Lily (Day) Roffey (abt. 1877 - 1910)

Born about 14 Oct 1877 in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Wife of John Wilson Roffey — married 19 Jun 1906 in East London, Cape Colony, South Africa

Died 21 Mar 1910 at about age 32 in At sea enroute to Cape Town, South Africa from Spain.

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Biography

Lily (Day) Roffey was born in Devon, England.

Lily's headstone states that she was born on 14 Oct 1877. Her birth was registered in Exeter, Devon, England, in the last quarter of 1878. ^[1] and her date of death was registered as 19 March 1910 aged 33. According to her birth registration and the date of birth on her headstone, she would have been in her 33rd year.

Her sister Rose's birth was registered in the first quarter of 1878, 9 months ahead of Lily's. Rose's death record, states that she died on 29 June 1947, aged 69 and 7 months. If this is correct, it means that Rose was born between 30 October 1877 and 29 November 1877, which is 2 - 6 weeks after Lily's stated date of birth. Are one of these dates incorrect? Were Rose and Lily twins? If so, why were their births registered 9 months apart?

No baptism records have been found. Can you add anything?

Lily migrated to South Africa with her family in 1880 and her mother died in 1884 when Lily was about 6 or 7 years old. Her mother's death was not registered until 1888, just days before her father remarried. It is assumed this was due to a clerical oversight.

Her father died of a gunshot wound to the head, in the family home , in 1897 when Lily was 18 years old. It apeared to have been suicide, but there were no apparent reasons for this. There was no suicide note, he was by all accounts a very cheerful man, and his business 'Daly & Day aerated water', was prosperous.

Lily married John Wilson Roffey in 1906 ^[2]and she and her husband lived in Spain for some time. They were travelling by sea from Vigo, Spain back to South Africa, via Southamton, England, ^[3], preumably because Lily was terminally ill. She Lily of cancer at sea, a day before they reached Cape Town. ^[4]She was 32 years old.

She was buried at Maitland cemetery ^{[5] [6]} and shares a headstone with her sister Rose, her brother in law David Boyd and her nephew David Harry Boyd.

Sources

1. ↑ Name: Lily Day Registration Year: 1878 Registration Quarter: Oct-Nov-Dec Registration District: Exeter Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District Inferred County: Devon Volume: 5b Page: 38
2. ↑ South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers, 1801-2004", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6NW6-MHTR : Mon Oct 30 06:25:12 UTC 2023), Entry for John Wilson Roffey and Lily Day, 19 Jun 1906.
3. ↑ UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960 View Image View Record NameMr John Wilson RoffeyPort of DepartureBuenos Aires, ArgentinaArrival Date26/02/1910 (26 Feb 1910)Port of ArrivalSouthampton, EnglandPorts of VoyageBuenos Aires; Montevideo; Santos; Rio de Janeiro; Madeira; Lisbon and VigoShip NameAragonShipping LineRoyal Mail Steam Packet CompanyOfficial Number120707Household Members
4. ↑ UK, Registers and Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Passengers and Seamen at Sea, 1891-1922 View imageView record Record details Name Mrs Lily Roffey Gender Female Nationality British Death Age 33 Record Type Death Birth Date abt 1877 Birth Place Devonshire Death Date 21 Mar 1910 Death Place At Sea Ship Kinfauns Castle Occupation 2nd Class Passenger
5. ↑ South Africa, Cape Province, Civil Deaths, 1895-1972," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVSC-3TV6 : 8 August 2017), Lily Roffey, 21 Mar 1910, Wynberg, Cape Province, South Africa; citing National Archives, Pretoria; FHL microfilm 1,887,130
6. ↑ Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK1V-TD99 : 15 December 2015), Lily Roffey, 1910; Burial, Maitland, City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa, Maitland Cemetery; citing record ID 146016916, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

• http://www.southafricansettlers.com/