Rose Ellen Huxley was born at Wickhamford on 3rd August 1890, the youngest of eight children of Edmund Huxley and his wife, Mary (née Sharp). Her parents were living apart by the time of Rose’s baptism on 5th October 1890, the note in the register saying “married woman living apart from her husband”. By the time of the 1891 census, Rose was living with her mother and four of her siblings in a cottage near the Manor House, in the home of 22-year-old bachelor, Richard Hardiman. Rose’s two half-brothers were born in 1892 and 1895; the latter, Albert, was to die in the Great War.
Rose was a pupil at Badsey School from 1896 until October 1900 when the family left the village. The reason for this was because Mary and Richard moved to Whittington with their younger children where they had gained employment on a farm. The Huxley/Hardiman family returned to Wickhamford in May 1902 when Rose re-enrolled at Badsey School.
Rose married Charles Henry (known as Harry) Colley in 1907 in the Evesham area. They went to live in Wickhamford where two daughters, Enid Mary (1908-1996) and Doris Clare (1909), were baptised in the Church of St John the Baptist.
In 1910, Rose, Harry and the two girls emigrated to Canada. They left Liverpool on 16th July on Dominion, belonging to the White Star Steamship Line, bound for Quebec.
At the time of the 1911 Canadian census they were living in Minnedosa, Manitoba, Harry working as a labourer doing odd jobs. Harry’s 17-year-old nephew, Vincent (son of his older brother, Jesse), had recently emigrated to Canada and was living with them.
At the time of the 1916 census in June, they were living at 345 Mountain Avenue, Marquette, Manitoba. Later that year Harry joined the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force; they were then living at 369 Elgin Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
In 1921 when the census was taken, Rose and the children were living at 643 Notre Dame, Winnipeg. It is not known where Harry was and it is thought that the couple may have separated.
On a Voters’ list for 1940 & 1945, a Mr & Mrs Robert Colley lived at 4298½ Hastings Street, Vancouver North. In 1949, Rose lived at 4736 Pender Street, Burnaby, British Columbia; a Robert Colley, labourer, also lived there. In 1953, 1957, 1962 and 1963 Voter lists they were described as living at 4280 East Hastings Street, Burnaby, Robert working as a storekeeper.
By 1965, Rose was described as a widow living at 4173 Dundas Street; in 1972, she was at 4276-5 Hastings Street, Burnaby. Rose died at Burnaby on 20th June 1973, aged 82.