Re: newbery family in axminster area
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In reply to:
Re: newbery family in axminster area
3/10/02
Have just found this site, hence the long delay in replying.I'll keep my answer short just in case no-one reads it, but can expand at length if asked!
My family is from the Axminster area (including Kilmington, Dalwood and Stockland), but my parents left in 1949 and I was born in Somerset.My great great grandfather was Robert (or perhaps Thomas, sorry to be vague) Newbery.He was born probably around 1830-40, and was a gang-mower.He and his band would go up-country as far as Wiltshire mowing hay, then turn round and harvest the corn on the way back. In later life he was arthritic and had to be pushed around in a wheel barrow, but could stillbe stood up to wield his scythe!I have a large portrait photo of him taken around 1890.
His son James was my great grandfather.He lived in Kilmington, and did a variety of things.He owned several properties in the village (eg Beulah and Broadhayes) which he rented out.He lived at Knapp Farm, a tiny building with flagstone floors and a few acres at the back, which I remember from when his daughter Nell, my great aunt, lived there with her husband Walter Bazley.James also did boot and shoe repairs at the farm, and I have a photo of him and his family outside the front door with their signboard above, taken about 1910.
My grandfather,Frederick Evan (always known as Evan) was born at Stockland, but moved to a newly built house in Axminster (Far-a-Nuff!) with my grandmother, in 1926.He worked in the boot factory, the brush factory and Axminster Carpets, before joining Edwin Dawkins little departmant store in the centre of Axminster.
One of my great uncles was Sidney, a Baptist missionary to the Congo (all my family were 'big'at Kilmington Baptist Chapel).Another was Bert who ran the garage and petrol pumps at Kilmington crossroads.There were several other brothers and sisters, the youngest being run over and killed aged about 7 - this must have been one of the earliest car fatalities in the county.
There are plenty of other, unrelated, Newberys working in Axminster, including the taxi service, TV repair shop and Axminster cattle market.
I think that will do for now.Happy to elaborate for anyone who is interested, and would be pleased to hear from anyone related to my branch of the family
Peter Newbery