John Skinner and Mary Collier
A second wife for John Skinner
John Skinner was the father of our great-grandfather James Skinner. Born in Fife 1822 John had travelled to Wales with his wife Jessie in 1855 and settled at Somerton Farm in Newport. The couple later secured a tenancy at Abernant Farm in Kemeys Inferior and raised five children. John was a successful agriculturist and won many prizes. He was widowed in 1879 when Jessie died.
On November 13th 1888 John caused quite a stir in the Skinner family when, at the age of 66, he remarried at All Saint’s Church in Kemeys Inferior. His bride was Mary Collier, a widow who had lived with her previous husband at The Limes in Cowbridge. Mary was 30 years his junior and working and living at Abernant Farm as a servant. She had three young children, Amelia (8), Daniel (6) and Annie (4), from her previous marriage. Mary had lost her husband Daniel in 1886.
They spent the early years of their marriage at Abernant Farm. In the 1891 census we find John, Mary, Daniel and Annie living at the farm, along with John’s son James and three servants. It was a time of change at Abernant. James succeeded his father as the tenant of Abernant and married Rosa Watkins. John again surprised his family by fathering two children with Mary; Alexander was born in 1892 and Isabella in 1896.
Having children so late in life created some unusual family dynamics. For example, Isabella was almost 40-years younger than John’s first child Margaret, whilst Alexander was younger than most of his nieces and nephews. In 1893 John decided it was time to leave Abernant Farm and sold off all of his farming stock. He moved his young family to nearby Cats Ash, where they lived at Number 4. Stepdaughter Annie soon left the family home and entered service for a family in Llangibby.
In retirement John worked part time as a gardener, also spending time with his stepson Daniel passing on his extensive knowledge of horticulture. John died in December 1907 and was buried with his first-wife Jessie at All Saint’s Church. Although some may have disapproved of the relationship, John and Mary spent 19 years together and raised four children between them.
The passing of John led to huge change for the family. His stepson Daniel returned to Cowbridge and lived with his Aunt, whilst both of the children he fathered with Mary embarked on their own paths.
Alexander John Skinner was 15 years old when his father died. Known as Alex he travelled to Coutts in Canada and in 1911 found his way to the USA where he settled in Havre Montana, working as a car mechanic. He is said to have lost contact with his family in Wales after he emigrated.
Alex was drafted into the US army in May 1917 and commenced training at Camp Lewis in Tacoma, Washington. His draft card recorded him of being of slender build, medium height with brown hair and green eyes.
Whilst at the camp Alex married his sweetheart, Pryde Gentle Gowrie on 24th Dec 1917 in Tacoma. Pryde was of Scottish descent with her family hailing from Dundee. Alex officially became a US citizen on 29th May 1918. He served as a Private First Class with the 348th Field Artillery Regiment, 91st Division and entered service in September 1918.
The 91st Division were constituted 5th August 1917 at Camp Lewis, Washington, near Tacoma, the division, commanded by Major General Henry Alexander Greene, departed for England in the summer of 1918.
Tragically, Alex Skinner died of pneumonia in France after being wounded in action. His death on 26th November 1918, was two weeks after the war ended. The news was a huge shock to his young wife who was expecting him home. He is buried at Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in France.
In 1929 Pryde and her mother travelled to France as part of the U.S., World War I Mothers’ Pilgrimage to see Alex’s grave. Pryde never remarried and continued to live in Havre, Montana for the rest of her life. She died in March 1989, age 94.
Isabella Skinner, known throughout her life as Bella, was only 13 when her father John Skinner died in 1907. On the 1911 census she was living in Langstone and working as a domestic servant, but by 1916 had gone to live with her half-sister Margaret at Penrhos farm in Caerleon. Her time at Penrhos is remembered in letters Margaret wrote to her brother John in Nebraska.
By 1921 she had moved to Llangibby to live with her niece Ethel Parry, who had married a local farmer. It was here that Bella met her first husband, Ernest Francis Morgan who ran the White Hart Pub in the village. They married in Llangibby during September 1929. The couple settled at a property called Maesllech and had at least one son. Henry Ernest Gwynne Morgan was born in 1931, in 1955 Henry left Llangibby and married Alwena Williams in Bangor, North Wales.
Ernest died 9th April 1938 at a nursing home in Cardiff, he was only 46. The funeral at St Cybi’s was well attended by the local community. Many members of Bella’s family also came to support her. Following Ernest’s death, Bella continued to live at Maesllech until 1948 and was listed as living on independent means.
In January 1948 Bella married Sidney Bassett and they set up home together at a property called Brynawel in Llangibby, it was a large 4-bedroom detached house on Parc Road. Sidney had been born in Devon in 1886 but had spent most of his life in Llangibby. He was a carpenter who later became a shipwright and had been married previously to Bessie, who died in 1946.
Bella lived with Sidney until his death in 1969. She continued to live at Brynawel until her death on 5th June 1978. Bella was aged 82 and was buried with her first husband Ernest at St Cybi’s Church in Llangibby. Bella was remembered by her family as someone who was an entertaining character and a good amateur actress.
If you can help with the story of John Skinner and Mary Collier or their children, Alex and Bella Skinner, please get in touch.
Email: [email protected]