Mary Tonkin Harry

I don't know a lot about Mary, but I feel that she has a story worth telling!

In the September quarter of 1861, the birth of Mary Tonkin Williams was registered in Bridgend, Glamorgan, Wales.  She was born in the town of Llangynwyd, to be precise!  You have to love Welsh names.  I don't know much about her parents, except their names were Joseph and Emma.  She appears to be the youngest of seven children, all born in Llangynwyd - although her father was Welsh, her mother was born in Redruth, Cornwall.

In the June quarter of 1893, in the district of Gower, Glamorgan, at the ripe old age of 32, Mary married a 31 year old man named Thomas William Harry.  Thomas wasn't 'exactly' a Welshman, as he was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, but both his parents were Welsh, they lived in a Welsh enclave in Swindon and there's evidence that the family spent lots of time in Wales - specifically in Llangywyd, where Thomas's father had died.  Thomas was the eldest of eight children and he worked on the Great Western Railway as an Engine Fitter.  One interesting fact about this marriage was that it was the third generation of this Harry family where the eldest son had married a woman name Mary Williams.  I can't find a connection between these women, but it's certainly a strange coincidence.  That being said, there were many, many, many registered births for babies called Mary Williams!

After their marriage, they lived in Swindon - presumably because that's where Thomas worked.  In 1895 they welcomed Cyril Arthur Harry into the world.  I need to point out that it doesn't appear that Cyril or Arthur are "family" names, so I'm not sure why the name was chosen - they must have liked it! (It's not my favourite!).

Unfortunately on 2 February 1897, Thomas died, aged 34.  I'm not sure if Mary had family nearby to help, but hopefully Thomas's family helped out.  Thomas's Mother lived in Swindon as did his sister and two brothers (one married with a child the same age as Cyril).  The other four siblings of Thomas had left Swindon for Australia - one of them even put a death notice in the Sydney papers.

This is where the story gets interesting.  One of the brothers in Australia, Henry - or Harry Harry - came back from Australia and at the 1901 Census he was actually living with Mary and Cyril in Swindon.  I hope he was being helpful!  He was working "At Home" as an employer doing something that I can't read on the original Census sheet, but has 'merchant' and 'manufacturer' in the description.   It's impossible to know whether this was a 'permanent' arrangement or how long they cohabited, but in 1909, in Cardiff, 47 year old Mary Tonkin Harry married Harry Harry - he was 39 and it was his first marriage.  Good on you, Mary!!!  I suspect she didn't label herself as a 'Cougar', but that's effectively what she was.

At some stage, Mary, Cyril and Harry Harry (I just love writing that name!) immigrated to Australia.  Harry Harry died on 17 June 1927.  Mary Tonkin Harry nee Williams died on 1 July 1936.  Her death notice was very simple:

Harry - July 1, 1936, at Strathfield, Mary Tonkin, dear mother of Cyril Harry, aged 74 years. Privately interred, July 2.

(Relationship to SNR = Great-great-grandfather's brothers' wife)

To start off...

I really like family history.  I treat it like a giant puzzle that is impossible to solve.  But my focus has become much more centred on the people I discover, not the dates that they were born, married and died.  So I've created this blog to put down some of the stories that I find.  My aim is to not write about anyone who may still have a child alive, not because I'll be nasty but because it's just easier!