The jigsaw of great great aunt Agnes’ scrapbook is starting to make sense. Mary Ellen Davies is the mother of Harry Llanover Davies who died in WWI and was mentioned earlier here. She was the wife of Theophilus Harris Davies (1833–1898) who was the guardian of Princess Kaʻiulani while she traveled to Europe and the United States (see my post here). She was the mother of Clive Davies who may have been engaged to Princess Kaʻiulani, or at least she was in love with him. Clive actually married Edith Marion Fox, who was the daughter of my great great great uncle Sir Francis Fox. The following is her entry in my Agnes’ scrapbook:
A blessed thing it is to have a friend; one human soul whom we can trust utterly; who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults; who will speak the honest truth to us, while the world flatters us to our face, and laughs at us behind our back; who will give us counsel and reproof in a day of prosperity and self-conceit; but who, again, will comfort and encourage us in days of difficulty and sorrow …. It is only the great hearted who can be true friends. (Charles Kingsley)
Mary Ellen Davies, Epping House, December 26th 1904
Hello. Mary Ellen Davies was born Mary Ellen Cocking in 1849 in Ludlow, Shropshire. She is the youngest of 5 Children to my great great grand aunt Elizabeth Cocking (nee Harding) 1808 – 1888. Your Alice Davies is her daughter Alice Marion Davies (born 1874). How lovely to see photographs of them in your blog and what a treasure that scrapbook must be to you. Good luck with your research. Rose
Rose … thanks for getting in touch and for all the additional info. The Davies family seem to appear in a few other places in the scrapbook, so I’ll try and add some more when I get a chance. Best wishes Justin