#Canada #USA #Wales #Zouaves
Bernard Henry VRAIN‘s early life is unclear. I believe his father was Thomas VRAIN (TBA – TBA) but can’t find the evidence for this now and no idea on mother. He may have had siblings but can’t confirm any details. It’s possible the surname VRAIN was originally VARIN as that seems more common in Quebec, Canada.
Records appear to indicate Bernard was born in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. There is a Baptism of a Henri VARIN in 1847 at St Jacques/St Phillipe, St Ambroise de Kildare, Quebec which is about 60 miles away from Trois-Rivieres. [It’s not just because it’s in French that I can’t translate to see what it says but because it’s so unclear.] There is however a Henry VARIN in Quebec in the 1871 Census, born circa 1847 in the area, who is married and so it may be his record instead.
So Bernard’s early life has no evidence but we know that he was in Italy by 1870. At this date the Italian Army invaded the Papal States and he was a member of the Pope’s army and took part in the defence of Rome. The Papal Zouaves 1 came about in the 1860s and seemed to be based on the French Army who had created the Zouaves as a class of light infantry regiments in the 1830s.
They were defeated and he was taken prisoner with the other Zouaves for a long time and after this they disbanded. He has headed to England and ended up in Cardiff. This is presumably after 02 April 1871 since he doesn’t appear on Census.
He gained engagement at the Bute Dock offices and then was appointed Purser for the Iron Screw Steamer Glamorgan. This and its sister ship Pembroke were built for trade between Cardiff and New York. It was launched on 04 September 1872 and registered with South Wales Atlantic Steamship Company on 10 October 1872.
He was clearly a very religious person and married Ellen Alicia GAVIN (1849 – 1881) on 01 August 1874 at St Peters Roman Catholic Church. He would have been 27 and she 25. It would presumably have been a fairly quiet affair since her father had died year before and her mother three months earlier in May 1874. She had nine siblings and three had died before their parents with the youngest two not surviving childhood.
Her sister Emily Harriet GAVIN (1852 – 1886) married just 4 days later and then moved to the Isle of Wight with her new husband and two of her brothers. It’s possible Ellen’s child out of wedlock, Gordon Bedford GAVIN (1870 – 1950), was not something of which Bernard was ever made aware especially since it was before he was in the country.
They have their firstborn, a son, on 14 February 1876 in Cardiff called Eugene Aloytius Valentine VRAIN (1876 – 1952). Presumably the Valentine was unplanned addition due to the date of arrival.
Sadly, the transatlantic shipping venture failed 2 and the vessel was re-registered at Liverpool with another company on 19 July 1876 so he must have finished before this date.
Less than eleven months after the first they have a second son on 06 January 1877. He was called Hyacinth Bernard Gavin VRAIN (1877 – 1904) and then Gerard Ignatius Paul VRAIN (1878 – 1924) who was born on 16 December 1878 also in Cardiff. He is known as Paul later in life. Another two of Ellen’s siblings have died by this point when at the age of 24. They had both been on the Isle of Wight with Emily.
Bernard had rejoined the Bute Dock offices and listed as Clerk in the Slaters Commercial Directory of 1880. His address is Richmond Road, Cardiff. This is in the similar area of Cardiff to that which her some of Ellen’s siblings had been moving around during their lives.
A daughter comes along about December 1880 as she is described as 4 months old on the 03 April 1881 Census. The address as 9 Richmond Road. Bernard is 35, born in Canada and a Dock Clerk, whilst Ellen is described as 30 (did she knock a couple of years off her age?). They have a 15-year-old girl living there as a servant.
We find Bernard presumably networking as he attends The Conservative Banquet 3 in June 1881. The fact he’s added as an addendum of gentlemen 4 means he must have been of a certain class since there were about 1200 attendees. [A previous article implies there was one in April that year as well and the Marquess of Bute allowed them to use the Drill Hall]
Their daughter was called Ursula Mary Bernadette Soubirous VRAIN (1880 – 1881) and sadly died before 27 August 1881. She was just eight months old. Her father was present at the death and informant on death certificate. She died of fluid on the brain which she’d apparently had for seven days. There is some reference to a baby being prone if the mother gets an infection, like mumps, whilst pregnant and so it’s possible she had been unwell from birth.
He is listed on a Committee to Promote the Election of Messrs Morgan and Waring in the Cardiff Municipal Election, East Ward, per The Western Mail of 21 October 1881. [There has been a bit more evidence of his time in Cardiff found in the newspapers whilst researching the biography of his spouse which is held offline].
Ellen herself passes away on 28 October 1881, aged 32, leaving him with three boys under the age of 6. They were still living at 9 Upper Richmond Road, Cardiff. She had had Phthisis for 9 months so must have had Tuberculosis or similar wasting disease whilst pregnant. Her brother Rollo was present at the death and was the informant on the death certificate.
Hard to know what Bernard decides to do next with his life. Can’t be easy working and looking after three young boys without any family of your own. It is possible Ellen’s remaining brothers would have wanted to help but they weren’t married at the time either and all working themselves.
The next few years there isn’t much evidence but presumably he stays around Cardiff involved in local business, politics and religion it would seem. He’s listed as attending a Grand Ball in February 1886 which was held at the Lesser Park Hall. This was in connection with the Roman Catholic community around Cardiff with dancing starting at 9pm and going on until a late hour.
The other newspaper article found is from 03 June 1890. He has attended a preliminary meeting because friends of the late Father SIGNINI of St Peter’s Church wish to erect a memorial to him. It was decided upon to provide an organ in his name. Mr VRAIN is written as donating £1 1s. [Found reference to one church organ of that year costing £619 10s]. It is installed 5 over the next year or so and the old organ moved to a Chapel.
We don’t find him in the 1891 Census so possibly in the United States getting ready for his remaining family to re-join him. But we do find the boys in what appears to be the option he took which was to install them in a boarding school.
They are at Stonyhurst College which is based in Clitherloe, Lancashire. It is still going as a Roman Catholic school and was founded in 1593 and they have been based at that location since 1794. [Thanks to their archive team know the boys were in boarding school in Bath before this educational establishment].
Sir Arthur Conan DOYLE 6 (1859 – 1930) attended the Jesuit preparatory school Hodder Place, Stonyhurst aged 9 in 1868 and then attended Stonyhurst college until 1875. He must have had a similar experience to them just circa 18 years before.
On 06 March 1894 the three boys, now aged 18, 17 and 15, are found onboard a ship from Swansea to New York. The voyage will take 25 days. They seem to be the only three passengers so perhaps it’s more of a cargo ship and using his contacts to get them over the sea.
Sadly, the next record we find is Bernard’s death 7 on 31 December 1896. This was in Manhattan, New York and he wasn’t even 50 years of age. He apparently died from Bright’s Disease. He is buried in Saint Michaels Cemetery, East Elmhurst, New York 8.
Although it is doubtful he spent much time with his boys whilst they were growing up, although he may have visited them in Lancashire, you would assume he had been looking forward to spending more time with them.
Eugene, known as Valentine, enlisted in the New York Guard Service in 1898. On 18 July 1899 married Margaret BELL (1876 – 1968) and they had 5 children over 12 years. Sadly, the last boy only lived for three years but the other children lived until the 1980s and 1990s. In the 1900 census though they are living in Brooklyn and he’s working as a Bookkeeper. In about 1910 they changed surname to ST VRAIN. It would appear they left New York after 1940 for New Jersey and he died there in 1952.
Hyacinth can’t seem to find anything about until he died on 08 October 1904 in Kings, New York. He was just 27. Another member of the family who died from a TB related illness it seems.
Gerard married Mary Francis POWELL (1880 – 1968) on 15 November 1905 and don’t believe they had any children. At 39 he has signed up to fight, paperwork dated 1917-1918 He died on 10 May 1924.
Bernard Henry VRAIN‘s wife was my 3x Great Grandmother Ellen Alicia GAVIN (1849 – 1881).
Footnotes –
Most research undertaken using Ancestry, FreeBMD and Google Maps. Additional resources listed below if utilised.
- Wikipedia, Zouave – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zouave ↩︎
- Clyde Ships – http://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?year_built=&builder=&ref=21275&vessel=GLAMORGAN ↩︎
- The National Library of Wales, Welsh Newspapers – https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3440717/3440725/101/conservative%20banquet ↩︎
- The National Library of Wales, Welsh Newspapers – https://newspapers.library.wales/view/4478737/4478740/70/Vrain# ↩︎
- St Peter’s Church, Roath, Cardiff – https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/2e5fc53b/files/uploaded/1830-1800-st-peters-historydownload.pdf ↩︎
- Wikipedia, Arthur Conan Doyle – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle ↩︎
- The National Library of Wales, Welsh Newspapers – https://newspapers.library.wales/view/4312865/4312869/57 ↩︎
- Find A Grave – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206452818/bernard-vrain ↩︎