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Messages - benlewis1127

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1
Family History Beginners Board / Re: New to ancestry, in need of help :)
« on: Thursday 02 June 11 19:48 BST (UK)  »
Quote from: spud10 on Thursday 02 June 11 19:17 BST (UK)
Hi Benlewis, I am new here.
I have stumbled across your thread by accident. I am looking for a Mary Delury who appears on the same 1901 Census as your relation. I'll be polite and say she was a guest at the Devon and Exeter reformatory school. She is my Great-Grandmother.
I know all about her from the time she got married to when she died aged just 35, and even tracked down where she is buried but I am struggling to find much as a single woman. I can't even find a birth certificate despite her being born in Barking (according to this census and the 1911).

Just thought I'd ask if you have had any joy finding records for the reformatory because I'm just drawing a blank?

Finally, as another coincidence, Mary spent her adult life in Woolwich (I live in Bexley) so our ancestors followed a similar path.

Hello spud, ive not gotten very far however i got an email from devrec@devon.gov.uk when i enquiried about any records they held on the Devon and Exeter reformatory for Girls heres their reply:-

We hold quite a lot of records of the Devon and Exeter Female Reformatory, but there are only a few items which date from the period that you mention.  These are a Punishment Book, 1875-1934 (3899F/Z2/4); a Prescription Book, 1862-1938 and a 'House Visitors' Book' which covers the period between 1891 and 1939.
 
There's probably not a very high chance of finding much information about your ancestor, but if you want these items checked, the work would have to be carried out by our Research Service, details of which can be found on our website by clicking this link:
 
http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/councildemocracy/record_office/services_policies/research_service-2.htm
 
I hope that this information is of some assistance.

Ive not really had much time recently to see if these files are obtainable for a fee etc I think each page is 30p but then again you need to find what pages you exactly need, you can pay for researches from the looks of it? As i said ive not really looked into it. Hope this helps :) Let me know if you find anything!

2
Devon / Re: Devon & Exeter Reformatory for Girls
« on: Monday 23 May 11 17:37 BST (UK)  »
Quote from: mowsehowse on Monday 23 May 11 08:41 BST (UK)
Don't know how you are getting on with this ?
A couple of suggestions:
Have you made any enquiries at the Westcountry Studies Library in Exeter - they are a massive resource.
Also there is a local history society < http://www.exeterhistorysociety.co.uk/ >
And a museum.

Where are the family in the 1891 census?
 :)

Hello, thanks for your interest! Sadly i've not got very far with regards to why Jemima was in jail. in the 1891 Census she was at home with the family in Shropshire. In 1901 she was in the reformatory and her dad (newsly discovered) may of been in the union workhouse in Shropshire. There was a family rumour that he died in jail and it seems it may have some truth to it!

I will check out the link you sent me. Ive emailed the national Archives who confirmed they did not hold any documents regarding the reformatory for girls around 1901 but gave me the details of their source who i also emailed to have them say they do not hold such information anymore :(

3
England / Re: Need help uncovering a dark secret!
« on: Thursday 19 May 11 15:44 BST (UK)  »
ah i see, well arnt you a wealth of information :D

Do you think the George in the union work house is my George or is it too soon to say? Where do i go from here? D:

4
England / Re: Need help uncovering a dark secret!
« on: Thursday 19 May 11 15:29 BST (UK)  »
Quote from: mosiefish on Thursday 19 May 11 15:05 BST (UK)
Quote from: benlewis1127 on Thursday 19 May 11 14:42 BST (UK)
He was born in 1851/1852 so would have been 54-55

That doesn`t quite add up  :)

He was aged 1 on the 1851 census and 11 on the 1861 census and so would have been 51 on the 1901 census.

Baptism of George Lewis to parents Thomas and Ann at Hopton Wafers on 11th November, 1849. 

Mo

Ah so he is! Ancestry has him at aged 10 but it does show him as 11 on the census. I need to pay more attention. Ive found the census you mentioned, hes the only one there who's in shropshire, where do i go from here? Is it possible to see how many george lewis's were born around that time, if im lucky he may be the only George Lewis! (wishful thinking :P? )

[quick edit] why on the 1851 census has it got his age as 1 but then it being crossed out?

5
England / Re: Need help uncovering a dark secret!
« on: Thursday 19 May 11 14:42 BST (UK)  »
Quote from: mosiefish on Thursday 19 May 11 14:31 BST (UK)
George could be an inmate of the Union Workhouse Cleobury Mortimer in 1901
George Lewis, 52, Married, Labourer (General), place of birth not known.

Regards,
Mo

He was born in 1851/1852 so would have been 54-55 unless they made a mistake? He was a coal miner in 1881 and in 1891 a Quarry Labourer. I imagine it would be most likely that he was in a local jail? Or if his crime was serious would he of been shipped off somewhere alot further?

6
England / Re: Need help uncovering a dark secret!
« on: Thursday 19 May 11 14:17 BST (UK)  »
Quote from: stanmapstone on Thursday 19 May 11 14:10 BST (UK)
Quote from: benlewis1127 on Thursday 19 May 11 12:51 BST (UK)

1901 Census shows:

Sarah back at home as head of the family home with 4 of the children (one of the missing children is Jemima Lewis who was an inmate at the Devon and Exeter reformatory for girls – but that’s another block for another time :( )

George Lewis is no where to be found

- Ben


Sarah is at home with two of her children, Thomas and Edwin. There is also a Mildred Lewis,  granddaughter and an Edward Edwards, a boarder. RG13 Piece 2515 Folio 24 Page 15.

Stan

Thanks for pointing that out, i forgot to mention that however i didnt realise Mildred was a grandaughter so thats news to me, another link to investigate!

Im still not really finding any results for George Lewis when i search the ancestry criminal database and theres no way of searching between dates, i know he wasnt in prison in 1891 but by 1901 he is missing so no doubt between those dates is when he was shipped off.

7
England / Re: Need help uncovering a dark secret!
« on: Thursday 19 May 11 14:03 BST (UK)  »
Thanks for all the replies so far! Im at work at the moment so will be abit slow at replying!

@MurphysLaw

I have not tried that yet which is silly as i was on the national archieves the other day trying to find out why Jemima was in a reformatory school, i will have to give that a go!

I dont know what the crime was nor do i know when he was sentenced all i ahve is the census information so far.

@Galium

That makes sense, especially if she's a servant there then i imagine it would be normal for her to stay over some nights.

@Billyblue

Im on ancestry.co.uk and i have tried searching their criminal records but im unfamiliar with 'Gaols' would the come under ancestry's criminal's search?

@Galium

Thats great! Do you have a reference for that so i can find the document and attach it to my tree? :)

@stanmapstone

Ooh i didnt think of that,  i will check to see if ancestry has that kind of search function and try that now quickly.

8
England / Need help uncovering a dark secret!
« on: Thursday 19 May 11 12:51 BST (UK)  »
I wonder if I could get some assistance to this block I have come across, I am very new to this and so I am hoping my block is due to inexperience. This is how the story plays out so far:

My great great great granddad George Lewis and Sarah Lewis (Maiden Name Martin)

George Lewis Born 1852 Hopton Wafers, Shropshire, England
(parents   THOMAS LEWIS 1823-???? & Ann Morris 1824-????) 
             
Married Sarah Martin born 1856 (unknown Marriage date – have not been able to find a source of their marriage)
parents (John MARTIN 1826 – ???? & Jemimah Painter 1831 – ????)

They had 8 children William, Kezia, Emma, John, Rhoda, Thomas John, Edwin and Jemima

There has always been a dark rumour that George Lewis did something terrible and went to jail and ended up spending the rest of his life there, it wasn’t mentioned at all within the family, no one spoke of this secret/rumour. I’m desperate to find out the truth, so far what I have found proves that this ‘rumour’ could be plausible.

Here is what I have thus far:


1881 Census shows:

Family all together.
Source Citation: Class: RG11; Piece: 2625; Folio: 33; Page: 12; GSU roll: 1341631. (no idea if that means anything in terms of reference)

1891 Census shows:

George with 7 of his children but no Sarah in the Family Home in Shropshire
Source Citation: Class: RG12; Piece: 2091; Folio 26; Page 10; GSU roll: 6097201.

Sarah is found working as a servant for the Pope Family in Shropshire.
Source Citation: Class: RG12; Piece: 2091; Folio 24; Page 6; GSU roll: 6097201.

1901 Census shows:

Sarah back at home as head of the family home with 4 of the children (one of the missing children is Jemima Lewis who was an inmate at the Devon and Exeter reformatory for girls – but that’s another block for another time :( )

George Lewis is no where to be found

I don’t have deaths for either one and I have nothing after 1901. I am hoping perhaps someone can help fill in the gaps and most importantly find out if George really did get sentenced to life in jail.

Also with Sarah as a servant in 1891 would she still of been with George? Did money get tight and so she become a servant or do you think there could be more to it than that?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

- Ben

9
Shropshire / Need help with a naughty Great Grandmother
« on: Saturday 14 May 11 19:56 BST (UK)  »
Hello guys :)

Ive come across a bit of a wall and was hoping someone could help. Ive also tried the Devon forum but no luck yet. My great Grandmother Jemima Lewis (Originally from Shropshire Cleobury Mortimer was found on the 1901 Census to be in the Devon and Exeter Reformatory for Girls. I was wondering if anyone has some good sources to old newspapers around 1897 - 1904 so that i could try figure out what exactly she had done. Unfortunately data from the Devon and Exeter Reformatory for Girls ends just prior to 1900 + and so I'm left with only newspapers as far as I'm aware?

She is quiet the character, had a child at 36 out of wedlock (which i fear marks the end of the male line to that tree) as well as being known as 'a girl you wouldn't mess with' but ends well assumably as we have a poem she wrote writing how she was a wayward child but grew to love her mother and her home.

If anyone can help that would be great.

Many many thanks in advance :)

- Ben

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