Sad ending to the search for 105-year-old's sister who used to live in Newark 90 years ago
A search by a 105-year-old to try to find the sister she hadn’t seen in 90 years and could not recollect has led to some sad news.
Phyllis Furness turned to the Advertiser to try to find out what happened to her younger sister, Freda Charmaine, who was one when the pair were last together.
Phyllis was born Phyllis Ryder at Vernon Street in Newark, where she and her parents and elder siblings lived until they moved to Sleaford.
Intrigued and keen to help, a number of Advertiser readers stepped in to do some detective work to try to trace Freda.
Sadly, it was discovered that Freda’s death was registered in the second quarter of 2013 in Nottinghamshire.
She may have lived at The Meadows, Newark, prior to her death as there is a record of someone with the same name living there.
Records reveal little more about her.
Speaking from her home in Galway, Ireland, Phyllis said: “It’s very sad that I had a sister that I never knew — the curse of family disputes.
“My parents died without my knowledge. I had hoped it would be different with my sister, but the years were against me I suppose. I will never know her.
“I’m strong and I had hoped that my family also had long-life genes.”
Readers Jackie Jenkins, Glenda Wilson and Sue Wright took it upon themselves to find answers for Phyllis.
They discovered Phyllis’s parents, Herbert Ryder and Betsy Southern died in 1957 and 1970 respectively.
Herbert already had three daughters from an earlier marriage when he married Betsy in Newark in June, 1913.
Over the next four years they had three children — Dorothy Ada on November 28, 1913; Phyllis Olwin (or Alwin) on May 23, 1915, and Frederick Bessonneau on May 17, 1917.
In 1928 they went on to have a fourth child — Freda Charmaine.
Of Phyllis’s siblings, Dorothy died in Weston-super-Mare in 1991, aged 77. She had married Robert Chambers in Blackpool and they had three children — Carol (1946) Patricia (1948) and Robert (1950).
Frederick Bessonneau Ryder died in 1995 in Portsmouth, aged 78.
His sister, Freda, was a bridesmaid at his wedding to Peggy Diana Crouch on February 21, 1942.
They had two sons, Christopher (1943) and John (1947).
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal while serving aboard HMS Faulknor during the second world war.
Phyllis’s half-sisters, Annie Mary Ryder, Grace Alice Ryder and Ethel May Ryder died in 1980, 1983 and 1985 respectively.
The siblings:
Dorothy Ada Ryder (1913–1991)
In 1939, Dorothy Ada was recorded as living at 4 Brynorme Road, Crumpsall, Manchester and her occupation as snack bar waitress.
In 1941 she married Robert Charles Chambers in Blackpool and they had three children — Carol A (1946), Patricia (1948) and Robert (1950).
She died in Somerset, aged 77, and her death was recorded in Weston Super Mare.
Frederick Bessonneau Ryder (1917-1995)
Frederick was born on May 14, 1917 and his birth was register in Sleaford.
He married Peggy Diana Crouch on February 21, 1942.
The Hampshire Telegraph reported the wedding in the February 27, 1942, newspaper.
It wrote: The Senior Service was very strongly represented on Saturday at St. Mary's Portchester, for the marriage between Leading Wren Peggy Diana Crouch, eldest daughter of Lieut. W. O. Crouch, M.V.0., D.S.C., RN.. and Mrs Crouch, of Alberta, Fareham Road, Portchester, and P.O. Frederick B. Ryder, R.N., only son of Mr. and Mrs. Ryder, Abbotsford Road, Blackpool.
"The bride has been a member of the W.R.N.S. since before the war, and members of H.M.S. Excellent's W.R.N.S. choir augmented the *church* choir at' St. Mary's for the service, .............
"There were two bridesmaids, the Misses Elizabeth Rosemary Crouch (sister of the bride) and Freda Ryder (later of the bridegroom).
"The former was in green taffeta under champagne lace and the latter in orange taffeta under champagne lace, and both had Victorian bonnets of net and taffeta to match their dresses.
"They carried shears of daffodils. At the conclusion of the ceremony members of the W.R.N.S. lined the church entrance and a silver horseshoe was handed to the bride by her friends. A reception was held at, the home of the bride's parents."
Frederick’s service during the war earned him Campaign medals — War Medal 1939-1945; the 1939-1945 Star for Operational Service and Italy Star.
In addition, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal while serving aboard HMS Faulknor.
He Royal Fleet Reserve Long Service & Good Conduct Medal in 1951.
His death, aged 78, in November, 1995, was registered in Portsmouth, Hampshire.
His wife Peggy had died the previous month on October 27, 1995 and was registered in Fareham, Hampshire.
Frederick and Sylvia had two sons, Christopher F (1943) and John R (1947).
The parents:
Herbert Ryder (1883-1957) and Betsy Southern (1884-1970)
Herbert Ryder was born in Newark on March 27, 1883.
His father Frederick was from Yorkshire, and Herbert was recorded as living with his father and grandparents in Yorkshire on the census of 1891.
At some point Herbert returned to Newark and in 1903, he married Edith Mary Taylor.
They had three daughters — Annie Mary, June 27, 1903; Ethel May, February 16, 1905 and Grace Alice, June 26, 1908. These were Phyllis' step sisters.
On the 1911 census the family were living in Brant Broughton, and Herbert’s occupation was described as house painter.
Sadly, Herbert’s wife Edith died in the December of that year leaving him with three small children.
On June 26, 1913, Herbert married Betsy Southern (Bessie) in Newark. Bessie was born on April 23, 1884, to Mary Southern and was baptised on December 4, 1884, in Heckington, Lincolnshire.
She was recorded as living there with her grandparents on the census’ for both 1891 and 1901.
On the census for 1911 she was boarding at 5 Parker Street, Newark and her occupation described as dressmaker.
Over the next four years Herbert and Bessie had three children — Dorothy Ada, November 28, 1913; Phyllis Olwin (or Alwin) May 23, 1915, and Frederick Bessonneau, May 17, 1917.
The three children were baptised together on July 22, 1917, in Quarrington, Lincolnshire.
In 1928 they had a fourth child, Freda Charmaine.
Herbert enlisted in the RAF on March 20, 1916. His civilian occupation was recorded as painter and decorator.
On his discharge in 1919 he re-joined his family who had been living at 38 Boston Road, Sleaford.
In September of 1939 Herbert and Bessie are registered as living at 28 Abbotsford Road, Blackpool with three others (closed records).
Herbert’s occupation was recorded as painter and decorator and Bessie’s as unpaid domestic duties.
There are no more records until Herbert’s death on March 26, 1957 in Newark the day before his 74th birthday and Bessie’s death in 1970 aged 86.
The half sisters:
Annie Mary Ryder (1903–1980)
Annie Mary married Arnold Parker Hadcroft in Newark in 1921 and they had one child, Olga in 1923.
In 1964 a phone directory shows an Arnold P Hadcroft at Hillside Guest House, Newton, Poppleford, Sidmouth, Devon.
Arnold died on April 6, 1971, whilst living at 3 School Cottages, Combpyne, Rousden, Devon. He was 72 years of age.
Annie Mary died on June 30, 1980, whilst living at The Old Coach House, Southerton, Ottery, St Mary, Devon. She had just had her 77th birthday.
Their daughter Olga married William H Potter in 1944 in Hull.
Ethel May Ryder (1905–1985)
Ethel May married Ernest Robert Pook in Sleaford in 1923 and they had three children.
Two registered in Sleaford — Hazel Patricia in 1924 and Edith M in 1927.
The birth of their third child, Myra Anita in 1929, was registered in Portsmouth.
By 1939 they were living apart, the register for that year shows Ernest was living at 3 Whitstable Road, Portsmouth, with Phyliss who he married in 1947.
Ethel was living at 11 Colwyn Avenue, Blackpool, with her second husband Ernest Potter, with whom she had two more children.
Her death was registered in Blackpool in August 1985. She was 80 years old.
They oldest daughter, Hazel Patricia married twice, both registered in Portsmouth — Horace S Roby in 1945 and Ronald W Bennett in 1949. She died in Hampshire in 2002, aged 78.
Edith M married David Pill or Fraser in 1951, also registered in Portsmouth. They emigrated to Canada where David died in Kitchener, Ontario, in 1997. No death record for Edith has been found.
Myra Anita also went to Canada in 1953, she may have moved to the USA in 1958. Again, no death record has been found.
Grace Alice Ryder (1908–1983)
Grace Alice married Thomas Michael Gardiner in Sleaford in 1928 and they had one child, a daughter Eileen R in 1929.
By 1939 they had moved to the Isle of Wight and the 1939 register showed them as living at Olive Cottage, Old Shute, Ventnor.
Thomas’s death was registered in Apr 1983 in Mid Glamorgan, Wales. Grace died the same year, aged 75. Her address on the probate record was given as 61 Eagleswell Road, Llantwit Major, South Glamorgan.
