Joseph Brinley George, 1894 - 1986, Part One

As a young child, I always thought of my Grandma and Grandpa George as being so old. And of course, I thought that they lived boring, mundane lives. Oh, how wrong I was. As I have delved further into my research of my grandparents, I have discovered their lives were anything but boring! Here is the first part of the story of my grandfather.

On 19 August 1894, Joseph Brinley George was born to Joseph George, and his wife, Anne Davies. Brin was the youngest of 6 children. The family lived in Sea View Cottage, Hazelbeach, Neyland, Llandstadwell, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

As a young lad, Brin would often spend time at the beach watching the ships come into Pembrokeshire Dock.
In 1908, when he was 14 years old, Brin began a six year apprenticeship as a shipwright at Pembroke dock, as small shipping dock yard. At the age of 88 he recalled "For the first year you got nothing, and the second year the pay was two shillings a week." In the sixth and final year, the pay was 6 shillings weekly.
After completing his apprenticeship, Brin did steel work on ships for five years. During the Great War, he made repairs to battleships at the British naval base at Scapa Flow, a channel in the Orkney Islands.

Joseph Brinley George, Naval Permit. Digital Image.

Privately held by Kathryn Lake Hogan, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 2008.

Joseph Brinley George, Naval Permit. Digital Image.
Privately held by Kathryn Lake Hogan, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 2008.

During his time of service in the Orkney Islands near Scotland, Brin met a young lass named Agnes Kirk Dewar, known as Nessie. It is likely he met her while he was on shore leave. Nessie lived in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland with her parents, Robert Marshall Dewar and Mary Logan Kirk. When it was time for Brin to return to the naval base, more than a parting kiss was exchanged between them. Shortly thereafter Brin received notice that Nessie was expecting.

Being an honourable man, Brin did the right thing. He and Nessie were married 26 February 1919 at her parents' home, #4 Garvock Terrace, Dunfermline. Brin returned to the naval base, and Nessie continued to stay with her parents. On 12 September 1919, Angus Brinely Dewar George was born. Unfortunatley, Nessie experienced a terrible delivery. Angus was born with what we now call cerebral palsey. Nessie contracted puerperpal fever. Puerperpal fever, also known as septicaemia (blood poisoning), was an infection after childbirth due to poor midwifery techniques especially antiseptic measures. Infection entered through injuries to the birth canal leading to septicaemia and often to death. It occurs within 3 weeks of childbirth.
Notice was sent to Brin that the baby had been born, but Nessie was not doing well and he was to come right away. I don't know how soon after the birth Brin arrived at Nessie's side. Nonetheless, he was there when she died at 9:00 p.m. on 21 September 1919, just nine days after giving birth to Angus.


As you can imagine, Nessie's parents were upset. They had thought Brin had done their daughter wrong. Angus was to be raised by Mary and Robert, Nessie's parents. All that Brin received from Nessie's parents was a small Bible with the following inscription:
"To Brin in Remembrance of Ness. In Eternity there is a great gulf fixed,
Which side of it will you be on?"

Now if things weren't bad enough already for Brin, they continued to get worse. When he returned to the Naval Base, he received his Notice of Discharge.

Joseph Brinley George, Notice of Discharge. Digital Image.

Privately held by Kathryn Lake Hogan, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 2008.

As World War I had ended, there was no longer a need for such a large work force at the dock yards and Brin was let go.

Within a span of three weeks, Jospeh Brinley George, age 25, in the year 1919, had become unemployed, a father and a widower.

Full citations and sources for this post are available upon request.

A Place Called Home: Sea View Cottage, Hazel Beach

This post is written for the 47th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.


The topic for this edition is: A Place Called Home. It's time for a geography lesson. Pick out a city/town/village where one of your ancestors once lived and tell us all about it. When was it founded? What is it known for? Has is prospered or declined over the years? Have you ever visited it or lived there? To a certain extent, we are all influenced by the environment we live in. How was your ancestor influenced by the area where they lived? Take us on a trip to the place your ancestor called home.


The place where my maternal grandfather, Joseph Brinley George was born and grew up has always been on my wish list of places to visit. It is not likely you have been there. I haven't - yet.
Joseph Brinley George, son of Joseph George and Ann Davies, was born in 1894 at Sea View Cottage, Hazel Beach, Neyland, Llanstadwell, Pembrokeshire, Wales.


This is a picture postcard of Sea View Cottage. The George family lived in the second unit inland from the beach. The house was still there in 1998 when my brother visited Wales.



Llandstadwell used to be the name of the parish. Neyland is located 78 miles of the capital city of Cardiff. It is close to Milford Haven. The county of Pembrokeshire is now called Dyfed.

The modern town of Neyland was founded exactly on Tuesday, April 15th, 1856 when the South Wales Railway officially opened in Neyland. Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859) is regarded as the founder of Neyland Town. Prior to this Neyland, the insignificant village, in 1851 had fewer than 200 inhabitants. In 1855/56, the Railway Company levelled all of the old buildings. The modern Neyland become a true railway boomtown. By 1861 Llandstadwell parish had increased to 1, 045 people. The inhabitants of this sleepy little village could hardly imagine the importance Neyland acquired and status it gained. A new hotel, shops, housing and churches were built. The town was also known for its fishing and shipping docks. Across the bay was Pembroke Dock. My grandfather, Joseph Brinley George apprenticed as a shipwright there. He also worked for the docks during the Great War. His father, Joseph George worked for the Great Western Railway as a Railway Goods Guard.

This golden period lasted fifty years.


Things abruptly changed in 1906 when the Irish rail traffic was rerouted from Neyland to Fishguard. Nonetheless, the people of Neyland pulled together and made it through. They have continued to do so through good times and bad - loss of the railroad, loss of the ferry service to and from Pembroke, closing of the Dock Yard at Pembroke Dock,etc.



And yet, this tiny little town still exists today!


The area is now called Milford Haven. There is a hotel called the Ferry House Inn located on Hazel Beach. I hope to stay there one day when I get to Wales. I wonder if Grandpa George's house is still there.


Maps:http://maps.live.com/


Historical information: http://www.neyland.org.uk/ - "An Historical Sketch of Neyland"