| Notes |
- Family Source
John William was, according to Jessima Alice, dressed in rags
and ill fed, receiving no love or affection from either his
father or his step mother. His half brothers and sisters were
well cared for. While John William was not bitter about this,
Jessima Alice never really forgave George Robert even though
she looked after him with great kindness until his death. John
William was brought up a Methodist and attended a training
College thought to be Methodist. Later in life he became an
agnostic as a result of the useless slaughter of the First
World War and of his involvement with Socialism.
Jessima Alice was born in England, emigrated with family to
Australia soon afterwards. Lived near Melbourne. In 1899 or
1900 her parents brought her back to London on a visit, and it
was at a dance that she first met John William, who was a very
keen dancer. They must have met on several more occasions
during her stay in England because they continued to correspond
after her return to Australia despite her parents' disapproval.
They decided to get married by correspondence and John William
started to save what money he could from his very meagre
teacher's salary to send Jessima for her fare over. In the
meantime her parents (or at any rate her father) had died and
Jessima, May and Elsie were looked after by either a relation
or a friend of the family in Australia. Jessima eventually left
(in 1905?) and came over to this country on a wool clipper. It
was some years later that May came over and lived with Aunt
Lizzie Perrin until she married Robert Maclaren. Elsie came
over later still and, though she lived with Aunt Lizzie for a
short time, she started nursing training and made her home with
Jessima Alice and John William [1]
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