The basics.

Reed is a very common surname indeed, millions in fact across the globe have the surname.  This is the story of a small branch of the family and other associated clans, from the Cornish town of Penzance.

Picture here is James Sidney Reed, my Great-Grandfather the first  Reed to settle permanently in Penzance.   His

Born in Nayland, Pembrokeshire in 1891, he was variously a soldier, a railway guard and an employee of the Penzance Gas Board.

His father John Style Reed worked for the Great Western Railway and had in fact lived in Penzance for a while, living in one of the many cottages in the Chyandour area of Penzance.

Originally from Barnstable in Devon, John Style Reed travelled all over the UK in the course of his job, Wales, Corwnwall, Birmingham ultimately settling in Reading Berkshire where he ultimately died and was buried.

In 1908 James Sidney Reed got tangled up in what in those days was considered a scandal.  At some point he met Phyllis Colesno a member of the Colenso family, that owned Penzance's leading businesses, Colenso the decorators - Founded her Grandfather RVT Colenso.  Phyllis became pregnant and gave birth to a baby in 1908 out of wedlock.  Family legend has it that James (often known as Sid) was called home to deal with the situation by his father, he was at the time an "artillery driver".

The baby called Sidney James Reed (Some sources Colenso) was only legitimised in 1911 some 6 months before the birth of their second son John Style Reed.





(Top left - James Sidney Reed, Bottom Left - Phyllis Colenso, Top Right Sidney James Reed, Bottom Right John Style Reed)

The 2 children were joined later by a younger sister Phyllis Eliza Reed, who sadly died in the 1930's of meningitis.  The death of Phyilis Eliza led to an interest in spiritualism from her parents, who founded the Penzance Spiritualist Church sometime after her death, a family link that still exists to this day.  

In later life James Sidney divorced and remarried.

Sidney James Reed grew up to serve as a chef on the great western railways dining cars, the third generation of his family to have this connection and was joined by his brother John (Known as Jan) at some point who worked variously as a shunter and guard over the majority of his adult life, including a spell on the now defunct Gwinear road railway to Helston, the principle station being next to the current site of Trevaskis farm.

John Style Reed married Rachel Ann May - A member of a Pendeen mining family.  They had three children John Style Reed (confusingly!) Sidney James Reed (Again !) and Phyllis Colenso Reed.  Sidney James Reed married Ada Drew.  They had 4 children, Phyllis Catherine Reed, Yvonne Reed, Sidney Reed (known as enny) and Ada Ann Reed (who died in infancy aged 2).

During the 2nd World War - Sidney James Reed (1908) served on the Royal Naval Vessel HMS Teazer a T-Class destroyer. While John Style Reed (1911) served on munitions trains being in a "reserved occupation".

(HMS Teazer in the late 1950's).