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Wales (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Wales => Monmouthshire => Topic started by: rickjt62 on Sunday 06 April 25 14:56 BST (UK)
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Hello
My great-great-grandmother's half-brother, WILLIE CHRISTOPHER JONES was baptised at LLANBADOC in Monmouthshire on 4 April 1886, born in Llanbadoc on 26 Feb 1886 (from birth certificate) to Thomas Jones and Esther (nee Wood)
Esther was born in Hoarwithy, Herefordshire in 1861
I have never been able to find a marriage for Thomas & Esther
I cannot find out what happened to Thomas Jones as Esther married to my great-great grandfather William Watkins in Hereford in 1890
Willie Christopher Jones drowned in Coan Pill nr Lydney in 1898
Does anyone have access to the Llanbadoc burial records from 1885 to 1890 - I need to ascertain if Thomas Jones died and was buried there
For information, the Thomas Jones death registered in the Pontypool district June quarter 1887 (11a 90) aged 31 years is not my Thomas Jones
Thank you
Richard
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I have never been able to find a marriage for Thomas & Esther
Not every couple who lived together actually married.
If they weren't married then Thomas Jones need not have died between 1885-1890.
What was her marital status when she married in 1890?
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On her marriage certificate to William Watkins on 23 April 1890 at Hereford Register Office she is a widow
Strangely, the birth cert for Willie Christopher Jones cites PAUL JONES as the father which just adds to the mystery, although I find Paul an unusual christian name for the 1880's
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Paul Jones? Does it give an occupation for him on the birth certificate?
I see Thomas Jones was a labourer on the baptism.
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Labourer
I have checked the only feasible death of a Paul Jones in 1889 aged 50 (King's Norton district) and that is not him either
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Does anyone have access to the Llanbadoc burial records from 1885 to 1890 - I need to ascertain if Thomas Jones died and was buried there
You can register for a free account with FindMyPast, they have those records. I can't see a burial there for him though
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I guess it's still possible she wasn't married and said she was a widow for respectability but hard to know :-\
There are single men called Paul Jones in Monmouthshire in 1881 - where is near to Llanbadoc - is it a small place?
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The newspaper report of the drowning refers to him as William - aged 13 - stepson of William Watkins.
If his birth was registered as Willie Christopher I would have expected the death reg to be in those names but it’s William
Is Esther shown as nee Wood on the birth cert or as Esther Wood
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I guess it's still possible she wasn't married and said she was a widow for respectability but hard to know :-\
There are single men called Paul Jones in Monmouthshire in 1881 - where is near to Llanbadoc - is it a small place?
It's near to Usk
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The newspaper report of the drowning refers to him as William - aged 13 - stepson of William Watkins.
If his birth was registered as Willie Christopher I would have expected the death reg to be in those names but it’s William
Is Esther shown as nee Wood on the birth cert or as Esther Wood
I have the death certificate where it is recorded as William Jones, son of Thomas Jones (farm labourer) - my great-grandmother, his half-sister recorded the death and burial in the family bible, which is in my possession
Esther is shown as Esther Jones (formerly Wood)
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Certainly all sounds "normal" doesn't it.
Pity we can't see the 3 of them as a family together anywhere.
Was Willie with Esther and her new husband in 1891?
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Certainly all sounds "normal" doesn't it.
Pity we can't see the 3 of them as a family together anywhere.
Was Willie with Esther and her new husband in 1891?
This is another issue - I cannot find Esther & William Watkins nor Willie on the 1891 Census, despite searching for many years
By the time the census was taken on 5th April 1891, the first child of her marriage to William Watkins was already born - she was Mary Ann Watkins (known as Annie to the family) who was born at Wollaston, Gloucestershire on 3 March 1891
Mary Ann's birth certificate (misspelt Watkings) lists the mother as Esther Watkings late Jones, formerly Wood
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Right.
Was William Watkins a widower when they married?
I see in 1901 there is a 21 year old son William and possible in 1891 these 2?
William Watkins head 42
William Watkins son 10
In 1911 the couple say married 25 years
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Right.
Was William Watkins a widower when they married?
I see in 1901 there is a 21 year old son William and possible in 1891 these 2?
William Watkins head 42
William Watkins son 10
Yes he was - his first wife (Eliza Dorrington) had died in 1889 - their son William was born in 1880 so this is a different William :)
And yes William Watkins and his son William were in residence at Woodside in Woolaston with no sign of Esther, Willie or the one month old Mary Ann
Also, in 1891, both of Esther's parents were still alive and living in Hoarwithy, Herefordshire - Esther and the children are not on the census there either
And yes, the 1911 Census does say married for 25 years but that is incorrect - it also says nine children of the marriage but I've only ever found five
I think that they added up the children of both their marriages
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have you the birth address for Annie in 1891 so we could search the census for that address
there is a private tree on ancestry with Willie on you may already know about
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have you the birth address for Annie in 1891 so we could search the census for that address
there is a private tree on ancestry with Willie on you may already know about
Unfortunately not - the cert only says Woollaston, father's occupation general labourer
I believe that the Ancestry tree has been copied from mine