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Is this the 1838 birth that you are hesitant about?

DANIEL, JOHN       TERRY     
GRO Reference: 1838  M Quarter in SWANSEA UNION  Volume 26  Page 400

mmn Terry

That's the one yep!

Hi everyone,

I've been having a nightmare with one branch of my tree for years, and I'm really stuck.

John DANIEL is my g-g-g-g-grandfather but brought up my g-g-grandfather, David John DANIEL as if he was his father. He seems a bit of a character, he was a publican in his spare time and also a tinplate hammerman. He was fined after a court case for fraudulent entries in his brewing book in 1895. He was also buried complete with victualers grape regalia on his headstone at the nonconformist Mynyddbach Chapel graveyard in Swansea. He appears on every census between 1871 and 1911, and dies in 1920. But, I can find no obituary, nor any other info in the local paper, in spite of his daughter working for the South Wales Daily Post.

The biggest problem is that I cannot trace him back before the 1867 marriage record.

I have a marriage certificate for John DANIEL and his wife Mary Ann HUMPHREYS, they married in 1867 in Swansea. Their fathers are listed as David HUMPHREYS (correct), and Dennis DANIEL (deceased copper man). I cannot find any record of a Dennis DANIEL anywhere, I presume he's fictional. The witnesses are Eliza RICHARDS and William DAVIES.

Now, the death certificate suggests he was born in 1841, he was 79 when he died in December 1920. The censuses say he was born around 1843-45. The reason I bring this up is because there is a baptism record from 1844 for a John DANIEL to an Eliza DANIEL (single woman). Eliza also had another child, Eliza Jr. in 1842, but she died just five months later. I cannot find anyone that seems to match Eliza DANIEL either (though I suspected Eliza RICHARDS might be her, I cannot corroborate it), the only one that comes close and would be the right age is an Eliza DANIEL who was the daughter who didn't marry in a fairly affluent middle class family in the town. Potentially, John could have been her child who was sent away?

Alternatively, Dennis is a misprint? Is it likely the registrar mis-transcribed it? There are other families which could fit who all have similar names to those in John DANIEL's family, lots of Elizabeths, Davids, Sarahs, Marys, and Williams.

The only other document available is a birth certificate from 1838 for a John DANIEL, but I've hesitated getting it as I doubt it's my John DANIEL.

Other information worth knowing:
1871 census: records him living with an Ann DANIEL, b. Swansea, unmarried, a servant, aged 13
1881 census: records him living with an Ann DAVIES, b. Swansea, unmarried, a servant, aged 20
1911 census: records him living with an Ann DAVIES, b. Swansea, married with 1 deceased child, aged 50.
There's also a niece, Mary REES, who is a nursemaid, living with them in 1881, b. Llangwynyd (a small village near Bridgend), but she seems to be a dead end.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated

Dan

Thank you Carol!

That sounds right and sort of confirms my assumption that it's my g-g-g-grandmother Emma Hodge who would be in her 70s at the time. The back is blank and it's thin photo paper.

I have a couple more if you wouldn't mind have a glance over them.

The one of men walking is from the seaside resort Porthcawl in South Wales, with a postcard back.
The young girl and the two men also have a postcard back.
The other one of a group of men is blank at the back, if I remember correctly.

Thanks again!
Danny

Thanks Carol!

Unfortunately he doesn't look 47 haha, must be someone else.