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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Oxfordshire => Topic started by: Regusse Kate on Monday 29 December 08 12:56 GMT (UK)
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I am trying in vain to find any details on my Great great Aunt (for want of a better title - step grandmother's sister in law). My mother knew her well and I met her a few times, but I can not find any information or photos of her. Grandmother who is since dead, burned all the photos we had of her in a fit of rage caused by Alzheimers.
Hetty was a silent film actress and starred in 2 films that we know of - Paula (1915) and Kent The Fight man (1916). She was brought up in London as she used to play in Hyde Park as a child, but between 1940 and 1965ish (when she died), she owned and lived in Wharfe House, Wharfe Lane, Henley on Thames. I visited her there a few times and remember it reasonably well - does it still exist?
Her sister May, also lived locally in Hambleden House, Hambleden, and may bought houses for all of her sisters, so I think the family had wealthy connections.
Unfortunately I decided to try trace my family tree after I came to live in France, so popping down to Henley is rather difficult for me now. Therefore any help or suggestions would be much appreciated.
I have already contacted the British Film Institute who seem to have less information on Hetty than I.
Many thanks
Kate
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Was Hettie really Harriet?
There is a marriage FreeBMD
Sept qtr 1916
Harriet payne
John Tomkies
Dover
2a 2335
Suz
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hello
I googled Wharf House
Wharf House Wharf Lane henley on Thames RG9 UK
Pam
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Hi Pam... i cannot be of much help...i can understand your frustration as i too have a great aunt Pat...1 st Bollywood star (avatar)..from 1921 -1944 and would love to find any of her 44 films. y great aunt lived til 1983 but i never met her as she moved from India, and lost touch.
You have googled Wharf Lane and there are houses along the riverside but the name has obviously changed. i did look on microsoft live to see if there was a Bird's eye view but there is not. >:(
I wonder if there are theatrical directories available somewhere ???
I would be happy to make phone calls for you in England if that would help
I too used to live in France :)
Sorry i can't help much more...desolee
Debz
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Sorry,....i meant Kate not Pam..... :-[
Debz
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and Wharf House is still there...my apologises Pam, :-[
not doing very well !!!
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hello kate....
i can tell you that Hettie was not living at Wharf House in 1911...a Mr William Edward Bell was living there then.
Debz
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I notice that the film Paula is dated 1915 and Hettie is already using the name Payne... so she used the name Payne but did not marry until 1916
Debz
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i am so sorry...i have lost the plot !!!
too much xmas booze ????
take no notice of me.......je dit que des betises !!!!!! :-[ :-[ :-[
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Thank you all for your input, I am so grateful as I was coming to a blank everytime I searched. But then I was searching for Henrietta Payne, not thinking that Hettie could be short for Harriet.
Plus I was looking in London forgetting that she travelled a lot so that she could have been married in Dover.
Hetty was a fascinating character that I remember and my mother and then I grew up in her other house which was 86 Culverden Road, Balham. The house is a large Victorian one and Hetty lived on the ground floor of the house. There is a large room with steps down to the garden that Hetty used to have lavish dinner parties in. We lived at the top of the house and my grandparents lived in the middle rooms.
It was around 1947 that Hetty moved out of the house (her house!) due to bad relations with my step grandmother (her former sister in law) - yes I know its complicated! She then took up residence in her "other house" which was Wharfe House in Henley.
I can remember going to visit her when I must have been around 7 years old and she had one room that was a private museum of all of her things from her travels - including original African Zulu shields and spears! On the house was also a wonderful balcony with swinging garden chairs and sofas and I can remember looking down the garden at the river. There was also a walled fruit garden that I used to hide and play in. But I am sure that it has probably gone years ago and is buried under some developer's housing estate.
Unfortunately Hetty didn't end her days there, but in a local residents home, as she never had the house maintained and one day the ceiling fell in on her. My mother tells me that she still kept her chauffeur on and he use to drive every Sunday and collect her in her 1920s Rolls Royce and take her for a drive.
My advice to anyone trying to trace their ancestry is to pick the brains of older members of your family as they seem to remember things from years ago even if they don't know what day it is today. Also make sure you get your hands on all the photos and paperwork before they burn them like my grandmother did.
My grandfather's side of the family is German and we had a large family bible with all the family tree and many letters inside. The same woman also destroyed all of this. So wherever she is now, she has a lot to answer for!!
Once again many thanks for your help and suggestions, I must admit I didn't expect to get some a wonderful response. I feel inspired to carry on..
Any help I can give anyone from the South of France, please let me know.
Regards
Cathy
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hiya Cathy again..
I used to live in Perpignan...you near there or are you on the Atlantic side ?
Debz
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Hi Debz,
I am down in the Var. If you find a central point between Nice and Marseille and head North for half an hour thats where we are. We are 15 minutes from the Gorges du Verdon and the Lac St Croix. The Lac has only been in existence for 31 years. before it was an agricultural plain with natural springs.
As Provence had a serious water problem, EDF took it over, dammed and flooded the area. There was no way into the Gorges so at the same time they dynamited the roads through. Basically all the melted snow from the Alps filters down through the Gorges and into the Lac, which is 11 km long. I have attached a couple of photos for you. Its a stunning area if you know it.
Regards
Cathy
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hi Kate,
I do know the area a little as i have worked at cannes and holidayed in that are too. Last summer we went to Fayence/Tourettes for a week.
Bonne Annee.
:) Debz