Mary (May) Margaret Louisa WILLIAMS

  General Notes:

Born 26 July 1891 at West Wallsend NSW Australia
Married Frank Bernard Goulding in South Africa in about 1914
Died about 1918-9 in South Africa when Frank was 2-3 years old of pneumonic flu.

After being born in NSW, May must have travelled to Wales with her mother and father where they had Harold in Treorchy Wales in 1893 with May being 2-3 years old. The family then went to South Africa where her younger brother Fredrick was born in Johannesburg S.A. on 6 April 1897. The family must have then travelled back to Australia probably not a direct voyage. May went to school in Australia and was in the same school photograph as her brother Harold in Grade 4 at State School No 1494 which is Tyler St in Preston the school her grandsons attended. Then she attended Flinders State School No 260 in Geelong in 1906 and was in Class + fifth. On 15 April 1907 May wrote to her Pa hoping "you will not forget to send us some post cards for her album" and that "Uncle Will (Morgan) was down last week taking stock at the station." On 14^th May 1907 May again wrote from Geelong to her father (Papa) who was in South Wales staying with his father, John Williams 12 Dunraven Terrace Treorchy Glammorganshire. She wrote that she "went to our social and my word didn't I enjoy myself but I was fired." She called her mother Ma at the time as she indicated it was Ma's birthday on the 20^th May 1907. In 1908 when she was 17 years old, May probably had a child out of wedlock while still in Australia on 21 December. There is a photograph of May and her mother Mary with the boy called Gwilym taken in Williamstown.

On 16 May 1909, May arrived back in London. By August 1909, May was back in Treorchy as she received a letter at 18 Dunraven Terrace Treorchy RSO Glamorganshire, South Wales from M.S. saying we shall be pleased to see you home again. In August 1909, she was in Treorchy and wrote to her mother (Ma) and her father (Pa) that she had attended a pageant in Cardiff and in the afternoon went to Penarth. Her parents were at the Bakery 12 Market Square Buckingham England. She took Grandma down the town for a walk - presumably Gwilym's mother Mary Williams(nee Evans). Confusing when Grandma, Ma and daughter are born Mary and are all Mary Williams.

May then joined her parents at the Bakery 12 Market Square Buckingham Glamorgan England. She gets letters in May and June 1910 from Gent and Annie (probably Annie Powell) who lived next door to their old house. By looking at the photograph one can decipher the no 25 on the door in Herbert St and May's old house is the door and the upstairs window on the right hand side of the photograph. Annie is also in the photo and comments that she has plenty of wrinkles on my brow. Another card to May from The Avenue Treharris showing the author's front gate, comments that the baby is a lovely boy, so good too. The date and author have been removed. This is presumably baby Gwilym at about 2 years of age. The card indicates that May's mother and father had visited with the baby and Aunty Marion and babs came with them.

In 1907, there are also cards to Annie Powell 6 Ralph Terrace Pontypridd one from her mother in Porthcawl.

On 29 July 1911, Gwilym appears to be ready to go on another trip and he wrote a card to his wife Mary in Welsh from Southampton with a photograph of the steam ship R.M.S. Kinfauns Castle on the front. The Kinfauns Castle did leave Southampton that day for South Africa with 9 pages of passengers. I could not find him on the passenger list so he probably signed on as crew. At this stage, Mary was at Waverly Tea Rooms Pontllaufraitte, Mon.

The family moved to South Africa and May followed later on the SS Galeka leaving London on 24 October 1912. She was 21 and destination Capetown South Africa with 120 other passengers.

May met and married Frank Bernard Goulding from England. They were married in Johannesburg Transvaal S. Africa. May became pregnant with a boy but her husband died reportedly before her son was born but more likely in late 1916 or early 1917. The baby was christened Frank Bernard Goulding the same name as his father.

After Frank Snr died May re-married Philip Richards who became Dad's (FBW) step father according to Dad. He had red hair and a red moustache. Then when May died, Phil accompanied Dad and his grand parents on the ship to Australia in 1919. Dad was then raised by his Grandparents (May's Parents).

The National Archives of South Africa Database: All Archives Repositories and National Registers of non-puplic records (NAAIRS) has the following reference: Depot NAB, Source MSCE, Volume No 0, System 01, Reference 3148/1918, Part 1,Description Richards, Mary Margaret Louisa. (Born Williams) (S/S Philip Gentle) (Predeseased Spouse:- Goulding, Frank Bernard, Starting 1918, Ending 1918. This document is a Death Notice and gives her parents, Mary and Gwilym, address in November 1918 as 5 Comet Plantation E. Rand. The age of the deceased was 27 years and 3 months and she died on 23 Oct 1918. The place of birth was incorrectly given as Geelog, Vic.
At the time of her death she had a small quantity of furniture and the estate was valued at less than 300 pound. She had made a will on 18 March 1918 indicating her her son Frank was to reside in Boksburg with his mother's parents. Her address was 17 First Avenue, Durban, South Africa when she died. FBW indicated she died of the flu epidemic in 1918 which I assume was the Spanish flu.

The above document also indicates Frank died from Miners' Phthisis and so May receivied a monthly allocation of 8 Pound a month from the Phthisis Board of Johannesburg. As a result of her death, this was now to go to her son (Frank Jnr) aged 3 and he was to receive a monthly allocation of 5 pound 18 shillings and 9 pence.

Schools attended :
Tyler St State School No 1494 Preston Victoria
Flinders School No 260 Geelong 5^th Class in 1906

In May's Autograph book a number of entries were saying that they would be parted e.g. Agnes 3 August 1912, May Underwood (Woody) 4 June 1912 (Coplestone, Bognor) and Maude Siveter 1912. There are also a number of entries in August 1912 at Bognor.

There are entries in May's autograph book for 27-31 Oct 1912 by Edith Payne on the Steam Ship Galeka. Entries also for Chris Duffy 9 Nov 1912 'as we cross the sea, Reg Harvey SS Galekia 19 Nov 1912, C.A. Renze SS Galeka 11 Nov 1912, R Mae SS Galeka 19 Nov 1912, Yens Doucy SS Galeka 19 Nov 1912, Jack Cottle SS Galeka Nov 1912, Dr MF Stoltc 19 Nov 1912 SS Galeka and P Burgess SS Galeka 1 Nov 1912.

There is also an entry for a Sister Emma Juble made on the trip from Capetown on 22 November 1912 which is presumably where the ship docked. Sister Emma came from Rondebosch. Minnie Davies also has an entry on 7 April 1913 in Boksburg. There are a number of Davies entries earlier in Copleston, Bognor by A Davies 4/6/1912, Jim Davies 9/8/1912 and Daisy Davies 27 Nov 1911.

In May's autograph book her father Gwilym Williams wrote "Hope for the best, Prepare for the worst, be cheerful whatever happens" at 134 1st Avenue Greyville (South Africa) on March 31 1918. May died after this date. Her mothers entry is 4 Dec 1911 in England. Brother Fred had an entry on 4 Dec 1911 and H Williams 6 June 1910 presumably her brother Harold.

An entry, undated, by C.H. Sedmidt Cinderella Cons GM Boksburg is clearly in South Africa and at the mine near the 40 acres Frank and Gwilym bought together in 1917.

There are several entries after 1918. Mum, Mavis Burgis in 1933, Dad, Frank Williams in 1932, Ada Grey Brunswick Cafe on 28,7,1919 presumably in Australia, and an entry entitled Outward Bound by (H?) Williams 1 July 1931. This is most intriguing as it was probably Harold and it has a heading which has been crossed out but seems to say "The lost ....... A......".

Mary married Frank Bernard GOULDING, son of John G GOULDING and Sarah Ann BROCKLESBY, about 1914 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Frank Bernard GOULDING was born on 2 Nov 1883 in Morton, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Eng and died on 13 Aug 1917 in 33 10th St, Boksburg North, South Africa.). The cause of his death was Miner's Phthisis.