MY STEP GRANDMOTHER.
By H. Joseph Seward
Marion Beatrice Coombs was born on June 29, 1891, in Upper Island Cove, Newfoundland, a time marked by significant historical events. She lived through the tumultuous years of the early 20th century and witnessed the world change. She died on June 4, 1971, in Clarenville, Newfoundland, Canada leaving behind a legacy that is a part of our shared history.
The surname Coombs, which Marion Beatrice Coombs inherited, has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It can be found in Coombe or Comb, dating back to the 12th century. Early records show a Richard de la Coombe holding estates in Devon, England, in 1194. This historical context provides a glimpse into Marion Beatrice Coombs’s rich ancestral heritage.
The earliest variation of the surname Coombs is Lord John Combe of Newington, who was born in 1495 in Somerset, England, and died about 1560 in Newington, Middlesex, England. He married Hester Combe (1500-1560). The specific information about Hester Combe’s parents remains a mystery, adding an element of intrigue to the Coombs family history.
This is the history of Marion Beatrice Coombs and her two husbands, Lemuel Janes or James (1884-1914) and Peter Seward (1874-1953). Marion Beatrice Coombs is a direct descendant of Lord John Combe and Hester Combe. She was the daughter of John Coombs (1868-1914). Both parents were born and died in Upper Island Cove, Newfoundland. Her grandparents were James Coombs (1812-November 1898) and Mary Drover (21 Feb. 1807-1847). Both grandparents were born and died in Upper Island Cove, Newfoundland.
Great-grandparents were John Coombs (1752-1825), born in Southwest England, possibly Devon, Devonshire, England and died in Upper Island Cove, Newfoundland. And Eleanor ? (last name unknown) (1755- 5 July 1776). She was born in England and died in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland.
In her early days, Marion Beatrice lived a life quite different from today. It was common for families to have many children, who often helped with household chores and other duties such as gardening and fishing. A tight-knit community meant neighbours and extended family members often helped, especially during times of need. One-room schools were typically provided in outports, where children of all ages learned together. The curriculum focused on reading, writing, arithmetic, and religious instruction. As a child, Marion Beatrice would have spent much time outdoors, playing games like tag, hide-and-seek, and marbles.
Families relied on home-grown produce and locally sourced food. Meals often consisted of fish, vegetables, and bread. Access to medical care was limited, and home remedies were used to treat illnesses. Religion played a significant role in daily life, with regular church attendance and participation in religious events.
On the 28th of December 1909, at age 18, Marion Beatrice married Lemuel Thomas Janes, also spelled James (1884-1914). They had four children together. Archibald (1910-1935), Thomas (1912-1840), Marjorie (1912-?), and Catherine Vera (1914-1985). Lemuel Thomas Janes and Marion Beatrice Coombs lived in Bryant’s Cove, Newfoundland, until Lemuel’s untimely death at sea in 1914.
On March 13, 1914, the main seal-hunting fleet left St. John’s, Newfoundland, to engage in the sealing hunt on Newfoundland’s Eastern and Gulf of St. Lawrence Front. Lemuel Janes had already joined the sealing vessel Southern Cross, which had left for the St. Lawrence Front sometime before the main vessels. On March 31, 1914, a severe storm developed over Newfoundland. Seventy-eight sealers died on the S.S. Newfoundland. The Southern Cross was on its way home. On April 2, 1914, Captain T. Conniers of the coastal schooner S.S. Portia passed the Southern Cross five miles W.S.W. of Cape Pine. She was reportedly loaded down (meaning a whole load of seal pelts). That was the last anyone had ever seen of the Southern Cross. All 177 men were lost, no bodies and no wreckage of the ship was ever found.
In Bryant’s Cove, Marion Beatrice received the news of her husband, Lemuel Thomas Janes’s death. She was 22 years old and was now a widow with four children, 4 years old and under, including twins and a two-month-old.
In Byrant’s Cove, or anywhere in outport Newfoundland, in the early 1900s, there were few or no benefits as we know them today. Organizations such as The Women’s Patriotic Association, Child Welfare Association, and Local Parish Support (often associated with the Church of England) distributed food, clothing, and other essentials to families struggling to make ends meet. Life for Marion Beatrice and her children was difficult for the next two years.
Peter Seward (1874-1953) was a crewman on a schooner visiting Harbour Grace when he met Marion Beatrice, and a relationship began. She moved to Gooseberry Cove, Newfoundland, with three of her children. The oldest, Archibald, stayed behind and lived with his grandparents, John William Janes and Esther Janes, in Byrant’s Cove, Newfoundland. Thomas, Marjorie, and Catherine Vera came to Gooseberry Cove. Peter and Marion Beatrice were married in Gooseberry Cove, Newfoundland, on 29 November 1916, and to my knowledge, not much happened in the family for the next 20 or so years.
I was four years old when Thomas was taken ill with an unknown disease. I remember Grandfather Seward and three other men travelled by boat to North West Brook and met the westbound train, where they transported James by boat to Southport, where he was carried by stretcher for the 2 km ride to Gooseberry Cove. He was blind. He died in 1940 at 28 years old. I do not recall Marjorie, nor have I been able to find any information on where she went. The 1935 Gooseberry Cove census shows none of Grandfather Seward’s family. When Grandfather and Beatrice moved to Clarenville in 1942, Marjorie was not with them. It can be assumed that she married or moved on with her life. She was then 30 years old. Catherine Vera James married Simeon Seward (1911-1995) and had at least nine children together: Marguerite, Joan, Marion, Eldon, Edwin, Lemuel, Daphne, Eleanor, and Sterling.
Peter and Marion Beatrice had eight children together: Ronald, Harriet, Bartholomew, Amelia, Nellie, Louisa, Mary Ethel, and Gertrude.
In 1942, when Grandfather was 79 years old, he quit fishing and moved to Clarenville, where he found employment at the Clarenville Shipyards. He worked there until 1951 when he worked for the town of Clarenville until late 1952. He died on 17 March 1953.
After Grandfather’s death, Marion Beatrice lived alone for many years until failing health when she lived with her stepson Richard, Dick Seward, who lived in the village of Southport. She moved back to her house in the summer when the weather got warmer. She went to live with her son, Ronald Seward, until deteriorating health caused her to move in with her step-granddaughter, Margaret Lethbridge, where she died on June 4, 1971.
My step-grandmother, Marion Beatrice Coombs, Janes/James, Seward lived in what must have been one of the difficult periods of the 1900s. She was widowed at an early age and left with four children at a time when there were no social benefits in Newfoundland, which made life difficult for many single-parent families. I believe the best years of her life were spent with Grandfather Peter. She lived for 18 years after he died, and from what I remember and learned later, that 18 years was not easy for her. Rest in peace, Grandmother.