GRIMSEY, Grace

1861 - 1950

Grace Grimsey was born at Ipswich on 18 September 1861 and baptised at St Nicholas Church, Ipswich on 29 October 1861, only child of Benjamin Page Grimsey (1834-29 January 1898), District Registrar of the High Court of Justice, and his wife Louisa May née Clements (1819-1889), widow of George Nassau Wenn (1817-1849), who married at St Nicholas Church, Ipswich on 10 December 1857, Grace was a stepsister to Mary Louisa Harlock. Grace studied at the Ipswich School of Art, passing her examinations in 1875. In 1881, Grace was a 19-year-old, living at Stoke Lodge, Belstead Road, Ipswich with her parents, 48-year-old Benjamin and 61-year-old Louisa. A Member the Ipswich Fine Art Club 1883-1898 and exhibited from Stoke Lodge in 1882, 'View of Belstead Road', in 1883 'At Feltwell, Norfolk', 'Sketches' and 'Landscape', in 1885 two watercolours 'Interior St Mary's Feltwell' and 'Sketch in Barham Park' and continued exhibiting annually until 1898, mostly local scenes. She also exhibited at the Woodbridge Industrial & Art Exhibition at the Lecture Hall, Woodbridge in April 1887 a watercolour 'Left by the Smith'. She married at Holy Trinity Church, Ipswich on 3 June 1901, Revd Charles Edward Stanley Thomas (1864-22 May 1926) who, on 5 February 1909, was licensed to the Vicarage or Perpetual Curacy and Parish Church of St John the Evangelist, King's Lynn, Norfolk and they lived at St John’s Vicarage, King’s Lynn. In 1939, Grace Thomas was a widow, living at Glendowr, 121 St Andrews Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk which was her address when she died at The Chatsworth Nursing Home, Felixstowe on 27 February 1950, aged 88.