and was
living in St Erme with his family.
Tragically, within a year he was dead.
Charles Collett was only 15 years old when his death was recorded at
Truro register office (Ref. 5c 105) during the first three months of 1902, just
two years after his eldest sister Ellen Collett died aged 17
Gertrude
Collett [21R13] was
born at St Erme in 1889, although her birth was recorded at Truro register
office (Ref. 5c 136) during the second quarter of that year, but only as
Gertrude Collett. Again, as simply Gertrude
Collett, she was two years of age in the St Erme census of 1891, when living
with her family at Gilles. At the age of 12 years, Gertrude she was still
living with her family in St Erme where, curiously, her place of birth was
recorded as Tresillian, as it was for some of her other siblings born at St
Erme
Blanche
Annie Collett [21R14] was
born at St Erme either at the end of 1890 or early in 1891, with her birth
recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 143) during the first quarter of 1891, but as only
Annie Collett. It was as Blanche Annie
Collett who was only a few months old that she was living with her family at
Gilles in St Erme. She was ten years old and referred to simply as Annie
Collett in 1901 when she was still living with her family in St Erme. Eight years after that census day, the
marriage of Blanche Annie Collett and John James Mitchell was recorded at Truro
register office (Ref. 5c 229) during the second quarter of 1909. Two years later, as Anne Mitchell aged 21,
Blanche Annie was staying with her parents at St Erme, confirmed again as the
place of her birth. The couple’s only
known child was born at Truro two years later, with the birth of Avis I
Mitchell was recorded there (Ref. 5c 230) during the third quarter of 1913,
when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Collett
Beatrice
Collett [21R15] was
born at St Erme in either the last few days of 1893 or early in 1894 as her
birth was recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 5c 130) during the first
three months of 1894. She was seven
years old at the time of the Tresillian census of 1901 and just like her sister
Gertrude (above), Beatrice eventually left the family home to seek work. At the age of eighteen, she was living and
working as a housemaid at Gwennap in the Redruth census of 1911, when her place
of birth was recorded by her employer, elderly Edward Beauchamp, as St
Erme. Beatrice was one of six domestic
servants, which included two footmen, employed by Edward 77, his wife Louisa
67, and their unmarried daughters Louisa and Violet Beauchamp. It was much later in her life when the
marriage of Beatrice Collett and Richard J Stephens was recorded at Truro
register office (Ref. 5c 231) during the first three months of 1932. Beatrice Stephens was 72 when she died in
Cornwall during 1966 (Ref. 7a 94)
Russell
Clifford Collett [21R16]
was born at St Rudmere within the Plympton area of south Devon, with his birth
recorded at Plympton register office (Ref. 5b 185) during the third quarter of
1901. He was the eldest of three
children of baker Sydney Charles Collett of Newton Ferrers and his wife Bessie
Rogers from Plymouth. At some time
before 1908, the family moved north to the village of Buckland Monachorum, near
Tavistock, where his brother Ivor (below) was born, and where the family of four
was residing in 1911, when Russel Collett was nine years old and attending
school. Tragically, Russell died in an
accident when he was only 23 years of age, with the death of Russell Clifford
Collett was recorded in Devon (Ref. 5b 324) during 1924
Ivor
Victor Roy Collett [21R17]
was born at Buckland Monachorum (ten miles north of Plymouth) in 1908, the
second of the two sons of baker Sydney Charles and Bessie Collett, whose birth
was recorded at Tavistock register office (Ref. 5b 312) during the third quarter
of that year. It was also at Buckland
Monachorum that he and his family were living in 1911, when Ivor Collett was
two years of age. Ivor later became a
married man in 1936, when the marriage of Ivor Victor Roy Collett and Bessie
Olive Kelly was recorded at Devonport register office (Ref. 5b 846) during the
spring that year. They had a total of
five children, all of whom were still living in 2010. The couple’s first child was born in
Singapore, the second and the fourth while the family was living in Plymouth,
between those two the third child was born at Looe, while their last child was
born at Yeovil after the war. Just after
his wedding day, Ivor was a civil servant working for the British Government, when
he sailed out of the Port of London on 26th May 1936 on board the P
& O ship Ranchi, bound for Singapore, as a married man
21S15 – Sandra Georgina Collett was born in 1937 at Singapore
21S16 – Diana Collett was born in 1939 at Plymouth
21S17 – Bruce Ivor Nicholas Collett was born in 1942 at Looe
21S18 – Paul Ivor Craig Collett was born in 1945 at Plymouth
21S19 – David Ivor Charles Collett was born in 1950 at Yeovil, Somerset
Betty
Collett [21R18] was the
third child born to Sydney Charles Collett and Bessie Rogers, and was born into
the family after an eleven-year gap back to the birth of her brother Ivor
(above) in 1908. The birth of Betty
Collett was recorded at Devonport register office (Ref. 5b 569) during the
fourth quarter of 1919, when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as
Rogers. She later married Charles
Clifford Climo who was born on 17th December 1922 and they had a son
and a daughter. No record of their
marriage, or the birth of their son, has been found. However, the birth of Sheila E Climo was
recorded at Plymouth register office (Ref. 7v 687) during the last quarter of
1950, when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Collett. At the time of the death of her father in
1951, it was Betty Climo, the wife of Charles Clifford Climo, who was granted
administration of her father’s personal effects amounting to £179 4 Shillings
and 6 Pence. Tragically, Betty Climo nee
Collett died from cancer shortly after that time when she was still relatively
young. Her husband Charles died during
1974 and his death was recorded at Bodmin register office (Vol. 21 0048) during
the second quarter of that year
Alpha
Harris Collette [21R20] was
born at Lake Charles in Louisiana on 5th May 1895, the eldest of the
fifth children of Joseph Harris Collette and Ida King. He never married and was only 23 when he died
on 17th October 1918
Donald
Allan Collette [21R21] was
a twin with his sister Mabel (below) and was born at Lake Charles on 22nd
December 1896, the second son of Joseph and Ida Collette. It was on 3rd September 1926 that
he married Alice Dickinson Hester who was born on 7th February 1895
at Hazelhurst in Copiah County, Mississippi.
It was also during the year that they were married that Donald built a
house for his bride just down the same street from where his mother lived. During the following year Alice presented
Donald with their only child, who was also born at Lake Charles and who was
also given the same name as his father.
During their life together Donald and Alice lived in the house at 729
Iris Street in Lake Charles, where Donald Allan Collette senior died on 11th
February 1962 when he was 65. His widow
Alice Dickinson Collette nee Hester survived him by twenty-two years when she
passed away at Lake Charles on 9th May 1984 when she was still
living in the home built by her late husband on Iris Street. It is also in that same house that the wife
of their only son was living in 2013
The notice of his passing in the Lake Charles
newspaper read as follows:
“Lake
Charles, Feb 11th – Donald A Collette 65 life resident of Lake
Charles and a member of a pioneer family of the city, died at 4.45 am Sunday at
St Patrick’s Hospital. His body is at
Hixson Funeral Home where services will be conducted at 2 pm Monday. The Rev C W Quaid, pastor at the Simpson
Methodist Church of which Mr Collette’s grandfather the Rev Cyrus King was the
first pastor, will officiate. Burial
will be in Highland Memory Garden Cemetery.
Mr Collette resided at 729 Iris Street.
Born in Lake Charles on Dec 22 1896 he was the son of Joseph Harris
Collette and Ida King Collette.
Surviving are his wife, the former Alice Hester; a son D Allan Collette
Jr Lake Charles; three grandchildren, and three sisters, Miss Mabel Collette,
Miss Jodie Collette, and Mrs Edith Vicellio, all of Lake Charles. Mr Collette was a buyer for Kelley, Weber
& Co with which firm he had been associated for over 40 years. He was a member of the American Legion and of
its Forty and Eight, and had been active in affairs of W B Williamson Post No.
1”
In another article the following was
written in addition to the details reproduced above: “Mr
Collette was a lifelong member of the Simpson Methodist Church, and had served
as a church trustee and chairman of the board of stewards. He was a charter member of the
church-sponsored Boy Scout Troop, senior councillor of the local chapter of the
United Commercial Travellers, and a Mason”
21S20 – Donald Allan Collett was born in 1927 at Lake Charles
Mabel
Edna Collette [21R22] was
born at Lake Charles on 22nd December 1896 the twin sister of Donald
(above) and the eldest daughter of Joseph and Ida Collette. She was valedictorian of her high school
class and later attended college and, although she had hours toward her PhD in
Education, she never completed that degree.
She did however earn an undergraduate and master's degree in education
at the Central Elementary School in Lake Charles, where her fellow student was
Alice Dickenson Hester who, through their friendship, later married Mabel’s
brother Donald (above)
Later on Mabel, who never married,
served the Governor of the State of Louisiana as The Superintendent of Primary
and Secondary Schools. She was the first
and only woman to hold a state-wide office and to have an office in the Capital
Building in Baton Rouge. It was really a
big deal at the time, albeit the main reason she secured the job was because
most of the men were serving in the Second World War. She also taught classes at Louisiana State
University in Baton Rouge, where she lived for most of her adult life. The last twenty-five years of her life were
spent at Lake Charles, where she died. Edie
Collette, as she was known, was always considered the pretty one in the family
and during the early 1970s she became the first woman to hold the position of
Vice-President at the Calcasieu Marine National Bank on Ryan Street in Lake
Charles
Josephine
Collette [21R23] was
born at Lake Charles on 21st August 1902, the third daughter of Joseph
and Ida Collette. She was known within
the family as Jodie and, like her sister Mabel (above) she too never
married. She maintained a business
career, firstly working for the Calcasieu National Bank in Lake Charles, aka
the Calcasieu Marine National Bank, before taking up the post of manager at the
Walker Interests in Calcasieu Parish.
Josephine Collette died on 29th March 1978
Edith
Collette [21R24] was
born at Lake Charles on 14th July 1907, the last child of Joseph
Harris Collette and Ida King. It would
appear that Edie, as she was known, was around twenty-five years of age when
she married Charles Tell Viccellio who sadly died on 1st November
1941. The short marriage produced two
children for Edith and Charles, and they were Charles Day Viccellio, who was
born at Lake Charles on 8th July 1933, and Gay Collette Viccellio
who was also born at Lake Charles but on 7th January 1939. Edith never re-married after the death of her
husband
Annie
Jane Collett [21R27] was
born at St Gluvias, just north of Penryn, on 2nd November 1883,
before the family settled in Mylor Bridge.
Her birth was registered at Falmouth (Ref. 5c 179) during the last
quarter of 1883, and it was at St Gluvias where she was baptised on 4th
January 1884, the first of the five children of William Henry Collett and his
wife Elizabeth Ann. At the age of seven
years, Annie J Collett was living with her family at Goonreath in Mylor. According to the next census in 1901, Annie
Collett from St Gluvias was seventeen years of age when she was working as a
dairy-maid at the Lane End home in St Gluvias of her spinster aunt Jane Bath
aged 32 and from St Gluvias who was the keeper of the dairy. Jane Bath was the younger sister of Annie’s
other, the former Elizabeth Ann Bath. It
was exactly the same situation in 1911, when 27-year-old Annie Collett was
still living with dairy keeper Jane Bath in St Gluvias, but as a general
domestic servant. Annie never married
and lived all her life in the same county, and it was many years later that the
death of Annie Jane Collett was recorded in Cornwall during 1969, when she was
85
Mary
Ellen Collett [21R28] was
born at Mylor Bridge, to the north of Penryn, on 21st January 1886,
her birth registered at Falmouth (Ref. 7a 120).
Upon being baptised at St Gluvias on 2nd April 1886, Mary
Ellen was confirmed as the daughter of farm labourer William Henry Collett and
his wife Elizabeth Ann, residing in Mylor.
She was 15 at the time of the 1901 Census when she was working as an
apprentice tailoress with her younger sister Beatrice (below) while living with
her family at Gwennap. In 1911, as a
general domestic servant employed by elderly grocer John Henry Tregoning and
his wife Bessie, Mary Ellen Collett was 25 and from Mylor and was still living
at Gwennap. By that time Mary’s family
had already left Gwennap, and was living in the Falmouth area, but with her
father absent. Previously, Mary was
believed to have married into the Allen family of Carharrack, the next village
to Gwennap. However, that may not be
correct, since the death of Mary Ellen Collett was recorded at Cornwall during
1972
Beatrice
Sarah Collett [21R29] was
born at Mylor Bridge in 1887 and her birth was registered at Falmouth (Ref. 5c
159) during the second quarter of the year.
By the time she was 13 years of age she was living with her family at
Gwennap. She had left school by then and
was working with her older sister Mary (above) who were both apprentice
tailoresses. During the early years of
the new century the Collett family move to the Falmouth area where they were
living in April 1911. Beatrice Collett
of Mylor Bridge was 23 and was still living with her mother and her two brothers. Her father’s whereabouts has not been
discovered. Over three years later, the
marriage of Beatrice S Collett and Thomas H Pope was recorded at Falmouth
register office (Ref. 5c 334) during the last three months of 1914. Thomas
hailed from Perranwell and their marriage produced two daughters for the
couple, they being Phyllis M Pope and Beatrice Eileen Pope. The births of the two daughters were recorded
at Falmouth register office (Ref. 5c 210) towards the end of 1915, and (Ref. 5c
174) during the summer of 1919, when the mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as
Collett. The later death of Beatrice S
Pope was recorded in Cornwall during 1964, when she was 77 years old
William
Charles Collett [21R30] was
born at Mylor Bridge on 6th March 1889, with his birth registered at
Falmouth (Ref. 5c 149) during the second quarter of 1888. As William Charles Collett, son of labourer
William Henry Collett and Elizabeth Ann Collett, he was baptised at St Gluvias
on 31st May 1889. He was 12
years old in March 1901 and was still attending school, while living with his
family at Gwennap. His family left
Gwennap after that and moved to live within the Falmouth registration district
where they were recorded in 1911, when William was 22, although his father was
absent from the family home on the census day.
It was during the following year that William married Ethel Florence Hunt
at Hicks Mill in 1912. Ethel was the
daughter of William
Once they married, the couple settled
initially in Perranarworthal about two miles west of Mylor Bridge, before
moving later to live at Carharrack the next village to Gwennap where William’s
parents lived. William Charles Collett
became a prominent Methodist Church preacher in the local community and he and
Ethel had four children during the eight years following their marriage. The births of their first two children were
recorded at Redruth, with the births of the two later children recorded at
Falmouth, all four confirming that the mother’s maiden-name was Hunt
21S21 – William Albert Hayne Collett was born in 1913 at Perranarworthal
21S22 – Florence Hazel Collett was born in 1914 at Perranarworthal
21S23 – Ethel Vera Collett was born in 1916 at Perranarworthal
21S24 – Edgar Sylvester Collett was born in 1920 at Perranarworthal
Thomas
J Collett [21R31] was
born at Stithians in 1895 and was five years old when he was living at Gwennap
with his family according to the census of 1901. During the next ten years it is possible that
his father passed away, following which the family move from Gwennap in the
Redruth area to the Falmouth area. By
1911 Thomas Collett of Stithians was 15 and was living with his mother
Elizabeth and his sister Beatrice and his brother William (above) within the
Falmouth registration district. Sometime
later Thomas Collett married Emmy and they lived at Mylor with their three
children
21S25 – Joyce Collett was born in 1914
at Mylor
21S26 – David Collett was born in 1916
at Mylor
21S27 – Jean Collett was born in 1920 at
Mylor
Stanley
Warne Collett [21R32] was
born at Wadebridge on 7th May 1889 when his birth was recorded at St Columb register office
(Ref. 5c 86) during the second quarter of that year. He was the eldest son of Robert Davey Collett
and his first wife Elizabeth Ann Hancock, and was born approximately nine
months after their wedding day. By the time of the census in
1891 he and his parents were residing at St Breock near Wadebridge, when
Stanley Warne Collett was one year old, but nearing his second birthday. His father’s occupation as a police constable
meant the family travelled around mid-Cornwall, with Stanley’s two younger
siblings born at St Ween and St Blazey respectively. By 1901 the family was complete with Stanley
being 11 years of age and living at Molesworth Street in Wadebridge with his
parents, and siblings John and Gwendoline (below). It was early in 1904 that his mother died,
and a year later his father re-married
On 6th February 1905, at the
age of 15, Stanley Warne Collett entered into employment with the Great Western
Railway and was assigned a position at St Blazey Station, midway between St
Austell and Lostwithiel. In April 1911 Stanley Warne Collett from
Wadebridge was 21 and employed as a stationary engineman who was still
living in the St Austell Urban home of his father and his stepmother
Jemima. It would appear that Stanley
lived most of his life in the St Austell area, since it was there that the
death of Stanley W Collett was registered during the second quarter of 1959
(Ref. 7a 152) at the age of 69
John
Percy Collett [21R33] was
born at St Wenn on 12th April 1892 and was eight years old when he
was living with his parents on Molesworth Street in Wadebridge in 1901. The birth of John Percy Collett was recorded at St Columb register
office (Ref. 5c 76) during the second quarter on 1892. John’s mother Elizabeth died in 1904 and in
1905 his father Robert Davey Collett was re-married. By April 1911 John Percy Collett from St Wenn was 19 and working as a
cooper, when he and his family were living within the St Austell Urban district
of south Cornwall. It was twelve
years after that when John Percy Collett married Lillian Violet Holberton, the
event recorded at St Austell register office (Ref. 5c 220) during the third
quarter of 1923. Once married the couple
continued to live in St Austell
When John was 32, Lillian presented him
with a son whom he named after his father.
Although not known at this time, it is very likely that John and Lillian
had other children besides just the one known son. Sadly, for John and Lillian their son Robert
joined the army during the Second World War and he was killed in action in 1944
when he was just twenty years of age. As
his next of kin, John and Lillian were recorded as being of St Austell at the
time of the death of their son
Later in his life, it would appear that
John Percy Collett was known by the family simply as Percy. And it was just after the Second World War
that, as Percy Collett, he was visited by his cousin Henry Collett (below) who
was on a visit to England from Canada, to where his family had emigrated in
1912. In 1967, John Percy Collett was
living at 25 Bridge Road in St Austell, while it was eight years later that the
death of John Percy Collett was recorded at St Austell register office (Vol. 21
0463) during the third quarter of 1975 when he was 83
21S28 – Robert George Collett was born in 1924 at St Austell
Gwendoline May Collett
[21R34] was born in
1897 at St Blazey, to the north of St Austell, her birth recorded at St Austell register office (Ref. 5c
92) during the second quarter of the year.
It was at St Blazey, later that year, that she was baptised on 1st
August 1897, when she confirmed as the daughter of Robert Davey Collett and his
first wife Elizabeth Ann Collett.
Not long after she was born her father’s work as a policeman resulted in
the family returning to Wadebridge where in 1901, they were living at Molesworth Street where
Gwendoline May was three years old.
Three years later her mother died at the age of 45, after which her
father married for a second time, when the family returned to the south coast
of Cornwall. That move was confirmed in
the census of 1911 with the family residing at St Austell Urban, where
Gwendoline from St Blazey was 13
William
Henry Collett [21R37] was
born at Veryan on 24th March 1889, the first of three children born
to Edward Charles Collett and Anne Williams John. Not long after he was born his parents moved
the seven miles north to Ladock. Sadly,
it was there, during the birth of his twin brothers in 1890 that his mother
died. With his father being unable to
cope with his tragic loss, William was placed in the care of his widowed
grandmother Grace Collett nee Jewell, while the twins Edward and James (below)
were separated and placed with two of their late mother’s brother’s families
It was with his grandmother Grace
Collett that William was living at the time of the Truro & St Just census
of 1891, when he recorded as William H Collett of Veryan aged two years. At that same time, William’s father was
living and working at Stoke Damerel in Devonport, where he remarried. He then brought his new wife back to the
village of Kea where he was born, and it was only then that Edward admitted to
his bride that he already had a son from a previous marriage, which he had omitted
to tell her beforehand, and about which she never forgave him. It is not clear whether Edward also admitted
to having had twin sons who had been taken into the care of his late wife’s
family. By the time of the census in
1901, William was 12 years old and was still living with his father and his
stepmother, together with the first four of their ultimate six children. It was at the end of April in 1908 that
William’s father sailed to Canada, leaving the family living in Devonport and
awaiting the call to join him there
According to the census in April 1911,
William’s family was still living in the Devonport area, whereas William Henry
Collett, aged 22 and a gardener, was living at 8 Corporation Road in Devonport,
the home of his future parents-in-law, Thomas Henry Watson and his wife
Ellen. It was just over five months
later that William married their daughter Bella Ann Watson on 9th
September 1911, the marriage being registered at Devonport. By that time William was no longer a simple
gardener, but was a stoker in the service of the Royal Navy. The marriage certificate also gave his
address as 8 Corporation Road in Peverell district of Plymouth, which was also
the address given by Bella who said she was 20 years of age instead of her
actual age of 18
Five months earlier Bella Watson, aged
18 and from Brealston (a
misinterpretation of Brere Alston), was recorded as working as a servant
away from her own family, but still within the Devonport area. Ten years before that she was living with her
family at Brere Ferrers on the west bank of the River Tavy, just five miles
north of Plymouth. Bella A Watson was
seven years old and her place of birth on that occasion was given as Brere
Ferrers, although the birth was registered at Tavistock in 1893
So, from this it seems likely that the love
story of William and Bella developed in the following way. Employee, the younger gardener, falls in love
with his boss’ eldest daughter. Father
sends his daughter away to work with another family in another part of the town
and out of temptation’s way. Young love
persists, but Dad only gives his permission for the gardener to marry his
daughter provided that his prospective son-in-law secures himself a decent
job. As a result, the young gardener
commits himself to the Royal Navy for the next twelve years
It is established from his naval records
that William Henry Collett first entered the Royal Naval on 12th
March 1907, although the actual start date for his continuous twelve years of
service did not happen until 27th July 1911, less than two months
before he married Bella Watson. His
initial basic training was carried out on the land-based barracks of HMS Vivid
I and HMS Vivid 2 at Devonport. Later he
was attached to the armoured cruiser HMS Cornwall and after that he was
assigned to HMS Active. The same naval
record stated that prior to his entry into the service in July 1911, he had
been working as a gardener’s assistant, that he was 5 feet 6¾ inches tall, with
dark brown hair and brown eyes, having a fair complexion and a small scar over
his right eye. For his first five months
service he held the rank of stoker class II, after which he was promoted to
stoker first class
It is understood within the family that
during his time in the navy, he was flogged with a cat-of-nine-tails for
insubordination and that the injuries he sustained resulted in blood poisoning,
from which he later died. Whilst there
is no apparent mention of this in his naval record, it does state that he was
discharged from the service on 5th February 1914, suffering with
tuberculosis, and that he received a pension eleven days later on 16th
February. The death of William Collett
was registered at Tavistock in Devon during the second quarter of 1917
Thanks to Sue Collett (Ref. 21T25) the
following family story can now be told, which seems to clear up this
anomaly. “In the photograph above William is wearing a naval uniform with a hat
band marked HMS Ringarooma. William did
not serve on this vessel, which was sold for scrap in 1906. However, in the 1891 census William's father
Edward Charles Collett was working as a general servant and gardener at
Oatlands, near Stoke Damerel in Devon.
The owner of that property was John E Scott, the father of Robert Falcon
Scott, Scott of the Antarctic. On 21st
December 1901 Scott sailed for the Antarctic from New Zealand onboard The
Discovery, escorted by The Ringarooma and The Lizard. How the hat came into the possession of
William is not known, perhaps via his father as a gift from the Scott family”
It is known that the marriage of William
Collett and Bella Watson definitely produced two children, and possibly even
three children, before William’s untimely death, a couple of months after the
birth of the couple’s last child. Sadly,
for the couple, their first child died within five months of being born. Following their loss, it is possible that
Bella was already pregnant with William’s second son at the time of the death
of their first child, since one internet record, so far unconfirmed, relates to
the birth of a child with exactly the same name, who was born during the second
quarter of 1915
The first child was William W T Collett
whose birth was recorded at Tavistock register office (Ref. 5b 638) during the
third quarter of 1914, when the mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as
Watson. The death of the same child was
also recorded at Tavistock (Ref. 5b 466) during the final quarter of that same
year. The second and unconfirmed birth
of William W T Collett, mentioned on ancestry.com, took place between April and
June in 1915
21S29 – William W T Collett was born in
1914 at Tavistock, Devon
21S30 – Edward Charles Collett was born in 1917 at Tavistock, Devon
Edward
Charles Collett [21R38] was
one half of a set of twins born to Edward Charles Collett and his first wife
Ann Williams Johns after they had arrived at Ladock from Veryan. The twins’ birth was registered at Truro
(Ref. 5c 130) during the second quarter of 1890. Edward and twin James (below) were born at
Ladock on 25th May 1890, although sadly their mother did not survive
the ordeal and was buried later that same week.
It was on 5th June 1890 that the twins were baptised at the
Church of St Symphorian in Veryan, where presumably their mother was buried,
since that was where she had been born and baptised. Following her death, the twins and their
older brother William (above) were all cared for separately by different
members of the extended family. For
Edward that meant going to Portloe, near Veryan, to live with his uncle, and
his late mother’s brother, James Caddy Johns
By the time of the census on 5th
April 1891, Edward was confirmed as living at the Portloe, near Veryan, home of
his uncle James Caddy Johns. The census
return recorded the household as James C Johns, aged 42 who was a fisherman,
his wife Phoebe Johns who was also 42, their sons Edward Johns 11 and Thomas
Johns who was six, together with nephew Edward C Collett who was only ten
months old
Edward was still living there in 1901,
at the age of 10, and again in 1911. On
that occasion the family was listed as James Caddy Johns and Phoebe Johns, both
62, Thomas Johns, aged 26, and Edward Collett who was 20. So far, all that is known about Edward is
that he married Sarah Stansfield during 1928, the marriage being registered at
Truro during the second quarter of that year.
It is not known if the marriage produced any children for the couple,
but it is established that Sarah Collett nee Stansfield, died in 1965, while
Edward Charles Collett is believed to have died during 1970
James
Arthur Collett [21R39] was
born at Ladock on 25th May 1890, when his birth was registered at
Truro (Ref. 5c 130), and was baptised at Veryan on 5th June 1890 in
a joint ceremony with his twin brother Edward (above). They were the sons of Edward Charles Collett,
a labourer of Ladock, and his wife Ann Williams Johns who tragically died
during the birth. After the death of his
mother James was separated from his two brothers William and Edward, when he
went to live with his uncle, Arthur Caddy Johns, one of the brothers of his
late mother, at Portloe near Veryan, and it was there that James was living in
1891, and again in 1901. On the latter
occasion James Collett, aged 10 years, was confirmed as living with the family
of Arthur Johns at Portloe near Veryan where Arthur he was a general labourer. After a further ten years James was still
living at Portloe with the Johns family.
Arthur Caddy Johns was 50, his wife Elizabeth was 45, and living there
with them were their four children, Henry Johns aged 24, Lilian Johns who was
19, Clarence Johns who was 13, and Ernestine John who was seven, plus James
Collett from Ladock who was 20
Three years later James Arthur Collett
emigrated to Australia, when he sailed from England on the Orient Line ship
‘Osterley’ on 7th May 1914, bound for Fremantle. He was joined there in 1916 by Frances Mary
Ebbett, the daughter of coastguard Thomas Ebbett and his wife Grace Matthews
whom he had met when her father was stationed at Portloe. Frances Ebbett was only 10 years old when her
mother died in 1899 when the family was living at Coastguard Cottage number 4
at Chideock in Dorset. James and Frances were married on 7th June
1916 and took up residence at Manjimup, midway between Bunbury and Albany in
Western Australia. Their marriage
produced two children for James and Frances, James who was born during 1917,
and Hazel who was born two years later.
James Arthur Collett died in 1962, while his wife Frances Mary Collett,
nee Ebbett, had already passed away three years earlier during 1959
21S31 – James Frederick Collett was born in 1917 at Manjimup, Western Australia
21S32 – Hazel Jean Collett was born in
1919 at Manjimup, Western Australia
Nine years later, on 19th
April 1910, Henry volunteered to serve in the Royal Navy, but on his
application form he gave his date of birth as 1892, rather than 1893, to ensure
that he was accepted. However, he was
discharged from the navy during March in the following year, when he returned
to live with his family in Plymouth. The
reason for his leaving the navy so shortly after joining, was that he
discovered that he suffered from excessive sea sickness. The Plymouth census on 2nd April
1911 confirmed that ‘Harry Collett’, aged 18, was living at 21 Corporation Road
with his family when, as a member of the Royal Navy, he was a cook’s mate
working for an officer. By that time
though, his father and sister Beatrice were absence from the family group, his
father having already sailed to Canada to seek a new life for the family, while
Beatrice had gone to stay with an uncle in New York State in the USA
Less than three weeks later Henry Lake
Collett sailed from England on 20th April 1911, when he emigrated to
Canada to be reunited with his father.
He sailed out of Liverpool on the White Star Line ship the SS Montrose,
which arrived at Quebec on 2nd May 1911. The Canadian immigration form placed him as
#10 on the passenger list, with just seven dollars in his pocket. The Canadian Census in June 1911 described
Edward Collett and his son Henry Collett as lodgers at a house in District 1,
Sub-District 62, in Calgary, Alberta
It was during 1914 that Henry’s mother
Annie, together with Henry’s sisters Ann and Winnie and brother Alfred sailed
from Liverpool to start a new life with her husband and her eldest son Henry in
Calgary. According to the census of
1916, Henry was recorded as ‘Harry Collett’ aged 23, and by that time he was
still living in the West Calgary family home with his parents and the rest of
his family, but again without his sister Beatrice who had been married for
three years by that time and was living in America
It was probably around that time in
their lives that Henry, in co-operation with his brother Alfred, added the “e”
to the end of the Collett name. That was
done either to improve their employment opportunities with employers having a
French background or simply because they preferred the more elegant sound of
the name with the terminal “e”. The only
member of Henry’s family not to continue to use the Collette spelling of the
name, was his eldest son Robert, who lived his life as Robert Collett
It was also at Calgary during 1916 that
Henry Collett married (1) Elizabeth Peach.
Elizabeth was born at Nottingham in England on 29th August 1889,
the daughter of lace-maker Edwin Peach and from Lenton, and his wife Hannah
from Greasley. In the census of 1901
Elizabeth Peach, aged 12, and her brother Edwin, aged 25, were living in
Nottingham with their parents, aged 52 and 48 respectively. It was also during 1911, that Elizabeth
sailed to Canada to join her married sister Mrs Fred Brooks, at Grassy Lake in
Alberta. From there she later moved to
Calgary where she first met Henry Collett
The marriage of Henry and Elizabeth
resulted in the birth of eight children at Calgary between 1917 and Elizabeth’s
untimely death on 3rd June 1930.
She died from the result of a long-term illness that had afflicted her
since the birth of the couple’s last child over six months prior to her
passing. Following the death of his
first wife, Henry made some changes to his family. Firstly, his son Robert, who loved farming,
went to live with his grandparents on their farm in Rosedale in British
Columbia, while Henry’s daughter Lorraine went to Vancouver in British
Columbia, where her aunt Anne Bowden Way nee Collett, and her uncle Jack Way
raised her. When that happened, Henry
employed a number of temporary housekeepers to help look after the remaining
six children
The last of the temporary housekeepers
was Eleanor Mary Mackee, who was a recent immigrant from Birmingham in
England. She became very attached to the
children, and they to her, whom they treated as their own mother. It was therefore from that early relationship
that Henry Collett eventually married (2) Eleanor Mary Mackee, the wedding
taking place during 1931. That marriage
produced a further four children for Henry, including initially a set of twins,
which were followed by another two sons, the first of which sadly did not survive
beyond a few months
Eleanor
Mary Mackee, who was known as Nellie, was born on 9th December 1901
at Birmingham in England, the first daughter of William T Mackee (born London
1876) and Florence Deborah Antill (born Battersea, London 1875). She lived in
the Birmingham area until around 1930.
Times were difficult and she and two other women signed up for an
opportunity to secure job training in Alberta, Canada. Her two companions backed out of the trip at
the last minute, so Eleanor proceeded by herself on the long trip to the
Agricultural School at Olds in Alberta.
Following the training she sought employment in the Calgary area and,
after having several jobs on different farms, she accepted the job as housekeeper
for recent widower, Henry Lake Collette in Calgary. In that job she took over the care of Henry’s
six children ranging in age from two years old Ronnie to 13 years old
Grace. Sometime after she arrived, Henry
was placed in a sanatorium to treat tuberculosis, so Nellie also cared for him
on his return home
Henry Lake Collett was a member of the
Crescent Masonic Lodge in Calgary for sixty years. In 1949 he and Eleanor joined the Unity
Chapter of the Eastern Star, where he served as Patron on a number of
occasions, including 1972 when Eleanor served as Grand Matron. He was also significantly involved in church
affairs. At an earlier time, in the
1920s, he was a lay preacher in the Anglican (Episcopal) Church and served as
Superintendent of the St. Michael’s and All Angels Sunday School. In the 1930s he and Eleanor became interested
in spiritualism, and he was a member of the Calgary Spiritualist Church for
forty-four years, and was ordained as a minister in 1954
Henry Lake Collett died at Calgary in
Alberta on 11th May 1978, some days after suffering serious burns in
a house fire, while his wife Nellie survived him by just over twenty-two
years. Nellie loved to travel and made
many trips to visit her family and friends in England and Australia, and to see
her children in Canada and the United States.
It was on Christmas Day in 2000 that she died at the age of 99
21S33 – Robert David Collett was born in 1917 at Calgary, Alberta
21S34 – Grace Doreen Collett was born in 1918 at Calgary, Alberta
21S35 – Winifred Louise Collett was born in 1921 at Calgary, Alberta
21S36 – Vince Henry Collett was born in 1922 at Calgary, Alberta
21S37 – Alan Ross Collett was born in 1925 at Calgary, Alberta
21S38 – Lorraine Ruth Collett was born in 1926 at Calgary, Alberta
21S39 – Victoria Elizabeth Collett was born in 1928 at Calgary, Alberta
21S40 – Ronald James Collett was born in 1929 at Calgary, Alberta
The four children of Henry Lake Collett
from his second marriage to Eleanor Mary Mackee were:
21S41 – Patrick George Collett was born in 1933 at Calgary, Alberta
21S42 – John Wilfred Collett was born in 1933 at Calgary, Alberta
21S43 – Frederick Collett was born in 1938 at Calgary, Alberta
21S44 – Terrance Robert Collett was born in 1943 at Calgary, Alberta
Beatrice
Annie Collett [21R41] was
born at 61 Palmerston Street, Millbridge, Plymouth on 8th April
1894, the second child and eldest daughter of Edward Charles Collett and Ann
Bowden Gribble. Her birth was recorded
at Stoke Damerel register office (Ref. 5b 301) during the second quarter of
that year, and was baptised at the Stoke Damerel Parish Church on 15 July 1894,
when her parents Edward Collett, a coachman, and Annie Bowden, were living at
61 Palmerston Street within the Millbridge district of Plymouth. She was seven years old in the census of
1901, when she was living in Plymouth with her family. She was a favourite of her mother’s family
and it was in 1910 that she emigrated to the United States to live with them
Beatrice sailed into New York Harbour on
the White Star Line ship the SS Adriatic on 19th August 1910, having
set out from Southampton on 10th August 1910, with her entry into
America was recorded on Ellis Island.
The ship’s manifest described Beatrice Collett as a domestic who was 18
years of age (sic) and from Plymouth, when he home address was confirmed as 21
Corporation Road, whose onward address was Churchville in New York State. It was originally believed that she went to
live with her Uncle Harry Gribble and his family at Rochester in New York
State, but more recent information indicates that it was to Churchville in New York
State that she moved, where she was a servant at the home of another uncle,
Harry Widger. And it was while she was
living there that she met and married Cline Thurston in 1913, following which
the couple settled in Rochester
In the British Census of 1911, it was
just Beatrice’s mother Annie Collett and her five siblings who were living at
21 Corporation Road. By that time her
father Edward had already sailed to Canada to establish a new life at Calgary
for the family. Later that same year, in
May 1911, Beatrice’s older brother Henry Lake Collett (above) joined his father
in Canada, and three years after that the rest of Beatrice’s family sailed to
Canada in 1914 to be reunited with Edward and his son Henry
Beatrice was known as Beatty, and Aunt
Beatty, and from her marriage to Cline she had two daughters at Rochester, the
eldest being Dora Thurston who was married twice. At the time of her second marriage, she
became Dora Ledermann, and that produced two daughters, Nelma Ledermann, and
Diane Ledermann. Prior to the birth of
their second child, the United States Census in 1920, recorded the family
living at Monroe in New York State, when Beatrice Thurston was 25, her husband
Cline Thurston was 27, and their daughter Dora Thurston was six years old. Beatrice and Cline’s second daughter was Nelma
Thurston and, following the later death of her husband, Beatrice moved to a
retirement community in St. Petersburg in Florida to be near her daughter Nelma
and her son-in-law Gus. And it was there
that she died in 1980
Alfred
George Collett [21R42] was
possibly born at 61 Palmerston Street, Millbridge in 1895, the son of Edward
and Annie Collett. Unlike all of his
younger siblings, who were born within the Plymouth area of Devon, the birth of
Alfred George Collett, like that of his two older siblings, was recorded at
Stoke Damerel register office (Ref. 5b 316) during the third quarter of
1895. He only survived for a few months,
when his death was also recorded at Stoke Damerel during the last quarter of
that same year (Ref. 5b 206)
It was on 8th January 1913
that George sailed from Bristol on the passenger ship ‘HMT Royal Edward’ bound
for Halifax in Nova Scotia. The Royal
Edward was notable for being the first troopship to be torpedoed during the
First World War, when it was sunk on 13th August 1915 in the Aegean
Sea, with the loss of 935 lives. Following
the outbreak of war back in England, George enlisted with the Canadian Overseas
Expeditionary Force. That took place at
Calgary on 13th May 1915 when he was 18 years old, although his army
record indicate that he gave his date of birth as 16th October
1889. The other details show that he was
born at Plymouth, that his father was Edward Charles Collett, and that he was a
postman living at 2226-32 Street West in Calgary. It was possibly during his military career
that George added the last E to his surname
Private George Edward Collette served as
a machine-gunner with the 56th Battalion of the COEF, when his army
service number was A446884. As a
machine-gunner he served on the frontline where he was seriously wounded and
gassed during the trench-warfare, causing the loss of a lung and dreadful
facial injuries which needed facial reconstruction surgery after the war. Once removed from the frontline action,
George returned to Canada on board the ship ‘Olympic’. The ship sailed out of Southampton on 7th
December 1918 and arrived in Canada one week later on 14th December
1918. On the passenger list George
Collett was shown as returning to Canada as there was no suitable employment
for him in England. His home address was
simply Calgary, and his mother was named as his next-of-kin
Despite his terrible injuries, George
was placed in the Reserve Unit of Gamead on his return to Calgary. However, with just one lung, it was later
realised that George could not tolerate the damp atmosphere of the Canadian
west-coast or the extreme cold of the prairie winters, so he ended up living
most of his life in Kamloops in British Columbia where the dry climate was more
suitable for his health and wellbeing.
It was on 10th November 1928 that George Edward Collette
married (1) Catherine (Cathy) Philp Davidson at Delburne in Alberta. Catherine was the daughter of James Philp
Davidson and Helen Hume Crocket, both of them born in Scotland. The marriage did not endure and eventually
George and Cathy were divorced
Twenty-three years after his first
marriage George married (2) Sarah Melvina MacNaughton, nee Irvine, at Kamloops
on 2nd August 1952 when she confirmed was a divorcee, whereas George
said he was a bachelor. Sarah, who was
known as Mac, was born on 2nd March 1909 and was living with her
parents Edward Irvine, born Scotland, and Annabella Demeau, born Gaspe in
Quebec at Matapelia in British Columbia at the time of the census in 1911
Ann
Bowden Collett [21R44] was
born at Mount View Cottage in Hartley, Plymouth on 30th December
1897, the daughter of Edward Charles Collett and Ann Bowden Gribble, her birth
recorded at Plymouth register office (Ref. 5b 253) during the first three
months of 1898. She was also baptised at
Holy Trinity Church on 25th February 1898 in a joint ceremony with
her older brother George (above), At the time of the census in 1901 Annie B
Collett was three years old when she was still living with her family at Mount
View Cottage. Ten years later the family
was living at 21 Corporation Road, although by then her father had made the
crossing of the Atlantic Ocean to Canada in preparation for the family’s
subsequent move there. In the census of
1911, Annie Collett was 13 and still at school when she was living with her
mother and four of her five siblings
Annie and the rest of her family sailed
out of Liverpool on 2nd May 1914 on board the SS Canada, to be
reunited with her father and her older brother Harry. The ship’s passenger listed included her as A
B Collett, and described her as a servant.
Ann was not living with her family at the time of the census in 1916,
but it was there in Canada during 1919 that Annie Bowden Collett married Jack
Way with whom she had a son Francis Edward Way who was born in 1921 at
Vancouver, where he died in 1988
Later on, Annie was also stepmother to
Lorraine Ruth Collette, the daughter of her brother Henry Lake Collett, whose
(first) wife had died in 1930 leaving the girl’s father unable to look after
his eight children without help from his family. Lorraine was later adopted by Annie and Jack
to become Lorraine Ruth Way, who later went on to marry Melvin (Mel) R Bergman
who was born on 30th January 1917 and who died at Chilliwack on 17th
February 2013. Ann Bowden Way nee
Collett died at Vancouver, British Columbia in 1974, the cause of death being
congestive heart failure following a bout of shingles. Her husband Jack Way had already died by
then, he having passed away in 1962
Elsie
May Collett [21R45] was
born on 6th July 1899 at Mount View Cottage within the Hartley
district of Plymouth, her birth recorded at Plymouth register office (Ref. 5b
215) during the third quarter of 1899, the daughter of Edward and Annie
Collett. Curiously, when she was
baptised at Holy Trinity Church in Plymouth on 3rd October 1899 her
father was named as Edwin (sic) Charles Collett, a coachman, and his wife Ann
Bowden, of Hartley. Sadly, she was only
eleven months old when her death was recorded at Plymouth (Ref. 5b 129) during
the third quarter of 1900, with her being buried within the grounds of St
Pancras Church in Pennycross on 4th July 1900, at a time when her
family was living at Mount View Cottage in Hartley
Three years later in 1914, Winifred she
sailed from Liverpool to Canada with her mother and the rest of the family,
where they were reunited with her father and brother Henry (above). The passenger list of the SS Canada described
Winifred Collett aged eleven, as travelling to Calgary in Alberta where her
father had been living for the past six years.
Winifred Collett married Edward Anstey in the 1920s with whom she had
two children, Edna Anstey and Edward Anstey. The children were only a few years old when,
tragically, Winnie died in 1929 from tuberculosis. That is believed to have happened at Calgary
in Alberta, where her two children were born
Alfred attended cadet school in 1917,
while it is understood that sometime later, perhaps around 1918 to 1920, he and
his brother Henry added an E to the end of their surname to make it look more
stylish, and to improve their chances of getting a job with a garage owner who
liked French people. In the end they
were not offered employment on that occasion, but decided to keep the name all
the same, which was then passed onto their children
It was on 28th December 1926
at the Church of the Nazarene in Delburne, Alberta that Alfred John Collette
married Muriel Doris Stoness, Muriel having been born on 13th
October 1905 in Ontario. The marriage
certificate confirmed the following details.
That Alfred was 22 and a bachelor from Rosedale in British Columbia, who
had been born in Plymouth, England, a farmer and the son of Edward Charles
Collette and Ann Bowden Grobble. While
Muriel, a spinster of 21 and a nurse from Delburne, had been born at Perth Road
in Ontario, the daughter of William Thomas Stoness and Nellie Clough. The witnesses at the ceremony were George
Collette of Delburne and Gladys Stoness, also of Delburne. After they were married, the couple initially
settled in the Sardis district of Chilliwack where their first son was born,
before moving to New Westminster in British Columbia, where their second son
was born
The children of Alfred John Collette and
Muriel Doris Stoness were
21S45 – Donald Alfred William Collette was born in 1931 at Sardis in
Chilliwack
21S46 – Neil Frederick Collette was born in 1939 at New Westminster,
British Columbia
Christopher
Thomas Collett [21R48] was
born at 21 Corporation Road, Pennycross, Plymouth in 1905, the youngest son of
Edward and Annie Collett. His birth was
recorded at Plymouth register office (Ref. 5b 243) during the third quarter of
that year, as was his death (Ref. 5b 157)
Florence
Eveline Collett [21R49] was
born at 21 Corporation Road, Pennycross, Plymouth in 1907; and was the tenth
and last child born to Edward Charles Collett and his second wife Annie Bowden
Gribble. She was just two years of age,
when the death of Florence Eveline Collett was recorded at Plymouth register
office (Ref. 5b 213) during the first quarter of 1909
James
Roy Collett [21R50] was
born at Camelford on 3rd April 1902, the eldest of the five children
of James Henry Collett and Elizabeth Jane Buse, his birth recorded at Camelford
register office (Ref. 5c 11) during the second quarter of 1902. As James R Collett from Camelford, he was
nine years of age in the census of 1911, by which time he and his family were
living in Tintagel. During his life, he
was twice married, the first time to (1) Elizabeth R Bennett which was recorded
at Camelford register office (Ref. 5c 31) during the last three months of 1925. It was nearly ten years after that when he
married (2) Alberta K Pethick, that event also recorded at Camelford register
office (Ref. 5c 21) during the third quarter of 1935. It is not yet known whether either of those
marriages produced any offspring for James, but it is known that James Roy
Collett was 72 when he died in March 1975, his passing recorded at Camelford
register office (Vol. 21 0190)
Kathleen
Collett [21R51] was
born at Camelford in 1904, her birth recorded at Camelford register office
(Ref. 5c 9) during the second quarter of 1904.
Not long after she was born her family settled in Tintagel, where
Kathleen was seven years old in the Tintagel census of 1911
Richard
Collett [21R52] was
born at Tintagel on 2nd April 1906 and was five years old in 1911 in
the Tintagel census that year. His birth, like all of his siblings, was
recorded at Camelford register office (Ref. 5c 9) and it was at Bodmin register
office (Vol. 21 0010) that Richard Collett married Kathleen Martin during the
first quarter of 1976. That may have
been his second marriage, while it was when he was living at Bodmin that he
died in 1994, at the age of 88
Angelina
Collett [21R53] was
born at Tintagel in 1908 and her birth was recorded at Camelford register
office (Ref. 5c 9) during the second quarter of that year. In the Tintagel census of 1911, she was two
years of age, while later on in her life she was referred to as Lena
(Lina). Tragically she was only 24 when
she died, following with she was buried in the graveyard at St Menefreda Church
in St Minver Highlands. The same grave
was also used many years later for the burial of her parents, where a single
headstone marks the plot
Francis
Thomas Collett [21R54] was
born at Tintagel during the first three months of 1910, his birth recorded at
Camelford register office (Ref. 5c 7). He was the youngest known child of policeman
James Thomas Collett and Elizabeth Jane Buse, and was one year old in the
Tintagel census of 1911. He was later
known as Frank and it was as Frank T Collett married Margaret Mary Flynn, as
recorded at Birmingham register office (Ref. 6d 112) during the second quarter
of 1932. Their only known child was born
four years later. Thirty-one years after
that, the death of Frank T Collett was recorded at Truro register office (Ref.
7a 239) during the last quarter of 1968 when he was reported as being 57. Margaret Mary Collett died on 10th
January 1987, aged 75, at St Illogan in Cornwall, where curiously Frank Thomas
Collett died on 8th December 1966 when he was 57. The stated age of her husband seems to
suggest that one of the years, 1966 or 1968, is an error
21S47 – Ian J Collett was born in 1937 at Bromsgrove,
Worcestershire
Richard
Grenville Collett [21R55], who
was always known as Gren, was born at St Just-in-Roseland on 22nd
February 1912, the eldest of the two sons of Richard Collett and Martha
Collins. His birth was recorded at Truro
register office (Ref. 5c 198), with Collins confirmed as his mother’s
maiden-name. Richard studied at Exeter
University before joining the Royal Air Force and
serving in India during the Second World War.
In 1944 he was photographed at Bangalore Race Course, as the
goalkeeper for the army team. On his return to England, he married Dora
Hinge, who was known as Betty, who came from Sussex and was born on 8th
January 1916, and with whom he had two children. Richard was also a Principal Medical Officer
with Her Majesty’s Prison Service who, on moving away from St Just, after the
birth of their first child, lived at various locations in England, including
the Wakefield area of West Yorkshire, where the couple’s second child was
born. His last career position was with
the Ministry of Defence at Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire. Like his brother Percy (below), Richard
Grenville Collett was still living at Marlow in Buckinghamshire, when he passed
away on 12th August 1990 at the age of 78. His death was recorded at Buckinghamshire
register office (Vol. 19 941) and, following his cremation at the Chilterns
Crematorium in Amersham, his ashes were taken to Cornwall to be scattered
there, as they were for his wife Betty
21S48 – Richard William Collett was born in 1947 at St Just-in-Roseland
21S49 – Rosemary Ann Collett was born in 1953 at Lower Agbrigg,
Yorkshire
Douglas
Percival Collett [21R56]
was born on 20th June 1919 when his birth was recorded at Truro
register office (Ref. 5c 153) when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as
Collins. He was known in the family as
Percy and was the younger of the two sons of Richard Collett and Martha
Collins. It is possible that he was born
at St Just-in-Roseland, where his brother Gren (above) was born. Percy joined the Royal Air Force at the
outbreak of war in 1939, and was posted to North Africa and later Ireland. After the war, he studied at Bristol
University and became a school teacher in Slough until he retired. He never married and spent his remaining
years at Marlow in Buckinghamshire, close to where his brother’s family also
lived. When he passed away at Marlow on
22nd November 1996, at the age of 77, his death was recorded at
Buckinghamshire register office (Ref. 3271a a29c), with his ashes returned to
the county of his birth, to be scattered there
Hermina
Mary Collett [21R58] was
born at Bristol on 14th April 1901 the eldest of the two known
daughters of William Henry Collett married Gertrude Katherine (Kate) Bremner or
Brenner. However, she was not living
with her family in nearby Clifton on the day of the census in 1911, instead at
the age of nine years, Hermina Mary Collett from Bristol, was recorded at 109
Stokes Croft in Bristol, the home of her maternal grandmother Emily Louisa
Brenner and her aunt Emily Mary Brenner
Grace
Collett [21R59] was
born at Bristol on 23rd June 1904, the younger of the two daughters
of William and Gertrude Collett. When
she was six years old Grace was living with her parents within the Clifton area
of Bristol and it was twenty-six years after that when she married Albert Falconer
Fry. Their wedding was recorded at
Weston-Super-Mare register office (Ref. 5c 955) during the first quarter of
1937. Grace Fry nee Collett was just
over one-hundred years of age when she passed away, her death recorded at
Cheltenham register office (Ref. C70d 479/1c 66) during November 2004
Leslie
Harold Collett [21R60] was
born in Victoria, Australia during 1898, and was the eldest child of William
Hosking Collett and Hannah White. It is
evident that he was married, and that the marriage produced at least one son,
since Richard William Collett of Melbourne, who was born in 1962, was his
grandson. The only other known fact
about Leslie is that he died during November 1956 at the age of 58, and was
buried at Fawkner Memorial Park in Coburg Cemetery in Victoria on 19th
November 1956. The grave, plot No. 1142,
where he was buried, was also the last resting place of his parents and his
sister Myrtle (below)
Myrtle
Ivy Collett [21R61] was
born in Victoria, Australia in 1900, and was the daughter of William Hosking
Collett and Hannah White. She was later
married, when she became Myrtle Ivy Curtis, but was tragically the first of her
family to die in Victoria in 1934, before both of her parents and her brother
Leslie (above). Following her death,
possibly in childbirth, Myrtle was buried in Fawkner Memorial Park on 24th
September 1934, at the age of only 34.
The same graveyard plot [No. 1142] at the Coburg Cemetery in Victoria
was also used to bury her parents and her brother. No details are currently available about her
life and her husband
Albert
Edward Collett [21R62] was
born at Truro, either at the end of 1901 or early in 1902, the only known son
of Albert Collett and Elizabeth Rogers, whose birth was recorded at Truro
register office (Ref. 5c 125) during the first three months of 1902. It was at Kenwyn that nine-year old Albert
Edward Collett from Truro was living with his parents in 1911. He later married Dorothy W Tonkyn, the event
recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 5c 241) during the second quarter of
1932. It is likely that they only had
one child, the birth of Armorel J Collett recorded at Truro register office
(Reg. 5c 124) during the first quarter of 1938, when the mother’s maiden-name
was confirmed as Tonkyn. They were
married for forty-six years when the death of Albert E Collett, aged 66, was
recorded at Truro (Ref. 7a 213) during the third quarter of 1968. Six years earlier, their daughter married
Edward T Carlyon, their wedding recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 7a 526)
during the third quarter of 1962
21S50 – Armorel J Collett was born in
1938 at Truro
Francis Thompson Collett
[21R63] was born at
Stoke Damerel, Devonport, Plymouth, during the first six months of 1905, the
eldest of the three children of Francis Henry Collett and Clara Thompson. His birth was recorded at Devonport register
office (Ref. 3b 312) during the second quarter of the year. His father was a Royal Navy Seaman and was absent
from the family home at 47 Ford Hill in Stoke (Damerel) in 1911, when Francis
Collett was six years of age.
Tragically, it was also at 47 Ford Hill that he died shortly after that
census day, with the death of Francis T Collett aged six years recorded at
Devonport register office (Ref. 5b 204) during the second quarter of 1911
Elizabeth Collett
[21R64] was born at Stoke Damerel in 1906, her
birth recorded at Devonport register office (Ref. 5b 303) during the second
quarter of the year, the only daughter of Francis and Clara Collett. It was as Betsy Collett who was five years
old, that she was living with her two brothers, and their mother, at 47 Ford
Hill in Stoke Damerel, their father having a posting abroad with the Royal Navy
Richard
John Collett [21R65] was
born at Stoke Damerel on 13th January 1909, the third child of
Francis Henry Collett and Clara Thompson.
His birth was recorded at Devonport register office (Ref. 5b 293) during
the first quarter of 1909. He was most
likely born at 47 Ford Hill in Stoke where, as Richard Collett, he was living
with his family in 1911 at the age of two years. It was again as simply Richard Collett that
his marriage to Constance M Savage was recorded at Bodmin register office (Ref.
5c 143) during the last quarter of 1934, although no issue has been found. The only additional information currently
known about him is through the probate process following the death of his
mother in 1965 during which Richard John Collett was described as a storehouse assistant at the HM Dockyard in
Plymouth. Twenty-eight years later, the
death of Richard John Collett was recorded at Devon register office during 1993
Claude
Collett [21R66] was
born in 1885 at Genoa, five miles north-west of Brighton in Michigan, the
first-born child of Caleb Knight Collett married (1) Alma C Hartman
Gliff
Knight Collett [21R67] was
born at Brighton in Livingston County, Michigan on 1st September
1886, the sole surviving child of Caleb Knight Collett from England and Alma C
Hartman from Michigan. He later married
(1) Beulah Jolly on 3rd May 1908 and after she died in early 1920
Gliff married (2) Mollie Blanke Pike later that same year on 24th
November 1920. Gliff’s first wife Beulah
was buried at the
21S51 – Vaughn Collett was born in 1910 at Michigan
21S52 – Josephine Collett was born in 1915 at Michigan
21S53 – Jack Collett was born circa 1918 at Michigan
Ralph
Collett [21R69] was
born at Brighton in Livingston County, Michigan on 8th September
1898, the last known child of carpenter Caleb Knight Collett and Alma C Hartman
who died in 1903. Sadly, Ralph only
survived for a few months before he died in the spring of the following year
and was buried at Fairview Cemetery in Brighton, where other members of his
family were buried
Erna
Amy Collett [21R74] was
born at Carthew in 1909, and was the twin-sister of Enid May Collett (below),
the two eldest children of Richard and Maud Collett. The birth of Erna Amy Collett was entered in
the St Austell register office recorded immediately before that of her
twin-sister (Ref. 5c 94, 10) during the third quarter of 1909. By the time of the census in April 1911,
one-year-old Erna and her parents were living at the family home ‘Carbean
House’ within the St Austell & Roche census registration district, the house
only recently completed by her father.
Twenty-two years after that census day, Erna Amy Collett married Howard
J Rundle in 1933. He was known as Owen,
and their marriage produced two children.
The first of them was David Richard C Rundle who was born in
1935, and who married Shirley E Higgs in 1960.
They had a son James R Rundle in 1962 but, sadly, were later divorced,
following which David did not remarry
Erna and Howard’s daughter, Marcia J
Rundle was born in 1944. She married
Terence Leonard Hodge in 1966, and their son was Matthew Leonard Hodge. He was born in 1973, and in 2008 he married
Sarah. Unlike her twin sister Enid, Erna
Amy Rundle nee Collett lived a long life and died in 2000 when she was 91. The last twenty years of her life was spent
as a widow, since her husband Owen Rundle died during 1980
During their life together Maggie
presented Thomas with a son, Richard
Vivian Jenkin who was born after the Second World War in 1948. Maggie Jenkin nee Collett died in 1997. Her son Richard married Patricia R M Rowe in
1969 and the first of their two daughters, Tracey, was born later that same
year. Two years later their second
daughter, Nicola Jenkin, was born in 1971.
It is known that Tracey was married, and that Nicola married Craig Shore
around 1992, with whom she has a daughter, Courtney Ria Shore who was born in
1994
It was during the second quarter of 1935
that Hazel Collett married John Daniel Tuck, who was also born in 1912, their
wedding recorded at St Austell register office (Ref. 5c 221). Following that day, Hazel gave birth to four
children while the couple was still living in Cornwall. The first of them was Edwin John Colin
Tuck who was born in 1938. He was
known as Colin and he married Vera Geraldine Penno in 1966, and he died in
1993. They had Phillipa Louise Tuck, who
was born in 1967, who later married David Gilfillan in 1997, but who were
divorced not long after their son Ruaridh Gilfillan was born around 1998. Colin and Geraldine also had Annette Marie
Tuck around 1970, who married Louis Parsons in 2000, and their daughter Wenna
Colleen Parson was born later that same year.
During the following years Annette also gave birth to a son, Charlie
Parsons, but was later divorced from Louis Parsons
The second
child of Hazel Collett and John Tuck was Kathryn Dawn Tuck who was born in 1943, who died in
2006. She married (1) Ian Wilkinson
Jardine in 1964, and they were divorced around ten years later. They had
Lindsay Jane who was born in 1965, and she married Simon Peter O'Connell in
1996. Their marriage produced Katie Jane
O’Connell in 1991 and Benedict John O’Connell in 1994. Kathryn and Ian also had Helen Jardine in
1967, and Clare Kathryn Jardine in 1970.
Clare married Hasan Tigoglu circa 2000 and had twins Alexander Eren and
Gabriella Elif in 2001. Well over ten years
after she was divorced Kathryn Dawn Jardine nee Tuck (2) married Roy Bonney in
1989, but they divorced. Hazel and
John’s third child was Daniel Vivian Tuck who was born in 1949 and sadly
died in 1965, when he was only sixteen years old
Hazel Tuck nee Collett died in 2007,
after spending the previous twenty-one years as a widow, following the passing
of her husband John Daniel Tuck in 1986
William
Vivian Collett [21R77]
was born at Carbean House on 16th November 1913, with his birth
recorded at St Austell register office (Ref. 5c 173), his mother’s maiden-name
confirmed as Nicholls. It was during the
fourth quarter of 1939 that the marriage of William V Collett and Audrey G D
Jenkin was recorded at St Austell register office (Ref. 5c 371), with whom he
had a son and two daughters.
Coincidentally, the year before William married Audrey, his sister
Maggie Collett (above) married Thomas Henry Jenkin, although they were not
related in anyway. After the birth of
the couple’s first child in Cornwall, the family of three moved to Salisbury in
Wiltshire, where the two daughters were born.
William Vivian Collett died in 1997, when his death was recorded at the
Wiltshire register office
21S54 – Vivian Glen M Collett was born in 1940 at Redruth
21S55 – Kathryn Ann Collett was born in 1942 at Salisbury, Wiltshire
21S56 – Grace Collett was born in 1957 at Salisbury,
Wiltshire
Victor
Owen Collett [21R78] was
born at Carbean House near Carthew on 7th July 1916, a son of
Richard Knight Collett and Maud May Nicholls.
His birth was recorded at St Austell register office (Ref. 5c 141), when
his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Nicholls. Victor was around 21 years of age when he
most likely married a member of his mother’s family, when the wedding of Victor
Owen Collett and Ann Nicholls was conducted at St Austell in 1937. The event was recorded at St Austell register
office (Ref. 5c 239) during the last three months of 1937. Their marriage produced four children for
Victor and Ann, two born before the Second World War and two after, most likely
indicating that Victor served with the armed forces during the war. Victor Owen Collett was 73 when he died on 28th
September 1989, his passing recorded at the Somerset Mendip register office
21S57 – Victor Vivian Anthony Collett was born in 1938 at St Austell
21S58 – Harriet Patricia Collett was born in 1939 at Redruth
21S59 – Sheila Collett was born in 1944 at Redruth
21S60 – Margaret Ann Collett was born in 1946 at Redruth
Elizabeth
Beryl Collett [21R79] was
born at Carbean House in 1921, her birth recorded at St Austell (Ref. 5c 170)
during the third quarter of the year, when her mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Nicholls. She married
Gerald V Rowe in 1940, the event recorded at St Austell (Ref. 5c 351) during
the last quarter of the year. The
marriage produced two children for Elizabeth and Gerald. Their first daughter was Alison J Rowe, and she was
born in 1946. She married
Frederick J Stephens in 1966, with whom she had Donna Stephens in 1968 who married Kevin L Ewings in 1993. They have since been divorced, and Donna is
now married to Steven Lobb, and has a daughter Tegen, who was born around 2007
Alison and Fred Stephens also had a son Garry Stephens who was born in
1972. He married Karen A Parsons in
1999, and they had a son Ewan Stephens, who was born in 2009. Elizabeth
and Gerald Rowe’s second daughter was Vivienne M Rowe who was born 1950.
She married Neil R Macleod in 1973, and they had a daughter Cheryl Louise Macleod who was born in
1981, who married Patrick Ada, and in 2008 their child Khy Ada was born
Cecil
Alwyn Collett [21R80] was
born at Carbean House on 5th June 1925, another son of Richard and
Maud Collett, whose birth was recorded at St Austell register office (Ref. 5c
129) during the third quarter of the year, when his mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Nicholls. He married (1)
Constance Eva Burley in 1947, with their wedding recorded at St Austell during
the summer of that year (Ref. 7a 382), and over the next seven years Constance
presented her husband with two daughters, their birth recorded at Redruth when
their mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Burley. Constance Collett nee Burley died in 1979
and, during the following year, Cecil married (2) Constance Daniell, the
marriage recorded at St Austell during the third quarter of 1980 (Vol. 21
0529). That second marriage for Cecil
endured for a further thirteen years, until Cecil Alwyn Collett died in
Cornwall during 1993
21S61 – Molly E Collett was born in 1950 at Redruth
21S62 – Barbara Cheryl Collett was born in 1954 at Redruth
Sydney
Austen Collett [21R81] was
born at Carbean House during 1927, with his birth recorded at St Austell
register office (Ref. 5c 130) during the second quarter of the year, when his
mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Nicholls.
Tragically, he died in 1948 when he was only 21, the death of Sydney A
Collett recorded in Cornwall (Ref. 7a 167)
Eva
Lillian Collett [21R82] was
born at Carbean House in 1928, the youngest of the ten children of Richard
Knight Collett of Roche and his wife Maud May Nicholls from Carthew. The birth of Eva L Collett was recorded at St
Austell register office (Ref. 5c 123) during the last three months of the year,
when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Nicholls. Eva married William John Tonkin around 1953,
and presented her husband with three children.
The three children were Elizabeth
Jill Tonkin who was born in
1955 and who lives with her partner Patrick Sargeant; Sheila Ann Tonkin who was born
in 1959, who married Robert W Rowett in 1984 and they have two children, Tegen
Beth Rowett born in 1986, and Bronnen Eve Rowett born in 1993; and Karen Eve Tonkin who was born in 1961,
who lives with her partner Kevin Tyrone Ackrell and their son Robert Jowan who
was born in 1996
William
Arthur Collett [21R83] was
born at Penryn on 22nd October 1908, the son of Arthur James Collett
and Lillie Hutchings. His birth was
recorded at Falmouth register office (Ref. 5c 125) during the last quarter of
the year. In April 1911, he and his
family were living in Falmouth when William was two years old. Very little is known about William after
1911, except that he lived a long life and passed away at the age of 73, his
death recorded at Kerrier register office in Cornwall (Vol. 21 0221) during the
month of December 1981. The record of
his death, also included his date of birth as above. The Kerrier district was formed in 1974 as a merger of the Borough of
Helston and the urban district of Camborne and Redruth
Thomas
Leonard Collett [21R84] was
born at Penryn on 23rd December 1909, the second of three known sons
of Arthur James Collett and his wife Lillie Hutchings, with his birth recorded
at Falmouth register office (Ref. 5c 126).
He was one year old at the time of the Penryn census in 1911 when he was
living with his parents and older brother William (above) who were awaiting the
arrival of the family’s third child.
Later in his life, and possibly in Penryn, Thomas Leonard Collett
married Kathleen H Meek, their wedding recorded at Falmouth register office (Ref.
5c 233) during the first quarter of 1931.
The birth of their only child was also recorded at Falmouth, but may
have been born in Penryn
21S63 – June R Collett was born in 1931 at Falmouth (Penryn)
Albert
Leslie Collett [21R85], who
was referred to as Leslie, was born at Penryn in 1911, the youngest child of
Arthur James Collett and Lillie Hutchings who were living in Falmouth in April
1911, prior to Albert being born. The
birth of Albert Leslie Collett was recorded at Falmouth register office (Ref.
5c 248) during the summer of 1911, when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed
as Hutchings. He was twenty-six years of
age when the marriage of Albert L Collett and Daphne V Bone was recorded at the
Norfolk Docking register office (Ref. 4b 801), during the fourth quarter of
1937. With war on the horizon in Europe,
Leslie was already a member of the air force and was eventually based at
Sleaford in Lincolnshire where the couple settled and where their daughter was
born. The birth of Christine Collett was
recorded at Sleaford register office in Lincolnshire (Ref. 7a 1190), whose
mother’s maiden-name was recorded as Bone.
Today, as Christine St Johanser, she lives in New Zealand and has been
instrumental in providing details of her family
He was a pilot with the Royal Air Force
during World War Two and reached the rank of Squadron Leader. As Squadron Leader Albert Leslie Collett
service number 45448 he was killed in action over Germany on 27th
April 1944 while flying an RAF Lancaster bomber of 83 Squadron out of RAF
Coningsby in Lincolnshire. Inside the
Church of St-John-the-Baptist in the village of Great Hale, to the east of
Sleaford in Lincolnshire, there is a memorial on the wall which commemorates
whose who lost their life during the Second World War. Listed amongst the names is that of A Leslie
Collett, who was presumably billeted with his wife and child somewhere in that
vicinity. He was awarded the Air Force
Cross and was buried at the
21S64 – Christine Collett was born in
1941 at Sleaford, Lincolnshire
Dorothy
Florence Maud Collett [21R86] was
born at Truro in 1901, where her birth was recorded (Ref. 5c 123) during the
last quarter of that year. She was nine
years old in the census of 1911 when she and her family were residing in
Saltash in Cornwall
Gladys
May Collett [21R87] was
born at Truro in 1904 and was baptised at St Paul’s Church in Truro on 27th
July 1904. Within the next couple of
years her parents George and Maud took the family to live at Saltash where
Gladys was six years old in 1911
Violet
Gwendoline Collett [21R88] was
born at Saltash in 1908, following which her birth was recorded at St Germans
register office (Ref. 5c 40) during the first three months of that year. The census in 1911 confirmed she was born at
Saltash, where she and her family were living, when she was two years of age
William Leonard Collett
[21R89] was born at
Truro towards the end of 1900, his birth recorded there (Ref. 5c 121) during
the last three months of the year. He
was the eldest of the three children on William and Mary Collett. He was baptised at St Paul’s Church in Truro
on 12th December 1900. He was
ten years of age in the Truro census of 1911, when he was living there with his
family and attending school. It was
during the first quarter of 1924, that the marriage of Leonard William Collett
(?) and Amy M Martins was recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 5c 224). No children have been found and when William
Leonard Collett was 61 and residing at 10 Prospect Place in Truro, he died
there on 31st May 1962, and was buried at Truro Cemetery following
his funeral service at St Paul’s Church on 4th June 1962
James
Gordon Collett [21R90] was
born early in 1903, with his birth recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 5c
118) during the first three months of 1903.
It was at St Paul’s Church in Truro that he was baptised on 27th
May 1903, the son of William James Collett and Mary Elizabeth Goodman, who was
eight years of age and at school in the Truro St Clements census of 1911. During the third quarter of 1926 James G
Collett married Olivia Burrows, the event recorded at Truro register office
(Ref. 5c 263). A year later the couple’s
only child was born, the birth of Eileen M Collett recorded at Truro register
office during the third quarter of 1927, when the child’s mother’s maiden-name
was confirmed as Burrows
21S65 – Eileen M Collett was born in 1927 at Truro
Grace
Collett [21R93] was
born before 1917 as Grace Schwers, the daughter of Clara Laura Schwers of
Wisconsin who married Percy Collett of Truro in Detroit on 9th
January 1917. Once they were married,
Percy adopted his wife’s daughter. It
was originally believed that Grace Collett married Reginald John Hobbs who was
born in Gloucester in 1905, the son of Arthur Edwin Hobbs of Tewkesbury and
Mary Lavinia Collett (Ref. 21Q38) of Treworthal. However, that was Grace Doreen Collett (Ref.
21S34), the daughter of Henry Lake Collett.
It is established though, that Grace and her husband had three children,
all born in America, and that the youngest of them, Darlene, lived with Grace’s
parents Percy and Clara Collett
Jack
Edwin Collett [21R94] was
born at Detroit in the State of Michigan, USA on 3rd June 1918, the
eldest of two sons of Percy Collett, from Truro in England, and his wife Clara
Laura Schwers from Wisconsin. He was
named jointly after his father’s brother Jack, who was killed in the Great War,
and his grandfather Edwin Collett. It was in the family home at 15722
Cruse Street, Precinct 28 in Detroit, that Jack Collett was 12 years old in
1930. He and his family were still at
the same address in Detroit in 1940, by which time Jack was working at a brass
foundry when he was 21
Shortly after that census
day, and prior to America’s involvement with the Second World War, Jack Edwin
Collett married Margaret Armstrong in Detroit, where the couple were living,
and where they continued to live thereafter.
When Jack enlisted with the United States Marine Corps, there was a requirement
that married men needed to obtain the permission of their wives, which Margaret
did. During the years that he served
with the Marine Corps, Jack reached the rank of Master Sergeant. It must have been during a period of home
leave that the couple’s first child was conceived. Upon finally returning home after the war,
Jack became a fire fighter in Detroit, where both of his daughters were
born. It was during 1969, that Jack and
Margaret eventually left Detroit, when they moved to live at Livonia, still in Wayne
County, Michigan, and it was there that Jack Edwin Collett died on 7th
March 1987
21S66 – Mary Jacquelyn Collett was born in 1945 at Detroit, Michigan
21S67 – Judith Ann Collett was born in 1947 at Detroit, Michigan
William
Collett [21R95] was
born at Detroit around 1924 and was six years old in the Detroit census of
1930, where he was living with his parents Percy Collett and his wife Clara
Laura Schwers at 15722
Cruse Street in Detroit. His
father was from England and his mother was born in Wisconsin. It was also at that same address that the family was still residing in
1940, when William was attending school at the age of 15. Not long after, William enlisted with the
United States Navy when America entered the Second World War. The only other information currently known
about William is that he had a son of the same name, that he lived in Livonia
like his brother Jack (above), that he died in 2009, and that he had a grandson
21S68 – William Collett was born in Livonia, Wayne County,
Michigan
Clifford
George Collett [21R97], referred
to as Cliff, was born at Walthamstow during August 1918, the son of George
Collett and his wife Edith Anne Richardson.
His birth was recorded at West Ham register office (Ref. 4a 577), when
his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Richardson. Cliff developed an interest in communications
which developed during his time of service with the Royal Air Force. He served in England, South Africa, and in
Europe where he was involved on day two of D-Day landings. After the war he worked for Marconi
Communications, which he did for the rest of his working life. It was just after the start of the Second
World War when he married Constance (Connie) Manwaring of Walthamstow, the
wedding taking place at St. Barnabas Church in Walthamstow on 27th
August 1940. They created their first
family home in Gidea Park in Romford, and it was while they were there that
their two children were born. Shortly
after the birth of their son the family moved to Chelmsford in Essex, to be
near the headquarters of Marconi.
Clifford George Collett died at Chelmsford in 1966
21S69 – Irene Collett was born in 1946
at Romford, Essex
21S70 – Terence George Collett was born in 19451 at Romford, Essex
Roy Collett [21R98] was
born in 1932 and his birth was recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b
511) during the last three months of the year, when his mother’s maiden-name
was confirmed as Amies, the only know child of Frank Collett and Lily N
Amies. He was 22 years of age when his
marriage to Marion H Elvin was recorded at the Essex South-Western register
office (Ref. 5a 413) during the third quarter of 1955. The birth of the first of their two children
was recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 5c 708) during the summer of
1960, while the birth of their second child was recorded at Waltham Forest
register office in Essex (Ref. 5e 651) during the first three months of
1967. In both cases, the mother’s
maiden-name was confirmed as Elvin
21S71
– Linda A Collett was born in 1960 at Hackney
21S72
– Deane Susan Collett was born in 1967 at Walthamstow
Ian
Harcourt Rookledge Collett [21S1]
was born in Kent, possibly near the end of 1959, with his birth recorded at the
Surrey North-Eastern register office (Ref. 5g 787) during the first quarter of
1960, when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Thatcher. However, the birth was registered under the
name of Ian Harcourt Rookledge the first-born child of Nigel Harcourt Rookledge
Collett and Patricia Thatcher. It was
during the summer of 1984 at Swale in Kent that Ian Harcourt Rookledge married
Janet Harris, with whom he had a son who was born in Kent
21T1 – Andrew Harcourt Rookledge Collett
was born in 1982 at Kent
Keith
Charles Rookledge Collett [21S3] was
born in Kent the summer of 1963, when his birth was recorded at the Surrey
South-Eastern register office (Ref. 5g 1160) where his mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Thatcher. Just as with his
two older siblings, his surname was recorded as Rookledge, and it was as Keith
Charles Rookledge that his marriage to Rosalynde A Doust was recorded at
Maidstone in Kent in August 1989 (Vol. 16 1452), with whom he had two sons,
both born in Kent
21T2 – Benjamin Charles Rookledge
Collett was born in 1992 at Kent
21T3 – Harrison James Rookledge Collett
was born in 1995 at Kent
Sarah
Louise Rookledge Collett [21S5] was
born in London near the end of 1962, her birth recorded at the Surrey
North-Eastern register office (Ref. 5g ?), but as Rookledge and not Collett,
when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Lush. Sarah was the eldest of the three children of
Gordon Charles Rookledge Collett and
Jennifer Mary Dampier Lush. Very
curiously, at the same register office, during the same three months or the
same year, the birth of Carol Louise Rookledge was recorded, whose mother’s
maiden-name was also Lush. Sarah
Louise partnered with Stephen Blanchard in 1990 at Clapham and their
relationship produced three children, all born at Clapham in London. They were Thomas James (1992), Catherine Rose
(1994), and Lillian Emma Tamar (1997)
GAVIN
ALISTAIR ROOKLEDGE COLLETT [21S6]
was the only son of Gordon Charles
Rookledge Collett and Jennifer Mary Dampier Lush. While the births of his two sisters have been
located in Surrey, no such record has been found for Gavin, either as Collett,
or Rookledge his sisters given surname. It
is believed, but not proved, that was born in 1964, but that he
partnered with Judith Wise in 1999, which was confirmed at the recording of the
births of their two older children.
However, no record of the birth of their son has been located, using the
mother’s maiden-name of Wise
21T4 – Ruby Tir
James Rookledge Collett was born in 2004 at Croydon, Surrey
21T5 – Rose Emerald Rookledge Collett
was born in 2006 at Lambeth, London
21T6 – George Charles Rookledge Collett
was born on 21st August 2008
Emma
Constance Rookledge Collett [21S7] was
born in London in 1966, her birth as Emma Constance Rookledge recorded at the
Surrey Sutton register office (Ref. 5e 381) during the last quarter of the
year, where her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Lush. She was the youngest of the three children of
Gordon Charles Rookledge Collett and
Jennifer Mary Dampier Lush who was living in North London in 2004. Eleven years prior to that, the marriage of
Emma Constance Rookledge and Omaid Hiwaizi was recorded at Ealing register
office (Vol. 12 138) during the summer of 1993
Ellen
Collett [21S11] was
born in 1899 at Merther, a small hamlet two miles east of Truro. Her birth was recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 134)
during the last three months of that year.
She was the eldest child of Sidney Collett and Catherine Alfreda Burley
and was one year old in the Merther census of 1901, when her place of birth was
recorded as Truro. Curiously though, in
the Berron Probus census of 1911 she was described as Ellen Collett aged 11 who
was attending school, whose place of birth was Benton in Probus. Ten years later, the marriage of Ellen
Collett and William P Moore was recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 5c 262)
during the first three months of 1921.
The births of their three children were recorded at Redruth, when their
mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Collett.
They were Sidney G Moore (Ref. 5c 272 in 1921), Betty Moore
(Ref. 5c 257 in 1923), and Peter J Moore (Ref. 5c 212 in 1929). A fourth child may have been Ellen J Moore,
whose birth was recorded at Falmouth in 1937, when again the mother’s
maiden-name was Collett
Ernest
Henry Collett [21S12] was
born on 31st July 1901 with his birth recorded at Truro register
office (Ref. 5c 113) as Ernest Henry Collett during the third quarter on that
year. However, it was as Ernest Edward
Collett that he was baptised at Cartarthen in Merther on 20th
September 1901, the son of Sidney and Catherine Elfrida (Alfreda) Collett. It was also as school boy Ernest Edward
Collett aged nine years that he was living with his family at Berron Probus in
1911. He was nearly twenty-three when he
became a married man, the marriage of Ernest H Collett and Alfreda S Armstrong
recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 5c 286) during the second quarter of
1924. The births of their two daughters
were recorded at Truro register office, when their mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Armstrong. It was in
Cornwall that they seem to have lived all their life, since it was at Truro
Cemetery that Ernest was buried during the month of January in 1973, at the age
of 72. On that occasion he was confirmed
as Ernest Henry Collett who was born on 31st July 1901
21T7 – Marjorie J Collett was born in 1925 at Truro
21T8 – Audrey J Collett was born in 1929 at Truro
Frederick
Collett [21S13] was
born at Merther on 14th June 1903 and his birth was recorded at
Truro register office (Ref. 5c 103) during the third quarter of that year. During the latter part of the first decade of
the new century his parents took the family from Merther to Probus where
Frederick was seven years old in 1911.
The wedding of Frederick Collett and Hilda J Bone was recorded at Truro
register office (Ref. 5c 214) during the first three months of 1928. The couple had two daughters and a son, whose
births in Cornwall confirmed that the mother’s maiden-name was Bone. Frederick and Hilda were married for
fifty-one years and, at the end of that time, they were living in the Bodmin
area, where their daughters were married, and where the death of Frederick
Collett was recorded during the second quarter of 1979. It was his death certificate which confirmed
his date of birth as written above
21T9 – Myrtle Ivy Collett was born in 1928 at Truro
21T10 – Phyllis M Collett was born in 1929 at Truro
21T11 – Frederick J Collett was born in 1933 at Falmouth
Lillian
Edith Collett [21S14] was
born at Merther either very late in 1905 or early in 1906, since her birth was
recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 5c 106) during the first quarter of
1906. Shortly after she was born the
family moved to Probus where Lillian Edith was five years of age in the Probus
census of 1911 when it was confirmed she had been born at Merther
Sandra
Georgina Collett [21S15]
was born in Singapore on 8th April 1937, the eldest of five children
of Ivor Victor Roy Collett and Bessie Olive Kelly. She later married to become Sandra Georgina
Matthews
Diana
Collett [21S16] was
born at Plymouth on 5th September 1939, the daughter of Ivor Victor
Roy Collett and Bessie Olive Kelly. She
later married to become Diana Campbell
Bruce
Ivor Nicholas Collett [21S17]
was born at Looe in Cornwall on 11th February 1942, the eldest son
and third child of Ivor Victor Roy Collett and Bessie Olive Kelly. It was Bruce’s daughter Yvonne Rogers, nee
Collett, who made contact during 2010, following her brother Dennis finding
their grandfather Ivor on the Collett website while surfing the internet
21T12 – Yvonne Susanne Olivia Collett was born in 1968 at Dusseldorf, Germany
21T13 – Dennis Nicholas Collett was born in 1971 at Hanover, Germany
Paul
Ivor Craig Collett [21S18]
was born at Plymouth on 17th January 1945, the second of three sons,
and the fourth child of Ivor Victor Roy Collett and Bessie Olive Kelly. His birth was recorded at Plympton register
office (Ref. 5b 314), with his mother’s maiden-name confirmed as Kelly. At the age of 23, Paul Ivor Craig Collett was
in Norfolk when he became a married man, his marriage to Caroline M Booty
recorded at the North Walsham register office (Ref. 4b 2327) during the third
quarter of 1968. It was most likely,
Paul’s job of work that saw him in Norfolk in 1968 and then in Shropshire in
1970, with the birth of Mark Justin Collett recorded at Bridgnorth register
office (Ref. 9a 300) during the second quarter of that year, when his mother’s
maiden-name was confirmed as Booty
21T14 – Mark Justin Collett was born in
1970 at Bridgnorth, Shropshire
David
Ivor Charles Collett [21S19]
was born at Yeovil on 22nd December 1950, the last child of Ivor
Victor Roy Collett and Bessie Olive Kelly.
His birth was recorded at Yeovil register office (Ref. 7c 417) during
the first three months of 1951, when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as
Kelly. He was therefore only approaching
his eighteenth birthday when his marriage to Sheila V Budge was recorded at
Yeovil register office (Ref. 7c 1398) during the last quarter of 1968. Not long after they were married, Sheila gave
birth to the first of the couple’s two sons, both of whom had their births
recorded at Yeovil register office, with mother’s maiden-name confirmed as
Budge. For their eldest son, his birth
was recorded during the second quarter of 1969 (Ref. 7c 1940) and, unlike his
younger brother Lee, no further record of Sean has been found
21T15 – Sean David Collett was born in
1969 at Yeovil, Somerset
21T16 – Lee Ivor Collett was born in 1972 at Yeovil, Somerset
Donald
Allan Collette [21S20] was
born at Lake Charles on 4th November 1927, the only child of Donald
Allan Collette senior and his wife Alice Dickenson Hester. It was during the early 1950s that he married
Anna Dean Connell who was born at Jackson in Louisiana on 28th March
1931. All four of their children were
born at Lake Charles and in 2013 Alice Dickenson Collette was residing at 729
Iris Street in Lake Charles, the family home built by her late father-in-law,
the first Donald Allan Collett
21T17 – Alice Anne Collett was born in 1953 at Lake Charles,
Louisiana
21T18 – Allyson Dean Collett was born in 1958 at Lake Charles,
Louisiana
21T19 – Donald Allan Collett was born in 1960 at Lake Charles,
Louisiana
21T20 – Hugh Connell Collett was born in 1969 at Lake Charles,
Louisiana
William
Albert Hayne Collett [21S21] was
born at Perranarworthal on 21st July 1913, the son of William
Charles Collett and Ethel Florence Hunt.
His birth was recorded at Redruth register office (Ref. 5c 305), when
his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Hunt.
It was during the summer of 1940, when he was around 27 years of age,
that the marriage of William Albert Haynes Collett and Kathleen Martin was
recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 5c 445) during the third quarter of the
year. Eight years later, the couple was residing in the Plymouth area of south
Devon, where the first of their two children was born, and less than two years
after, for the birth of their second child.
On both occasions, the mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as
Martin. The later death of William
Albert H Collett, aged 62, was recorded at Camborne-Redruth register office (Vol.
21 0153) in March 1976
21T21 – Marion F Collett was born in
1948 at Plymouth (Qrt 3, Ref. 7a 748)
21T22 – John A F Collett was born in 1950 at Plymouth
Florence
Hazel Collett [21S22] was
born at Perranarworthal in 1914, with her birth recorded at Redruth register
office (Ref. 5c 280) during the last three months of the year, when her
mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Hunt.
Florence was around 32 when she married William T Philp, the first of a
number of marriages between the two families within this branch of the Collett
family. Their marriage was also recorded
at Redruth register office (Ref. 5c 364) during the first three months of
1946. The birth of their only child,
their daughter Gloria M Philp, later Gloria Waterfield of Staines in
Middlesex and a contributor to this family history, was recorded at Redruth
register office (Ref. 7a 186) during the first quarter of 1949, when her
mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Collett.
Florence Hazel Philp was 93 years old when she died at Redruth on 20th
June 2007
Ethel Vera Collett
[21S23] was born at
Perranarworthal in 1916, with her birth recorded at Falmouth register office
(Ref. 5c 223) during the second quarter of the year, when her mother’s
maiden-name was confirmed as Hunt.
Although not yet confirmed as the Ethel Vera Collett from Cornwall, the
marriage of Ethel Vera Collett and William J Ashcroft was recorded at Aldershot
in Hampshire (Ref. 2c 573) during the fourth quarter of 1944. However, their two children were born in
Cornwall, which could be the link to suggest Ethel Ashcroft originally came
from Perranarworthal. The birth of Terence
G Ashcroft was recorded at Redruth register office (Ref. 5c 190) during the
third quarter of 1945, while the birth of Florence M Ashcroft was also
recorded there during the third quarter of 1946 (Ref. 7a 211). On both occasions the mother’s maiden-name
was confirmed as Collett
Edgar
Sylvester Collett [21S24] was
born at Perranarworthal in 1919, his birth recorded at Falmouth register office
(Ref. 5c 220) during the last quarter of that year, where his mother’s
maiden-name was confirmed as Hunt. He
was youngest child of William Charles Collett and Ethel Florence Hunt, who was
tragically killed in a road accident when he was just fifteen years of age in
1935. The death of Edgar S Collett was
recorded at Cornwall register office (Ref. 5c 144)
Robert
George Collett [21S28] was
born in 1924 and his birth as simply Robert G Collett was recorded at St
Austell register office (Ref. 5c 143) during the third quarter of that year. That was around one year after his parents
John Percy Collett and Lillian Violet Holberton were married and where both of his
parents were still living in 1944.
Curiously though, whether in error or not, his mother’s maiden-name was
stated on the birth record as Mead, so she may have been a widow when she
married Robert’s father. He would have
been around 16 or 17 when he signed up to serve his King and Country in the
Second World War. He eventually joined
the 5th Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, with whom he
was Private Collett 14519019. Tragically,
he was killed in action while in France on 27th August 1944 and just
after the Normandy landings. He was
twenty years old and was buried at the St Desir War Cemetery at Calvados and
his next-of-kin were named as his parents John Percy and Lillian Violet Collett
of St Austell
Edward Charles Collett
[21S30] was born on 1st
January 1917, with his birth also recorded at Tavistock register office (Ref.
5b 493) during the first quarter of the year, when once again the mother’s
maiden-name was given as Watson. He was
the only surviving child of Royal Navy sailor William Henry Collett and Bella
Ann Watson. Edward was only a few months
old when his father died, and a year later, his mother married Frank Cleave
during the spring of 1918. The subsequent
marriage of Edward Charles Collett and Doris I Falconar was recorded at
Plymouth register office (Ref. 5b 1299) during the third quarter of 1939, when
he was 22 years old. Around two years
later, and as part of the war effort, Edward became a merchant seaman. That was recorded after a further two years
when, Edward Charles Collett, aged 26, was in Manchester on 4th
April 1943, with two-years’ experience at sea, when he was taken on as a
galley-man on board the British cargo ship, M V Antar, sailing from England
bound for New York, where it arrived on 2nd May 1943. Edward Charles Collett was 65 when he died,
his death recorded at Devon register office (Vol. 21 1805) during 1982
The marriage of Edward and Doris
produced two daughters, their birth recorded at Plymouth register office during
the first three months of 1940 (Ref. 5b 743), and during the first quarter of
1942 (Ref. 5b 590). In both cases, the
mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Falconar.
Maureen A Collett later married David J Collins, the event recorded at
Newton Abbot register office (Ref. 7a 1193) during the fourth quarter of
1969. Their only know child was Suzanne
Frances Collins whose birth was recorded at Plymouth register office (Ref.
7a 1599) during the first quarter of 1971
21T23 – Shirley U Collett was born in
1940 at Plymouth
21T24 – Maureen A Collett was born in
1942 at Plymouth
James
Frederick Collett [21S31] was
born at Manjimup in Western Australia in 1917, the year after his parents James
Arthur Collett and Frances Mary Ebbett from England were married in
Australia. James was thirty in 1947 when
he married the widow Cecilia Wallis, formerly Cecilia Donnelly, following which
their son Terrence James Collett was born in 1948. Cecilia T Donnelly was also born in 1917, to
parents Francis Donnelly and Hilda Ganfield, and it was as Cecilia T Collett
that she died in 1997
James Frederick Collett sadly passed
away on 16th April 2012 at the age of 95. With his health failing fast, he had been in
a Nursing Home for the last couple of months, but before that he was still
quite good for his age. Thanks to the
care he received from one of his nieces he was able to stay in his own little
unit until just before Christmas 2011, following which he then moved into the
low care section of the local Retirement Village. He was a lovely man, a real gentleman, always
cheerful and happy to talk to all of his friends and relatives. He had a difficult life at times, having
contracted various tropical diseases during the war which recurred during the
following years and then, after the war, contracting polio, the symptoms of
which stayed with him for the remainder of his life. He also took wonderful care of his wife for
many years
21T25 – Terrence James Collett was born in 1948 at Australia
He continued to operate the farm at
Rosedale after the death of his grandmother in 1938 and after the death of his
grandfather in 1943. Bob was around 44
years old when he married Mary Raglar in 1961, following which he happily continued
to work as a farmer until he retired in 1991.
He is also believed to have lived within the Sardis area of British
Columbia, not far from Chilliwack, where again he spent his time in dairy
farming. Just two years after he retired
from farming, he suffered a fatal heart attack while out riding on his bicycle,
which resulted in his death on 7th September 1993
Grace
Doreen Collette [21S34] was
born at Calgary, Alberta on 30th September 1918, the eldest daughter
of Henry Lake Collett and his first wife Elizabeth Peach. It was Grace Doreen Collett, rather than
Grace Collett (Ref. 21R93), who married Reginald John Hobbs who was born in
Gloucester in 1905, the son of Arthur Edwin Hobbs of Tewkesbury and Grace’s
Aunt Mary Lavinia Collett (Ref. 21Q38) of Treworthal. The wedding took place during 1939, Reginald
having emigrated to Canada from England to get away from his alcoholic
father. Once they were married Grace and
Reginald moved to Banff in Alberta, where they had two children. Lavinia Hobbs was born in 1940, and Robert
Hobbs was born in 1942. Grace died in 1974. Reginald died soon after. After the Second World War, Reginald’s mother
sailed over to Canada from England to spend some time with her son and his
family at Banff. Grace Doreen Hobbs nee
Collette died on 26th March 1974, and was followed shortly after by
her husband
Winifred
Louise Collette [21S35],
who was known as Winnie, was born at Calgary on 9th January 1920,
the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Collett.
During the Second World War she met an English pilot, Robert Curdling,
who was undergoing training at Calgary with the Royal Air Force. And it was at Calgary that they were married
on 5th April 1943. Once his
period of training was complete, Robert returned to England, to where Winnie
emigrated and where they were reunited later that same year. Winnie courageously sailed
across the Atlantic Ocean on board the Cunard White Star liner ‘Boskoop’ from
Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada to Liverpool in England, at the height
of the German submarine attacks, eventually arriving safely on 27th
October 1943
After the war they lived near Robert’s
family at Southbourne near Bournemouth in Hampshire, on the south coast of
England, where they had one child, Michael Curdling, who was born in
1949. In 1975 Winnie travelled back to
Calgary to visit her family and to celebrate her father’s eighty-second
birthday. Her husband Robert died on 28th
October 1976, and during 1998 she moved to Lytham St Anne’s in Lancashire, to
be near her son Michael, his wife Anne, and their daughter Anneka. Winifred Louise Curdling nee Collette died in
Lytham St Anne’s on 9th December 2004, at the age of 84
Vincent
Henry Collette [21S36], who
was known as Vince, was born at Calgary on 4th February 1922, the
second son and fourth child of Henry and Elizabeth Collett. Vince was an easy-going person who served in
the Canadian Air Force during World War Two, spending some of the time in
England. After the war he was a bus
driver for the City of Calgary Transit System, where he worked for many
years. In 1949 he married Barbara Munro,
with whom he had three children. Sadly,
the couple was divorced in 1977. Vince
was a lover of camping and fishing, and remained very active until his sudden
death on 25th April 1991.
When he died, it was felt as a terrible loss to the family
21T26 – Kathleen Collette was born in
1952
21T27 – Randall Collette was born in
1955
21T28 – Timothy Collette was born in
1959
Alan
Ross Collette [21S37] was
born at Calgary on 28th February 1925. He was a skilled motorcar mechanic working
for the City of Calgary Maintenance Department, and spent a number of years in
the 1950s working on the Distance Early Warning (DEW) Radar Line built in the
Canadian north to counter the possible threat of a Soviet attack. It is known that he accepted an assignment to
carry out his work in Africa in the latter part of his life. Alan married Ella Simpson in 1950, with whom
he had three children, before Ella died in 1969. Alan then re-married, but he and his second
wife became estranged from the family.
The date of his death is not known by the wider family
21T29 – Ross Edward Collett was born in
1951
21T30 – Ian Collett was born in 1952
21T31 – Heather Lynne Collett was born
in 1955
Victoria
Elizabeth Collette [21S39], who
was known as Vicki, was born at Calgary on 24th May 1928. She married Harvey Poffenroth in 1951 and
settled on his family’s farm at Okotoks in Alberta, where they raised five
children. Corrine Poffenroth was
born in 1953, Rhonda Poffenroth was born in 1954, Brian Poffenroth
was born in 1955, Kevin Poffenroth was born in 1957, and Joan
Poffenroth was born in 1958.
Tragically, Victoria’s and Harvey’s son Brian was killed in a motorcycle
accident in 1970
Ronald
James Collette [21S40], who
was known as Ronnie, was born at Calgary on 14th November 1929, and
was the last child born to Henry Lake Collett, and his first wife Elizabeth
Peach, who tragically died from a heart disease when Ronald James was just over
six months old. It was therefore Henry
Lake Collett’s second wife, Eleanor Mary Mackee, who raised Ronald as if he was
her own child. He trained as a
telegrapher and was employed by the Canadian National Telegraph for many years,
first in Calgary, and then in Edmonton, Alberta. In 1959 he married Marguerite Weder in
Edmonton. Marguerite, who was born in
1922 and was a chiropractor, died in 1984.
As a child, Ronald was very musical and learned to play both the violin
and the French horn. Later in his life
he was also a prolific letter writer and was a regular visitor and helper to
his stepmother Eleanor. Ronald James
Collette died on 24th February 2003
It was during 1961, while he was working
in Baltimore, that he married Donna Ross who was born on 15th July
1937. The first of their four children
was born while the couple were still living in Baltimore, whereas the next
three children were all born after the family had settled in Merrimack
21T32 – Murray Ross Collette was born in 1964 at Baltimore, Maryland
21T33 – David Patrick Collette was born
on 24th September 1967 at Merrimack, New Hampshire
21T34 – Wayne Michael Collette was born
on 15th March 1969 at Merrimack, New Hampshire
21T35 – Daryl Stephen Collette was born
on 31st October 1972 at Merrimack, New Hampshire
It was in 1952 that Jack married Sylvia
Smith, a recent émigré from England, with whom he had three children. The first child was born when the couple were
living at Calgary, the second after they had moved to Berkeley in California,
while their last child was born at Wilmington, in Delaware
Sylvia Mary Smith was born at Colne in
Lancashire, England on 4th August 1934, the daughter of Jack Smith
and his wife Nora Cox. The family moved
south to Worthing in Sussex soon after her birth, and lived there throughout
the Second World War while her father served with the Royal Navy. After the war, her father, a plasterer by
trade, looked for employment overseas and in 1950 the family moved to Calgary
in Canada. Although Sylvia had already
graduated from her English Secondary School, she elected to attend Grade 12 at
the local high school. It was here that
she met Jack Collette. Sylvia was a
gourmet cook and an accomplished seamstress, creating many beautiful items of
needlepoint and petit point, and sewing unique clothes for her granddaughters
In 1990, Jack developed a second career,
becoming actively involved in systemic improvement of science education in the
state of Delaware. From 1996 to 2004, he
co-led a major National Science Foundation grant program that raised student
achievement in science. His
contributions to Delaware were recognised by the establishment of the John W.
Collette Education Resource Center to support staff development of teachers in Delaware public schools. Jack and Sylvia became US citizens in
1969. Sylvia Mary Collette nee Smith
died on 5th November 2006, and almost two years later, during
October 2008, Jack married Courtenay Forbes a recent widow whom he had met at
his retirement community
21T36 – Valerie Jean Collette was born
on 30th August 1953 at Calgary, Alberta
21T37 – Martin John Collette was born on
3rd March 1956 at Berkeley, California
21T38 – Graham Lee Collette was born on
29th March 1961 at Wilmington, Delaware
Frederick
Collette [21S43] was
born at Calgary during 1938, the son of Henry and Eleanor Collette, who sadly
died that same year
It was at 11560, 80th Avenue
in Edmonton that the couple was residing at the time of the death of Don’s
father in 1956, prior to the birth of his two grandchildren
21T39 – Ronald Stephen Collette was born in 1959 at Edmonton, Alberta
21T40 – Cynthia Collette was born in 1961 at Edmonton, Alberta
21T41 – David Frederick Collette was born in 1967 at Beausejour,
Manitoba
21T42 – Deidre Fay Collette was born in 1967 at Regina,
Saskatchewan
Ian
J Collett [21S47] was
born in 1937, his birth recorded at Bromsgrove register office in
Worcestershire (Ref. 6c 330) during the first three months of 1937, when his
mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Flynn.
He was the only child of Francis (Frank) Thomas Collett and Margaret
Mary Flynn. His father was born in
Cornwall, where he also died, so it was no surprise that the marriage of Ian J
Collett and Ann Mills was recorded at the Camborne-Redruth register office (Vol.
21 84) during the second quarter of 1985
21T43 – Richard Francis Peter Collett was born in 1985 at High Wycombe,
Buckinghamshire
Rosemary
Ann Collett [21S49] was
born on 6th January 1953, the second of the two children of Richard
Collett and Dora (Betty) Hinge, her birth recorded at the Lower Agbrigg
register office in Yorkshire (Ref. 2c 623), where her mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Hinge. And it was as Rose
Evans of St Just-in-Penwith that she kindly provided the new details and
photographs for the March 2015 update of this family line
Vaughn
Collett [21S51] was
born at Michigan on 10th October 1910. It seems likely from the date of birth of his
son that he married around the mid-1930s.
The only other known facts about Vaughn are that he died in 1971 and was
buried with his father and his grandparents at Fairview Cemetery
21T44 – Jack Vaughn Collett was born in 1938 at Michigan
Josephine
Collett [21S52] was
born at Michigan in 1915 and like his brother Vaughn (above) he was buried with
his family at Fairview Cemetery when he died in 1988
Jack
Collett [21S53] was
born in Michigan sometime after 1915 and before 1920, which was the year his
mother Beulah Collett died. In the same
way that it has not been established when Jack was born, there is also
uncertainty about when he died. However,
it is known that he was still a child when he died and that he was buried with
his mother at the Old Village Cemetery in Brighton
Vivian
Glen M Collett [21S54] was
born in 1940, the eldest child, and only son of William and Audrey Collett. His birth was recorded as Vivian M Collett at
Redruth register office (Ref. 5c 571) during the second quarter of the year,
when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Jenkins. When he married Penelope R Godding in 1965,
his named was recorded as Vivian Glen M Collett, their wedding recorded at
register office (Ref. 7c 1081) during the second quarter of that year. Their son’s birth was recorded at Winchester
register office (Ref. 6b 3347) during the spring of 1970, when his mother’s
maiden-name was confirmed as Godding
21T45 – Alexander Paul Vivian Collett
was born in 1970 at Winchester, Hampshire
Kathryn Ann Collett
[21S55] was born in
1942 after her family had left Cornwall and had settled in Wiltshire, with her
birth recorded at Salisbury register office (Ref. 5a 280) during the last
quarter of the year, when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as
Jenkin. It was also as Kathryn Ann
Collett that she married Edward G Luscombe towards the end of 1962, their
wedding also recorded at Salisbury (Ref. 7c 1028). Almost four years later, Kathryn presented
Edward with their only child, with the birth of Edward Anthony Luscombe
recorded at Devizes register office (Ref. 7c 627) when the mother’s maiden-name
was confirmed as Collett
Grace
Collett [21S56] was
born in 1957, the youngest of the three children of William Vivian Collett and
his wife Audrey Jenkin. Her birth was
recorded at Salisbury register office (Ref. 7c 558) during the third quarter of
the year, with the mother’s maiden-name confirmed as Jenkin. It was also at Salisbury that the marriage of
Grace Collett and John B Stephens was recorded (Vol. 23 1346) towards the end
of 1976. Many years after they were
married, Grace gave birth to two daughters whose births were recorded at
Portsmouth register office, when their mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as
Collett. They were Rebecca Stephens
in 1990 and Zoe Stephens in 1993
Victor
Vivian Anthony Collett [21S57],
who was known as Tony, was born at St Austell on 27th April 1938,
the only son and eldest of the four children of Victor Owen Collett and Ann
Nicholls who were married in St Austell during the previous year. Victor’s birth was recorded at Redruth
register office (Ref. 5c 204) when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as
Nicholls. It was during the third
quarter of 1962 that Tony married Janet Philp, their wedding recorded at St
Austell register office (Ref. 7a 379), with whom he had two sons. Janet was living at 17 Hollabury in Poughill
(near Bude) when she was baptised on 3rd September 1939, the
daughter of Reginald John Philp and his wife Kathleen. Victor Vivian Anthony Collett was 72 years of
age when he died on 22nd December 2010, his death recorded at St
Austell
21T46 – Gary Richard Collett was born in 1963 at St Austell
21T47 – Robert David Collett was born in 1966 at St Austell
Harriet
Patricia Collett [21S58] was
born on 25th July 1939, was the second child and the eldest of the
three daughters of Victor and Ann Collett.
Her birth was recorded at Redruth register office (Ref. 5c 282), when
her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Nicholls. She was 20 years of age when, simply as
Harriet Collett, she married Jeffrey Sherman on 1st August 1959, the
event recorded at Redruth register office (Ref. 7a 341), and with whom she had
three children. John Andrew Sherman
was born on 12th September 1964 and in 1988 he married (1) Judith
Seegers with whom he had three children: Sam Oliver Sherman (born on 31st
January 1987) who is now married with two sons; Mia Elizabeth Sherman
(born on 2nd August 1991); and Jago Robert Sherman (born on
29th April 1995). On 20th
August 2011 John Andrew Sherman married (2) Suzanne Barter (born on 17th
January 1977) and they have one child, Finley Jack Sherman (born on 8th
October 2010)
Jeffrey and Harriet’s second child, Paul
Jeffrey Sherman, was born on 27th October 1966 and he married
Sarah Susan Dicker (born on 3rd November 1967). They have two children, Harry John Sherman
(born on 6th December 1996) and Lois Olivia Sherman (born on 1st
February 2000). Jeffrey and Harriet’s
third and last child Clare Jane Sherman who was born on 8th
July 1971, sadly died on 3rd February 2007. Prior to the premature end to her life, Clare
gave birth to two children with Angus Chisholm, and they were Oliver Victor
Sherman (born on 19th May 1992) and Sophie Harriet Hillary Sherman
(born on 29th July 1995). The
latter of these, Sophie, and her partner Liam Swain have one child, Isaac Liam
Sherman-Swain who was born on 11th January 2015
Sheila
Collett [21S59] was
born on 6th October 1944, the third child of Victor and Ann
Collett. Her birth was recorded at
Redruth register office (Ref. 5c 216) when her mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Nicholls. Twenty years
later, on 19th December 1964 the marriage of Sheila Collett and Eric
Stanley Dugmore (born on 5th June 1944, who died on 3rd
February 2014) was recorded at St Austell register office (Ref. 7a 382). Their marriage produced two children, Christine
Dugmore (born on 6th February 1966) and Jeremy Dugmore
(born on 19th April 1968).
Christine Dugmore later married (1) Andrew Perrett in 1986 and they have
two children, Ashley Daniel Perrett (born on 28th December 1988) and
Tristan James Dugmore nee Perrett (born on 18th April 1990). Christine was later divorced, following which
she married (2) Vince Iannelli during 1996 with whom she has a daughter
Francesca Lucia Ianelli (born on 19th July 1995.) Sheila and Eric’s son, Jeremy Dugmore,
married Donna Malone (born on 23rd June 1967) in 1994. They have two daughters, Phoebe Elizabeth Ann
Dugmore (born on 18th August 1992) and Polly Dugmore (born on 11th
April 1997)
Margaret
Ann Collett [21S60] was
born on 5th March 1946, was the youngest of the four children of
Victor Owen Collett and Ann Nicholls.
Her birth was recorded at Redruth register office (Ref. 5c 182) when her
mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Nicholls.
She married Colin George Barclay Sellar on 16th July 1966 and
they have two daughters. Tracy
Dorothy Sellar was born on 6th February 1969 and Jennie Ann
Sellar was born on 14th January 1971. The births of both daughters were recorded at
Redruth register office, where their mother’s maiden-name was confirmed at
Collett
Molly
E Collett [21S61] was
born in 1950 with her birth recorded at Redruth register office (Ref. 7a 117)
during the first quarter of the year, where her mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Burley, she being the eldest daughter of Cecil Alwyn Collett and
Constance Eva Burley. It was during the
spring of 1968 that the marriage of Molly E Collett and Clifford Johns was
recorded at St Austell register office (Ref. 7a 245). Their marriage results in the births of two
children; Robert Andrew Johns was born in 1970, and Claire Ann
Johns was born in 1973. Both births
were recorded at Truro register office, when the mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Collett. Robert Andrew
Johns married Tera M E Burrows in 1999, and they had Harvey Richard Johns who
was born in 2001 and Lowenna Johns, whose year of birth not known. Claire
Ann Johns married (1) Andrew D Williams in 1998, but they were divorced,
following which Claire married (2) Steven J Smale in 2003, with whom she has
two children, a son and a daughter
Barbara
Cheryl Collett [21S62] was
born in 1954, her birth recorded at Redruth register office (Ref. 7a 118)
during the first three months of that year, when her mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Burley. The later marriage
of Barbara Cheryl Collett and Michael P Ridgway was recorded at St Austell
register office (Vol. 21 588) during September 1984, with whom she had two
children, Christopher Ashley Ridgeway
in 1985 and Anna Louise Ridgeway in
1988
June
R Collett [21S63] was
born in 1931, possibly in Penryn, and was the daughter of Thomas Leonard
Collett and his wife Kathleen H Meek, the child’s birth recorded at the
Cornwall Falmouth register office (Ref. 5c 186) during the third quarter of the
year, when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Meek. June Collett was the mother of Lynne Sharp
who was still living in Cornwall at the end of 2009. And it was Lynne who kindly supplied the many
photographs of the gravestones in the churchyard at Philleigh
Eileen M Collett
[21S65] was born in
1927 and was the only child of James Gordon Collett and Mary Elizabeth
Goodman. Her birth was recorded at Truro
register office (Ref. 5c 154) during the third quarter of 1927, when her
mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Burrows.
Eileen was only eighteen when she married Dixon C Bailey, their wedding
recorded at Truro (Ref. 5c 250) during the first three months of 1946
Mary Jacquelyn Collett [21S66] was born at Detroit on 11th
January 1945, the eldest of two daughters of Jack Edwin Collett and Margaret
Armstrong. She married Lawrence Carpenter
and the couple settled in Fenton in Michigan where their five children were
born. By the time of the passing of Mary
Jacquelyn Carpenter nee Collett on 6th July 2005, she and Lawrence
had thirteen grandchildren
Judith
Ann Collett [21S67] was
born at Detroit on 11th July 1947, the younger of the two daughters
of Jack Edwin Collett and Margaret Armstrong.
Judith married James Dwight Safford on 18th
August 1972, with whom she has two children.
Today Judith and James live at Grand Blanc in Michigan and currently
have two grandchildren. It is thanks to
the information provided by Judith that the line of her family has been traced
back to her great grandfather Edwin Collett of Truro
William Collett [21S68], was the younger of the two grandsons of
Percy and Clara Collett of Detroit, and a younger cousin of Mary Jacquelyn and
Judith Ann Collett (above). Although the
date of his birth is still not known, it is possible that he was born at
Livonia, Wayne County, Michigan, where William’s uncle Jack Edwin Collett lived
most of his adult life, where his father William also lived. It is known that William Collett of Detroit, was
living there in 2010, where he is married with a son of his own
21T48 – a Collett son
Terence
George Collett [21S70], referred
to as Terry, was born at Gidea Park in Romford during the spring in 1951 and
was the son of Clifford Collett and Connie Manwaring. His birth was recorded at Romford register
office (Ref. 5a 708) during the second quarter of 1951, when his mother’s
maiden-name was confirmed as Manwaring.
Terry later married Susan Lawson and the marriage produced two sons for
him and Susan. Terry established a
successful career in education living with his wife Susan in Aylesbury during
the seventies and in Milton Keynes since the 1980’s. It was during the 1990s that Terry and Susan
separated. However, the extended family
continued to live in Milton Keynes. In
2010 and 2011 Terry kindly provided the details of his own family, together
with that of his father’s and his grandfather’s, which has enabled this family
line to be kept up to date
21T49 – Daniel Benjamin Collett was born in 1978 at Aylesbury,
Buckinghamshire
21T50 – Matthew Thomas Collett was born in 1980 at Northampton
Marjorie J Collet [21T7] was born in the summer of 1925, her
birth recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 5c 181) when her mother’s
maiden-name was confirmed as Armstrong, the eldest daughter of Ernest Henry
Collett and Alfreda S Armstrong.
Marjorie was 23 years old when her marriage to Henry J Barnicoat was
recorded at Truro (Ref. 7a 575) during the third quarter of 1948
Audrey J Collett [21T8] was born near the start of 1929 and her
birth was also recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 5c 164) during the first
three months of the year, the younger of the two daughters of Ernest Henry
Collett Alfreda S Armstrong. It was at
the start of 1954 that the marriage of Audrey J Collett and Albert L Hall was
recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 7a 503). Their twin daughters were born just over one
year later, when the births of Susan C Hall and Victoria A Hall
were recorded at Redruth register office (Ref. 7a 161) during the second
quarter of 1955 where their mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Collett
Myrtle Ivy Collett [21T9] was born on 27th November
1928, her birth recorded at Truro register office (Ref. 5c 167) during the
second quarter of the year, when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as
Bone. She was the eldest of the three
children of Frederick Collett and Hilda J Bone.
It was also as Myrtle I Collett that she married (1) Victor W Uden,
their wedding day recorded at Bodmin register office (Ref. 7a 1) during the
third quarter of 1946. It was there also
that her sister was married the following year, and where their father was
knowing to be living. The marriage of
Myrtle and Victor produced six children, the first five births recorded at
Bodmin, the last at Redruth, and in all six cases, the mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Collett. The children were Richard
J Uden in 1947, Christopher Uden in 1950, Gloria M A Uden in
1953, Denise K Uden in 1956, Mandy Uden in 1961, and Martin Paul
Uden in 1966. Not long after the
last child was born, Victor appears to have died, with the marriage of Myrtle I
Uden and Patrick N Gerry recorded at the Cornwall Camelford register office
(Ref. 7a 30) during the first quarter of 1970.
Myrtle Ivy Gerry was 74 when she died on 19th October 2007.
When her date of birth was recorded as 27th November 1927
Phyllis M Collett [21T10] was born within the Truro area of
Cornwall in 1929, with her birth also recorded at Truro register office (Ref.
5c 152) during the first quarter of the year, where her mother’s maiden-name
was confirmed as Bone. Like her older
sister, Phyllis was also only eighteen years old when her marriage to Barry
Barrasin was recorded at Bodmin register office (Ref. 7a 3) during the third
quarter of 1947. It was also within the
Bodmin area that her father lived later in his life, and where the birth of the
couple’s son and first child Denis J Barrasin was recorded (Ref. 7a 11)
during the second quarter of 1951, the second Hilda S Barrasin at St
Austell register office (Ref. 7a 191a) during the fourth quarter of 1958. For both births, the mother’s maiden-name was
recorded as Collett
Frederick J Collett [21T11] was born in 1933 and, unlike his two
older sisters, it was at Falmouth register office that his birth was recorded
(Ref. 5c 148) during the last quarter of that year. Once again, the child’s mother’s maiden-name
was confirmed as Bone, being the last child of Frederick Collett and Hilda J
Bone. Although not absolutely confirmed
as Frederick J Collett from Falmouth, in 1954 when he would have been twenty,
the marriage of a Frederick J Collett and Gladys M Emery was recorded at the
Dorset Poole register office (Ref. 6a 1274) during the first three months of
1954. However, once married, the couple
settled in Cornwall, where their five children were born
21U1 – Anthony F J Collett was born in 1955 at St Austell
21U2 – Elizabeth J Collett was born in
1956 at St Austell (Qrt 2 Ref. 7a 192)
21U3 – William J Collett was born in 1959 at St Austell
21U4 – Timothy Collett was born in 1960 at St Austell
21U5 – Heather Dawn Collett was born in
1968 at St Austell (Qrt 1 Ref. 7a 288)
Yvonne
Susanne Olivia Collett [21T12] was born at Dusseldorf in Germany on 6th
June 1968, the daughter of Bruce Ivor Nicholas Collett. It was at the Sussex Uckfield register office
(Vol. 461 0666) during September 1997 that the marriage of Yvonne Susanne
Olivia Collett and Bruce A Rogers was recorded.
It is thanks go to Yvonne Rogers for kindly providing the information
regarding her father and the others members of her immediate family
Dennis
Nicholas Collett [21T13]
was born at Hanover in
Germany on 11th March 1971, the son of Bruce Ivor Nicholas Collett,
whose birth recorded gave his mother’s maiden-name as Klason, according to the
records of the British Army on the Rhine.
Dennis is now a married man and has two children
21U6 – a Collett child
21U7 – a Collett child
Lee
Ivor Collett [21T16] was born in 1972 and his birth was
recorded at Yeovil register office (Ref. 7c 1879) during the first quarter of
the year, when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Budge. He was the second of the two sons of David
Ivor Charles Collett and Sheila V Budge.
During the summer of 1998, when he was twenty-six years of age, the
marriage of Lee Ivor Collett and Claire E Ellard was recorded at Yeovil
register office (Vol. 726 0355) during the third quarter of the year. Five years later, the pair of them were
living in Warwickshire when Claire gave birth to their only child. The birth of son Ryan was recorded at the
Mid-Warwickshire register office (Ref. 7751a a25c) at the end of the summer in
2003, when the mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Ellard
21U8 – Ryan Anthony J Collett was born
in 2003
Alice
Anne Collette [21T17] was born at Lake Charles in Louisiana on
1st July 1953, the eldest of the four children of Donald Allan
Collette II and his wife Anna Dean Connell.
In 2013 Alice who is known as Anne, was living in Lake Charles
21U9 – Michael Paul Collette was born in 1983
Allyson
Dean Collette [21T18] was born at Lake Charles on 29th
August 1958, the second daughter of Donald and Ann Collette. On 9th May 1984 Allyson’s widowed
mother passed away at Lake Charles, and that sad event took place just ten days
before Allyson married Joseph Michael Nixon on 19th May. Joe, as Joseph is known, is an attorney and
former State Representative to the Texas Legislature (1995-2007) who in 2013
practices election law. Allyson, who is
a piano teacher, is the person responsible for kindly providing of all the new
details that has enabled this family line to be extended from Joseph Harris
Collett (Ref. 21P27) where previously there were no information after 1881. In the second decade of the twenty-first
century the family was living at Houston, Texas
Allyson presented Joe with three sons
during the first five years of their life together, and they were as
follows. Nicholas Lowery Nixon
was born on 16th June 1985, and on 9th May 2009 he
married Mary Alison (Ali) Crocker by whom he had a son James Hershell Nixon who
was born on 9th August 2012.
Nicholas has a degree in Construction Management from Texas A&M and
works for Zachary Construction Company in San Antonio, Texas. Ali earned a law degree from St. Mary's Law
School in San Antonio and currently works for the San Antonio District
Attorney's office
Stewart Allan Nixon was born on 19th September
1987 and he earned a Finance degree from Texas A&M and is currently working
in Houston for Calpine a natural gas trading company. The couple’s third son is Matthew Joseph
Nixon who was born on 28th June 1989, and he is currently a Film
Student at North Texas State in Denton, from where it is hoped he will graduate
very soon
Donald
Allan Collette III [21T19] was born at Lake Charles on 8th
April 1960, the third of the four children of Donald and Anna Collette. He was known as Don and on 2nd
March 1972 he featured in a newspaper article when he was given his Eagle Scout
Award in the company of his mother. He
was the third Don Collette to be an Eagle Scout, his grandfather being a Charter
Member of Troop 1, the first Boy Scout Troop west of the Mississippi
River. He was tragically only fifty-two
when died on 11th April 2012, his obituary being reproduced below
“Donald
Allan Collette III, age 52, died Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at home in Cutoff,
Louisiana. A mass of Christian burial
will be held at 1:00 pm, Saturday, April 14 at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic
Church in Larose, La. Don will be laid
to rest at Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery.
Father Rholando Grecia will be officiating his services. Don was born at St. Patrick's Hospital in
Lake Charles, La. on April 8, 1960 to the late Donald Allan Collette, Jr. and
Dean Connell Collette. He is survived by
his wife of 20 years, Gwen Vedras Collette, his daughter, Sophia Augusta
Collette, and his son, Noah Allan Collette, his sisters, Alice Anne Collette,
and Allyson Collette Nixon, and his brother Hugh Connell Collette, his nephews,
Michael Paul Collette, Nicholas Lowery Nixon, Stewart Allan Nixon, Matthew
Joseph Nixon, Hunter Connell Collette, Cameron Connell Collette, Max Colin
Collette and his niece Catherine Eileen Collette
Don
was employed as a Project Engineer at Shaw Coastal Inc. in Houma, LA. His latest project was working on the Inner
Harbour Navigation Canal in New Orleans, LA.
He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout at the age of 14 and enjoyed many
years of scouting, both as a scout and as a member of the staff at Camp
Edgewood. He represented Barbe High
School at Boys' State and was the editor of the school paper, The Barbe Wire. Don was valedictorian of a class of close to
500 students at Barbe. He earned both
his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Civil Engineering from Louisiana
State University at Baton Rouge. He
followed his father not only in his career field, but also his fraternity,
Lamda Chi Alpha
Don
was most excited by the achievements of his wife, Gwen and children Sophia and
Noah. They were the light of his
life. He will be greatly missed by
family, friends and co-workers.
Pallbearers will be Noah Collette, Hugh Collette, Hunter Collette,
Cameron Collette, Stewart Nixon and brother-in-law, Joseph Nixon. Honorary pallbearers will be Michael
Collette, Nicholas Nixon, Matthew Nixon and Steele Viccellio. Visitation will be at Falgout Funeral Home in
Cutoff, LA on Friday from 6 pm - 9 pm and on Saturday from 8 am - noon”
21U10 – Sophia Augustin Collette was
born on 4th June 1991
21U11 – Noah Allan Collette was born on
25th August 1995
Hugh
Connell Collette [21T20] was born at Lake Charles on 7th
May 1969, the last of the four children of Donald Allan Collette II and his
wife Anna Dean Connell. Hugh’s first
marriage produced two sons, but on 16th September 2000 he married
Shawn Shelton with whom he had a further two children. In 2013 Hugh and Shawn are divorced
21U12 – Hunter Connell Collette was born
on 5th October 1990
21U13 – Cameron Connell Collette was
born on 10th June 1994
21U14 – Max Colin Collette was born on
13th December 2003
21U15 – Catherine Eileen Collette was
born on 19h October 2006
John
A F Collett [21T22] was born in 1950 at Plymouth, where his
birth was recorded during the first three months of the year (Ref. 7a 655),
with his mother’s maiden-name confirmed as Martin. He was the second of the two children of
William Albert Haynes Collett and Kathleen Martin. He was only eighteen years of age when the
marriage of John A F Collett and Celia M Bray was recorded at Plymouth register
office (Ref. 7a 1122) during the second quarter of 1968. Interestingly, twenty-eight years later, the
marriage of Robert David Collett (Ref. 21T47) and Victoria L Bray was recorded
at Truro. Their common ancestor was
Thomas Collett 1689-1760 (Ref. 21L2), making John and Robert cousins
seven-times-removed
John and Celia were blessed with three
daughters, the first of them born around nine months after their wedding day,
with all three births recorded at Plymouth register office, when their mother’s
maiden-name was confirmed as Bray.
Marlene Linda’s birth was recorded towards the end of 1968 (Ref. 7a 612)
Suzanna Jane during the first quarter of 1972 (Ref. 7a 1783), and Lisa Marie
during the last quarter of 1980 (Vol. 21 1722)
21U16 – Marlene Linda Collett was born
in 1968 at Plymouth
21U17 – Suzanne Jean Collett was born in
1972 at Plymouth
21U18 – Lisa Marie Collett was born in
1980 at Plymouth
Terrence
James Collett [21T25] was born in Australia in 1948, the son
of James Frederick Collett and his wife Cecilia Wallis. Terry, as he was known, and his second wife
Susan M Attwood lived in Tasmania, and it was Sue who kindly provided the vast
majority of the information for the September 2011 update of this family line
back to Terry’s grandfather James Arthur Collett (Ref. 21R38) and his twin
brother Edward Charles Collett. The
photomontage below shows the seven generation of the Collett family from Terry
back to William Henry the father of Edward Charles
Terry’s daughter Nardi and son Dion came
from his first marriage to M Myers, with baby Hayden James Collett (in the
photograph above) being Terry’s granddaughter and the son of Dion James
Collett. Sadly, on 3rd
September 2014, Terrence James Collett passed away peacefully at the age of
just 66. Terry had been poorly for some
time but his condition deteriorated very rapidly at the end, after just six
days in hospital. His wife Sue has been
his full-time carer during that difficult period in their life together, but
that has not stopped her from continuing to supply family details for this family
line, as well as many other items of interest relating to other members of the
worldwide Collett family
21U19 – Nardi Collett was born before
1980
21U20 – Dion James Collett was born in 1980
Murray
Ross Collette [21T32] was born at Baltimore in Maryland on 27th
June 1964, the eldest child of Patrick George Collette and his wife Donna
Ross. Murray graduated from the
University of New Hampshire with a Master of Science degree in Electrical
Engineering and has since acquired a private pilot’s license which he likes to
utilise as much as possible. It was at
Merrimack in New Hampshire on 17th October 1987 that he married
Denise Marie Gamache who was born at Nashua in New Hampshire on 17th
December 1962. It was also while the
couple was living at Nashua that their two sons were born. In 2013 the family was residing at Merrimack
and in May that year their son Brian graduated from Clarkson University in
Potsdam, New York, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Mathematics. At that same time the couple’s youngest son
Kevin was attending high school. It is
thanks to Denise that we now know a little more about her family
21U21 – Brian Ross Collette was born on
30th April 1990 at Nashua, New Hampshire
21U22 – Kevin James Collette was born on
15th September 1998 at Nashua, New Hampshire
Ronald
Stephen Collette [21T39] was born at Edmonton on 1st
May 1959, the eldest of the two children of Donald Alfred William Collette and
Mildred Charlotte Moodie. Ronald
excelled with his studies and became a Doctor of Medicine, following which he
later practiced at Edmonton and Vancouver
Cynthia
Collette [21T40] was born at Edmonton, Alberta in 1961,
the youngest of two children of Donald Alfred William Collette and Mildred
Charlotte Moodie. Cynthia later married
Patrick Zelenack and had two children, both born while the couple were living
at Edmonton. They were Shaun Zelenack,
and Kendra Zelenack who was born there in 1990
21U23 – Mackenzie Pauleen Collette was
born on 12th November 1997
21U24 - Richard Arthur Flynn Collett was born on 15th March 2018 at
Truro
Jack
Vaughn Collett [21T44] was born in Michigan on 28th
June 1938. He was married and the
marriage produced five children for Jack and his wife. Jack Vaughn Collett died on 4th
May 1997
21U25 – Jack Collett whose date of birth has not been
revealed
21U26 – Michael Collett whose date of birth has not been
revealed
21U27 – Carol Collett whose date of birth has not been
revealed
21U28 – Patricia Collett whose date of birth has not been
revealed
21U29 – Diane Collett whose date of birth has not been
revealed
Gary
Richard Collett [21T46] was born in Cornwall on 12th
September 1963, the eldest of the two sons of Victor Vivian Anthony Owen
Collett and Janet Philp. Like his
brother Robert (below), Gary’s birth was also recorded at St Austell register
office (Ref. 7a 212), when again his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as
Philp. It was during the month of May in
2002 when Gary Richard Collett married Jerradine C Chua, the event recorded at
Truro register office (Vol. 370 1003)
Robert
David Collett [21T47] was born in Cornwall on 31st
March 1966, the youngest of the two children of Victor Vivian Anthony Collett
and Janet Philp. His birth was recorded
at St Austell register office (Ref. 7a 203), when his mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Philp. It was at Truro
register office (Vol. 370 1579) during the summer of 1996 that the marriage of
Robert David Collett and Victoria L Bray was recorded. Robert has three daughters, plus a
granddaughter who was born to his eldest daughter Samantha, that child being
Jax Rickard who was born on 23rd May 2011. The births of Bethany and Evie were recorded
at St Austell and Truro register office, when their mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Bray
Samantha Goudge was born on 19th January 1990
21U30 – Bethnay
Eliza Collett was born on 31st January 1998 at St Austell
21U31 – Evie Victoria Collett was born
on 24th June 2000 at Truro
Daniel
Benjamin Collett [21T49] was born at Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire
in 1978, the eldest son of Terry and Susan Collett of Milton Keynes. It was also at Aylesbury register office (Vol.
19 1129) that his birth was recorded during the summer of 1978, when his
mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Lawson.
Daniel was married to Deborah during the first decade of the new century
and their union has produced two sons for the couple
21U32 – Joshua Collett was born in
October 2009
21U33 – Jacob Harry Collett was born on 10th
January 2013 at Milton Keynes
Matthew
Thomas Collett [21T50] was born at the Barrett Maternity
Hospital in Northampton during 1980, the youngest of the two sons of Terry and Susan
Collett of Milton Keynes. His birth was
recorded at Northampton register office (Vol. 7 2977) during the spring of that
year, when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Lawson. Matthew used to run his own business in
Milton Keynes, has worked for an international sportswear company and, from
2011, was working as a kindergarten teacher at Chiang Mai in Thailand, where he
now lives with his partner Annie and their son Akira
21U34 – Akira Max Collett was born on 23rd
March 2013 at Chiang Mai, Thailand
Antony F J Collett [21U1] was born in Cornwall near the start of
1955, with his birth recorded at St Austell register office (Ref. 7a 178)
during the first quarter of the year, when his mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Emery. He was the eldest of
the five children of Frederick J Collet and Gladys M Emery. He was married twice in his life, the first
time to (1) Sally L Oliver when the event was recorded at St Austell (Vol. 21
0390) during the second quarter of 1976.
Seven years later the marriage of Antony F J Collett and (2) Pauline A
Chapple was recorded at Truro register office (Vol. 21 0437) during the first
quarter of 1983. Some after the birth of
their daughter Antony and Sally were divorced, and in 1982 the second marriage
for Sally L Collett and Clifford G Udy was recorded at Bodmin (Vol. 21 0029)
during the first quarter of that year.
The births of the later three children of Antony and Pauline recorded
the mother’s maiden-name at Truro register office as Chapple
21V1 – Kathleen Marjorie Collett was
born in 1977 at St Austell (Qrt 2, Vol. 21 139)
The following are the three children of
Antony F J Collett and his second wife Pauline A Chapple:
21V2 – Richard Antony Collett was born
in 1985 at St Austell (Qrt 3, Vol. 21 512)
21V3 – Maria Mary Collett was born in 1989
at St Austell (Qrt 4, Vol. 21 134)
21V4 – Rachel Jane Collett was born in
1992 at St Austell (Qrt 3, Ref. 21 344)
William J Collett [21U3] was born in 1959, the third child and
second son of Frederick and Gladys Collett, his birth recorded at St Austell
register office (Ref. 7a 202) during the first three months of the year, his
mother’s maiden-name recorded as Emery.
He was twenty-four when his marriage to Jacqueline D Williams was
recorded at St Austell register office (Vol. 21 0581) during the summer of
1983. As far as can be determined, they
had no children in Britain
Timothy Collett [21U4] was born in 1960 and was the fourth of
the five children of Frederick J Collett and Gladys M Emery. His birth was
recorded at St Austell (Ref. 7a 197) during the last three months of that year,
when his mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Emery. Just like his eldest brother Antony (above),
Timothy was also married on two occasions, the first time to (1) Ann-Marie
Martin and recorded at Camelford register office (Vol. 21 130) during the
spring of 1984. Fifteen years later the
marriage of Timothy Collett and (2) Deborah J Southwick was recorded at Truro (Vol.
370 1417) during the summer of 1999
21V5 – Maria Roseanna Collett was born
in 1988 at Truro (Qrt 1)
21V6 – Lucy Victoria Collett was born in
1989 at Truro (Qrt 2)
21V7 – Kirsty Anna Collett was born in
1993 at St Austell (Qrt 4)
21V8 – Sylvia Rebecca Collett was born
in 1994 at St Austell (Qrt 4)
21V9 – James Lewis Collett was born in
1999 at Truro (Qrt 1)
Michael
Paul Collette [21U9] was born on 13th July 1983,
the son of Alice Anne Collette. He lives
at Shreveport in Louisiana and on 24th September 2011 he married
Laura Anne Deas
Dion
James Collett [21U20] was born during 1980, the second of the
two children of Terrence James Collett and his first wife, whose maiden-name
was Myers. From the earlier photomontage
in this file, it seems highly likely that Dion is the father of Hayden James
Collett. Towards the end of 2022 Dion was living at Port Lincoln
on the Lower Eyre Peninsular in South Australia, overlooking Boston Bay. Having contacted Dion, his father’s second
wife Sue (of Victor Harbor) discovered that Dion’s daughter Hayden had just graduated from school and, as in true
traditional Aussie style, after their final exams the pupils have a festive
weekend at some local holiday resort which, in South Australia, is Victor
Harbor to the south of Adelaide, commonly known as “Schoolies weekend”
21V10 – Hayden James Collett was born in
2007
Jack
Collett [21U24], whose date of birth is not known,
married Cindy
Michael
Collett [21U425, whose date of birth is not known, is
currently living in California
Carol
Collett [21U26], whose date of birth is not known,
married Tim Ross
Patricia
Collett [21U27], whose date of birth is not known, married
Randall J Wilson who was born on 3rd July 1952. Randall died three months after his fiftieth
birthday on 15th October 2002
Diane
Collett [21U28], whose date of birth is not known,
married Jim Goodall and is thought to be currently living at Brighton in
Michigan
APPENDIX
C – The Family of Daniel Collett of St Gluvias
So far in this particular family history
research, no direct connection to this family line has been found for Daniel
Collett of St Gluvias. However, it is
hoped that by including the details in this appendix that something may be
discovered in due course. Previously the
only details known about Daniel had been traced from the IGI and that commenced
with the birth and baptism of three of his children by his wife Ann. However, more recent information received
from David Collette in the USA has confirmed the place and date of his marriage
to Ann
Daniel
Collett [21o1a] was
married to Anne Pearce of Mylor at St Gluvias on 30th March
1812. Just following their marriage, it
would appear that the couple initially settled in Mylor where their first child
was born and baptised. However, the next
four children of Daniel and Anne were all born after the family had left Mylor
and while the couple was living within the Penryn parish of St Gluvias. It is also now evident that the fourth child
was given his mother’s maiden-name as a forename. Perhaps in the continuous search for work,
the whole family eventually left Cornwall, during the late-1820s, and made the
move to the county of Somerset, with the last three children of Daniel and Anne
born at Batheaston a few miles from the of the city of Bath. It was also at Batheaston that Daniel Collett died and was buried on 4th
April 1838 at the age of 51
By the time of the census in 1841 Daniel’s
widow Ann Collett was living at Batheaston in Somerset with six members of her
family. Ann had a rounded age of 50,
indicating she was born around 1790, while the six children were named as Betsy
Collett who was 25, Daniel Collett who was 20, Francis and Grace who were both
listed with rounded ages of 15, Sarah who was 10, and William who was seven
years of age. After a further ten years,
there were only four children still living with 60-year-old Ann Collett from
Mylor in Cornwall at Batheaston, and they were Betsy Collett who was 36,
Stephen Collett who was 22 (absent in 1841), Sarah Collett who was 20,
and William Collett who was 17. Whilst
no record of Ann Collett has yet been identified within the next two census
returns of 1861 and 1871, it was at Bath that her death was recorded (Ref. 5c
499) during the first three months of 1876 at the age of 82
21p1b – Betsy Collett was born in 1814 at Mylor, near Penryn
21p2b – Daniel Collett was born in 1817 at Penryn
21p3b – Susan Jane Collett was born in 1820 at Penryn
21p4b – Francis John Pearce Collett was born in 1822 at Penryn
21p5b – Grace Thomas Pearce Collett was born in 1825 at Penryn
21p6b – Stephen Seles Collett was born in 1829 at Batheaston,
Somerset
21p7b – Sarah Ann Collett was born in 1831 at Batheaston,
Somerset
21p8b – William Worthy Collett was born in 1834 at Batheaston,
Somerset
Betsy
Collett [21p1b] was
very likely born at Mylor around 1814, where she was baptised on 28th
January 1816, the daughter of Daniel Collett and Ann Pearce. By the time of the baptism of her brother
Daniel (below), Betsy and her parents were living at nearby Penryn within the
parish of St Gluvias. By the time of the
census of 1861 ‘Betsey’ Collett from Penryn in Cornwall was 46 and a servant
living at the home of her brother Daniel Collett (below) and his family, which
was a cottage with a garden in London Road at Swainswick within the Bath &
Batheaston registration district of Somerset.
From that it would appear she never married
Daniel
Collett [21p2b] was
born in 1818 or slightly earlier, and was baptised at the Church of St Gluvias
in Penryn on 5th April 1818, the son of Daniel and Ann Collett. It is evident that Daniel may have been
around ten years of age when his family departed Cornwall and settled in
Somerset, where his
younger brother Stephen was born in 1929 and where the death of his father was
recorded in 1838. That move was
confirmed in the census of 1841, which identified Daniel Collett as having a
rounded age of 20 when he was living at Stallard’s Lane in Batheaston, where he
met his future wife. On that day in June
1841, Daniel was living with his widowed mother Ann Collett, together with his
unmarried older sister Betsy Collett (above), and four younger siblings,
Francis Collett and Grace Collett not born in Somerset, while Sarah Collett and
William Collett had been. Also at the
same address were Charles Rich who was 20, Charles Mannings who was 15 (Daniel’s
future brother-in-law), and Jane Kill who was 85, all three of them also
born in Somerset
It was seven years later, at Batheaston on
6th November 1848, that Daniel Collett, the son of paper-maker
Daniel Collett, married Martha Mannings, the daughter of labourer Stephen
Mannings and the sister of
the aforementioned Charles Mannings. Both the bride and groom were residing in Batheaston,
with one of the witnesses was confirmed as Francis Collett, Daniel’s younger brother
(below). That same day, at the same
church, Daniel’s younger sister Grace Thomas Collett married Thomas John Saxby,
making it a double family wedding, the event recorded at Bath with the same
register number (Ref. xi 15). Not long
after they were married, Martha presented Daniel with their first child so, by
the time of the census in 1851, the family of three was recorded at
Batheaston. Daniel Collett was 34,
Martha Collett was 30, and their son Francis Collett was two years old
By the time of the census in 1861 when the family was living at
London Road in Lower Swainswick just north-west of Batheaston, the
marriage of Daniel and Martha had produced five children for the couple. Daniel Collett from Penryn was 43 and an
agricultural labourer, his wife Martha was 40 and from Batheaston, and their
first three children had been born at Batheaston. They were Francis Collett who was 12, and had
already started work as an errand boy, Stephen Collett who was nine and
attending school, as was Ann Collett who was seven years of age. The couple’s other two children had been born
after they had arrived at Lower Swainswick, where they were living in a cottage
with a garden on London Road. Daniel
Collett was four and William Collett was two years old. Visiting the family that census day, was
Daniel’s unmarried sister Betsey Collett from Penryn who was 40 and a servant
Ten years later they were still living
within the Bath & Batheaston district, when Daniel was 53 and Martha was
50. The children still living with the
couple were Annie Collett 17, Daniel Collett 14, William Collett 12, and new
arrival Sarah Collett who was nine years old.
Living separately from the family on that occasion, but living nearby,
was their son Stephen Collett who was 19
By 1881 Daniel was 63 and Martha was 60. Daniel’s place of birth was simply Cornwall
and his occupation was that of a gardener, while Martha was born at Batheaston
near Bath. Living with the couple were
two of their three youngest children, they being Daniel Collett who was 24 and
a gardener working with his father, and William Collett who was 20 and a
general labourer. On that occasion, the
family was living at 4 Worcester Villas in the Walcot area of Bath, and the
place of birth of the two sons was stated as Swainswick, which is just two miles
to the north of Bath. Twelve months
after that census day, when Daniel Collett was 64 years of age, he died at
Batheaston on 10th April 1882 and was buried in the churchyard of St
John the Baptised that same day, his death recorded at Bath (Ref. 5c 427). After surviving her husband for a further
four years, the death of Martha Collett, aged 66, was recorded at Bath (Ref. 5c
440) towards the end of 1886, following which she also buried in the grounds of
the Church of St John the Baptist, with her husband, on 28th
December 1888
21r1b – Francis Collett was born in 1848 at Batheaston
21r2b – Stephen Charles Collett was born in 1851 at Batheaston
21r3b – Ann Collett was born in 1853 at Batheaston
21r4b – Daniel William Collett was born in 1856 at Lower Swainswick
21r5b – William Thomas Collett was born in 1859 at Lower Swainswick
21r6b – Sarah Collett was born in 1862 at Lower Swainswick
Susan
Jane Collett [21p3b] was
born on 31st January 1820 and was baptised at St Gluvias Church in
Penryn on 24th February 1822, when her parents were confirmed as
paper-maker Daniel Collett and his wife Anne Pearce
Francis
John Pearce Collett [21p4b] was
born in 1822 and was baptised at St Gluvias Church in Penryn on 23rd
June 1822, the son of Daniel Collett and Ann Pearce. The fact that his two-year old sister Susan
(above) was baptised at the end of February that same year perhaps is an
indication that he was born during the period March to June 1822. It was as Francis Collett aged 15 years that
he was listed in the census of 1841, by which time he and his family were
residing in the Batheaston area of the City of Bath in Somerset. His father had passed away by then. Eight years later Francis John Collett of
Chapel Row in Batheaston married Joanna Stockwell of 12 Sion Hill in Bath, at
Batheaston on 18th April 1849, the event recorded at Bath (Ref. xi
19) during the second quarter of 1849.
Francis, a labourer, was confirmed as the son of Daniel Collett, a
paper-maker, and Joanna was named as the daughter of gardener John
Stockwell. During the previous year,
Francis had been a witness at the wedding of his older brother Daniel (above)
to Martha Mannings
While no record of the couple has been
positively identified in 1851, by 1861 Francis and Joanna were recorded in the
census that year as living at Upper Batch in Batheaston close to where Francis’
sister Betsy and his married brother Daniel (above) were both living at that
time. Francis from Cornwall was 39 and a
labourer, and his wife Joanna was 44 from Milborne Port in Somerset. It has not been determined whether or not
their marriage resulted in any children, although the childless couple was
still living in the same area ten years later in 1871, by which time Francis
was 48 and Joanna was 54
According to the next census in 1881
Francis Collett was 58 and was married to Joanna who was 65. At that time the couple were living at Ashley
Road in Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire.
Francis was a shepherd and he gave his place of birth as being Devonport
in Cornwall, while Joanna again was born at Milborne Port. Living with the couple was Joanna’s older
sister, the widow Elizabeth Billott aged 75 and also from Melbourne Port
Joanna Collett, nee Stockwell, died just
over one year after that census day, her death recorded at Bradford-on-Avon
(Ref. 5a 83) during the second quarter of 1882 at the age of 65. The census in 1891 included Francis Collett
from Mylor in Cornwall as a widower of 68 and an agricultural labourer and a
shepherd, living alone at Ashley Proper near Bradford-on-Avon. Over the next decade he returned to Upper
Batch in Batheaston, where he was staying with his nephew Daniel William
Collett and his wife Eliza Yeeles, Daniel being the son of Francis’ brother
Daniel (above). The census return in
1901 described him as a widower and the uncle of head of the household Daniel
Collett, aged 78 and a retired shepherd from Mylor in Cornwall. It was also at Bath that his death was
recorded seven years later (Ref. 5c 299) during the third quarter of 1908 when
he was 68
Grace
Thomas Pearce Collett [21p5b] was
born at Penryn during 1825, although by 1841 she was simply named as Grace
Collett aged 15 in the census that year when she was living at Batheaston in
Somerset with her widowed mother Ann and five of her siblings, her father
Daniel having died by then. She was no
longer living with her family in 1851 since, three years earlier on 6th
November 1848 at Batheaston, she had married Thomas John Saxby from Batheaston,
with their wedding recorded at Bath (Ref. xi 15) during the last three months
of that year, the same day and place that her older brother Daniel (above)
married Martha Mannings. Grace was the
daughter of Daniel Collett, a paper-maker, while Thomas was the son of William Saxby,
a labourer. The 1851 census return
identified the childless couple living at Charles Street in the Mayfair area of
London, where Thomas Saxby from Batheaston was 27 and a policeman, who was a
lodger there with his wife Grace Saxby who was also recorded as 27 and from
Batheaston, to where she had obviously moved when very young. Over the following years Grace gave birth to
six children, while it was at Frome in Somerset (Ref. 5c 309) that her death
was recorded during the fourth quarter of 1896 at the age of 72. On both the occasion of her death, and that
of her marriage, she was recorded as Grace Thomas P Saxby and Grace Thomas P
Collett respectively
Stephen Seles Collett
[21p6b] was born at
Batheaston in 1829, not long after her parents brought the family from Cornwall
to Somerset. It was also at Batheaston
where he was baptised on 11th October 1829, another son of
paper-make Daniel Collett and his wife Ann.
Why Stephen was not with his family at Batheaston is still to be
discovered, however, as simply Stephen Collett he was 22 years old and back
living with them at Batheaston in 1851.
No record of him or his two younger siblings (below) have been found
after that time
Sarah Ann Collett
[21p7b] was born at
Batheaston in 1831, another daughter of Daniel and Ann Collett, and was
baptised there on 1st May 1831.
As Sarah Collett she was 10 years old in the Batheaston census of 1841,
when she was living there with her family, and again in 1851 when she was 20
William Worthy Collett
[21p8b] was born at
Batheaston in 1834 and was the last child of Daniel Collett, a paper-maker, and
his wife Ann Pearce. It was as William
Worthy Collett that he was baptised at Batheaston on 7th June
1835. Instead of being six years old in
the Batheaston census conducted in June 1841, his age was recorded by his
parents as seven years. It was the same
in 1851, when 17-year-old William Collett from Batheaston was still living
there with his family. Those two events
very likely mean that he was one year old when he was baptised
Francis
Collett [21r1b] was
born at Chapel Row in Batheaston late on in 1848 or early in 1849, the eldest
child of Daniel Collett and Martha Mannings, with his birth registered at Bath
(Ref. xi 12) during the first three months of 1849. Francis was baptised at Batheaston on 4th
March 1849, when his father was confirmed as Daniel Collett a labourer,
residing at Chapel Row. In 1861 he was
twelve years old when he was living with his family in a cottage on London Road
in Swainswick, from where he was working as an errand boy. Ten years later he had left the family home
to make his own way in life. Although
not traced in the census of 1871, it was later that same year when Francis
Collett married Emma Burns Jones at Holy Trinity Church in Clapham, within the
London Borough of Lambeth, on 7th August 1871. Both the bride and groom were 22 years of
age, the bride’s father named as Joseph Burns Jones, while Francis’ father was
confirmed as Daniel Collett. During the
next nine years Emma presented Francis with three children and by 1881 the
family was recorded as living at 9 Richmond Place in Plumstead on the south
side of the River Thames near Woolwich
Their first child was born while the
couple was living in Nottingham, while the next two were born after the family
had initially settled back in Middlesex, London, north of the River
Thames. However, around 1880 the family
moved again, to 9 Richmond Place in Plumstead, on the Kent side of the river
where Francis Collett from Bath and aged 32, was a wood-working machinist in
1881. His wife Emma was also 32, but
from Middlesex, and their three children were Francis F Collett who was six,
Kate Laura who was three, and Annie Maud who was one year old. Emma may have been in the very early stages
of carrying her fourth child on the day of the census, since towards the end of
that year another son was added to the family.
In addition to that, it seems likely that two more children were born
into the family during that decade, although only the second of them survived
So, by 1891, the family residing at
Villas Road in Plumstead comprised Francis who was 42 and a carpenter
machinist, Emma B Collett who was 41 and born in London, Francis F Collett from
Nottinghamshire who was 16 and a labourer at Royal Woolwich Arsenal, Kate L
Collett who was 13 and at school, as were all the other children, with Annie M
Collett who was 11, Philip S Collett who was nine, and Percy D Collett who six
years old. Once again, on the day of
that census, Emma was very likely pregnant with the family’s last child, who
was born later that same year
Ten years later in 1901 the family was
still living in Plumstead, but at Lake Dale Road, with the couple’s eldest
daughter married by then. Francis was
still employed as a wood-working machinist at the age of 52, the same age as
his wife Emma from Islington in London.
The children still living with them were Francis, who was listed as
Frederick Collett aged 26 from Nottingham who was working as an electrical
machinist, Annie who was 21 and born at Kingsland (to the east of Islington,
where her mother had been born), Philip who was 18 and a general labourer
working at Royal Woolwich Arsenal with his brother Percy who was 16. Staying with the family that day was the
niece of Francis Collett, Lily Collett who was nine years of age and born at
Batheaston like her uncle, a daughter of Daniel Collett (below), Francis’
younger brother
According to the census in April 1911,
the family continued to live in Plumstead, but by then only son Philip and
daughter Lily were still living with Francis and Emma. Francis Collett from Batheaston was 62 like
his wife, their son Philip Collett was 28, and still living with the family was
niece Lily Collett from Batheaston who was 19, Lily May Collett being one of
the daughters of Daniel Collett and Eliza Yeeles. It is probably the case, following the death
of their youngest daughter Lily Clara Collett, that Francis and Emma were
offered Lily May Collett as a replacement.
Either that, or maybe to ease overcrowding in the home of Daniel and
Eliza, daughter Lily May being one of eleven children
21s1b – Francis Frederick Collett was born in 1875 at Radford,
Nottinghamshire
21s2b – Kate Laura Collett was born in 1877 at Hackney, London
21s3b – Anne Maud Collett was born in 1879 at Islington, London
21s4b – Philip Stephen Collett was born in 1881 at Plumstead, London
21s5b – Percy Daniel Collett was born in 1884 at Plumstead, London
21s6b – Lily Clara Collett was born in 1885 at Plumstead, London
Stephen
Charles Collett [21r2b] was
born at Chapel Row in Batheaston in 1851, the second son of Daniel and Martha
Collett, whose birth was registered at Bath (Ref. xi 10) during the second
quarter of the year. Stephen Charles
Collett was then baptised at Batheaston on 25th June 1851, when his
father was confirmed as Daniel Collett, a labourer of Chapel Row. In 1861 he was nine years old and was living
with his family on London Road in Lower Swainswick, but by 1871 at the age of
nineteen, he had moved out of the family home and was living and working close
by his family in the Bath & Batheaston area of Somerset. Although no record of Stephen has been
located in the census of 1881 it was within the next three months that he
married Caroline Kate Hutchings. That
took place at Westbury-on-Trym in Gloucestershire on 29th June 1881
Caroline was born at Eling in Hampshire
and was baptised there on 30th May 1858, the daughter of Edward and
Jane Hutchings. Three months before she
married Stephen Collett, Caroline was employed as a cook at Durdham Down Hide
Lodge in Westbury-on-Trym, the home of widow Elizabeth Thomas of Bristol who
was a soap manufacturer
Once married, the couple settled in the
Clifton area of Bristol where their two daughters were born. The 1891 Census for Westbury-on-Trym in
Barton Regis listed the family as Stephen C Collett aged 39 who was a coachman
and a domestic servant, Caroline Collett 32, and their daughters Winifred K
Collett, who was eight, and Beatrice M Collett who was five. On that day the family was residing at
Brighton Road in Westbury. After a
further ten years the family was living at Etloe Road, near Westbury Park, to
the north of Bristol city centre, where Stephen C Collett, aged 49 and from
Batheaston, was employed as a domestic coachman, and his wife Caroline from
Totton and Eling in Hampshire was 43.
The couple’s eldest daughter was still living there with them, when
Kitty W Collett was 18 years of age and working as a tailoress. Their younger daughter, Beatrice M Collett
aged 15 was already working away from home as a domestic servant, but was back
with her family shortly thereafter
The family was once again together and
living at 6 Hughenden Road in Clifton in April 1911, when Stephen Charles
Collett from Somerset was 59 and was working as a jobbing gardener. He had been married for twenty-nine years,
during which time his wife had given birth to just two children. Caroline Collett from Hampshire was 52, while
the couple’s two daughters were described as Kitty Winifred Collett, who was 27
years old and a domestic servant, and Beatrice May Collett who was 25 and a
dressmaker, both of them born in Bristol.
The births of both daughters were registered at Barton Regis in Bristol,
Kitty Winifred (Ref. 6a 176) in the summer of 1882, and Beatrice May (Ref. 6a
166) near the end of 1885. Kitty was
baptised at St Saviour’s Church in Woolcott Park in Bristol on 24th
August 1882, with Beatrice baptised at the same church on 1st January
1886
Stephen Charles Collett died during the
spring of 1920, his death at the age of 69 was recorded at Bristol register
office (Ref. 6a 233) during the second quarter of that year. He was survived by his wife by six years,
when the death of Caroline Collett was also recorded at Bristol register office
(Ref. 6a 7) during the second quarter of 1926 when she was 68. Probate for Caroline Collett of 45 Pembroke
Road in Clifton, Bristol, a widow, stated that she died on 16th
April 1926 and that administration of her estate of £109 19 Shillings and 3
Pence was granted to Humphrey George Wyatt Prideaux, a chartered
accountant. What is very interesting, is
that in the 1911 Census Humphrey George Wyatt Prideaux, aged 24 and a chartered
account from Bristol, was also living at 6 Hughenden Road in Clifton, and so
appears to have been a possible friend and a lodger with the Collett family
21s7b – Kitty Winifred Collett was born
in 1882 at Bristol
21s8b – Beatrice May Collett was born in
1885 at Bristol
Ann Collett
[21r3b] was born at
Batheaston in 1853, the eldest daughter and third child of Daniel and Martha
Collett, her birth registered at Bath (Ref. 5c 411) during the summer of
1853. It was also as Ann Collett that
she was baptised on 28th August 1853 at Batheaston, whose father
Daniel Collett was a labourer. By 1861
the family was living at London Road in Lower Swainswick, when Ann Collett was
seven years of age
Daniel
William Collett [21r4b] was
born in 1856 at Lower Swainswick, just north of Bath, the third son of Daniel
and Martha Collett, whose birth was registered at Bath (Ref. 5c 758) during the
second quarter of that year, but with the forenames in reverse order. However, on being baptised at Swainswick on 3rd
August 1856, the son of labourer Daniel Collet, was given the name Daniel
William Collett, when the family’s place of residence was Lower
Swainswick. He and his family were
living at London Road in Lower Swainswick in 1861, where Daniel was four years,
and in 1871 he was 14. By 1881 the
family was living at 4 Worcester Villa in the Walcot area to the north of Bath
city centre, by which time Daniel was twenty-four and was working with his
father as a gardener. It was on 13th
March 1884 that the marriage of Daniel Collett, aged 27, a gardener from
Batheaston, and the son of gardener Daniel Collett, and Eliza Yeeles, aged 24
and the daughter of quarry man James Yeeles, took place at Batheaston. Although Eliza was recorded as residing in Batheaston,
she was originally from Halt near Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire. One of the witnesses at their wedding was
Sarah Collett, Daniel’s youngest sister (below)
After their wedding day, they made their
home in Batheaston, where all of their eleven children were born, the first of
them just nine months later. In 1891
Daniel was 34 and an engineer’s labourer and Eliza was 31, when the family was
living at Avon Lane in Batheaston. At
that time, they had four children, and they were Martha Collett who was six,
Frances Collett who was five, Edward N Collett who was four, and Annie Collett
who was two years old. During the next
decade a further seven children were added to the family, although by the time
of the next census in 1901 the couple’s eldest child was not living at the
family home
By March 1901 Daniel was still living in
Batheaston at the age of 44, where he was working as a general labourer. His wife Eliza, from Kingsdown in Wiltshire,
was 41 and she was working as a charwoman to ‘make ends meet’. Nine of their children were still living at
home and they were Alice Collett who was 16 and an errand girl, Edward Collett
who was 14 and employed as a butcher’s apprentice, Annie Collett who was 12,
Albert Collett who was nine, Daniel Collett who was seven, Emma Collett who was
six, Frank Collett who was four, Percy Collett who was two, and Frederick who
was just one year old. All of the
children had been born at Batheaston.
Missing daughter Frances R Collett was already working by then, and
living nearby in Batheaston
Just six children were still living with
Daniel and Eliza in April 1911, but at Beech Cottage in Batheaston. Daniel
Collett was questionably recorded as being 56, rather than 56, when he was
working as a mason’s labourer. His wife
Eliza was 51, Edward was 24 and a butcher, Albert was 19 and a carter, Emma was
16 and a domestic servant, Frank was 13 and an errand boy, Percy was 12, and
Frederick was 11, both of them still at school.
At that time in their life, Daniel and Eliza had living with them, their
grandson Frederick Mills from Bristol who was three years of age. He was either Frederick Edward G Mills (Ref.
6a 45), born during the third quarter of 1907, or Frederick William Mills (Ref.
6a 167) born during the last quarter of 1908.
Nothing much is known about the couple’s eldest daughter, so it may be
the child of Martha Alice Sarah Collett, who may or may not have been married
at the time of the birth. Sadly, no
records have been discovered to ascertain the truth of the matter
Towards the end of the Great War, Daniel
and Eliza were living at 1 Poplar Cottages in Batheaston, and it was there they
received the tragic news that their youngest son Frederick Yeeles Collett had
been killed in action during August 1918, just three months before peace was
achieved. Just less than ten years
later, Daniel Collett of Batheaston died on 14th January 1928 and
was buried at the churchyard of St John the Baptist, when he was 71
21s9b – Martha Alice Sarah Collett was born in 1884 at Batheaston
21s10b – Frances Rose Collett was born in 1886 at Batheaston
21s11b – Edward Nathaniel Collett was born in 1887 at Batheaston
21s12b – Annie Florence Louise Collett was born in 1889 at Batheaston
21s13b – Lily May Collett was born in 1891 at Batheaston
21s14b – Albert Victor Collett was born in 1891 at Batheaston
21s15b – Daniel Collett was born in 1893 at Batheaston
21s16b – Emma Kate Collett was born in 1895 at Batheaston
21s17b – Frank Stephen Collett was born in 1897 at Batheaston
21s18b – Percy Reginald Collett was born in 1898 at Batheaston
21s19b – Frederick Yeeles Collett was born in 1900 at Batheaston
William
Thomas Collett [21r5b] was
born at Swainswick, near Bath, either at the end of 1858 or early in 1859, with
his birth registered at Bath (Ref. 5c 769) during the first three months of
1859. It was at Swainswick where he was
baptised on 1st May 1859, the youngest son of labourer Daniel
Collett and Martha Manning of Lower Swainswick.
By 1861, when he was two years old, the family was residing on London
Road in Lower Swainswick. and was twelve
years old in 1871 when, on both occasions, he was living with his family at
Batheaston. In the census of 1881
William’s age was given as being 20 rather than twenty-two, at a time when he
was working as a labourer, while still living at his parents’ home which, at
that time, was at 4 Worcester Villas in Walcot, Somerset
From the later census records, it would
appear that he never married and in 1891 he was living near his brother Daniel
and his family (above) in Batheaston at the age of 32, and following the deaths
of both of his parents. According to the
census of 1901, general labourer William Collett, aged 42, was the only Collett
living in the Walcot area of Bath. And
it was still in Walcot that he was living in 1911, although, as with the census
in 1881, he gave a round age of 50 rather than fifty-two
Sarah Collett
[21r6b] was born at
Lower Swainswick in 1862 and her birth was registered at Bath (Ref. 5c 689)
during the third quarter of the year.
Sarah was then baptised at Swainswick on 3rd August 1862, the
last children of Daniel Collett, a labourer living at Lower Swainswick, and his
wife Martha Mannings
Francis
Frederick Collett [21s1b] was
born at Nottingham in 1875, his birth recorded at Radford (Ref. 7b 223) during
the first three months of that year.
Shortly after he was born his parents moved to London and in 1881 were
living at 9 Richmond Place in Plumstead when Francis was six years old. In the following census returns for Plumstead
Francis was 16 and 26 respectively. At
the time of the latter census in 1901, Frederick Collett from Nottingham was
employed as an electrical machinist. It
was three years later that Francis Frederick Collett married Jessie Louisa
Morgan, the event recorded at Woolwich register office (Ref. 1d 2381) during
the third quarter of 1904. By April 1911
the couple was still living in Plumstead but with their five-year-old son
Sidney, who may have been the first of many children. Francis Frederick Collett from Nottingham was
36 and a shell turner at Royal Woolwich Arsenal, and his wife Jessie Louisa
Collett was 32 and from East Molesly in Surrey.
The birth of Sidney Collett was recorded at Woolwich register office
(Ref. 1d 1331) during the first quarter of 1906. Staying with the family was Jessie’s widowed
mother Caroline Morgan from Rotherham who was 69
21t1b – Sidney Collett was born in 1906
and Plumstead, London
Kate
Laura Collett [21s2b] was
born at Stoke Newington in Middlesex in 1877, the second child and eldest
daughter of Francis Collett and Emma Burns Jones. Her birth was recorded at Hackney (Ref. 1b
442) during the second quarter of 1877.
Again, as Kate Laura Collett, she was three years old in the census of
1881 when she and her family were living at 9 Richmond Place in Plumstead,
while it was again as Kate Laura Collett that she was baptised at the Church of
St John the Baptist in Plumstead on 25th February 1883. Kate L Collett aged 13 years was recorded in
the Plumstead census of 1891 as living at the family home which, by then, was
at Villas Road in Plumstead, when her place of birth was confirmed as Stoke
Newington. It was seven years later that
Kate was married
That event was recorded at Woolwich
(Ref. 1d 2268) during the second quarter of 1898, where Kate Laura Collett
married either George Parkes or Alfred John Hogg. Unfortunately, no record of Kate Laura Parkes
or Hogg has been unearthed within the census returns of 1901 or 1911. However, it is possible that her first
husband did not survive, since it is assumed that she was married for a second
time and was again made a widow sometime before 1929. That year Katherine Shortland was living at
24 Martin Bowes Road in Woolwich, the home of her brother Percy Daniel Collett
(below) and his wife Charlotte Elizabeth Holmes, with whom she was also living
in 1929, 1934 and 1936
Anne
Maud Collett [21s3b] was
born on 20th July 1879 at Kingsland (where Richmond Road intersects
with Kingsland High Street in Dalston) just east of Islington, with her birth
registered at Stoke Newington (Ref. 1b 437) during the third quarter of that
year. By the spring of 1881 Annie Maud
Collett was one year old when she and her family were living at 9 Richmond
Place in Plumstead, where they were again living in 1891, but at Villas
Terrace. The census that year described
her as Annie M Collett who was 11, while ten years after that she was still
living with her family at the age of 21.
Also living in Plumstead at Brewery Road was Annie’s future husband
George Ambrose, the son of Alexander and Mary Ambrose, whose birth was recorded
at Woolwich (Ref. 1d 1096) during the third quarter of 1879
It was four and a half years later when
Anne Maud Collet married George Ambrose at Woolwich (Ref. 1d 2051) during the
last three months of 1905. Once married
the couple remain in Plumstead where in 1911 George Ambrose was 31 and from
Woolwich and his wife Annie Maud Ambrose was 29 (sic) and born at Stoke
Newington. The death of Annie Maud
Ambrose was recorded at Surrey Northern register office (Ref. 5g 505) during
the third quarter of 1972
Philip
Stephen Collett [21s4b] was
born at Plumstead either at the end of 1881 or early in 1882, since it was at
Woolwich where his birth was recorded (Ref. 1d 1241) during the first quarter
of 1882. Philip S Collett was nine in
1891 when living with his family at Villa Road in Plumstead and by 1901 he was 18
and working as a general labourer at Woolwich Arsenal when still living at the
family home at Lake Dale Road in Plumstead, as he was ten years later in 1911
at the age of 28
Percy
Daniel Collett [21s5b] was
born at Plumstead during 1884, the son of Francis Collett and Emma Burns Jones
whose birth was recorded at Woolwich (Ref. 1d 1263a) during the second quarter
of that year. It was as Percy D Collett,
aged six years, that he was listed within the Plumstead census of 1891 at Villa
Road, Plumstead, and was simply recorded as Percy Collett, who was 16 and a
general labourer at Woolwich Arsenal, in the Plumstead census of 1901, living
at Lake Dale Road. It was five years
later that he married Charlotte Elizabeth Holmes in London on 22nd
December, the marriage recorded at Woolwich register office (Ref. 1d 2257)
during the last three months of 1906.
Charlotte was the eldest child of Robert and Charlotte Holmes. Less than five months later Percy D Collett
from Plumstead was 26 and living within the London parish of St John at
Hackney. His wife Charlotte E Collett
was 23 and had been born at Bethnal Green, their daughter Evelyn W Collett was
two years of age and their son Stanley P F Collett was nine months old, both of
them born at Hackney. In 1916 Percy Daniel
Collett was in military service with the 6th Division of the Royal
Field Artillery, service number 179616, when he was 31 and residing in Kent
Percy Daniel Collett had enlisted with
the army in 1915 when the following information was recorded in his Short
Service Attestation papers. His home
address was 7 Moira Road in Eltham Well Hall, just south of Woolwich. His wife was named as Charlotte Elizabeth
Holmes and their four children were listed as Evelyn Winifred Collett, Stanley
Percy Francis Collett, Jessie Charlotte Alice Collett, and Queenie Maud
Collett. Percy
Daniel Collett served in both France and Germany and was injured on the
battlefield on 17th April 1917.
However, he survived and was still serving King and Country in 1919,
when he was placed on Army Reserve list on 15th October 1919. His home address on that day was still 7
Moira Road in Eltham Well Hall
According to successive electoral rolls
Percy and Elizabeth were living at 24 Grangehill Road in Woolwich in 1927 and
two years later their address was 24 Martin Bowes Road in Woolwich. In 1932 Percy and Charlotte had living with
them their two children Stanley Francis Collett and Evelyn Winifred Collett,
while two years after, when the family was residing at 24 Lovelace Gardens in
Woolwich, just their son Stanley Francis Collett was still living with them,
together with Katherine Shortland who had also been living with the couple in
1929. By 1936 it was just Katherine
Shortland who was staying with Percy and Charlotte and in the last of the
electoral roll, for 1939, three people were recorded as living together and
they were Percy and Charlotte Collett, and Queenie Maud Collett
While it is confirmed that Stanley,
Evelyn and Queenie were three of the four known children of Percy Collett and
Charlotte Elizabeth Holmes, it is likely that Katherine Shortland was Percy’s
eldest sister Katherine Laura Collett who had been widowed by 1929. The death of Percy D Collett, aged 61, was
recorded at the Lancashire Wigan register office (Ref. 8c 4) during the third
quarter of 1945
21t2b – Evelyn Winifred Collett was born in 1908 at Holborn, London
21t3b – Stanley Percy Francis Collett was born in 1910 at Hackney, London
21t4b – Jessie Charlotte Alice Collett was born in 1913 at Hackney, London
21t5b – Queenie Maid Collett was born in 1916 at Lewisham, London
Lily
Clara Collett [21s6b] was
born at Plumstead in 1885, her birth recorded at Woolwich (Ref. 1d 1194) during
the third quarter of the year.
Tragically, within the final three months of that same year the death of
Lily Clara Collett was recorded at Woolwich (Ref. 1d 698). A few years later her parents offered a place
in their home to Lily’s younger cousin Lily May Collett, the sixth of eleven
children of Daniel Collett and Eliza Yeeles, who was living with them in 1901
and 1911
Martha Alice Sarah Collett
[21s9b] was born at
Batheaston in 1884, with her birth registered at Bath (Ref. 5c 629) during the
last quarter of that year. She was the
first-born child of Daniel Collett and Eliza Yeeles, and was baptised at
Batheaston on 28th December 1884, when her father’s occupation was
that of a gardener. In the Batheaston
census of 1891 she was listed with her family as simply Martha Collett aged six
years. Ten years later it was Alice
Collett from Batheaston who was 16 and an errand girl. It is possible that Martha was the mother of
Frederick Mills, whose birth was recorded in Bristol around 1907-1908, who was
living with her parents as their grandson in 1911, aged three years
Frances Rose Collett
[21s10b] was born at
Batheaston in 1886, the second child of Daniel and Eliza Collett. Her birth was also registered at Bath (Ref.
5c 636) during the first quarter of the year, after which she was baptised at
Batheaston on 28th March 1886 simply as Frances Collett, when her
father was a gardener. She was five
years of age in the Batheaston census of 1891 when she and her family were
living at Avon Lane in the village. On
leaving school at the end of the following decade, Frances entered into
domestic service and, at the age of 15 in 1901, she was employed at the
Batheaston home of architect Samuel S Reay and his family at Stambridge. After a further five years, the marriage of
Frances Rose Collett and Thomas William Ricketts was recorded at Bath register
office (Ref. 5c 1102) during the third quarter of 1906
According to the next census in 1911,
Frances Rose Ricketts from Batheaston was 25, when she and Thomas Ricketts aged
29 and a gardener, also from Batheaston, were living at Bailbrook, very near
Lower Swainswick, midway between Bath and Batheaston. By that time, their marriage had produced two
sons: Maurice William Ricketts who was four, and Leonard Ricketts
who was three years old, both of them born at Batheaston. All of her life appears to have been spent in
Somerset, since it was at the county register office that the death of Frances
Rose Ricketts was recorded (Ref. 7c 69) in 1964, at the age of 78
Edward
Nathaniel Collett [21s11b] was
born at Batheaston early in 1887, the third child and eldest son of Daniel
Collett and his wife Eliza Yeeles, his birth registered at Bath (Ref. 5c 599)
during the first three months of the year.
It was on 13th March 1887 that he was baptised at
Batheaston. At the age of four years in
1891, he was recorded with his family at Avon Lane in Batheaston as Edward N
Collett whereas, at all other times, he was simply named as Edward
Collett. In March 1901 Edward Collett,
aged 14, who had been born at Batheaston, was employed as a butcher’s
apprentice when he was still living with his family at Upper Batch
Batheaston. Ten years later, when he was
24, Edward Collett was still a bachelor at the age of 24, by which time he was
a butcher still living with his parents at Beech Cottage in Batheaston
Within the following six months, the
marriage of Edward N Collett and Florence Ladd was recorded at Bath register
office (Ref. 5c 1057) during the third quarter of 1911. As far as can be determined, Edward and
Florence had just one child, their daughter Kathleen R Collett, whose birth was
recorded at Bath register office (Ref. 5c 869) during the first three months of
1913, when her mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Ladd. Many years then passed before the birth of
their second child, Monica Jean Collett was recorded at Chippenham register
office (Ref. 5a 100) with the mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Ladd,
during the second quarter of 1928.
Afterwards, she was baptised at Colerne in Wiltshire on 17th
July 1928, the daughter of Edward Nathaniel and Florence Collett. The later death of Edward N Collett at the
age of 53 was recorded at Wiltshire register office (Ref. 5a 121) in 1940
21t6b – Kathleen R Collett was born in
1913 at Bath, Somerset
21t7b – Monica Jean Collett was born in
1913 at Colerne, Wiltshire
Annie
Florence Louise Collett [21s12b] was
born at Batheaston on 1st February 1889, the daughter of Daniel
Collett and Eliza Yeeles, whose birth was registered at Bath (Ref. 5c 604)
during the first quarter of 1889. She
was baptised at Batheaston on 31st March 1889 as Annie Florence
Louise Collett, whose father was a gardener.
She was simply described as Annie Collett aged two years and 12 years in
the census returns for Batheaston in 1891 at Avon Lane, and again in 1901 at
Upper Batch in Batheaston. Prior to the
next census in 1911 Annie Florence Collett married George William Henry Gingell
at Bath in 1909. In July 1910 Annie gave
birth to the couple’s first child, Florence Gingell in Bath Widcombe who
was nine months old in April 1911. Annie
Gingell from Batheaston was 22 and her husband George Gingell from Box in Wiltshire
was 25 and a groom and a gardener. On
that occasion the family was living in the village of Marldon in Devon, inland
and midway between Torquay and Paignton.
It would appear that the family of three later returned to Bath, where
they were living when son Frederick R G Gingell was born in the summer
of 1918. The death of Annie Florence L
Gingell, nee Collett, was recorded at Somerset in 1985 at the age of 96
Lily
May Collett [21s13b] was
born at Batheaston in 1891 and was one half of a pair of twins, her birth
recorded in Bath (Ref. 5c 602) during the third quarter of the year. On being baptised with her twin brother at
Batheaston on 11th October 1891, she was confirmed as the daughter
of Daniel and Eliza Collett. By the time
of the next two censuses, she was living with her uncle Francis Collett of
Batheaston, at his home in Plumstead, London, Francis being the older brother
of Daniel Collett. In 1901 Lily was nine
years old, and was 19 years of age in 1911, when Batheaston was confirmed as
her place of birth, to where she may have returned to be married. One year after that, a Lilian May Collett
married Sidney A Garraway, the event recorded at Bath register office (Ref. 5c
1275) during the second quarter of 1912, followed by the birth of twins at the
end of that same year. Their births were
recorded at Bath register office (Ref. 5c 827) during the final quarter of
1912, when the mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Collett. They were Sidney Garraway and Kenneth
G Garraway. Now see below
However, knowing the Lily May was living
in the Plumstead area of South London for the first twenty years of her life,
perhaps it was there that she was married three years after the 1911 census
day. The alternative marriage of Lily M
Collett and Willie G Webb was recorded at Woolwich register office (Ref. 1d
2498) during the last three months of 1914.
Woolwich is just two miles to the west of Plumstead, so this may be the
most likely pairing of Lily May Collett.
That marriage also resulted in the birth of two children, their births
also recorded at Woolwich register office, when the children’s mother’s
maiden-name was confirmed as Collett.
They were Vera L Webb in 1916 (Ref. 1d 2213) during the first
three months of 1916, and Betty R Webb in 1923 (Ref. 1d 2054) during the
second quarter of 1923
Albert Victor Collett
[21s14b] was born at Batheaston in 1891 and was
the twin brother of Lily May (above).
His birth was recorded at Bath register office, having the same
reference number of his sister. He was
baptised in a joint ceremony with Lily, which took place at Batheaston, when
they were confirmed as the children of Daniel and Eliza Collett. It was at Upper Batch in Batheaston that he
was living with his family in 1901 when he was nine years old and when his twin
sister was staying with their father’s older brother Francis Collett in
London. Albert and his family were still
living in Batheaston in 1911, but at Beech Cottage, from where 19-year-old was
working as a carter. Once again, his
twin sister was still living with their uncle Francis in London. Seven years later, the marriage of Albert
Victor Collett and Dorothy A Fisher was recorded at Bath register office (Ref.
5c 1085) during the fourth quarter of 1918.
It would appear that they had no children, when the premature death of
Dorothy A Collett was recorded at Somerset register office (Ref. 5c 575) during
1922. Her widowed husband was still
living in Somerset when the death of Albert Victor Collett was recorded there
(Vol. 22 0047) in 1976 at the aged of 85
Daniel Collett
[21s15b] was born at
Batheaston on 26th June 1893, with his birth recorded at Bath
register office (Ref. 5c 582) during the third quarter of the year. He was baptised at Batheaston on 30th
July 1893, another son of Daniel Collett, a labourer, and his wife Eliza
Yeeles, and was seven years of age in the Batheaston census of 1901, when
living there with his large family at Upper Batch. After leaving school, Daniel followed in his
father’s earlier footsteps as a domestic gardener, and it was as such that he
was recorded in the Chippenham census of 1911 at Marshfield, when he was 19
years old. “Raiyes the Bothy” appears to
be a very grand property where Daniel was one of four domestic gardeners, along
with two grooms, chauffeurs. Eight years
later, the marriage of Daniel Collett and Beatrice Mundy was recorded at Bath
register office (Ref. 5c 1352) during the second quarter of 1919, most likely
after he had served King and Country during the First World War. Beatrice gave birth to twins during the
spring on 1922, with the births of David R Collett and Florence M Collett
recorded at Chippenham register office (Ref. 5a 107), when their mother’s
maiden-name was confirmed as Mundy
21t8b – David R Collett was born in 1922
at Chippenham, Wilshire
21t8b – Florence M Collett was born in
1922 at Chippenham, Wilshire
Emma Kate Collett
[21s16b] was born at
Batheaston on 26th January 1895, with her birth recorded at Bath
register office (Ref. 5c 607) during the first three months of the year. On being baptised at Batheaston on 25th
April 1895, she was confirmed as the daughter of labourer Daniel and Eliza
Collett. She was six years of age in
1901 when living at Upper Batch in Batheaston with her family, where she was 16
years old in 1911, by which time she had finished her education and was still
living with her family at Beech Cottage from where she was employed as a
domestic servant – out, at another residence within the local area. Just under four years later Emma Kate Collett
married Hebert Skirton, their wedding day recorded at Bath register office
(Ref. 5c 851) during the first quarter of 1915
Frank Stephen Collett
[21s17b] was born at
Batheaston on 10th May 1897 and his birth was recorded at Bath
register office (Ref. 5c 550) during the second quarter of that year. It was at Batheaston that he was baptised on
8th August 1897, another son of labourer Daniel and Eliza
Collett. As simply Frank Collett he was
four years old in the Batheaston census return for 1901, when he and his family
were residing at Upper Batch in the village.
Again, as just Frank Collett, he was 13 years of age and an errand boy
in 1911, when living with his family at Beech Cottage in Batheaston
Percy Reginald Collett
[21s18b] was born at
Batheaston on 1st October 1898, the tenth child of Daniel and Eliza
Collett, whose birth was recorded at Bath register office (Ref. 5c 526) during
the last three months of the year. He
was baptised at Batheaston on 25th December 1898, when his father
was employed as a gardener. As just
Percy Collett he was two years old in 1901, at Upper Batch in Batheaston, and
was 12 years of age in 1911 when he was still attending school, while living
with his family at Beech Cottage in Batheaston.
It is possible that the marriage of Percival R Collett and May F
Philpott recorded at Bath register office (Ref. 5c 893) early in 1922, was
indeed the wedding of Percy Reginald Collett, who would have been 23 years old. That couple had three children, their births
all recorded at Bath register office, when their mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Philpott. They were Irene L
Collett born in 1922 shortly after the wedding day, Rita J Collett during the
summer of 1927, and Dorothy M Collett near the end of 1929. Percy Reginald Collett may have lived all of
his life in that part of the country, since it was at Somerset register office
(Ref. 7c 82) that his death was recorded in 1964, at the age of 65
21t10b – Irene L Collett was born in
1922 at Bath, Somerset
21t11b – Rita J Collett was born in 1927 at Bath, Somerset
21t12b – Dorothy M Collett was born in 1929 at Bath, Somerset
Frederick
Yeeles Collett [21s19b] was
born at Batheaston on 24th December 1899, with his birth recorded at
Bath register office (Ref. 5c 548) during the first three months of that
year. At the age of three months,
Frederick Y Collett was baptised at Batheaston on 8th April
1900. He was one year old in the census
of 1901, when the family was living at Upper Batch in Batheaston, and was
eleven years of age in April 1911. He
was the youngest of the eleven children of Daniel Collett and Eliza Yeeles and
he joined the army as soon as he was able, bearing in mind he was only fourteen
years of age when the war started. It
was as Private F Y Collett 45529 that he was assigned to the 8th
Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment.
Sadly, he was involved in the final battle push, which was referred to
as the ‘Advance to Victory in Picardy and Artois’. That was the final Battle of the Somme and
commenced on 8th August 1918 and was concluded with the Armistice on
11th November 1918
Tragically, it was on the very first
day, during intense fighting, that Frederick Yeeles was killed in action at the
age of eighteen. The Vis-an-Artois
Memorial bears his name in Panel 7, the memorial being covered with the name of
9,000 men who fell during that one battle.
The memorial lies six miles south-east of Arras in French. In addition to that the name of F Y Collett
is also included on the Batheaston War Memorial
Evelyn Winifred Collett [21t2b] was born in London on 20th
June 1908 and was the eldest child of Percy Collett and Charlotte Elizabeth
Holmes, her birth recorded at Holborn register office (Ref. 1b 672) during the
second quarter of the year. As Evelyn W
Collett she was two years old in the London Hackney census in 1911, while
during the war years, the family home was at 7 Moira Road in Eltham Well Hall,
just south of Woolwich
Stanley
Percy Francis Collett [21t3b] was born at Hackney in London on 24th
June 1910, the only son of the four children of Percy Collett and Charlotte
Elizabeth Holmes, whose birth was recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b
492) during the third quarter of 1910.
As Stanley P F Collett he was nine months old in the Hackney St John
census of 1911. The death of Stanley
Percy F Collett was recorded at Greenwich register office (Vol. 12 1022) during
the last three months of 1984 when he was 74
Jessie
Charlotte Alice Collett [21t4b] was born at Hackney on 6th
January 1913, her birth recorded at Hackney register office (Ref. 1b 961)
during the first quarter of the year as Jessie C A Collett whose mother’s
maiden-name was Holmes
Queenie
Maud Collett [21t5b] was born at 7 Moira Road in Eltham Well
Hall within the London Borough of Lewisham on 30th July 1916, the
youngest of the four children of Percy and Charlotte Collett. Her birth was recorded at Lewisham register
office (Ref. 1d 1856) during the third quarter of the year, when her mother’s
maiden-name was confirmed as Holmes
Rita J Collett [21t11b] was born during the summer of 1927,
when her birth was recorded at Bath register office (Ref. 5c 653), where her
mother’s maiden-name was confirmed as Philpott.
It was during spring of 1947 that the marriage of Rita J Collett and
Mervyn A Perry was recorded at Trowbridge register office (Ref. 7c 11677)
Dorothy M Collett [21t12b] was born towards the end of 1929, with
her birth recorded at Bath register office (Ref. 5c 602) during the last
quarter of the year. Twenty years later,
and around the same age as her sister Rita (above) was when she was married,
Dorothy M Collett married Reginald K A Robertson and their wedding was recorded
at Bathavon register office during the second quarter of 1949 (Ref. 7c
154). The births of their two children
were recorded at Bathavon register office, when their mother’s maiden-name was
confirmed as Collett. They were Brenda
J Robertson, born in the summer of 1951 (Ref. 7c 85), and Peter M C
Robertson born during the summer of 1954 (Ref. 7c 80)
APPENDIX
D – The Rookledge Family Line
John
Rookledge [21o1b] was
born at Tholthorpe in the North Riding of Yorkshire on 22nd February
1829. He was married three times, the
first marriage producing two children and the second marriage producing the
five children listed below. It would
appear that his second wife died in or after 1864 following which he married
the sister of his second wife, the wedding taking place in
Living with John in April 1881 was his
daughter Mary E Rookledge aged 19 and his son
John Rookledge also employed a second
apprentice, Charles R Elliot of Knaresborough, and the household was supported
by 18-year-old Mary J Fothergill a general domestic servant of Easingwold. Another son, John Robert Rookledge, aged 16
and also born at Easingwold, was a boarder attending the Commercial College in
Holgate Crescent at Bishopshill in the St Mary district of the City of
York. It would also appear that not far
away from the Market Place in Easingwold, John’s sister, the spinster Maria
Rookledge aged 51 was living alone at Long Street where she was living on the
‘interest from house property’. At some
time later, John moved around the corner from the Market Place in Easingwold to
live in a property at Oxenby Close.
However, John must have returned to Easingwold where he died on 10th
May 1899
21p1b – Francis E Rookledge was born in 1860 at Easingwold,
Yorkshire
21p2b – Mary E Rookledge was born in
1861 at Easingwold, Yorkshire
21p3b – Frederick Rookledge was born in 1862 at Easingwold,
Yorkshire
21p4b – John Robert Rookledge was born
in 1864 at Easingwold, Yorkshire
Francis
E Rookledge [21p1b] was
born at Easingwold in 1860 and at the turn of the century he was 40 and was
working as a pharmaceutical chemist at Easingwold. It seems very likely that he was the owner of
the chemist shop in the Market Place at that time
Frederick
Rookledge [21p3b] was
born at Easingwold in 1862. He was
married and is known to have had at least one child
21q1b – Harold Dalby Rookledge was born in 1892
Harold
Dalby Rookledge [21q1b] was
born at Leamington in Warwickshire on 22nd December 1892. At the age of eight years, he was living at
Milverton in Warwickshire. There was no
listing of his father Frederick in the 1901 Census. He first married Mrs Eleanor Knox (nee Norman
born in 1884) at Scarborough on 13th February 1919 at a time when he
was a lieutenant with the British Army.
Three years later on 27th August 1921 Harold married Elsie
Alice Goodwin (Ref. 21Q2) at Greenwich and declared on the marriage certificate
that he was a bachelor, which was not the case as he was not divorced from his
first wife. The same marriage
certificate also stated that his occupation was that of a managing clerk. However, that was not in fact correct as he
was still a serving member of the British Army at that time
It was during their honeymoon that Elsie
discovered Harold was still married to Eleanor Knox, so she left him but not
before conceiving a son who was born eight months later. Tragically the child, who was born at
Greenwich, also died there when only twelve days old. On leaving the army, Harold then enlisted as
an airman with the Royal Air Force in 1923, while Elsie went on to
partner Charles Harcourt Collett (Ref. 21Q2) the following year in 1924
Undeterred by his two failed marriages,
Harold continued with his polygamous behaviour when he married Mabel Muirhead
at Biggin Hill on 3rd November 1924.
Mabel was born in 1893 and died at Aylesbury in 1962. How long that marriage lasted has not been
determined, but he later married Nancy Winifred who was born in 1909 and who
died at Chippenham in Wiltshire in 1982.
Harold Dalby Rookledge had died thirty years earlier in March 1952 also
at Chippenham where presumably he and his fourth wife had lived after leaving
the air force
21r1b – Robert Charles Rookledge was
born on 22nd March 1922; died 3rd April 1922