It is the summer of 1879 and the Westminster Industrial Exhibition is on.
Cristoforo Settaci wins a silver medal for his inlaid table top.
The below snip is from the London Chronicle of Friday June 20, 1979
One has to wonder: was this a regular occurrence for Cristoforo? Did he win these medals all the time? What did the inlaid table top look like? Are there still Setacci inlaid table tops from the 1880’s n existence , out there somewhere? Is it possible ? Maybe in a museum such as the Victoria & Albert ? Or maybe on a website that sells them, such as the one below?
And what ever happened to the silver medal Cristoforo was won? Has it been kept? Does someone, somewhere, in the family still have it? Or, again, is there one out there on Ebay somewhere ? Maybe we should buy this one, just for fun! It is in Illinois, and reasonably priced.
Gertrude Stacey was the second child of Lavinio and Letitia Setacci. She was their only daughter. She was Claud’s sister, making her your great great great Aunt.
Gertrude was born when her parents lived at Waldemar Street in Fulham, not far from Fulham Palace or the Putney Bridge.
At age 30 in 1921 she is working in the civil service as a temporary clerk at the Home Office. She worked at White Hall and lived with her family in Wimbledeon. One wonders if she and her father Lavinio would have taken the train together to get to work. She is single.
In age 48 in 1939 she is living in Worthing Sussex on the South Coast of England. She is living with her Aunt Helene Nachmann Stacey , wife and now widow of her Uncle Atillio. Gertrude is listed as single. As far as I know she never married.
Gertrude dies in 1973 at age 81 in Worthing Sussex.
Uncle Maurice was the third child and second son of Lavinio and Letitia. He was born in 1893 in St Pancras London. As the brother of your great great grandfather he is your great great great Uncle Maurice.
Maurice begins a career in the Insurance industry when he is still a teenager and living with his family at 51 Alexandra Road Wimbledon in 1911.
This career is interrupted by World War One. Maurice and his younger brother Bernard decide to enlist in the army towards the end of August 1915. Interestingly they decide to enlist in the regiment of the Royal Engineers, but not just any division of the Royal Engineers. They enlist in the Motor Cyclist Special Reserve of the Royal Engineers. From what I can tell they were pre-approved for this Motor Cyclist Special Reserve prior to their official enlistment. In order to do this they had to undergo some kind of test of their motor cycling skills, which they both passed. At first it was not clear to me whether they had their own motorcycles until I finally figured out what the below says.
I believe it says “applicants motorcycle unsuitable” As a result I believe the Stacey brothers did apply with motorcycles they themselves owned. And, though the brothers passed the motor cycling skills test, their motorcycles did not. Their motorcycles were deemed unsuitable for the war. The brothers however were still accepted into the Royal Engineers Motorcycle Specialist Reserve based on their motorcycling skills. The Army then must have provided the Stacey’s with motorcycles to use.
See below the enlistment forms of Maurice signed August 26, 1915. .
Maurice is almost 23 years old. At this point he is still working in Insurance and lists his career as an “Inspector of Agents.” Maurice becomes Regiment Number 73194, his brother Bernard will be 73195. The regiment numbers are key when doing research on soldiers in any war as they help you quickly identify documents related to the person you are researching. As you can see below, his approval to join the Special Motorcyclist Reserve is given the day before he enlisted on the 25th of August, 1915.
One advantage of joining the Special Reserve was that Maurice and Bernard were immediately promoted to Corporal upon enlisting.
As shown in the document above , though it may be hard to decipher, the brothers are to report to the Royal Engineers Signal Service Rest Camp at Bletchley where I assume they will be assigned a motorcycle, maybe like the Triumph below, or maybe a Douglas.
Below is the most informative piece of paper from Maurice’s service records. It too is difficult to decipher. Maurice’s son Michael Lawrence claimed that his father was a heroic despatch rider who lost his leg in WW1. I think the below corroborates this story.
.From what I can tell: Maurice was transferred from the Base Signal Camp which I believe was in Dunstable England to France in October 1915. He suffers some form of casualty in 1917. It looks like in July in France. I think it reads “Leg Comp Frac Sev” something. I am taking this to mean that Corporal Maurice Stacey suffered a severe compound leg fracture. Maurice is then transferred to a hospital in England, though we aren’t told which hospital.
Uncle Maurice is discharged from the Army shortly thereafter as he is no longer physically fit for service.
The good news is that Corporal Maurice Stacey returns home safe and alive to the family home in Wimbledon in the summer of 1918.. For his service in WW1 he is awarded three medals . The 1914-15 Star, a British War Medal, and the Victory Medal.
Post-war
Maurice returns to his career in Insurance working for the Royal Exchange Assurance. Royal Exchange is an insurance company located in the Royal Exchange building shown below.
Maurice marries Doris Evelyn Bulling in the summer of 1923. They too settle in Wimbledon at 296 Coombe Lane. This home still exists.
Maurice and Doris have three children
Michael Lawrence Stacey
Gerald Christopher Stacey ( Named after his great grandfather?)
and daughter Julia Letitia ( named after her grandmother)
Doris passes away on March 17 , 1967 in Epsom, Surrey at age 69 where she lived at 42 Alexandra Road. Maurice passes away four years later at age 78.
I believe they are buried at the Epsom Cemetery although I can only find Doris listed there in plot S59.
Family of Maurice and Doris
Maurice and Doris’s two sons had impressive military careers. . .
You can google Rear Admiral Michael Lawrence Stacy and read about his illustrious career in various places on the internet. Interestingly his career had not only a military emphasis , but an environmental one as well. See below.
Gerald Christopher Stacey
And it is not just son Michael who had an impressive military career.
Major Gerald Christopher Stacey , also a son of Maurice and brother to Michael, has also won awards. In fact, in 1977, at the time of the Queens Silver Jubilee he was awarded a Silver Jubilee and Birthday award for his work with the British Green Jackets in training parachutists at the parachutist training centre in Netheravon , Wiltshire, England. See below.
Uncle Bernard is the 4th child of Lavinio and Letitia, and their third son. He is brother to your great great grandfather Claud. As Claud is getting married in the summer of 1915 , his two younger brothers Maurice and Bernard are enlisting into WW1. This is interesting to think a bit more about. The Setacci family in a a couple of generations have gone from being the family of an exiled Italian cabinet maker to now fighting for the British Army.
As mentioned in Maurice’s post, the two brothers enlist in the Royal Engineers Special Reserve Motor Cyclist Section as shown below. As mentioned in our post on his brother Maurice, Bernard passed the motorcycle skills test, but his motorcycle was deemed unusable for the war. He is accepted however into the Special Reserve Motor Cyclist Section on the strength of his motorcyclist skills. He would be provided with a motorcycle once he arrived in Bletchley for training.
The brothers are to report to the Royal Engineers Signal Services Rest Camp at Bletchley. ( note Bletchley becomes famous in WW2 for breaking code) And, given they were approved for this Section, they were automatically promoted to Corporals immediately upon enlistment.
Bernard is just turning 21. He has been working as a Bank Clerk at the Post Office . ( interesting as this was where his new sister-in-law also worked, could it have been through this connection that Martha Greer Mills met his brother Claud?) It is the end of August – the 26th to be exact – when he signs his papers. Had Bernard and Maurice been waiting for the big wedding of Claud and Martha to be over with before they enlisted? We believe so.
Let me introduce you to your Uncle Bernard. Maybe you have some of his Stacey/Setacci attributes?
Bernard stands 5 foot 9 3/4 inches tall, and has a mole on his upper right arm and another one the on the outer side of his left knee. Too much information – maybe – but this is probably important – so the army can identify him when ………. ?
And, as shown above, both brothers give their mother Letitia as the name of their next of kin. So we know who would get the call if……..
Like his brother Maurice, Bernard is initially in training at Dunstable England before being transferred to the theatre of war in France in October 1915. We aren’t told much more until he is demobilized into Class Z in July 1919. On June 17, 1919 while in Le Havre France he signs a form attesting to the fact that he has not suffered any disabilities as a result of his time at the War. If those dates are correct then Corporal Stacey spent a long period of time in France. And he is a very lucky very brave soldier.
He is awarded the 1914 -15 Star for service and participation in a theatre of war, a British War Medal , and a Victory Medal.
He is not listed with his family at home in Wimbledon or anywhere else in the 1921 UK Census. Was he still in France at the time the census was taken, or had he travelled elsewhere?
Bernard marries Irene May Rhodes in 1931 at age 36. Irene May is only 20. Irene comes from a good family as her Dad is a Physician and a Surgeon. The wedding is in Benhilton All Saints Parish Church south of London.
Bernard continues his career in the Banking industry. Bernard and Irene have two children. A daughter Gillian ( Canadian cousin Judith Dixon remembers meeting Gillian briefly on a trip to London when she was a teenager – the two cousins were the same age) And a son who I won’t identify here as he is still living. ( though you can see his name on the tombstone below!)
Again we have cousins from this family, most likely living in England.
Irene May passes in 1952 at the very young age of 42. Uncle Bernard passes in 1966 at the age of 71. Both are listed as passing away in Worthing on the South Coast of England between Eastbourne and Portsmouth. Irene is buried in the Rustington Cemetery not far from Worthing. This is the only example I have of a Stacey tombstone. ( there must be others we don’t know about)
Lucy lives another 10 years. At some point she moves out of the place at Harrington Road and moves up to Willesden, 18 Larch Road, Cricklewood where her sons are all close by. And for the first time we have a house that I assume is the same one that was there in 1915. ( although like most of the homes we will show, has been gentrified)
We believe she attended her Grandson Claud’s wedding in the summer of 1915 and that we may even have a photo of her there. ( see section on Claud and Martha for photo) Lucy passes 4 months after on December 1, 1915.
The Setacci’s were commemorated with a Monument at the Hendon Cemetery in North London near Willesden.
I would suggest you go visit your greats the next time you are in London, but unfortunately I don’t think that is possible. The document below indicates that their tombstones, among with many others, were moved or destroyed in 1973. It might still be worth a visit to see if we can find out why the graves were removed and where they went to. And more importantly to ensure that the removal was done properly. Otherwise, well, sometimes spirits do escape when such moves take place. And the possibility does exist that the ghosts of Cristoforo and Lucy are looking over your shoulder right now checking out their great great great great great grandchildren. At least I hope they are.
If anyone does go to the cemetery the below might help. It indicates that a non-lawn type memorial was moved or converted to lawn principle. ( whatever that means)
Ina Austina Webb – born a long time ago – mid 1930’s – at home on a small mixed dairy farm in Chelton, Prince Edward Island – the sparkling waters of the the Northumberland Strait within view.
Proudly she is the first child of Keith Webb and Margaret Lowther. The first grandchild of Annie Ellice Laird. The first local grandchild of Ernest & Myrtle Webb. First niece of Anne and Edward Lowther, Marion, Anita, Lorraine and Pauline Webb. She is in serious danger of being spoiled rotten. Sadly she would soon seriously require and receive all of their love and support.
We know for sure that her unusual middle name is after her great Uncle Austin Laird of Cavendish, PEI. We think her first name may have originated after an Ina in the Keith family of Havelock New Brunswick where her Grandmother Myrtle McNeill Webb was raised.
One thing we know for sure is – you can’t have an Ina without a Louise – the two go together – like lobster and butter.
Ada Louise Webb therefore arrived as soon as she possibly could. She is named after her great grandmother Ada McNeill Simpson and her Great Aunt Louise Webb.
Ina made sure her sister Louise was well nourished.
Anne Lowther MacFarlane collection
Now Ina always claims that her sister Louise is the social butterfly and that she is the shy quiet one. Well, we’ll be the judge of that. As you can see below , both of them are characters -as they entertain their Uncle Charles MacFarlane and their mother’s sister Aunt Anne Lowther MacFarlane. Ina is the one with the cool sunglasses.
Charles,Louise,Ina, Anne
The two sisters have a happy life in Chelton surrounded by family and friends. Yes , times are tough, the Great Depression is always in the background and a Great War looms on the horizon. One would think a farm on the Northumberland Strait in PEI would be far removed from the Great War. And it was – but it wasn’t. Summerside PEI just across Bedeque Bay – is where many Canadian Air Force heroes were trained. Ina remembers seeing planes like the one below flying over the farm or the strait – and waving at them!
In the winter of 1940 mother Margaret Lowther Webb is expecting. We know now that she is expecting a baby boy – a brother for Ina and Louise. But it is not to be. Margaret miscarries. It is a stormy snowy night in early December . Despite the desperate efforts of Keith and friends and neighbours it is impossible in the snowy blizzard to get Margaret to the hospital in Summerside in time for help. Tragically the two sisters and their father Keith lose their Mother and the new baby. Anne and Edward lose their precious big sister. Ellice loses her daughter. Margaret is only 28 years of age. Ina is 5 years old, Louise is 4 years old. The photo below is the last one we have of Ina and her mother Margaret together. ( listen to Ina’s recollection of this tragedy in the first Ina Session)
Margaret, Ina, Gilbert the Cat from Cavendish, and Pullets – from the Anne Lowther MacFarlane collection
Life carries on with the support of friends neighbours, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles. And most importantly – the two sisters – learn to support each other. They attend the Little Red Schoolhouse in North Carleton together – and despite the long walk of over two miles uphill there and back – through thick forests populated by grizzly bears – they each win attendance awards in Grade One. ( you can listen to some of their – on the way to school – adventures – in the first Ina Session in a minute)
Their father Keith is having difficulty coping. He decides to pull up roots and make a change in geography. He will join his sisters Marion, Anita and Lorraine all in Ontario. While he is scouting out his future in Ontario his daughters will stay with their Grandparents in Cavendish, P.E.I.
This is the very first “Ina Session” recorded at her high tech Condo Recording Studio in Georgetown, Ontario in November 2020. ( okay – we just used the voice recorder on my Huawei phone) Both Ina and son Alan were nervous at the start – but we got through it.
Ina Reed Webb – remembering her early days in Chelton/North Carleton Prince Edward IslandMore memories Chelton/North Carleton – Aunts, School, Movie , War
Following each session we would send the recordings to her sister Louise in New Glasgow Prince Edward Island.
Louise’s recollections are below.
You asked about what we ate. Lots of potatoes and milk for sure. I remember often having “sops” in the evenings. It was chunks of homemade bread with warm milk on it and some brown sugar.Maybe there wasn’t anything else. We certainly didn’t mind it.Dad would pull two chairs over to the sink and put one of us on each chair and we were to wash and dry the dishes.
I can vividly remember the night Ina talked about when we went to Aunt Martha’s during a snowstorm. The horses were up to their bellies in snow and Dad and Mom had to get out to try to shovel them out. We should never have left home and our Mom died a few days later.
The wake and funeral are also vivid memories. Dad stood with one of us in each arm and cried his heart out. We had never seen him shed a tear before.
You asked about games. I remember playing cards with lamplight at the kitchen table with Clayton and Frances, Dad and Mrs. Wells. She was always Mrs. Wells to us and we loved her. She smelled wonderful and was really a kind lady. Harry and I visited her in Delray, Florida, and she was as nice as ever.
I remember going to the brook by the beach at our shore in the spring when the smelts were running. They were so plentiful that we scooped them out with our hands and buckets. Also after helping with hay we would go to the beach for a dip. It was wonderful!
Visitors— Grandad’s brother, Uncle Ted, and his wife, Aunt Anna, visited from California and brought us each a doll. It was a very exciting day. I don’t remember that we had ever had a toy.
I remember the rations during the war. Also how excited we were when we finally got to taste bananas. Also there were a lot of Gypsies (beggars) knocking on the door looking for food. We were pretty scared of them.
Our teacher at North Carleton was Dorothy MacFarlane, not Lowther,. Her Mother was Aletha Lowther, Harry’s Dad’s sister. She was a wonderful teacher but one day during art class she gave our class children’s scissors to do something. I cut out the square on the front of my plaid skirt that Aunt Nete had made for us. She never gave me scissors again. To make things worse Aunt Nete was there when we got home!
At recess time and lunch time we played Anti Anti Over with a ball thrown over the outhouse—- girls on one side, boys on the other
Cavendish was a long way away by horse and wagon or sleigh.. when we went in the winter time we had heated bricks at our feet and lots of blankets. It seemed to take until dark to get there and we’d stay for a couple of days.
Ina and Louise stylishly modelling the winter coats their Aunt Nete (Anita Webb) made them.
In September of 1937 the two Grandmothers – Myrtle McNeil Webb and Annie Ellice Laird Lowther host a tea for the girls – at Green Gables – the first year the Webb home is a National Park. Ina and Louise are the last tourists of the first year of Green Gables National Park. The sisters are only one and two years of age – we don’t have a photo of the occasion – the photo below is taken a few years later.
The two grandmothers are good friends. As you can see in the photo below taken many years earlier in 1905 at Myrtle’s wedding. The bride, a young Myrtle on the left, and her bridesmaid a young Ellice on the right . They wouldn’t have dreamed that someday they would both be grandmothers to the two girls above.
Both Louise and Ina fondly remember the visit of their great Uncle Ted Webb and his wife Anna in the summer of 1938. They come all the way from California where Uncle Ted works as a carpenter on Hollywood movies sets for Sam Goldwyn Studios. That is cool – or whatever they said back then. But what was especially cool – and one reason the visit is so well remembered – is that they came bearing gifts . Two dolls – one for each of Ina and Louise. The sisters had never had anything like that before.
1938 – Grandad Ernest Webb, his brother Ted from California, Margaret, Keith , Grandmother Myrtle, Aunt Lorraine, Louise and Ina – tightly holding those prized dolls. (from Anita’s collection)
