The recollections of a Bornova senior

My name is Olivia Joyce Solari nee Edwards, born 1929 in Izmir. I married Lorenzo Solari of Izmir in 1954 and I have one son, Patrizio Solari who lives in the USA who worked (since retired) for MacAndrews and Forbes (first in Iskenderun, then in America) the licorice company that was established in Izmir in Ottoman times, but is now fully American.

Lorenzo Solari was a businessman, who first worked for his father (Joseph Solari) in his tobacco company and later joined MacAndrews and Forbes a year or two before we married in the 1950s. Lorenzo’s grandfather Francesco Solari was also born in Izmir but later in life moved to Rome. I don’t know how far back the Solari family goes in Izmir / Smyrna.

My father Edward Alfred Edwards was born in Izmir 1895 (died 1982 Izmir) and he was initally Vice Consul then British Consul in Izmir and was awarded the MBE for services to the British Empire. He lived in Alsancak at the beginning of the Kordon, a bit before the police station that stands today, within a short walk to the seafront. It was a two storied house with a hall, a sitting room on the right as you came in, then there was a staircase that went up, and facing the entrance hall was the dining room that looked over a small rear garden. This layout was typical of properties on the Kordon and on the street Parallel to it. He rented this house.

The neighbouring house was the Russo House that also no longer stands but was approximately where the large Migros now stands. When I was 3 years old we moved to Bornova, to a small house that my father bought, right next to his father’s house, which was a big house with a large garden. My grandfather’s house was a lovely single-story house and was known as the Edwards house. Today neither my grandfather’s house or my father’s house stand, they were raised to the ground in the early 1960s after my father sold both houses to a developer. My grandfather’s house was on the north side of what was Çiçek Sokak and is now Kazım Karabekir street, at its junction with 76th street and was set in a garden with high surrounding walls. It had an entrance with a small balcony ascended by 7 or 8 steps, that led to a hall in front with 2 rooms on either side. The hall led into a sitting room and the sitting room led into the garden via a veranda.

House plan of this building on Çiçek Sokak No9, Bornova.

Me aged 9 in 1938 (first communion and confirmation), my sister Gwynetth Antoinette Edwards (later Giraud), my parents

My mother Hannah as a child (standing on left) with siblings and her mother Marie Elisabeth nee von Kubin, and later my mother with my sister Gwynetth.

My mother Hannah nee Abraham was born in 1895 Karahissar, in the Trabzon region of the Blacksea. Her father (Llewellyn Abraham) worked in the coal mines in that area (Licese) and he himself was British born and came from Swansea, in Wales. Her mother was Austrian (Marie Elisabeth von Kubin) and she in turn was the daughter of Joseph Kubin and Angele d’Andria, who both came from Trieste, Austria.

A. E. Edwards, grandfather - Teddy (1867-1957) & Amy Edwards nee von Eichstorff, wife of A. E. Edwards (1869-1950).

Me on the left with my sister Gwynetth (tall girl), mother and grandmother Amy.

My paternal grandfather Anthony Edward Edwards (b.1867 Izmir – d.1957 Izmir) was educated in England. He was later a cashier at the Anglo-Eastern Cooperative. He was then employed by the Ottoman Bank. Later on he worked as correspondent for several shipping agencies and was considered one of the best in that trade in Smyrna. During WW2 he joined the British consular staff where he served until the end of the war.

Anthony E. Edwards house at his in Bornova, knocked down long ago.

Me and my sister with our paternal grandfather Anthony Edward Edwards and wife in their garden in Bornova and me aged 11.

Me on the left with my sister Gwynetth Giraud, nee Edwards sitting on the steps of grandfather’s house.

Me in Ilıca.

Me (looking at the camera) at my sister’s (entering the car) wedding, at the entrance to the Catholic Church of Bornova.

With friends and cousins from left: Harold John Charnaud, Osmond Giraud, Lily Gallia (wife of Osmond), Betty Charnaud, me and Claude Caporal at an Easter picnic at Nif mountain.

Anthony Edward Edward’s wife was Amy nee von Eichstoff, was born in Izmir in 1869 of Dutch nationality, and died 1950. Her father Baron Carl Christian Albert Frederick Wilhelm Burchard von Eichstoff was a medical officer in the Dutch Navy who came from Holland. Following an official visit to Izmir he married Miss Ada Maltass, sister of Miss Mary Maltass who married Edward Whittall. Doctor Albert von Eichstoff and Ada had 9 children.

From top left: My Grandmother Amy Edwards, Uncle Fred von Eichstoff, my Grandfather; sitting from left: Aunt Zoe von Eichstoff, Barrington Tristram (cousin of grandfather) and Aunt Ada von Eichstoff.

left Ada von Eichstorff, never married, with my grandparents.

Edwards Edwards

My paternal greatgrandfather was Edward Edwards, born 1840, died 189. He married Caroline Elizabeth Roboly, born 1841, died 1920. Edward Edwards was not a successful businessman, speculating wildly in the Egyptian cotton trade. He was cashier for the Cassaba Railway. Caroline’s father Etienne Roboly married Emily Caporal in Izmir. Edward Edwards died relatively young, 5 years after his father Anthony Francis Edwards.

My paternal great-great grandfather Anthony Francis Edwards born 1810 died 1892, he was the chief editor and owner of Journal de Smyrne, he was very recognised for his services concerning his writings about Turkey so receiving numerous decorations, he also owned the Journal de Constantinople. He was given a Mecidiye nisan in 1855, he was very friendly with Reshid and Fuat Pasha, he was appointed to run the Journal de Constantinople in 1855. He personally got the concession to build the Smyrna to Cassaba railway and also received the concession for the lighting of Izmir and the establishment of the gas factory. He also got the concession for the Eskisehir to Izmit (?) Railway.

Anthony Francis Edwards and wife Eleni Alfieri

My great-great grandfather Anthony Francis Edward built a house in Izmir and one in Bornova. My grandfather Anthony Edward Edwards chose the house in Izmir and his sister Emily (married a Murat) chose the house in Bornova and till today that house is still known as the Murat house. In 1922 the Izmir house was completely destroyed, the Bornova house was lived in by the family till the beginning of the 20th century with my grandmother also living there for a while. There was supposed to be a ghost of a maid in that long-vacant Edwards/Murat house. The house was sympathetically restored in the late 1990s by the University and converted to a café and later converted to offices to the restoration section (roleve) of the municipality.

My paternal great-great-great grandfather was Charles Edward Edwards and I have a passport issued by Britain 1839, when he was travelling with his son. He was the first Edwards in Turkey and he came from Middlesex and he was a doctor in the British Navy. He was born 1767 and he was an officer in the British army and took part in the campaign against Napoleon in Egypt. He was serving under Sir Ralph Abercrombie. He came to Izmir on a mission and met his wife to be Miss Sequard, whose father was a famous French doctor who must have been practicing in the city. He settled in Turkey and died young. (He had 2 sons, Antony Francis and Joseph. Joseph married an Elizabetta Marcopoli, and they had 7 children (Charles, Richard, Maria Sophia Dermina, Oscar, Fingel, Natalina, Ossian). The son of Charles Edwards, Alfred Edwards was the owner of the famous Paris based newspaper Le Matin. Richard married Adela van Lennep (5 children), Maria Sophia Dermina married Uverdale Barrington Tristram (9 children), Oscar married Emily Cordier (5 children), Fingel married Maria Adalaide Alberti (2 children).)

When my paternal grandmother (Amy nee von Eichstoff - granny Edwards) left Smyrna during the 1922 fire she grabbed 4 miniatures set in gold leaf and 2 cameos, I have the 4 miniatures set in gold, 2 are with my sister, Gwnetth Antoinette Giraud.

One of the cameos.

When we moved to Bornova when I was aged 3, I had private lessons from about 6-7, and my teacher was a Miss Estelle (a local Levantine, de Cramer surname, later married an English naval commander Stower), who was English. I was her pupil till around 14-15, and the class-room was in a small house belonging to the de Cramer family on the street today marked as 85 sokak, middle, near the former Lane House (Aralık sokak), bordering the Catholic church property. The subjects taught by Miss Estelle were wide ranging including, history, maths, English, geography. Miss Estelle carried on teaching till middle age when she got married. For private French language I went to Miss Manigle, a Swiss lady who taught me in my teens. I also had private Turkish lessons but much later on, when I was around 16-18, by a Turkish gentleman. Amongst my friends I was the only one to take Turkish lessons. I learnt my Greek from the domestic helpers who were Moslem Cretan refugees, most of them wouldn’t have known Turkish. My classmates in Miss Estelle’s school were Betty Charnaud, Desmond Whittall, Zoe Rees, Ivna Dracopoli, Herve Giraud.

In Bornova every day of every week was open house at 4 pm, at mainly the Phyllis Charnaud house, where cakes, coffee etc. were laid for tea with whatever they had. Aged 22 I started working at the British Consulate in Izmir as a secretary. Then after about 4 years I started working for NATO in Izmir. I later worked in their public information office again as a secretary, for about 6 or 7 years and carried on working after my marriage. I stopped working when my son starting growing up and I wanted a family life. For my honeymoon, which was the first time I went abroad I went to Rome, as my husband’s grandfather lived there and we also visited the beautiful Italian Riviera. In my 30s because of my husband’s posting we as a family moved to Iskenderun where we lived for 30 years. At first life for me was very difficult as Iskenderun was a village, that spoke mostly Arabic and French. There were a few Levantine families still living in that area, mostly of Syrian origin such as Levante, Makzume, Saig, Alek, Azrak etc. I had happy times there and made good friends. I am still in touch by phone with several of them. We also had lovely gardens there as well. I have always loved the outdoors.

Aunt Helen and Uncle Herman in their property at Yeşilköy.

Teddy’s sister, Helen married to Herman D’Andria in their garden.

Painting of Christian Friedrich von Eichstorff, circa 1745.

Note: We are sad to report the passing of Olivia Solari born 1929 died 2 April 2025 – announcement flyer: May she rest in peace.

Submission date May 2023