Synopsis "Genealogy and Story of Ponsonby Chartres: Volume 2: Genealogical Series"
In 1856 Ponsonby Chartres, a young man of twenty years, left Ireland and went to Canada to seek his fortune. After about a year, he moved to New York. In 1861, he went back to England. He was treated as the returning prodigal son. Confronted with the warm and supportive embrace of a loving family, Ponsonby Chartres hesitated and then returned to New York. He married Catherine Spillane, called Kate, in 1863. They had two boys and one girl (Frances Chartres). In 1876 Ponsonby aged 40 died of pneumonia, leaving his widow Kate and the three children. Frances Chartres married Charles Goodale in 1896. Aunt Mary Chartres (who was the sister of Ponsonby Chartres) passed away in England in 1930 aged 99. In her will dated July 22, 1927, Mary divided her residuary estate into two equal parts. One part went to Frances Chartres Goodale. The other part went to her Vivian Chartres Burns. Who was Vivian Chartres Burns? Vivien Chartres was born in 1893. The little girl excelled on the violin in an extraordinary way. In 1905 Vivien Chartres, at the age of eleven, made her orchestral debut in Prague with the Bohemian Philharmonic Orchestra. The concert was an absolute triumph. After Prague, Vivien Chartres played nine concerts in Vienna. The Daily Chronicle wrote that no English musician had ever achieved such a success in Vienna. After Vienna came Zurich, Stockholm, Rome, Palermo and London. The Daily Graphic raved, "The most marvelous of all marvelous children." The Daily Chronicle proclaimed, "Another Sarasate or Kubelík." The Sunday Times gushed, "Most amazing of all the prodigies." The Graphic declared, "Certainly one of the most talented children that England has ever produced." After London, Vivien returned to the Continent for another tour. The famous Vienna psychologist Dr. Herman Swoboda wrote: "The musical wonder-child is a revelation of the divine. She is the nearest approach to those ideal beings that men call Angels. She is a living messenger from Beyond, waking our souls with her God-given music to believe in what is above all human understanding." World War 1st (1914-1918) effectively brought the career of Vivien Chartres to an end. Vivien married Arthur Lindsey Burns in 1915. Vivien lived close to Aunt Mary in England, but Frances lived in America whom Aunt Mary knew only by trans-Atlantic correspondence. Frances Chartres Goodale in America saved letters sent by the Chartres family living in the British Isles dating from 1857 to 1940. These letters tell the story of Ponsonby Chartres, the father of France Chartres.
