A Family History of William Llewdeth Thomas and Martha Jane Bennett

Descendants
Violet Dedwydd Thomas

1-Violet Dedwydd Thomas, daughter of William Llewdeth Thomas and Martha Jane Bennett, was born on 14 Jan 1884 in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia and died on 26 Dec 1909 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia at age 25. Violet had come to Sydney from New Zealand for the purpose of obtaining an illegal abortion. She developed blood poisoning following the procedure and died at the Paddington Women's Hospital in Sydney where she had gone to seek help after becoming ill. She is buried in the Rookwood Cemetery in the Auburn suburb of Sydney.

Violet had a relationship with an unnamed male which resulted in the birth of a son: Ronald. Ronald took the last name of Jones after Violet married Thomas Leslie Jones in 1906.

2-Ronald Jones was born on 10 Dec 1904 in Newtown, New South Wales, Australia, died on 5 Feb 1971 in Wellington, New Zealand and was cremated at Korari Cemetery. Ronald served in the New Zealand Army in World War II as a journalist.

Ronald married Evelyn Jane Isbister Watson, daughter of Frederick John Watson and Eva Elizabeth Wilson on 19 Aug 1929 in New Zealand. Evelyn was born on 23 March 1909 in Dunedin, Canterbury, New Zealand and died on 11 Jul 1988 in Dunedin, Canterbury, New Zealand at age 79. Ronald and Evelyn were divorced and she later married John (Jack) Kenyon.

Ronald next married Maura Evelyn Donnelly, daughter of William Henry and Mabel Evelyn Donnelly, in 1944 in New Zealand. Maura was born in 1913 and died on 17 Jan 1974 in Wellington, New Zealand and was buried at Korari Cemetery. They had one son Rhys.

3-Rhys Jones birth date is unknown. The New Zealand cemetery index at ancestry.com states he died on 17 Jan 1974 in Wellington, New Zealand and was buried at Karori Cemetery in the same plot as his mother. I am not sure this is correct. He is mentioned on his mother's headstone in the plot Area 02 Block A Row 9 Plot 12 but not as if he was buried there. The inscription reads ILMO Maura Jones dearly loved wife of Ronald and loved mother of Rhys d 17 Jan 1974 at 60 yrs RIP.  No further information on Rhys has been found at this time.

Violet married Thomas Leslie Jones, son of David Jones and Jane Hamer, on 21 Jul 1905 in St Leonards, New South Wales. Thomas was born in 1879 in Richmond, Victoria and died on 20 Nov 1907 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia at age 28. Thomas and Violet had a son, Ralph Leslie Jones, who was born 13 months after their marriage on 31 Aug 1906. The marriage seems to have been a troubled one. The couple did not live together and Violet was suing him for maintenance which he refused to pay. In 1907 Thomas committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.  Newspaper articles claimed he was despondent over his marriage. After his death Violet moved to New Zealand with Ronald but it appears from a newspaper article after her death that Ralph remained in Australia under state control in Auburn. In December of 1909, Violet came to Sydney from New Zealand for the purpose of obtaining an illegal abortion. She developed blood poisoning following the procedure and died at at the Paddington Women's Hospital in Sydney where she had gone to seek help when she became ill.

2-Ralph Leslie Jones was born on 31 Aug 1906 in Paddington, New South Wales, Australia and died on 24 Nov 1984 in Bendalong, New South Wales, Australia at age 78. He was buried at the Lakeside Memorial Park and Crematorium in the Dapto suburb of Wollongong in New South Wales.

Ralph married Ellen Margaret Hennessy in 1930 in Five Dock, New South Wales, Australia. They had four children: Leonard, Ronald, Kathleen, and Ralph.

3-Leonard Jones was born in 1930. 

3-Ronald Jones was born in 1932. 

3-Kathleen Jones was born in 1940. 

3-Ralph Jones was born in 1942. 

(Note: In the Documents and Articles section of this web site there are copies of the Coroner's Inquests for both Violet and Thomas as well as newspaper articles on their respective deaths).

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Last Update: February 2016

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Stephany Smith
 smithsg@heathsmith.com