Memorabilia of EWTH's Marriage with Florence Mabel Bound, his Second Wife

Provided by Patricia Sanders of Portland OR, from the archives of her her grandfather, George Arthur Peake (1878-1944), who'd been an associate of EWTH in Axmouth

Dear Mr. Neergaard,

 

In doing some research on my grandfather, George Arthur Peake (1878-1944), I came across an entry in his autograph album signed by E. W. Treadaway Hoare and dated 25-5-05.  A Google search took me to your Treadaway Hoare website, which supplied me with interesting information about this friend or acquaintance of my grandfather.

My grandfather lived in Seaton, Devon from1903 until 1909 when he emigrated to the U. S.  At some point he became a Mason, so that might be a connection with EWTH, but I don't know for sure.  My grandfather also took photographs of buildings in Axmouth, at least one of which was published by C. F. Gosney, a chemist in Seaton. 

 

Anyway, I'm writing to see if you are interested in a scan of the page signed by EWTH.  It's an interesting one in that it deals with life as a gamble, love, and death.  If you want it, I'll send it along.

 

Regards,

Pat

 

FROM:  R H Neergaard to Patricia Sanders - Nov 9 2015

Of COURSE!  How kind of you!

Coincidentally, my friend, EWTH's son, today lost his angelic wife to cancer.   His having the chance to see such a letter from his father might well be fortuitous.

 

FROM:  Patricia Sanders to R H Neergaard - Nov 9 2015

Ok.  Here are two versions of the page.  It's not a letter, but maybe it will be amusing still.

Pat

 

FROM:  R H Neergaard to CG Treasaway; Excerpt: cc to Patricia Sanders - Nov 14 2015

By copy to Ms Sanders:  is there any clue other than their shared membership in the Masons, that gives a hint as to why that page is in your grandfather's autograph book, or why EWTH signed it?  Could EWTH have been the author?   1908 was the year EWTH married his second wife, Florence Bound....a quite turbulent episode, maybe inspiring the flippant, cynical nature of the verse.   (EWTH married his third wife, Trig's mother, Elsie Hooper, in 1922).

You are very kind to have made and sent us this image.  I apologize for not having responded more promptly - the world has been very much with us.

 

 

FROM:  Patricia Sanders to R H Neergaard - Nov 15 2015

Richard,

 

I was happy to receive your reply and to learn that you have shared this page with EWTH relatives.

 

Please see the answers to your questions below (and feel free to share these):

 

By copy to Ms Sanders:  is there any clue other than their shared membership in the Masons, that gives a hint as to why that page is in your grandfather's autograph book, or why EWTH signed it?

 

Yes, I've discovered another clue just this week.  As I have worked my way through the album, I identified a page that I believe is signed by what looks like F. M. (the letters merged like a monogram) Treadaway Hoare, which I presume is Florence Mabel.  She dated this 26.8.08, so one day after her husband's.  

 

Mrs. E. W. T. Hoare was on the committee for a production of "H. M. S. Pinafore" at Seaton Town Hall presented on Dec. 9 & 10, 1908.  My grandfather was also on this committee (as Mr. A. Peake) and performed in the role of Dick Deadeye.  As her contribution to the album, she painted a lovely image of two wild roses in full bloom and quoted Theodore Roberts' poem, "The Experiment", which I found published in "Munsey's Magazine" in 1905.  It refers to a chemist who created love, perhaps a reference to my grandfather's profession and her own current situation.  Her contribution is on p. 84 and her husband's is on p. 104.  I will scan this and send it on separately to you.

It is fine if you share it with others.  It would be interesting to know if musical theater and art were particular interests of Mrs. Hoare.  If so, those are both interests she shared with my grandfather.

 

On the page opposite Mrs. Hoare's, is one signed by Edith N. Bound, presumably Florence Mabel's sister.  She quotes a poem called "Discontent," which I found online in an 1899 American newspaper, but most likely published around that time in English periodicals as well.  I'll scan this with her sister's page.

 

Another possible connection between my grandfather and the Hoare family is Axmouth. A quite accomplished photographer, he took several photographs of old, thatched cottages in Axmouth, one identified through a published postcard of which the original is in my cousin's possession.  A similar photograph has the date 1908 on the back.  I haven't seen a photograph of the EWTH house, so I don't know if he photographed this.

 

I don't know if others who signed the autograph book in 1908 might be connections between my grandfather and EWTH, but among the few who signed it that year are Major Coldwell (then a 19-year-old university student, who became a prominent Canadian politician after he emigrated in 1910), Vernon C. Boyle (whom I know nothing about), E. Arbery (also nothing), Kitty Maeer (also nothing), and Florence Masland (in the Pinafore cast).  Perhaps these names mean something to you; if so I'd really appreciate information about them, even little tidbits.

 

Could EWTH have been the author?

He is not the author of the poem.  I found most of the verses, through a Google search, in American newspapers published in 1905 and suspect it circulated through the English-language press, as so many such poems did.

 1908 was the year EWTH married his second wife, Florence Bound....a quite turbulent episode, maybe inspiring the flippant, cynical nature of the verse. 

I hope you find this interesting or helpful.

 

Regards,

Pat

 

 (Later…)  Here is a scan of the two pages I told you about in my previous email today.

 

FROM:  R H Neergaard to Patricia Sanders        Nov 16 2015

Thank you so much!  I'll of course share this information with EWTH's son, Colin Guy ("Trig", so called because of his skills as navigator [not as bombardier] in the RCAF during WWII).  

 

A search of my EWTH project notes for Coldwell, Boyle, Arbery, Maeer and Maslan, turned up a mention only of Maeer, in a Devon surnames list updated to 01 July 2000.  The list's heading notes and relevant excerpts are:

 

__________

 

An * next to an entry means that person claims to be a current member

of the Devon Family History Society [http://www.devonfhs.org.uk/

].

 

Some entries have web URLs [http://] next to them, which point to

home pages with further genealogical information.

 

MAEER

Sidbury any period, East Devon any period: Margaret Lewis, {su3681@eclipse.co.uk} *

 

 

This list and the companion list for Northumberland & Durham can be downloaded in ZIP format only, from the following site:

 

            <ftp://ftp.cohsoft.com.au/pub/genealogy/data/devon.zip

> 

            <ftp://ftp.cohsoft.com.au/pub/genealogy/data/nbldur.zip

> 

 

The lists are also published on the World Wide Web:
 
            <http://www.surnamecentral.com

 

>
           
There is an on-line electronic form for submissions at:
 
            <http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~branscombe/devform.htm

>
____________________________________________________________________
 
Ronald Branscombe <webmaster@surnamecentral.com>
North Shields
Tyneside
UK
 

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For an account of EWTH's turbulent marriage to Mabel Bound, see, part way down this page

 

:  "EWTH MARRIAGE # 2".

 

"Silverleigh", in Axminster, Devon, was shown as the residence of both EWTH and Florence Bound on their 1906 marriage certificate (at the time Silverleigh was a boarding house).  It's possible your grandfather took the photo of it shown on this page.

 

 

And here, just for reference, is the address the address for the entire EWTH site,

 

 which of course you already have.

 

 

FROM:  Patricia Sanders to R H Neergaard - Nov 16 2015

Thanks so much, Richard.  These are some interesting leads and I'll check them out. 

 

It would be interesting to know if Trig has anything to say about his mother's artistic talents.  In my view as an art historian who has looked at many, many works of art, her little painting of roses is quite skillful.