THOMAS STANLEY EDWARDS. CAMBRIDGE, WASHINGTON CO, NEW YORK.

Thomas Stanley Edwards was born in Llanrug, Caenarvonshire, North Wales, April 12th, 1883. His parents were John Thomas and Ann (Hughes) Edwards, and Thomas Stanley Edwards is one of seven children of whom one sister, Mrs. William Parry, resides in Middle Granville.

He received his early education in Wales in a seven grade school. He soent an extra year in the last grade because there was no school of higher education there and he assisted the pupils who were under him.

At 13 years of age he joined his father, an expert quarryman, in the slate business, "smegging" for the Ashton Smith Slate company which employed about 5,000 slate workers, most of them Welshmen. It was the largest quarry in North Wales and produced mostly a purple colored slate which was transported on the company's own railroad from the quarries to the port od Norwich and from there to various parts of Europe.

"My wage while 'smegging' was $2.50 per month." said Edwards, "and I spent four shillings of that for car fare. I was later changed to a day worker and I increased my wages to a pound a week. When I was 17 years of age I quit the slate quarries to go to Liverpool where I found employment on the docks.

"I then quit the docks and I got a job as a railroad porter in Chester, England, during thr Boar War I worked as a porter for about a year and a half on the London and North Western Railway. My mother worried about my being away from home, so I had to quit the railroad and return home to go back to work in the slate quarries as a day labourer."

He continued as a slate worker for about two years and at the age of 21 years left for Newfoundland, Canada on the steamship 'Mongolian.' "This was the same ship that was used to carry Paul Kruger, the Boar leader as a prisoner to St. Helena." said Mr. Edwards, "and when I was helping on the ship, on my trip over to Newfoundland, the steward let me lie down on the bed in which Kruger slept. The room was kept intact and was always on exhibition to the passengers on the 'Mongolian' to show them what it lookedlike."

When Thomas Stanley Edwards reached Newfoundland, he secured employment in the slate quarries and worked with the father of D. O'Brien Owen. He left Newfoundland shortly after that for Granville. His coming to Granville was due to an aquaintance with a slate worker from Granville who told him while he was in Newfoundland "about the good pay and nice looking girls in Granville." Both of these were a temptation to Tom Stanley and he arrived in Granville on a Sunday night in April 1907, with $5 in his pocket.

He found a room at the home of Robert Ellis Williams, father of Ellen Rowlands, on Potter Avenue. He could not fine work as a slate splitter so he endeavoured to learn the slate trimming trade and obtained employment with Norton Brothers at the No. 15 quarry. Saturday afternoons and evenings he assisted in the Granville Mercantile store which was then conducted by Ellis Williams.

He also worked for the Hughes company as slate shipper and then returned to Norton Brothers where he had first obtained employment. When the No. 15 quarry closed down for about three months during a strike Edwards got a job at the construction of Great Meadow prison at Comstock. He returned after the strike was settled, working for a few months in the quarries and then joining Arthur Mosher in the automobile repaie business on Elm street.

He associated with Mosher until about 1916, when he opened his own garage on Glen avenue, also adding the sale of gasoline and oil. Later he was in charge of the Standard Oil station on West Main, now being conducted by Donald Sweet. In 1931 he found himself back again in the Glen avenue shop during which time he was appointed town welfare officer by the Granville town board and after that he was named welfare commissioner under the supervision of m. Walter Hicks, Commisioner of County Welfare.

Tom Stanley as he is known to his many friends, has done a good job as welfare commisioner of the town of Granville. He admits that it is the hardest job that he had ever tackled but his office has established a fine record of the administration of relief. Mr. Edwards has proven most fair to the needy while at the same time he has had to stay within the limits of the welfare law and of the taxpayers who are furnishing the necessary relief funds.

He was married to Catherine Foulkes in New Yoek city in June 1909. Sh was a boyhood sweetheart of his in Wales, the two having lived only two miles apart in their native town. They kept company for about six years and when Thomas Stanley Edwards came to Newfoundland and then to Granville they kept up their correspondence.

After their marriage thay came to Granville and set up housekeeping on Madison avenue in the present S. W. Bloom house. It was known as the John Martin house. They moved to Factory street where Mr. and Mrs. James Roberts now reside and then to the tenements above the A. B. Waller store in the present electric light company's building on West Main street, and then they purchased their present residence on Prospect street.

Three sons were born to them : Emlyn a graduate of Granville high school and New York University, now residing in Floral Park, New York, Milton graduated from G H S in 1938 and Norman John, who graduates in 1940. The latter two are at home with their parents, Norman taking post-graduate course at the local high school.

Granville Sentinel ~ November 7th, 1940.