Family Tales and Misconceptions

[Cornish Terrier]

In my efforts to find a record of the death of one of my Trewhellas in Italy I discovered something that I think is worth sharing.
There are stories in every family that may have been handed down for generations. Most are probably true or are at least based on truth but over time the facts often become distorted. (Many of us have experienced or at least witnessed the experiment where a group of people are lined up in a row. The first person in the line has some information whispered to them and is asked to pass that information down the line. When the last person in the line is asked to repeat the information he/she has received it is quite different to the original!!

That is exactly what can happen with family information as it is passed on. Sometimes embellished, sometimes rearranged and often with bits and pieces forgotten or added.

In the case in question I was trying to find some record of the death of Kate Lucy Trewhella (nee Thrupp) the wife of Robert Trewhella who went to Italy with his brother John in the 1850s. I have a record of the death of her husband Robert (6th February 1909 at Catania, Sicily) from more than one source including the GRO Consular Death Indexes and the England and Wales National Probate Calendar. Unfortunately no such records can be found for Kate yet there must be something …. somewhere!

In the last few days I found an item that suggested Kate died with her husband Robert Trewhella. But surely if that had happened there would have been an entry in the Consular Death Index for her also and, perhaps, a Will. But so far there is absolutely nothing.

The item I found is from a travel report from the Los Angeles Times back in 2011 in which the correspondent is describing her visit to Taormina in Sicily where the Trewhellas had lived. Here is an extract showing the relevant information:-

By Janis Cooke Newman Special to the Los Angeles Times
July 4, 2011
Reporting from Taormina, Italy—

The original buildings of the Villa Sant'Andrea were built in the late 1800s as a private villa for Englishman Robert Trewhella. Although his conduct was hardly in the same scandal-rich category as that of Lady Trevelyan or Lady Chatterley's muse, there is some juicy gossip about his death. Both he and his wife died when they tumbled off a wall into the path of an oncoming train. Some say Trewhella fell in the attempt to save his wife. Others swear she pulled him down with her.

Surely an event like this would warrant some small mention in the newspapers of the day!!

I now turn to an item I found just tonight which details the death of Alfred Percy Trewhella (son of Robert and Kate) and his wife in 1959 - 50 years after the death of his father. I already had information that Alfred and Gertrude had died in a car accident but the following gives more detail:-

From Family History – Alfred Percy Trewhella

On the 5th of April 1959 the wife of Alfred Percy Trewhella, Gertrude Deidamia Sarauw stepped out of the way of a car in the villa grounds and fell, as she did so, her husband Alfred tried to catch hold of her and, tragically, the two of them fell to their deaths. [This occurred in Sicily, on the grounds of the villa hotel above Taormina.]2

I think this is a very good example of how information about one person or incident can be mistakenly applied to another person which is what often happens in family stories.

I suspect now that Kate Lucy Trewhella might have died before Robert but I am still left with the task of trying to track her down.

CT

[zibetha]

Not much to add, but there is a probate calendar item for Gertrude Trewhella's death that states she was a widow.

An odd family link for me is that while tracing my supposedly "English" great-grandfather, I found lines going back to the early US colonies and then back to the Prideaux family. That links me to Alfred Percy very distantly.

Zib

[zibetha]

Returning to the railway death idea, I do not like it at all but if it is valid, I think it belongs to an earlier generation. I am just thinking out loud here.

Zib

[Cornish Terrier]

Returning to the railway death idea, I do not like it at all but if it is valid, I think it belongs to an earlier generation. I am just thinking out loud here.

The fact that Robert Trewhella was involved in the construction of Railways has perhaps influenced the 'tellers of stories' about the Trewhella deaths involved here. I have certainly seen more than one report/description of the deaths of Alfred and Gertrude and each resembles the story in the LA Times.
Also perhaps confusing the story is that the Villa in Taormina was built by Robert but passed to his son Alfred when Robert died in 1909.

Not much to add, but there is a probate calendar item for Gertrude Trewhella's death that states she was a widow.

As this was an Administration and both Alfred and Gertrude were deceased then it is probably not so unusual for Gertrude to have been described as a 'widow' even though both died at the same time. But once again there is something interesting to add which also leads me to suspect Kate had predeceased Robert Trewhella. Again from the National Probate Calendar:-

TREWHELLA Robert of 19 Viale Margherita Catania Sicily Italy died 6 February 1909 Probate London 12 August to Alfred Percy Trewhella landed proprietor.

It could be argued that this does not alter the LA Times story that it was Kate and Robert who died together BUT as this is a Probate then it means there was a Will which indicates that Alfred Percy was probably named in that Will as the Executor.

AHA! says he as a very large brick inscribed with the words 'look at his Will' lands squarely on the back of his bonce!!!

I had forgotten that I do indeed have a copy of the Will of Robert Trewhella which was written on the 11th of July 1908 at Palermo. And I appear to be wrong about Kate predeceasing Robert as well! Kate received a rather generous annuity along with an apartment of her choice 'in Catania or elsewhere' with the rent to be paid by the Executor. She also received 'household furniture, wearing apparel, linen plate, pictures, clocks, watches, books, works of art, china and glass which may be found in my above mentioned residence at Catania ……...'.

After bequests to daughters Beatrice Elford and Adele Carnazzo the sole heir and residual legatee was named as his only son Alfred Percy Trewhella.

So it does appear likely that Kate outlived Robert which leads to the problem of what happened to her after he died. She certainly does not appear to be buried with or near him so where did she go?

Anyway, to pursue this here would be folly and really nothing to do with the initial post so I will refrain from further comment other than to say that in my opinion the story in the LA Times was incorrect. The events in the story were, I believe, no doubt about Alfred and Gertrude and not his parents as stated in the article.

CT