Matthew DAVIES, Blaenavon/Ebbw Vale ?

[fluffnco]

My great Grandmother was called Beatrice Davies before her marriage in 1903 to Alfred William Thomson in St Pancras Middlesex. She was born in 1881 but I have been unable to obtain a correct birth certificate as yet. Her father was listed as Matthew Davies Occ: coalminer.

My mum seems to vaguely remember someone saying that Beatrice was welsh but lived all her life in London. I've searched census for Beatrice and her father in Middlesex but no signs of him. A search of freebmd showed up a matthew Davies born c 1850 in Blaenavon, Monmouthshire.

Can anyone help me with this wall that is rapidly appearing please? Anyone have a Matthew Davies in their family tree or anyone who remembers coming across a Matthew Davies and family any where? I'd be really greatful for any help in locating him.

thanks so much in advance

Del

[pritch19]

HI

This could be your Matthew Davies in the 1881 census:

RG11/5246  Fol 30  Page 27

Address:   25 Victoria Road, Ebbw Vale

Matthew Davies    33   H    Coal Miner    b.  Blaenavon, Monmouthshire
Eliza Davies           32  W                        b.  Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire
Harriet Davies          5  D                         b.  Ebbw Vale
David Davies            4  S                         b.   Ebbw Vale
Margaret E Davies    1  D                        b.   Ebbw Vale

Could find no reference to this family in the 1891 Monmouthshire census.  Nor could I find a Matthew Davies born Blaenavon in the 1871 census.

Good Luck

pritch

[fluffnco]

Thank you very much for that piece of census info. At last I may be getting some where

Del

[fluffnco]

By my reckoning if he was 33 at the time of the 1881 census then he'd have been born sometime around 1848 give or take a year. I'll check freebdm and see if I can come up with his birth

thanks again

Del

[pritch19]

Hi Del

Regarding Beatrice Davies birth certificate, found this:

Beatrice Davies     Bedwellty   March 1882    Vol.  11a  Page  115

You said she was born in 1881 so the above fits if she was born late 1881 and the birth registered early 1882.  She was the only Beatrice Davies born Bedwellty in the early 1880's that I could find.

best

pritch

[fluffnco]

Hi Pritch
Thank you for the birth certificate details. I'll send off for that straight away and keep my fingers etc firmly crossed. I would never have realised that Bedwelty was connected to Ebbw Vale or even Monmouthshire.

you said you couldn't find anything in 1891 for matthew and the family. I'm just wondering if he died in a coalmining disaster between the two census which would mean only eliza and the children would be on the 1891 census. I've done a little searching online and found a Matthew Davies who was killed in a coalmining incident in Myrthyr Tydfil(sp?).

Do you have access to that area for 1891 and could I be very cheeky and ask if you might do a search for his widow and family in that area for me. Beatrice should also show up on the 1891 census if it's the right family.

Thanking you so much in advance for all your help

Adele

[pritch19]

Hi Adele

I have done another search of the 1891 using Eliza Davies as the search name and lo and behold the Matthew Davies family are still in Ebbw Vale at the same address. 
The bad news is there is still no sign of Beatrice Davies living with this family.  The 1891 census gives:

Rg12/4358  44  12     25 Victoria Road,  Ebbw Vale

Matthew Davies         H   42  Hitcher at Colliery     b.  Monmouthshire
Eliza Davies               W   42                                  b. Bedwelty
David Davies              S    14                                  b.       "
Marg Edith Davies      D    11                                  b.       "
Isaac Davies               S     5                                   b.       "
Thomas J. Jones      Neph  18  Haulier                    b.       "

I have done a search for Beatrice Davies in the  census for Bedwelty and the only one I have come across of the right age (approx 10)  is the daughter of a John and Elizabeth Davies living in the Tredegar area, which is only a few miles from Ebbw Vale.  Both parents and Beatrice were born in Tredegar and John's occupation is Foreman at Iron Works.

So unfortunately the Matthew and Beatrice details do not match.  I was pretty sure the birth index for Beatrice was the one you were searching for, I do hope I haven't sent you down the wrong path.

I will do a wider search in the census to see if I can come up with anything else and I will take a look for Matthew Davies in the birth indexes circa 1848.  Meanwhile, if you require the details of the Davies family in Tredegar, let me know and I will post them.

best wishes

Steve   

[fluffnco]

Hi Steve,

Many thanks for re running that search for me. Beatrices father is named as Matthew Davies Coalminer on her wedding certificate to my great grandfather Alfred William Thomson.

I wonder if she was living with a relative of the family and was mistakenly registered as a daughter instead of maybe a niece or grand daughter?

Could you post those details of the Tredegor family for me please.

The other thing of course is that the welsh link is a red herring and they were living else where in the country. This is not going to be an easy task. Oh how I wish there were family that I could contact for a copy of her birth certificate LOL

Thanks again for all your help. It's greatly appreciated

Adele

[pritch19]

Hi Del

Here are the details of the Davies family in Tredegar 1891:

John Davies            42
Elizabeth Davies    43
Richard Davies        21
David J Davies         19
Mary A Davies          17
Eliza J Davies           15
Alfred Davies            12
Beatrice Davies        10
Thomas Davies          7

All born in Tredegar.  Beatrice is listed as a daughter.

Also living with them was
 Richard Davies  Wid  Brother Age 76   b.  Baislech?

I also did a wider search for Beatrice in 81 and 91 census Wales and England but still couldn't connect to Matthew Davies.  It seems that obtaining Beatrice's birth certificate is the key, knowing where she was born would be a big help.  I'll let you know if I have any luck with Matthew's birth details.

Steve