Thomas Rowlands 1891

[rob22]

Hello,
could someone please have a look in the 1891 census for a Thomas Rowlands born march 1888 in merthyr,his father was a James Rowlands who was a miner.
                    many thanks for any help.
                          Robert.

[osprey]

do you have any more info? Mother's name? Are they likely to still be in Merthyr? Have you found them on the 1901? If so, could you post the details to help search. Do you have the birth certificate? The address on it would help.

 I've tried 2 different sources for the census and can find a Thomas who's a bit younger, but his father was Thomas and the father died before the 1901 census. I've found 2 Jameses, both miners, one married to Mary Ann with a daughter also Mary Ann, and the other married to a Mary, possibly maiden name John, no children. 

[rob22]

Hello,
many thanks for looking,i am sorry but i do not have any more information,Thomas was 27 when he married in 1916,to a violet Holmans in Herefordshire so i made a mistake on his year of birth,he was born 1889,i have been trying to family for months now, i cant find them in 1891 or 1901 ,i do think the family came from south wales mining area.

I do not know what his mother was called but i do no that his father was called James and was a miner.

In  june 1918 Thomas had a son called Albert,he was born in  chruch street ,Tredegar,then the family moved back to Herefordshire.
                         thanks again for your help.
                                  Robert
         


 

[osprey]

When you say 'South Wales mining area', do you mean you don't whether it's Merthyr or not. The coalfield stretched across Monmouthshire, Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire and into Breconshire with smaller areas of mining elsewhere. This gives a very much larger area to look for the Rowlands family. There was also coal mining in Gloucestershire and Somerset if you're not sure where the family came from. The Forest of Dean was a mining area in Gloucestershire but some of it appears under Monmouthshire on at least one census.

I'll go have a look with a wider search area. 

[rob22]

Hello,
i am sorry but i cant give any more information,but i just got a feeling it was south wales,
i know its not a help.
 but thanks for looking in a biger area.it just seems strange i cant find them in 1891 or 1901.
                      Robert

[osprey]

only one that I can find that fits more than one of the facts is this
1901 Derwen Fawr Cottages, Blaenhonddan RG13/5062 folio 77 pg 42
James Rowlands head mar 36 colliery weigher b. Pembs, Whitchurch
Mary wife 37 b. Glam, Cadoxton
Thomas son 7 b. Melincryddan
William son 4 b. Cilfrew
Annie Mary dau 4 months b. Cilfrew

Could marriage cert say 21 not 27? Are there are Rowlands witnesses on it to help?

Strangely, this is the family I found searching on Merthyr in 1891. The only other James Rowlands coming up with residence of Merthyr was 14.
1891 1 Cynon Row, Cwmdare RG12/4443 folio 35 pg 21
John John head mar 34 coal miner b. Glam, Cadoxton
Ann wife 32 b. Llangeler, Carms
Wiliiam John John son 9 scholar b. Ton(?) Ystrad, Rhondda Valley
Rachel Ann dau 2 b. Penrhiwceibr, Mountain Ash
David Thomas son 5 b. Penrhiwceibr, Mountain Ash
James Rowlands  boarder mar 26 coal miner b. Whitchurch, Pembs
Mary Rowlands boarder mar 28 b. Cadoxton, Glam.

If it is this family, then this looks like the birth registration for Thomas
Thomas James Rowlands 1Q 1894 Neath vol 11a pg 831

There is a birth reg in 1888 for a Thomas Rowlands 2Q 1888 Merthyr Tydfil vol 11a pg 590 and 4 more Thomas Rowlands registered in Pontypridd area in 1899 if you want more choices, but they do not appear on the census with father called James as far as I can see. You could always order all the birth certs with a check of the father's name if you're getting desperate - refs for the ones in Pontypridd are on FreeBmd.

[rob22]

many thanks for the information and your time and help,

i am going to cheek with Hereford register office about Thomas age,it do look like 27(but its not a good 7 so it could be a one 1),
i do no that Thomas die in Hereford in1942 his age was then 54,
but when he got married in 1916 he was in the 3rd Herefordshires so may be he lied about his age to get in the army.
many of family die of TB in the 1940s so only 2 of them ivied so its very hard to get information about the Rowlands etc.
                                 Robert

[rob22]

just a update,
Thomas was 27 when he married.

[osprey]

or it was recorded as 27 anyway! Who knows what he said to person performing marriage service?

Whatever happened, he's still the only Thomas I can see with father James who is a miner at that time. Is there any chance you could approach it a different way - through his army records at the National Archives. Wouldn't he have had to give next of kin details when he joined up? Have you tried the army board on Rootschat?