Soady Family in East Looe/West Looe

[hockeychick]

I've come into possession of some WWI and WWII items that do not belong to my family. I am trying to locate descendants of Thomas F. Soady (born 1 Feb 1885, East Looe, Cornwall; died 2 Dec 1930, Cleveland, Cayuhoga, Ohio, USA); married to Elsie Thomas (born about 1892, Grimsby, Lincolnshire; died ?). They had a son William Allen (or Allan) Soady (born 9 July 1920, St. Blazey, Cornwall; died 14 Nov 1997, Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA; never married that I can find. I want to return these items to the family they rightfully belong to.

Information that I have with regard to the family: They came to the US in 1923 and resided in Cleveland. They traveled with whom I believe to be Elsie's parents (William Thomas and Annie last name unknown) and Elsie's brother (Horace). The relative in Cleveland they were to meet was named Charles Thomas, a brother of Elsie. Thomas F. Soady died in 1930 as a result of pneumonia, I believe Elsie remarried but am not certain. William became a US citizen and fought for the United States during WWII.

Parents of Thomas F. Soady were: Thomas Soady (born about Sept 1860, West Looe, Cornwall; died, unknown in Looe); married 1879, Plymouth Registration District to Harriet Pengelly (born about 1855, East Looe, Cornwall; died, unknown Looe). I've been able to locate information about children of this marriage but not much else.

I have no further information about Elsie's parents at this time.

Any help that can be provided would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you, Melynda Brenton

[christanel]

Just some background for others wishing to help

Marriages June 1/4 1918 Thomas Soady to Elsie Thomas Grimsby registration district vol7a page 1439

1901 RG13; Piece 3094 Folio 185 Page 18
Grimsby Lincolnshire
William Thomas 36
Annie Thomas 35
Elsie Thomas 8
Lilian Thomas 5
William Thomas 3
1911
Cleethorpes Grimsby
William Thomas 46
Annie Thomas 44
Elsie Thomas 18
William Thomas 13
Horace Thomas 9

1940 US census
Kenilworth Road Cuyahoga Cleveland Heights
Howard D Elliott 60
Maliln Bagmann 38
Elsie Soady 47 Widow, Alien, Housekeeper born England.

Two possible marriages
1948/49
Cuyahoga Cleveland Ohio
Elsie Soady 357/554

1949/50 Cuyahoga Cleveland Ohio
Elsie Soady 379 317

There is a tree on ancestry which has a first marriage for Thomas in 1904 to Catherine Elizabeth Jacobs. She died in 1917 Liskeard registration district.

They are together in the 1911 census with a daughter Eileen Joan Soady age 4.
They have a shipping record of her returning to England in 1927 age 20 occupation machinist.

It appears that Eileen Joan Soady married a Benjamin W P Quinton in 1948 Bournmouth registration district (On FreeBMD)

I can't see any children to this couple so if you are wishing to return the items you have to the Soady branch it will not be to a direct descendant of Thomas but to one of his siblings descendants or to descendants of Elsie Thomas' siblings.

Christina

[hockeychick]

Thank you so very much for the information! I will look into it and see what else I can find. I really want to return these items I have.

[christanel]

1891
East Looe
Thomas Soady 30
Harriet Soady 35
Maude Soady 11
Emily A Soady 8
Thomas Soady 6
Rhoda Soady 4
Lenora Soady 1

1901
It is Thomas, Harriet, Thomas age 16, Nora (Lenora) and George born c 1892.

1911
Thomas, Harriet, George and James age 17 born c 1894.

So plenty of siblings for Thomas born 1885.

George born c1892 married Alice Maud Tremlett in 1913. Two children William G 1914 and Edith 1916.

James born c1894 married 1917 to Sylvia Puckey 1895- 1971. Four children to this couple. Mary 1924 - 2014
The other names are private as they could still be living - two girls 1918 and 1922 and one boy 1935. If you enter the surname Soady and mother's maiden name Puckey on FreeBMD they will show up.

Lenora Soady married Francis R Toms in 1913. Two sons 1917 and 1923.

Maud born c1880 married 1906 to Frederick Prideaux. A daughter Eileen M Prideaux 1912-1988 She may have had a 1st marriage to Edwin Rowett Dann in 1900 and he died 1902

[kenripper]

Hi Hockeychick. I've sent you a personal message with information which you may find useful.

[CornwallPhil]

The Looe Museum may be able to help.https://www.eastlooetowntrust.co.uk/looe-museum.php

[wolfspiritwoman]

I have been trying to reach you since Dec 2016

[jserrao]

Hi my name is Joe and i was thinking @ friends of mine who have passed away and in looking some things online i came to this site and thread and since i knew Bill Soady i'll tell my story and if it's of any interest you can read on...well i met Bill soady in Nantucket,ma @1993/94 i can say i knew him but really didn't as he had altzheimers . I was working in mental health and part time as a nurses aid so i worked for Bill Campbell his partner...well Bill and I became great friends and over time we knew each other very well...everything i knew about their lives was told to me by Bill Campbell as bill soady was not verbal at that point (the reason im explaining this as there seems to be some interest on the site from various sources so i'll ramble on...) well they were a loving couple and i think they met in nyc
After the war or in the early 50's...if my memory is correct Soady was a secretary for general ridgeway and campbell was in the airborne div. Well Campbell was a corp. attn. for ibm and i think he got Soady a job there...i know he was able to get soady positioned with him in Paris for some time as bill told me they maintained separate addresses because at the time it couldn't be known that the were a gay couple...they travelled extensively in Europe and loved Greece but also went to England as soady had family in Cornwall...well they lived in the village in nyc on Bank street in converted brownstone with 5 or 6 apartments which they rented out and lived on the top floor...Campbell told me he went out on limb and bought 3 properties on Nantucket...gerrymanderd them and sold off the other two and for many years summered on the island when they could...campbell was measured and thorough due to his law background and he always said Soady was the creative spirit of the two nevertheless they had a great life together...campbell had to have power of attn. over soady when he became ill as it was the only way he could care for his partner in those days..i think they became domestic partners in Nantucket before soady died...as there was not gay marriage then...well soady died in '97 and campbell died of pancreatic cancer in '99...their ashes are interred in an old cemetary in Nantucket...there is a stone (another story,funny) but no room for a burial...after campbell's death he did make a contribution to then the gay and lesbian center in nyc for a gallery for some of their artwork thus the campbell/soady gallery...i wonder if man carrying man is still hanging there...campbell also made generous donations to other organizations and friends...stuff went everywhere...i think i still have some photos of soady in the war somewhere but what brought me here in the first place is i had a bronze star of soady's with a letter and some other military stuff that travel with me to San Diego and later palm springs,ca...well when i was cleaning out my condo and moving from palm springs i gave them to a friend who helped me as he liked military stuff and my guess is he sold, traded or maybe died himself as we both moved and he was going to Arizona in 2004...well i guess hockeychick came across these somehow...who knows...by then i had so many things going on i just wanted someone who appreciated them to have them...bill never talked much @ the war..i don't know...my uncle who was a very young Italian immigrant from a coal town in Pennsylvania was honored for his efforts at the battle of the Bulge didn't talk @ it at all...well the only thing that was kind of ironic was a while back i came across an old trunk that belonged to General Ridgeway (he spent his final years living nearby in Pittsburgh) and bought it for my friend who is a ww2 buff and had his wife give it to him for Christmas and totally forgot about the Soady connection... well i would like to know what was in the letter with Bill's bronze star so if any one knows that would be great....bill and bill are memories now but ones i'll always cherish...thank you