James Eames Died at age 35

Troy, Missouri

James Eames died at the age of 35 with a ruptured blood vessel in his lungs on April 7, 1883 in Brynmawr, Wales.  How do I know that James died and what he died from? I found his death record in England and I sent for it.                                                                           
Fanny wrote the following letter a couple of months after James died to Edwin and Cora Eames in Missouri. Jonny Eames was four years old at the time.

115 Worcester East

Brynmawr, Breconshire, Wales

June 12, 1883

My Dear Brother & Sister,

I cannot tell you with what joy I received your kind letter on the 28^th of May last and also on June 8^th. I can assure you it was highly appreciated to think that you should send assistance such a number of miles to a person you never saw but you have the same mind as my dear husband or, if he could but know what care is taken of me and his dear children whom he was so widely passionately fond of. It seems such a long time for me but he is forever out of my sight. What a cruel thing is death; it steals into all classes but whoever it goes, it casts agloom for many a long weary month. 

Jonny does not talk much of his Dada now but he was for a long time asking when it would be Saturday for the funeral or come and fetch his Dada back to have supper. It was very hard to make him believe he never would see him again, but I told him one day he never would. And he only said, “Oh, well then, Mama, I will be your Dady now and work like he did and give you all the money like him and all”. So you see, he is a little Eames in nature. He is a very bright youth and goes to school regular. James used to say he would make a clever man for his Dada & I think he will but his poor little father will not have to see it.

My Dear Brother, I would have written to you before but the money order was made payable at New York instead of Brynmawr. So we had to send it to London and they returned it to Brynmawr Post Office and I received the 2 pounds 1s 1p this morning for which we all return our sincere thanks to you and your dear wife. I should be so glad to receive your photo. You mentioned in your kind letter about making a home for me and my family with you in America.  I am sure it is very kind of you really, but my dear parents would feel it very acutely, to part with me and especially the little ones. I have always lived next door to them and was never from home only to have a change of air in the summer times so you…. 

Fanny Eames

Fanny became a widow at 27. Later she married Mr. Jenner who helped raise John and Nellie Eames. Fanny had 11 more children. 

John Richard Eames was in the Boer War in South Africa but had returned to England in 1899. He married just after he turned 21 in June of 1899 and had two children. He lived in Brynmawr, Brecon, Wales in 1900 and later in 1907 he became a local preacher. 

Nellie Eames married a Mr. Davies on July 23, 1904 in Wales and they had three daughters.  Her husband was an ambulance man. They lived in Beaufort, Wales during 1903 and 1904 where her mother’s family had lived.

Trying to go forward in search of living cousins is thrice as hard as going backward in search of your roots. Remember to search everyone in the family because many times it helps to find the next generation on your pedigree lines.