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[Index]
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| Mary Isabella (Bella) GREY (1889 - ) |
|
dressmaker
|
|
| Date |
Age |
Event |
Place |
Notes |
Src |
| abt Sep 1889 |
|
Mary Isabella (Bella) GREY was born |
Tynemouth, Northumberland, England |
FreeBMD Sep 1889 10b 230 |
|
| 1891 |
2 |
Census |
Tynemouth, Northumberland, England |
|
|
| 1901 |
12 |
Census |
Tynemouth, Northumberland, England |
Gray |
|
| 16 May 1922 |
32 |
Married William BERRIE |
Scotland |
|
18 |
| abt Mar 1933 |
43 |
Death of father Thomas William GREY (aged 70) |
Tynemouth, Northumberland, England |
FreeBMD Mar 1933 10b 359 |
|
| abt Dec 1933 |
44 |
Death of mother Harriett Harriet Welbourne Welburn BARTLE (aged 73) |
Tynemouth, Northumberland, England |
Free BMD Dec 1933 10b 275 |
|
| Personal Notes: |
Mary Isabella (Auntie Belle) served her time as a dressmaker at Madame Nichols, Front Street, Tynemouth. At some point she decided to look after children. After a couple of jobs looking after Jewish children, she went to work for Mr & Mrs William Berrie. They had 5 children Gladys, Bernie, Grahame, Bunty (Ethel) and Billy who was a young baby. After Mr Berrie's wife died, he married Auntie Belle. They got married in Scotland on the 16th May, 1922. William was about 20 years older than Auntie Belle and was always known as Daddie. They went on to have their own son who was called Welbum. He was a very bright lad and gained a scholarship at the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle. He went on to have a high position at the World Bank living in Carshalton, Surrey some ofthe time.
Sadly Gladys suffered from an illness called hermaphrodite, meaning she was mixed sex. She never grew to more than 4ft 8ins. From a distance she looked about 10 years old as she did not develop physically, although her face aged, she had a built up shoe and hobbled a bit. Gladys lived most of her life with Aunty Belle; she moved with her from the big house in Newcastle to Whitley Bay and died when she was 72 years old.
Auntie Jean remembers a story, Auntie Belle and her husband did not have much money. One time Welbum needed to wear a navy suit for a school service. As they could not afford to buy him a navy suit, they asked Jennie if they could borrow Bill's. His mother was not very happy to lend them the suit but reluctantly agreed. Auntie Belle was a good seamstress and took the suit apart as it was too big for Welbum. He wore the suit for his school service and then she took the suit apart again and stitched it back. It was as good as new
Welbum did very well in his chosen profession even to be invited to tea with the
President of New Zealand. His mother doted on him yet he rarely visited her and
when she died, sent flowers but could not make the funeral. |
