I am looking for any information you might have on Winifred M. Graville (1885-1974) who lived in Sheffield. She wrote a large series of letters to her cousin in America between 1939 and 1942 describing what she, her city, and her country were going through. Miss Graville was a noted lecturer and writer in your area on plants, trees, and gardens. Her writing skills show in her letters to America - wonderful descriptions and anecdotes on Dunkirk, the air raids, the Sheffield blitz, the moors outside Sheffield, etc. The letters were sometimes poignant and sometimes humorous. Her cousin lived in Penn Yan, New York and was the President of our historical society at the time. She had excerpts of 145 of the letters published in our local newspaper. I am editing these and intend to have them published in a book with a working title of England At War: Letters From the Blitz (1939-1942). I believe the two cousins were, in some small way, attempting to sway American public opinion away from its isolationist stance. After Pearl Harbor, the letters cease to be published with just a few exceptions. I have no idea what happened to Miss Graville after 1943…. except I found a record of her death in 1974. Would you have any information of her at all?

Richard, Winifred was born in Ecclesall Bierlow in q3 1885. Her parents, Walter Graville and Elizabeth Foulston, had married one year before, Q3 1894 in Sheffield. Ecclesall Bierlow was a registration district within Sheffield.
They had no more children, and Elizabeth, Winifred's mother, died in 1887 aged 36. It looks like Walter re- married in 1893.
In 1939 Winifred was living in Sheffield and with her was one other person, Doris Hawkes, who was born in 1912.
If you provide some info about her cousin we should be able to find the family link
Dave
Ps. There are 18 articles between 1900 and 1949 about Winifred in newspapers on FMP. It seems she was a Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society and lectured on the subject, and designed gardens. Her father's death is announced in 1939 and it says she was his only child, and he had been married twice.

Thanks, Dave, there's some good, useful information there. Her cousin in Penn Yan, New York was Jane Lightfoot Beaumont (1900-1987). She was born in New York. Jane's parents were John and Mary Cramer Lightfoot. Would it be possible to get information from Winifred Graville's obituary? She died in September of 1974.

Richard, if you look at BURIALS over to the left and search for Graville you will see the burial records for Winifred and her parents.
In terms of an obituary it is unfortunate that the Sheffield newspapers for 1974 are not available on line.
Perhaps one of our contributors could look to see if there is one at the Sheffield Archives. Any volunteers? She was buried on 23 August 1974 in City Road Cemetery in the same grave as her parents. On the burial record she was 89 and of no recorded occupation.
The September you have for her death registration refers to the quarter of the year in which she died, that is July August September. The burial record gives actual date.
Dave

Richard, it looks like the family link was way back. John Lightfoot was born on your side of the pond, as was his father. However his mother was Jane Graville born in Lincolnshire in 1815.
Dave

I found out that Jane Beaumont's maiden name was Jane Graville Lightfoot. There's a family connection there somewhere.

Richard, according to a couple of trees on Ancestry, Jane Graville Lightfoot's paternal grandmother was Jane Graville born in 1815 in Lincolnshire. She died in Ontario.
I cannot find a probate for Winifred but there is a probate record on Ancestry for her father Walter in 1939. There may be something useful in that.
With regard to newspapers, the online newspapers for Sheffield only go up to 1948.
Dave

Edit: Winifred's father Walter (Gravil) has birth registration 1850 in Doncaster. His parents were Joseph Gravil and Mary Watson. They married in 1848 in THORNE which was on the LINCOLNSHIRE Yorkshire border..

Edit. According to FMP Jane Gravel born Epworth Lincs 1815. Also Joseph Gravel born Epworth Lincs 1822 so it seems that Jane Lightfoot's Paternal grandmother Jane Gravel was the sister of Winifred's paternal grandfather Joseph Gravel.

You've been a great help, Dave. I appreciate your time and effort. Winifred Graville wrote great letters describing what was going on in Sheffield between 1939 and 1942. Do you think there's market for that sort of thing over there?

Hi Richard,

In 1891, Winifred is living with Daniel and Mary Doncaster. Daniel is a steel
manufacturer (well known in Sheffield). Winifred is 5yrs old and is down as
Adopted daughter. They are at Green Bank, Victoria Road, Sheffield.

By 1901, Winifred, 15yrs old, born Sheffield, is a pupil at boarding School in
Sidcot, Winscombe, Axbridge, Somerset.

By 1911, Winifred is with her father Walter at 21 Victoria Road, Sheffield.
Walter is a managing director of Ltd. Co. and born Awkley, Doncaster, Yks.

In 1939, Winifred is at 66 Ringinglow Road, Sheffield.
She is an Author, Lecturer and Gardener.

Her father Walter Greville was baptised 9 Sep 1849 at Finningley. Parents
Joseph and Mary of Awkley, labourer.
1851, Town, Awkley, Doncaster, Yks.
Joseph Gravil aged 28, Labourer farming 160 acres + l labourer, born Epworth,
Lincolnshire.
Mary his wife, 28yrs, born Belton, Lincs.
Walter, son aged 1yr, born Awkley, Yks

Joseph Gravel, baptised 20 Nov 1822 at Epworth, Lincs. parents - John and Sarah.
John Graville married Sarah Colley by Licence, 16 Sep 1804 at Epworth.

Still need to find the Greville/Lightfoot connection.

Moira.

Richard, suggest you post a question on the Sheffield History Society site to gauge interest. Ther is a thread on there about the Sheffield Blitz.
Dave

Just as an aside, Belton is a village next door to Epworth and Epworth is the birthplace of John Wesley born 1703 the founder of Methodism.

Hi Richard,

http://graville.com/Family%20Tree/main%20index.html

You may find the above GED4Web link run by Martin Graville of interest he shows Winifred Mary Graville and also the Lightfoot connections. He supports pretty much what Dave & Moira have already contributed.
Sorry I do not know how to make it into a hyperlink on this site, maybe someone else can help with that.

Happy Hunting:sleuth_or_spy:

Hi Wendy,

I believe the "Hyperlink" you mentioned when using "Bravenet" our Forum is as follows.

prefix ... suffix..

i.e.

http://graville.com/Family%20Tree/main%20index.html


Fingers crossed it works.

Elaine.

It didn't.

ok with the [ square box then url ] square box as the prefix to the http etc etc.

end with square box [ /url] no spaces.

It worked but if its still not very clear how to do I apologize

Instant Messenger: Skype

It worked great, Elaine. Thanks!

Hi Elaine,

Many thanks for the 'how to' info, I will write it down...somewhere..!! and try to use it next time.

Cheers, Wendy

Thanks to everyone who responded to my query. It gave me some clues to what to research and I found the answer in our own historical society. Jane Beaumont's paternal grandmother, Jane Graville Lightfoot was born in England (related to John Wesley) and immigrated to the U.S. as a girl in 1834. She was a sister to Winifred Graville's father.... so the two letter writers were first cousins, once removed. This thread got me going in the right direction!

Superb work in this thread.

I can only add that my wife and I, on arriving in Sheffield in 1979, moved into the attic flat at 21 Victoria Road, a large detached house now in a conservation area. The house owners (and residents downstairs) in our time were a couple of retired academics. I know their ownership did not go back anywhere near as far as the time when the house was part of the story told in this thread.

Quite likely we were in the servants' quarters, occupied by Florence Rosetta Charlesworth in 1911.

Hugh