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Pywells in Leicestershire

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Pywells in Australia

There is a note from my father that tells the following story:

Nell Pywell, sister of George and Elsie, married A Coles in Leicester, and had a son Frank and the father, mother (Nell) and son (Frank) went to Australia. Frank died.  Nell and husband had a second child in Australia Valda.

Lander Pywell went out to Australia to join his sister Nell (Coles) and formed the business Coles & Pywell.  When Nell died Lander married Val (his niece). Bill Coles is Nell’s other son Val’s brother born in Australia.

Coles & Pywell business is now run by Bill Coles and Val Pywell.

This is what I’ve managed to piece together so far.

Nell Pywell (Ellen) married George Arthur Coles in Leicester in 1901 - she would have been 21.  They had a son Frank Henry in 1906.  They emigrated to Australia, leaving London on the Omrah on 8th February 1907. They were registered to vote in Fawkner, Victoria by 1909. They had two further children, Valda Ida was born 13th December 1910,  Richard Gordon (known as Bill) 26th July 1929. Frank sadly died on the 28th June 1914.  

What is also documented is that on 14 October 1913 Lander Cowell Pywell set sail for Melbourne from Tilbury on the Indrapura.

A letter of 1960 sent by Lander to George and May (Ethel) reads as if they might not have had  much (if any) contact since Lander emigrated in 1913.  It details a lot of their life in farming, and was accompanied by a number of photos taken around 1948. Apparently he was known as Dick, rather than Lander.

The letter does say “We had the misfortune to loose (sic) George Coles in 1945 and Nell in 1948 May be you have known this before.”   Probate records from Australia confirm George died 27 June 1945 and Ellen died 30 December 1948.

In the letter, Bill is also referred to as Richard Gordon (Coles), but there is no mention of Lander marrying Val.  However, searching through the Australian electoral registers does confirm this.  The records show Valda Ida Coles last appeared in 1954, after which Valda Ida Pywell can be found alongside Lander in the 1958 Electoral Register, not long after they moved to a new farm (as mentioned in the letter).

Lander signs off “Now you have found the lost dog and know he is happy”  He died 31 October 1975 in Glenfyne, Cobden, Victoria.  Val died 7 October 2000

In my father’s note it also says that Ada Pywell Nell’s sister went out to Australia and joined Nell and family - raising again a question about her identity and even existence.  There is no mention of Ada in Lander’s letter.

Interestingly, George Coles had a half-sister called Ada, she would have been Nell’s sister in law.

Lander (above) and Nell with Val (below) pictured in 1948

Right

Bill and Val with dogs Jackson and Mack

Val with snake and Lander’s note on the back of the photo