The LATE Mrs Kerven :  1907 – 1973

West Virginia-France-England-Kenya-Harwell village :

Report oral & photos-documents-etc– shorthand  :

 

  “ You really had to know the Late Mrs Kerven to understand her … SHE WAS POWERFUL and SHE WAS MAD … and no one opposed her … they`d come from Kenya - we`d hear from the village, sometimes she would speak to we young people just in our teens ... You have to understand that nothing like this had ever come to a little town and an old fashioned village (Didcot & Harwell) :  she had twin sons – one a Sir – the other worked in the British Museum ... Well, the family had been over at Wallingford from the beginning of the century – a big house Whitecross now a nursing home :  Everybody in the area visited and tried give a bit of help – but there were difficulties you had to understand – we`d been told after a bit to keep away – they had drugs & things – a companion could get them in Soho too – places Mrs Kerven had known in the 1930s the Wartime – before she married again and returned to Kenya 1950 or so :

 

1964 that winter into the next years 65-66 , this was soon after the arrival from Kenya to The Walnut Cottage the Townsend owned by old friends of Mrs Kerven, the Police got up there when things became a bit too mad – but everybody tried do the right thing like a village does ... Then a young woman came from London to take the two children out weekends ... Only later did we hear of a matter that gave Mrs Kerven a change of heart you might say ... seems she had known people early on in her childhood in America who had some philanthropy going on ... Mr Morris next door, the Wing-Commander both Wars, would go in and talk ... serious matters we heard – we were not to enquire should we or neighbours chance to hear things ... ”  

 

“ HARWELL VILLAGE for a THOUSAND YEARS ” publ. 1985 :

 

“  From 1944 over in the Winter-brook House Mrs Freeman`s big farm house came visiting old people from the art and literature world, & you`d get introductions if you were interested in their activities – the Arts & Crafts world turn of the centuries was of interest to village people ...  You`d get an invitation to the tea-parties if you were thinking of studying in those areas :  The ATOMIC up on the Downs brought interesting figures into this community – we had Dr Fuchs before he had to leave in a hurry and a man called Pontecorvo & his family,  & Dr Jack Dunman ran the polite little Communist Party who kept vegetable gardens ... the village ticked on ... as it had down the centuries I suppose ...”

 

Well,  Mrs Freeman had studied art beginning of the century & gone abroad for more study in the 1920s & her paintings and those of her friends were all over her walls – I know that you could ask to look at a particular painting if you were interested ... Late 1920s  she returned and taught in London schools for free – she`d a friend who was able to introduce art into a well known London Prison even though this was generally disapproved of by education circles we supposed :  Well, Mrs Freeman, her friends called her Mary or Mollie, gave her salaries for scholarships :  But there were old tragedies here that some of them knew about – you learned perhaps that danger visited keeping an eye on the village & some big houses round about .  Our elders knew more & warned us to keep clear if you asked questions ... But we had our own lives to pursue ... away from the village you forgot a lot of this ... ”

 

I, Greta Ransom W. come to The Pillar House 4 February 1968 – a best butchers in area is next door – I enter to order a chicken for Sunday – the sausages are being made up in a hand machine – best pork herbs bread crumbs I am assured & that children love them not too strong :  I am told by the 2 Bosley brothers that `our countryman ANDRE has called – your Guardian – we are from France – fled to your part of the country East Anglia where Andre comes from too ... he collects the order for Mrs B. ? his old friend ... ` :  weak in the knees am I  !

I hear how  `our Andre whose books we always read`  knows their French village – all have the same grandfather 4 and 5 generations back – visit every 2 years – come back with hang-overs` lasting 2 weeks – Its that French wine – we do not get used to is in such quantities – we take our beer but its not polite to refuse the wine at family gatherings ...`

 

I making this first visit am addressed as `young Mrs Whitehead` because they remember the Mrs Whitehead 1930s visiting to nearby Family Wallingford on the Thames with the twins – she who now lives down the bottom of the village the Towns End Cow Lane  ... My head goes quite blank ... some icy fear ... But I am used to being followed about 1940s- 1950s-1960s - it is about a great piece of world philanthropy destroyed ... This is a new life in an ancient village – But next door the Butchers talk of `Andre our countryman` and are well read in his books ... :  I think its best not to think at all – smart talk has never come to my tongue with ease – I could have done with a clear memory here & my postal communications :  & at last hear of the removal into Lunatic Asylums of ignorant dope-addict maniacs :

 

1970 January - ANDRE MALRAUX is telling P.J.P. Whitehead how he walked into the Bosley (`Boozlie`) best Butchers next door to be greeted in perfect French with the accent of a village in France where he has friends round about ... they have had some sing-songs down the lane ... they were sorry I was too shy to come ... But learning where MALRAUX was the usual Scotland Noble MANIACS were creeping around 4 days later – this can be followed in the 3 Parts scaffolding assembled from Records called  “1937 SUMMER Andre Malraux, Josette Clotis, Greta Ransom CLACTON-on-Sea & West GREENLAND –with photos” – www.greta-ransom.com – et al 

 

    

 

Genealogy :   1907 March - Gertrud `Teddy` Ostrander Palmer b. West Virginia to John C. Palmer, Lawyer, lecturer & poet Ogelby Rhymers club – Library of Congress records :  & his wife Virginia Ostrander - Vasa Graduate – (Ancestry recorded well – 1 Daguerroutype portrait family members c 1850s ) has 1 sister Kathleen m Joseph Sparkman Yacht Makers life President New York Yacht Club – families knew THOMAS GROTE HOMES USA & widow Margaret Grote 1920s-1930s New York visits – many other prominent persons who knew Tiggy & Margaret nee Ransom Grote present at these family & connections social occasions 1890s-1930s ) :

 

G.O.P. called `Teddy` :- 1^st m 1929 Vance Memorial Church, white wedding,  Philip Henry Rathbone Whitehead whom she meets 1927 at ARCACHON France – she residing with family of a young psychologist Dr YVONNE VILLEMUR who have a small hotel Arcachon :  1927 the Palmer family have agreed this daughter on fashionable `DOPES` G.O.P. knick named `Teddy whom they had to put in the Lunatic Asylum for trying to poison an old Aunt, go for re-habilitation to FRANCE – young Dr Y. Villemur returning from a 2 years Study at Chattanooga University arranges she do an Art course at Bordeaux – the `dope` habit was never cured - & grafted on from her childhood and teens the fashionable cults of the early 20^th century into the 1920s, merging with black witchcraft into aspects of ill-understood FUTURISM =  & perhaps shock of the slaughter Europe 1^st World War, also awareness of world mounting Depression & rise of  “ that Clown Hitler ”

 

(  LIR 1952 asked to fly into CHINA,  hears their opinion ` of 50 years of the 20^th century ruined by the West and letting that Clown Hitler in ...”

  “ now they are sending US philosophy !”  ) 

 

1920s = Britain, Europe and America had Lethal dopes, cocktails & hard liquors easily available :  G.O.P.  says she stuck to Cocaine as all sensible Americans did –  “ ... HEROIN Deearh makes a Saint sin ... ”   She came to know that London fashionable persons used a dope that had them on the go for 4 days – then they crashed out and 5 days after this their servants would chip them out of Rigor Mortis dearh – Ah did not think that FUN – Ah stuck tah cocaine – but in Kenya heroin was cheaper than sugar ... ”  

 

Readers can find sensible reading matter on the early 20^th century –  find their way in some manner amongst these decades 1920s and 1930s ... :  

 

RECORDS :  Rathbone-Whitehead family :  Philip Henry Rathbone Whitehead in 1^st W. War – mentioned in despatches – a cousin is Basil Rathbone actor-films & young brother John Vivien Rose Rathbone of Westminster School killed 1916 – friend Errol Flynn survives but actor Guy Benson Rathbone actor Stratford etc. died 1916 in this Great War =  Some survived able to make a worthwhile life - others experienced shock & dismay over this GREAT WAR & all Wars – some tried make sense in art-music-books they write :   Reader has to find their way through all this – perhaps helped this present day by the 100 years Remembrance 1914-1918 :

 

As a child I would hear about this War supposed to end all Wars by those who had survived – Sunday cemetery visits and afternoon tea winter summer of 1937 had us know another WAR was inevitable ... All that summer 1937 I am with Andre Malraux & Josette Clotis a young lady writer – we have my grandmother Mary Gordon just widowed – but my RANSOM families have had to leave late July 1937 for a RESCUE in SPAIN ... it failed ... Hemingway author is trying tell Andre Malraux summer 1945 of the most terrible tragedy to a member of the family Estate to which he is official GUARDIAN in the legal Will of Margaret Ransom GROTE ... but all communications were so successfully cut from 1938 to see MALRAUX did not learn of his Guardianship in legal Will USA to The THOMAS GROTE HOMES for Children & Ransom worldwide Estate (Estate in 3 Parts – administered by GROTE BROKERS New York ) ... a GENOCIDE resulted 1938 – 1950s :

 

Malraux accepting employment from General Charles de Gaulle in 1945-46 aided mightily the DECEIT to hide the  “ greatest crime of mankind – of the earth ... ”  as an old Lord said when he was presented with the facts in 1960 = adding   “ the clowns the clowns – they have gone mad ... insane ... ”  By January 1960 it was known who the organizers were and many of those who enjoyed the violence to get themselves money-properties-investments around the world including thousands of miles of SEAS EDGES that they so quickly wrecked, dirtied, to get quick monies ...         

 

THE 1^st WORLD WAR 1914=1918  :  Philip H.R.Whitehead  stayed in the British Army & was posted to Ireland – he and others became dismal over matters there – He joined the family firms Rathbone Shipping aided by relatives Greg  (of Quarry Bank ) Liverpool :  Decides to buy farm Kenya Sotik  (Diary 1928-1929)  begins as a Coffee farmer 1929/1934  (many photos)  - retires 1940s selling Whitecross Wallingford and takes Culham Farm with 2^nd wife  (Margery nee Paulin of Kenya Railways – Debrett Peerage info. ) raised in Kenya :  issue 1^st marriage identical twin sons Rowland and Peter :  divorce from `Teddy` 1936 –

 

From 1929 to 1934 visits are made with twins ( born 24 June 1930 Nairobi Maia Carberry Nursing Home ) twice yearly to the English relatives at Wallingford & American relatives West Virginia & New York – photos on Liners :  Photographs, documents, letters cover years 1900s-1940s-to 1990s ... (Debrett Peerage from 1888 when James Whitehead Trader-Merchant of Orton-Appleby-Cumbria becomes a Lord Mayor of London & raises money for Shanghai Famine & other matters ) 

 

2^nd m 1949 David Kerven educated St Paul`s School London … divorce 1960/61 – she arrives in HARWELL Village November 1964 by Cargo boat – met by her twin sons – they short of money – elder become Sir R. since early death of father New Year Eve 1953 has debts of 45 thousand pounds by 1969 – stupidity with whizz-kids & those the City of London tries help ... HEROIN & the smart life ruled ...

 

NB:    “ VILE TREACHERY ”  ... the GROTE-Ransom-Weddell Estate moneys, properties used illegally by the twins from winter 1967-68 – with the old ARISTOCRAT Gangs claiming that `AN OLD ESKIMO (Margaret nee Ransom Mrs Tiggy Grote)  had gone mad & bought lands & was financially in trouble – the usual cunning lies of those short of unearned `DOUGH` ) ... Serious matter was, of course, that the GENOCIDE of the GROTE HOMES children worldwide 1938-1950s had to remain hidden – Recall that the green & blue seashores of the globe had been quickly dirtied by Scots Earls & their obscene ramparts ... Intelligent people frightened by the GENOCIDE :  knowing only maniacs of low intelligence & high cunning with MIGHT POWER  could carry out this obscene so very well organized crime ...

 

      

 

“  another REPORT :    the late Mrs Kerven, `Teddy` the village were to call her - she went a term to Chattanooga University age 17 years – but had hit DOPE – been 1 year Lunatic Asylum for poisoning the aunt of her uncle Doctor Joseph Belle Palmer (he retires with family to Salt Lake City)  - the family owned this Loony-bin – she would talk her head off :   The Wing Commander Mr Morris & his wife would go in her cottage and talk – they`d all got people they knew in common at sometime years back – after the first war ended :   Seems she had come from a fairly good family – but we`d hear of an Uncle who the others, brothers & older relatives had to get to shoot himself  ( 1912 Curren Palmer – known to be insane – Newspapers )  or they`d hand him over to the Lynching party come from Wellsburg – saw photo – nasty spiteful face – travelled in chemistry-drugs – Curren Palmer ... she seems to have called him up as some kind of GHOUL when she went mad on DOPE ... ”   : 

 

` At Chattanooga University was a young woman come to study for 2 years in psychology :    So the family let this problem daughter go with her, the Psychoanalyst age 28 years a Doctor Yvonne Villemur to her home in France Bordeaux  -  the parents ran a small Hostelry :  they enrolled her in a University School of Art - accepted for 9 months – then outbreak of lunatic behaviour again  – She takes off to Paris - Americans in Paris try help her – she was fairly well connected - meets Philip H.R Whitehead and friend Pat - soldiers from 1<sup>st</sup> world War then Irish duties`  :

 

` He has idea to farm coffee Sotik :

Church Marriage 1929 (newspapers) & her family believe she will find her feet now – come on English visit to his parents Wallingford - photographs :   HEROIN-COCAINE – the popular drugs – she believes she is a great artist then a `Natural anthropologist` - she`d talk about this :   Communist Party - tries poison the Librarian of Marx House 1940s – not kill him but have him unable to do his job – she would then take over his job :  She joins USA Red Cross London :   Does art lessons evenings Camberwell :  But drugs & heavy drinking – meets a young man gets married – he keen to try Kenya ...`  :

 

( Marx House – 1981 Betty Read & colleague visit Greta Ransom W. at The Pillar House – pleased to have books which will be valued by historians – lacking their own copies :  ... tells me history of the 2^nd World War years ... and I add information on the wonderful Clacton-on-Sea teachers we had come from retirement ... Hugo Rathbone a Founder member of British Communist party – his daughter a famous harpsichordist ...)  

 

 

1920s THE BOX OF PANDORA HAS BEEN OPENED :  the bird of HOPE has lost air power, feathers, & sweet song … 

 

THE LATE MRS KERVEN - HARWELL :

`She came from Kenya to HARWELL Townsend the cottage owned by the Merrits … its November 1964 -

There`s a letter about it  - got a lift on a cargo boat Mombasa I believe it was - she had not waited for a Liner UGANDA to sail because she was wanted by Kenya Police in connection with Witchcraft trials some years before - they had been looking for her for 2 years - a white American woman … with twins born in Kenya … the first white twins perhaps … Kenya Black Police pulling itself up a bit by then … but her son with the   title got her off ... he had to attend the annual Policemans Balls ... give them a cheque ... wonder where the money came from ...    `

 

“  YOU HAD TO KNOW HER to understand her - She was mad & she was powerful when she first came … SHE COULD TALK THE HIND LEG OFF A DONKEY - She had two sons - twins … one came with his 2 small children to live with her … THE WELFARE SERVICES were worried … the mother was found not to be ill very much … then she suddenly died in Ireland we were told …

 

Oh it was about money - everybody around knew this - but another matter  came up after the Pillar House was bought - we heard some people who had been in the last War were very worried - about a lot of children killed to get money … odd people came around – Mrs Kerven would lock herself in the cottage when alone – she was frightened of a man with a smart blue car – and another she had known in Kenya -  It all settled down a bit when she died perhaps … you expected unlawful things to be sorted out … But there was more to it ... something unusual - sufficiently so … to have people not stop talking a bit about it …

 

It was more than that there had been a lot of drugs used up there in the cottage when they first came - Police & Welfare were anxious to close matters down - get her sent to America … A man came who explained her kind in the 1920s - said you had to stay away from that kind - it was not good to have them near kids …

 

Her two grandchildren – then two more added - the father was often away at work about the world … but that was mixed up with another matter - MONEY perhaps - & as far as some people could follow a matter of foreign kids killed in the War … not by the enemies - you were advised not to ask too much ”   :   

 

`But if you think of all this happening to a small town then a village nearby, HARWELL where she lived until her death … it caused problems :   But she had this son with a title - he kept things quiet for them at first when they suddenly arrived from Kenya that winter (1964) :  It got difficult – dope up there - local kids up there end of the village - called Townsend an isolated cottage somewhat … these kids 14 or so – Police called - it was spotted she had a lot of drugs given her by the Doctors - and she could get more from London - these drugs fogged the memory a bit we learned - Mr Morris who`d been around the world in 2 World Wars warned visitors not to drink anything another woman up there handed them ... Then this other matter got her attention ...`    

 

` She could have gone to her respectable relations in America … two or three of them came over - she had problems with her eyes & went to a London hospital - After her death we heard her brother was a good Doctor in America and they could have got her sorted out over there :   But the son with the title had to sign papers to get them sent to USA - some of the local doctors learned more - then few years on we learned this son with title had big debts without his Uncles knowing - they were in charge of all the family finances :  First husband from a respectable local family over at Wallingford`  :

 

`Her brother an eminent Doctor in Urology Studies came over from USA and the 2<sup>nd</sup> husband Mr Kerven younger than she had earlier called on people trying to help and said what had been happening in KENYA ... & he and his in-laws in America would be getting her OUT to them soon … she clearly had to be restrained … they said she had always been wild - it was the from the age `ROARING 20s` … ... ... (www.greta-ransom.com etc)

 

www.ancestryandtruetales.jimdo.com ... READER will find no puzzling matters if they can read Books of LEN 2-3 and 4 – the Lutyens House luncheon `of the ancient Roman tombs` 1969 has her prove the evil GENOCIDE ... She was moved by what had happened to ANDRE MALRAUX – the treachery around him :  expressed disgust at the planned GENOCIDE of the GROTE HOMES CHILDREN – she had as a child made visit to the HOMES and knew of TIGGY Grote as an American citizen who had created an intelligent Democratic education that had shown its worth in the USA and abroad ...