Person:Agnes Williams (24)

During the last quarter of 1884 in Pembrokeshire, Wales, John Erasmus Henderson, married Agnes Sophia Williams.

Erasmus and Agnes had 12 children, who were all born in a very small village in Wales called Walwyns Castle. There is a big house in Walwyns Castle, called Rosemoor and Agnes used to work there to earn some extra money.

Erasmus was a sailor and when he came home from sea he used to drink and assault Agnes. In 1905 when her eldest child was 20 and the youngest, Alec was 2yrs old, Agnes took her family to Brentwood, Essex, England, where one of her sister's was living. Agnes had a little shop in Brentwood, where she sold cigarettes, newspapers, etc. The Henderson Newsagent was listed as the "care of" postal address when her daughter Elsie came home from Australia to visit with her husband and first daughter.

Agnes brought up all of her family, making sure they were always well clothed and well fed and most of them lived to their 80's or 90's. Some of the children travelled to Australia and Canada while others remained in or returned to Brentwood and ran businesses of their own. At 64, Agnes Williams (Henderson) passed away on the 20th of January 1929.

One of Agnes’s granddaughters, Pam Appleby remembers that; When I was a child people often said to me.

"I knew your Grandmother, she was a wonderful woman".

Image:Family Details 1871 census Williams.pdf

1. ↑ A very small village in Wales called Walwyns Castle. There is a big house there called Rosemoor and Grandma Henderson used to work there to earn some extra money.