An interview with Lily Rose ~ 3 March 1973

"I was born at Stokenchurch, England near Chinnor. I was christened in the Congregational Church in Chinnor."

1910 - Chinnor Congregational Church - 2007

"My mother died when I was 4 and I lived with my Newitt grandparents for two years after that. The Newitts lived on an estate about 5 miles from Chinnor belonging to Squire Wickham. My grandfather was the gate keeper for the locks on the estate and he made rocking chairs as a hobby."I went back home when I was 6 and my Dad was not yet remarried. In the family were Edith who married Albert Bates and had an only child named Phyllis; they lived at Whirlbush Farm between Haddenham and Thame."

"Edward, whom we called Ted, who was killed in WWI in France in the Horse Guard."

Memorial to the boys from Chinnor who died in WWI, including Ted in St. Andrew's Church

"Then there was me and my brother George who was a horse soldier in WWI but he died of meat poisoning after the war while working in a butcher shop."

NOTE: George married Mabel Edith Lindup 1Q 1924. They had a daughter, Mabel b. 2Q 1924 who died 3Q 1924 and George died 3Q 1924.....

My brother Freddie had died by then."

"My father married Emily Rixon. Her mother was a midwife who had helped out with Freddie. Their children were Willy, Phoebe, Abel, Ernest and Harry. My favorite cousin was Harry Whitney.

Tombstone of Henry (Harry) Witney in St.Andrew's Churchyard

My aunts and uncles were Annie, Mary Jakes (my mother's sister), Lizzie, Amelia, George, Edward (Ted) and Charlie. My Dad was a soldier in the reserves during the Boer War."

"At 13 I went to London to work for the Graham's who were stage people. My Aunt Amelia got me the job. I lived at Wimbledon. Then I went to work for the Allen's. The Allen's and the Graham's were friends as both Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Graham were from San Francisco. I served table and I took care of the pantry. The Allen's were going to the United States for the summer in 1914 and I didn't want to go home. I liked Mrs. Allen, so I went with them. I am listed as "maid" on the ship's manifest."

"Mr. Allen was a politician known as "Hoover's right-hand man." When the war broke out the Allen's couldn't go back to England, so they moved to Woodland, California. I took care of their three boys, Jack, Davey and Shannon. Eventually the Allen's went back to England but I couldn't go back because my papers had run out, so Mrs. Allen found me a job working in a sanitorium in Woodland in 1916. Then I came to Vacaville to work for the William Bucks family as a maid."

"I met Sidney in Cement at a dance. He was working in Cement. Later we met up again in Fairfield. He wanted to see me and I said, "Please yourself." Six or seven months later we were married in San Francisco at 3rd and Mission in St. Patrick's Church. First we lived in Cement. Jim was born there. Sidney got put in a "Class A" call for the Army."

"We sold all our furniture for $25 and moved to San Francisco. We lived in the top flat in back at 235 Lily Avenue, in the Haight district near a German Church. Allan was born in the flat in 1920. We moved to Walnut Creek because Sid's Dad bought a business there and we lived above a bank and a grocery. Wilbur was born in Walnut Creek."

"We moved next to Hercules because we couldn't get a house in Crockett. Sidney and his Dad couldn't get along so when Sid was offered a job at C & H Sugar, we moved to Crockett and built the house on Clark Street after first living in company housing down on the ballfield."

"And that's a long history of nothing!"