The story of my Grandmother Fanny Pompei by Julie Edmonds, 2022
I have been trying to gather information to help me to build my family tree, but when it comes to my grandmother, I cannot find any information. My grandmother’s name was Fanny Pompei, born 11th March 1905, Smyrna, Turkey. I am not sure if Fanny is her real name, or just what my grandfather John Alfred Martin called her. Fanny was Greek, with an Italian surname and born in Turkey. I was told her family lived in a big house with servants, she also had a sister who married an Italian named John Petrizza in the 1930’s. The marriage didn’t last long and her sister’s husband move to Australia. Fanny’s sister later married Albert Edizel whom I was told owned a Zipper Manufacturing Company in Turkey.
Fanny also had an Austrian cousin named Edmund Nikolaus Krall who immigrated to Australia in the late 1940’s with his parents. My grandmother Fanny married my grandfather John between 1931-1935 in a British Banns marriage in Smyrna. John’s father, my great grandfather was A. J. Martin, he worked in Egypt on the Delta Light Railway as Traffic Inspector, between the 1890’s and 1920’s, he was married to a French woman, my great grandmother Josephine Devisian, I believe they were living in Egypt during this time, then moved to Smyrna in Turkey. They had 3 daughters Malvine born in Egypt in 1904, Edla and Fermaine born in Smyrna later on. When my grandfather John was about 10 years of age, he went to live with his grandparent in Istanbul.
I have a picture of Fanny with the women in Johns family when she was 21 years old, sitting down wearing a black dress. Fanny may have been friends with John’s sisters and when John came back home to live, they met. Fanny gave birth to their first son Nelson, born 4th February 1936 in Smyrna, Turkey. During the war their home was attacked twice by the Turks, and then with the fire in Smyrna they decide to move to England in 1937. In 1938 (my dad) Allen Vincent and 1940 Walter John were born in London. Due to war and bombings in London the family were moved to Wales and put in the Ystrad Prison Camp to keep them safe. Eventually they were given a home and in 1945 Josephine Adelie was born, sadly in 1946 Nelson was run over by a drunk driver and died.
In 1950 Angela Josephine was born, and because Fanny was still depressed about Nelson death the family immigrated to Australia to make a fresh start. At the Tilbury dock in Essex, they boarded the Otranto ship in late 1952 and arrived on Christmas day in 1953, in Outer Harbour, Port Adelaide, South Australia. I have my grandfather John’s birth certificate, passport and diary which has his mother Josephine’s address in Turkey, and photo’s. I do not have a picture of John’s Father A. J. Martin or know what his initials stand for, I also do not know his grandparents’ names. If I could find out about my ancestors it would help me to build my family tree, so I can share it with future generations. I am hoping someone may recognise someone in a photo or know of my family ancestors. In my search I have emailed all the Zipper Manufacturing Companies in Turkey.
I have searched Ancestry, My Heritage, Find My Past, Family Search, National Archives and any other links I can find. I have sent messages to people on Facebook with the surname Pompei, messages to Petrizza families in Australia and Italy. I have looked at the Greek and Turkish Archives but as I cannot read or speak the languages, I have found it difficult to find any information. Finally, I sent a message to the Levantine Foundation and I hoping with your help I will discover the history of my grandmother Fanny Pompei and her family. In 1979 Fanny died from cancer, she is buried in the Salisbury Memorial Park Cemetery in South Australia next to her beloved John who died in 1985. If you can provide any information please contact me on: julie.edmonds[at]hotmail.com.
This is about 1908-1911 ? Fanny Pompei is the little girl on the right is about 4-5 years old, on the far left the other little girl is her sister who’s name I do not know, and the gentleman sat down may be Fanny’s father.
This photo is about 1926 standing on the far left is Malvine Martin, in the middle is Josephine (nee Devisian) Martin, she is holding Malvine’s baby son Stan, standing far right is either Edla or Fermaine Martin, sitting down at the front left in black dress is Fanny Pompei and sitting next to her on the right is either Edla or Fermaine Martin, This photo is Fanny Pompei with my grandpa’s women in his family. My great grandmother Josephine Devisian was married to A. J. Martin my great grandfather who we have no photos of and we also do not know what his initials stand for.
The new passport was issued to Mr John Martin on 7th May 1936, in Smyrna, Turkey, the passport number is 1019.
My grandpa, John Martin wrote down his mother’s address, Josephine (nee Devisian) in his diary in 1941, so I am guessing she was at this address in 1941 and previous years.
This photo may be about 1908-1911, it is my grandpa John Alfred Martin with his grandparents in Istanbul, I do not know my gr-great grandparents names, all I know is that my gr-great grandfather may have been born in England.
