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Introduction
Charles Bray Smith and Mary Smerdon were married in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, Wales on 4 April 1872. Charles was born in 1850 in the Tiverton Workhouse in Devon and Mary was born on 9th March 1854 in Cadoxton, Blaenhonddan, Neath Port Talbot. Mary's father was a butcher by trade and had originally migrated to Wales in about 1847. Charles migrated from Devon to Wales himself in about 1870.
Charles became a police constable and was transferred to numerous stations in the region in the course of his work. Locations at which some of the major family events occurred included Skewen (1872), Llanelli, (1876), Loughor (1878 - 1881), Sketty (1882 - 1884), Pontycymer (1888), Cowbridge (1891) and Mountain Ash (1885), Swansea (1897 ->) - see map.
The couple had nine children, the last of which was born only three years before Charles died of cancer at the age of 47. Mary and the family continued to live in Swansea after Charles' death and, for the last 30 years of her life, lived at 47 King Edward's Road in Swansea with Rose and her children, William, Odo and Bruce (William).
Children
Charles and Mary's children were:
- Rosa Lily: Was born in 1874 and died at the age of 2 in 1876.
- Charles Bray: Charles lived from 1876 - 1929 and had nine children with his wife Ann: Charles, Ann, Edna, Francis, WIlliam, Violet, Rose, Albert and Iris.
- Mary Ann: Mary was born in 1878 but nothing is, as yet known of what happened to her and whether she had a family." I am now pleased to say that susan marles, marys great grandaughter has made contact and we will update marys profile as soon as possible..:)...
- Frances Elizabeth: Frances was born in 1880 and died at the age of 1897 of unknown causes.
- Mabel Amy: Mabel was born in 1882 and died in about 1970. She moved to Durban South Africa with her husband, Arthur Wicks, where they brought up three children: Arthur, Val and Ivy.
- Ernest O: Ernest was born in 1884 but nothing is, as yet known of what happened to him and whether he had a family.
- Rose Catherine Rose was born in 1888 and died in 1973 and brought up three children, William, Odo and Bruce with the support of her mother. Rose and her husband, William Marles, separated shortly after the birth of their third child.
- Lucretia Matilda: Lucretia was born in 1891 and died 1962 of cancer. She had a daughter, Molly, with Robert Marshall, who was killed in WW1, and later married Pieter Kearney in South Africa and had a second child, Glyn.
- Frank Stuart: Frank was born in 1895 but nothing is, as yet known of what happened to him and whether he had a family.