Adria Isobel TODD [417]

  General Notes:

1939 Register
Wentworth House The Green , Richmond M.B., Surrey
Adria I Todd20 Jul 1870 Single Private Means

Charlie Fenn in a letter to his brother Harry in New Zealand dated July 1945 writes:
"The two dear old ladies at Wentworth House are having a hard time, or rather Adria is for she has to bear all the burdens and anxieties, bombs have on two occasions almost destroyed the house, they are without maid's, Enid Routh and a weird friend of hers called Hamilton Fraser I have never met her but she seems to be a somewhat hypochondrieal sort of person, she hails from New Zealand, somewhere in your locality, I think Adria finds her more a trouble than a help.
Poor Adria, she was so long the petted lamb of the family and now in her old age, to be the drudge, but she bears it all nobly.
Ella and I have the greatest admiration for Adria Todd.

  Other Records

1. Census: England, 3 Apr 1881, 83 High St Putney Wandsworth LND. Adria is recorded as a daughter aged 10 born Putney SRY

2. Census: England, 5 Apr 1891, 2 The Terrace Richmond SRY. Adria is recorded as a daughter unmarried aged 20 born Putney

3. Adria Isobel Todd: Letters to Harry Fenn NZ, 1 Dec 1945-21 Jun 1946, Richmond SRY.
Wentworth house
Richmond
Surrey
Dec 1st 1945
My dear Harry
We were so pleased to have your nice long letter that reached us yesterday, and of course very interested to hear about your children, it is sad we cannot see them. I hope your daughter will be as great a comfort and help you as Nancy is to Charlie. He was here a few days ago and we thought looking better, he is very good in coming to see us. I cannot go there as I cannot leave Mabel for long at a time, for although she is wonderfully better, she is helpless and cannot move without help. We are very grieved you should be so troubled with headaches, it is bad luck. I do hope the doctor will find out the reason and the cure. I think it is dreadful not to be able to sleep. I think the aftermath of the war are (sic) worse than the 6 years it lasted, but I suppose they are bound to be, and possibly we expected too much too soon.
Dolly is staying with us for a time. We are very glad to have her, she is kind in shopping for me and is a great help in many ways, I think she seems very well and happy. Thank you for your letter dear Margo (I cannot call dear old Harry's wife Mrs Fenn). The house is really quite clean and comfortable again and I hope by the spring things may be shipshape again. You must have your hands very full, I think it's wonderful how one gets used to doing things that appeared almost impossible. I am afraid I am a very bad hand at letters and have little time these days when any help in housework is so difficult.
With our love and best wishes
yours affectionately
Adria I Todd
Written on 3 sides of 2 sheets of notepaper.

Wentworth house
Richmond
Surrey
June 21, 1946
My dear Margo and Harry,
A parcel of wonderful things arrived yesterday, they were so beautifully packed, they could not do other than reach us safely, how to thank you we do not know. Somehow you selected things we seldom see here, I had quite forgotten there was such a thing as arrowroot. Soap they say will soon be off the market, so I suppose we shall soon be a race of black people! fortunately we had a stock still. We have just seen a charming photo of Margo and the little girl she must be a great joy and interest to you, and it is so good for Edward to have someone to play with how I wish we could see your children. Van came to see us yesterday, he looks well and has not altered much, Charlie and Nancy are very good in coming when they can. We miss Ella are very much we were both very fond of her, she was so kind to us always. Nancy is a wonderful daughter so capable and nice in every way and looks after her father well. Dolly is restless and only comes here for a few weeks at a time, she is always looking for a flat, but it must be in Boscombe, but they say like Richmond it is very overcrowded. Mabel is well on the whole but it is sad to see her so helpless and tied to a chair. She can manage to walk from one room to another with help, but I fear she will never be able to walk alone. Weather here is against her, it's not a bit like June, cold and sunless and we still have fires! Adria seems well and happy with her friend Mrs Rowden, the only unfortunate thing is that she is a bit of an invalid or fancies she is and Adria is rather tied to her. I do hope you are better now that you have an easier time, and that your wife and children are well and strong.
Mabel sends her love and ever so many thanks for your lovely gifts, it was just sweet of you to think of us.
With much love,
Yours affectionately
Adria.
Written on an airletter to H.L.Fenn Esq Park Street Glen-ite (sic) Nr Timaru New Zealand