This postcard sent in 1914 was another that I bought on eBay from Postcard seller Paul. I was aiming to find out two things: one, who was F Lilly? and two, who sent the postcard. He signed Roy, but who was Roy and the lady with him in the picture?

There is quite a bit of information on this card, for a start Roy is not from a poor family, if you look at the house, and also what he is wearing, he is very smartly dressed for a young man.

The address on the postcard is to Mr/Mrs? F Lilly, The Poplars, Gelliwastad Road, Pontypridd, Glamorgan, South Wales. Many of the properties along that road are now businesses.

The photo postcard was posted in Epsom in 1914. It looks like a family home, so I’m hoping the family were living in Epsom on the 1911 census.

Roy wrote: “Many thanks for your PC, sincerely sorry have not returned one before. Wish you had written what you intended, makes me feel quite curious. Please write it on your next postcard. About sending you an invitation you’ve had one long ago. It looks very much like not wanting to accept it. Sincerely. Yours Roy X“

The tone of this indicates to me that Roy is writing to a man, that was my first thought.

I decided to look first at the 1911 census records, so I just put Roy into the search box on Ancestry and lived in Epsom, and I came up with six results. The surnames of Giblett b1910, Sweny b1906, Collcutt b1910, Ruscoe b1895, Taunton b1905 and the 6th where Roy was a middle name was William Roy Betteridge b1907. As the postcard was sent in 1914, three years later than the census, Roy Ruscoe was the only possible result.

So, here is Roy Cuthbert Ruscoe aged 16 with his family from 1911. His father was Ernest Henry Ruscoe, a House Builder, the family lived at Edstaston, Lynwood Road, Epsom. Did Ernest build it? Looking at Google Street now, there are some nice detached houses along the road, and even though when you look at postcode finder on the Royal Mail site, most just have numbers, when you actually go along the road, a lot of them have names also, unfortunately, because of shrubs etc. you can’t read them all, and I haven’t found Edstaston. But I feel I’m on the right path as the young lady sitting next to Roy could be his eldest sister, Doris, who would have been 25 at the time of the picture. Roy was born on 7 June 1894.

Roy later married Kathleen Trower in the spring of 1917. The couple had become engaged in July 1915.

By the time of the 1921 census from Find My Past, the couple had a son, Anthony Derek Ruscoe, who was 7 months old. Roy was a Motor Engineer and an Employer with his own garage called Ruffells Garage, Motor Engineers, High Road, Wealdstone, Harrow, London.

The question is, have I answered this question? Who was Roy? What do you think?

After I wrote this section of the blog, I decided to have another look through the public family trees on Ancestry that mentioned any of the Ruscoe family, and I’m so glad I did, as I found a treasure! A tree with not just one photo to help me. So here are just two of them. Doris is standing far left in the group (Taken about 1910/11) and in this single portrait photo. Is it the same young woman as in 1914? I do think it is. Unfortunately, there is no photo of Roy, but the lady is a good match, so I’m happy.

After a comment on this blog from a descendant of the lady who I thought was in the picture, I now know it is not Doris Englefield Roscoe, but who is it? Does anyone recognise her?

Lilly Family

The only F Lilly that I have found in Pontypridd, Glamorgan is Frederick Arnold Lilly, and as I feel that the recipient of the postcard was a man I am very hopeful that I have this correct. Frederick was born on 14 December 1875 in Newcastle, Shropshire, his father was William Samuel Lilly 1850-1897, and his mother was Annie Maria Morris Curtis/s 1847-1933.

Unable to find out about Annie’s origins I think this is the most probable birth for her. It matches her name, but not where she states she was born, I can’t find her on the 1851 census. This is the digital birth record below, born to an unmarried mother Sarah Ann Curtiss.

Frederick had three brothers and two sisters. William Edwin 1870-1926, Arthur Richard b1874, Effie b1879, Elizabeth b1882 and Charles Harold b1888.

Frederick died in October 1926 in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, at the age of 50.

Frederick’s death and funeral were reported in the Newspapers as the family were obviously well known in Pontypridd.

Frederick left a gift in his will for the local Cottage Hospital.

Looking through the newspapers I found this interesting account in 1956 that gives us lots more details about the Lilly family.

I hope I’ve answered both of my questions, what do you think?

If you do know the family and have more information, I would love to hear from you.

Till next time then……