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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: gayden on Monday 10 December 12 15:35 GMT (UK)
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I wonder if anybody can point me in the right direction in my search for my Gt Grandmother Eugenia Owens who was born illegitimately to Annie Owens on 1st September 1874 at Cardiff Rd, Aberdare. (I have her Birth Cert). Eugenia does not appear on the 1881 Census and despite intensive looking by myself and Glamorgan Archives, we cannot find her.
She appears on the 1891 Census aged 17 as a Boarder living on her means in St Joseph Terrace, Fforchaman, Aberdare with an Eliza and Stephen Davies. However, my research has established that Eliza is in fact her Grandmother, who originally hails from Pembrokeshire. Eugenia's mother Annie, went on to marry James Baker a few years after Eugenia's birth, but sadly she didn't have Eugenia with her then. I really don't know where to look for her during her missing years. Any help would be gratefully appreciated.
Many thanks.
Gayden
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Hello Gayden.
Are you just looking for Eugenia in the 1881 census. I have had a quick look but have not found her in 1881 but have found her in the other census and possibly her marriage on Free BMD.
Do you have her mother Annie's birth details?
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Hi toastbutler
Yes, I'm just looking for her in the 1881 Census. Annie Owens, her mother was born in Stainton in Pembrokeshire in 1855, and on the 1861 Census she is living with her Gt Grandparents James and Ann Howells in Stainton.
There is another person doing research on Annie and she has given me quite a bit of information re her marriage to James Baker and their children. She is following the descendants of Annie and James. What is puzzling me is that Annie married James but what did she do with Eugenia! Because Eugenia was born in Aberdare and is there at the age of 17, leads me to believe, rightly or wrongly that she may never have left the area - but the question is who brought her up?
I may never solve this one but I thank you for looking for me.
Regards
Gayden
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Hi Gayden.
Thanks for that information.
Have you found mother Annie in the 1881 census or is she "missing" as well.
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She's on the 1881 Census as Anne Baker married to James Baker and living in Aberdare with two children, Robert and Amy. Only Eugenia is missing!
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Hi Gayden.
Sorry, just remembered you said mother married shortly after the birth of her daughter Eugenia. I have found that cenus thanks. So her daughter was just 6 or 7 years old - where was she and who was she with?
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Hi toastbutler
I would like to find her whereabouts from her birth up until she was 17. Someone else obviously brought her up, but who and where? Eugenia is not the most commonest of names - was she called by another name (is there a shortened form for it?) or was she just genuinely left off the 1881 Census by mistake? Who knows!
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Hi Gayden.
I have found a death for a Euginia Davies:
Source Free BMD website
Deaths September quarter 1950
Davies Eugenie A 78 registration district - E.Glamorgan 8b 230
Have looked at the original image and it is: Eugenia E Davies age 78
So died 1950 age 78 therefore born about 1872.
Is this your Gt Grandmother Eugenia Owens. If it is it suggests a middle name: "E"
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Hi toastbutler
No this isn't my Gt Grandmother. I can trace her from 1891 onwards until her death in Aberdare in 1927. She married twice, once to David Davies, who was killed in a colliery accident and then to Henry Butler, so it's only her whereabouts between her birth and 1881 that I need to find.
Thank you for looking.
Gayden
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Hi Gayden
Do you know the names of any children's homes in the area for that time period? Sometimes the occupants were recorded by just their initials and this may be another reason you can't locate her. Have you also checked to see if she emigrated during this time period. It seems strange that as a 17 year old she is living on her own means which sometimes can indicate that the person is independently wealthy.
Have you carried out a search in the local newspaper for the area as this may shed some light on the situation?
Regards panda
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Hi Panda
Thanks for those suggestions. I'll try and find out the names of Children's Homes in the area. It never occurred to me that she may have emigrated! But interestingly, another member of the family looking for her seemed to think that she may have had some money, and there was talk that someone in the family had been disinherited but don't know why - possibly her! I've had information from the newspapers about her death but didn't see a funeral report which may have led me to other relatives. I'll keep searching.
Many thanks.
Gayden
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May I suggest you check the workhouses too Sandra
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Hi Sandra
I've been on the website and looked for the Workhouses, Children's Homes and Industrial Schools in the area, which I've found. Shouldn't these children be on the Census under their names - which should make it easier or are they registered some other way? Will I need to search under the districts? I've also now got a list of schools in the area which she may have attended but I'll need to go to the Archives Office to look at them.
Thanks
Gayden
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Well I stumbled on the Workhouse list of children inmates when looking for my Great gt Grandma. Found a child the right age(3) with the right name and was desolated. I did subsequently find my Gtgt Grandma tucked up safely with her parents subsequently. Continued to feel very sorry for the bewildered little unknown inmate after that.
This was in Wales and the Workhouse concerned was attached to a hospital. It gave a list of inmates with ages. Not sure if thats what they did in England.
Good luck
Sandra
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Hi Gayden.
Following the Workhouse suggestions there is this website. It says that Merthyr Tydfil Workhouse represented 9 parishes including Aberdare. At the bottom of the page is a list of inmates for 1881 census.
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/MerthyrTydfil/
The other possibillity is that Eugenia was looked after by a member of her mothers family. Might have been listed with the family surname as Eugenia (surname?). Just a suggestion.
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Hi toastbutler and Sandra
I've checked the 1881 Thomas St Workhouse, which is in Merthyr but I would imagine if she was in the Workhouse it may have been in Aberdare and I'm just trawling through the Aberdare districts to see if I can find records of the Children's Homes and Industrial Schools.
Myself and another have also checked the neighbouring houses to that in which Eugenia was born to see if any of the neighbours took her in. We've also looked at other members of the family - even as far as Haverfordwest, but to no avail. She's probably staring me in the face somewhere! Not giving up yet!
Gayden
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Any TB Sanatoriums in evidence :(. Just perhaps?
SandraPublic Health in South Wales
School days and children suffering bad health:
I have edited some of this extract which is quoted in Coal Society by David Egan
"Scabies, ringworm and tuberculosis also affected large numbers of children. I can clearly remember one boy whose head was almost covered with scab...........One boy of my own age, flatfooted, like a very old man, his face pale yellow, his large eyes protuding from their sockets......he died young......"
Edmund Stonelake describing his school days at Pontlottyn in the Rhymney Valley at the end of the 19thC taken from his autobiography published 1981.
[Steve Keates 17.5.2000 G
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...its an outside chance
RG11 5373 / 36 page 12
16 Penyfon Street, Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales
Richard Owens
wife Elizabeth A Owens
son William R Owens
son David T Owens
daughter Harriet E Owens, 7, born Wales, scholar
son John Owens
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Morning Gayden.
If you have the marriage details for Eugenia and her mother Annie could you possibly share the witness details? In particular her first marriage to David Davies. You have probably thought of it but they may shed some light of where she was in 1881.
Thanks.
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Morning Toastbutler
On Eugenia's Marriage Cert to David Davies in 1897 the witnesses are Rosina Woolway and James Hill, both resident in Aberdare. If I'm right Rosina went on to marry a Fred Hutchings and James went on to marry Clara Woolway, Rosina's sister. Eugenia was living in Cwmaman, Aberdare at the time, as was David.
On Eugenia's second Marriage to Henry Butler the witnesses are John Butler and Sybil Hill. Eugenia is now living in a different stree, but still in Cwmaman. Now the interesting thing about this second marriage is that Eugenia puts her father's name as Stephen Davies (deceased). She has no father on her Birth Certificate or first Marriage Certificate. On the 1891 Census where she is living in Fforchaman, Aberdare, classed as a boarder living on her own means; she is actually living with her Grandmother, Eliza and Eliza's second husband, Stephen Davies! Is he her father and has this only come to light later on in her life after he had died? All very intriguing.
I don't have Annie Owen's Marriage Certificate to James Baker but the marriage was registered in Merthyr Tydfil (which covers Aberdare) on 2nd quarter of 1878. In 1881 Annie is living in Fforchaman, Aberdare with her new family but no Eugenia.
Apart from Eugenia's disappearance from 1881 up until 1891 this family seems to have remained in the same area for several years.
Gayden
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I did check this out on my family tree...
She may be listed as a daughter of a foster parents..
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Interesting that Eugenia gives her fathers name as Stephen Davies.
On 1871 census the following
Stephen Davies 34, Eliz 41, Mary 9, Rebecca 7, Emmaly 4months children of Stephen & Elizabeth.
Mary Owens Stepdaughter, James Owens 13 Stepson. John Devonald 17 boarder.
1881. Stephen Davies, Elizabeth Davies, Emuly, James Owens, Hannah Morgan.
There is a 7 year age diff between Stephen & Elizabeth. Do you know if Elizabeths maiden name was owens?
Was she a widow when she married Stephen Davies ?
Still no trace of Eugenia Owens!! :)
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Eliza's maiden name was Williams. Her first married name was Owens and I believe she was a widow when she married Stephen Davies.
Everything seems to point that she was brought up by another family in that area - but who were they? Did they give her another name or was she just missed off the Census?
How do I find out if she was listed as a daughter of foster parents?
The Admission and Discharge Register, industrial school and cottage homes Apr 1877-Dec 1881 and Admission and Discharge Register , workhouse and related institutions Feb 1878-Mar 1881 have been checked for me by Glamorgan Archives and Annie and Eugenia are not listed there.
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Have you checked Wills and Probates...
You say when she was 17, she was living on her own means..
Inheritance laws at the time (if I remember correctly) she wouldn't really have an automatic claim of inheritance due to her illegitimacy and the fact she's female. So if she's inherited it's likely that she's mentioned in somebodies will... If no will perhaps probates might show something.