Hi Bianca,
I came across your post by chance and you probably haven't had any replies up to now because it was on the Norfolk board rather than the Yorkshire one!
This is what I've found on your g grandfather, Michael H Conway:
1871 Census, Dodworth, Yorkshire:
Michael Conway, unmarried, age 20, Born in Batley, Coal Miner living as a boarder with the Slones family (At least the handwriting looks like Slones to me). The head of household in Jarvis Slones, age 54 and the other family members are his wife Harriet (47) and daughters Elizabeth (15), Emma (13) & Hannah (10). Elizabeth was born in Dodworth.
1881 Census, 12, South Street, Dodworth, Yorkshire:
Michael Conway, Head of Household, Married, age 30, born in Batley, Coal Miner
Elizabeth Conway, Wife, Married, age 26, born in Dodworth
Mary Hannah? Conway, Daughter, age 9, born in Dodworth
Richard Conway, Son, age 6, born in Scellstone?
Harriet Conway, Daughter, age 3, born in Wooley?
Simon Conway, Son, age 1, born in Darton?
Where I've put question marks, the handwriting on the census return is hard to read. You can see a transcription of the entry at
www.familysearch.org (free) but this is obviously someone elses interpretation of the handwriting which may be different from mine!
I found a marriage for a Michael Conway with an Elizabeth Stones on the same page of the index in the Barnsley area in July/Aug/Sept 1871. It's my guess that you g grandfather's first wife was his landlord's daughter and the ennumerator forgot to cross the T in the surname in the 1871 census! To confirm this you'd have to order a copy of the marriage certificate (Ref. Sept. Quarter 1871, Volume 9c, Page 183). If my guess is right, I've found your gg grandparents Jarvis and Harriet Stones.
1891 Census entry for 13, High Street, Dodworth is interesting:
Michael Conway, Head of Household, Widower, age 38, Coal miner, born in Dewsbury
Richard Conway, Son, unmarried, age 16, Coal Miner
Simon Conway, Son, age 12
Michael Conway, Son, age 8
Harriet Conway, Daughter, age 13
Mary Conway, Mother, Widow, age 57, Retired Barmaid, born Tipperary, Ireland
Jane Dyson, Housekeeper, age 20, born Morley, Yorkshire
Harold Dyson, Housekeeper's Son, age 4 months, born Yorkshire, Barnsley
John William Snee, Visitor, age 32, Coalminer
In the 1901 census (7 Seventh Street, Crofton, Yorkshire) I found them as follows:
Michael H Conway, Head of Household, age 49, Coal Miner, born Batley
Jane Conway, Wife, age 29, born Dodworth
Micahel Conway, Son, age 17
Harold Conway, Son, age 10
Elsie Conway, Daughter, age 8
John C Conway, Son, age 7
Doris A Conway, Daughter, age 5
Elizabeth Conway, Daughter, age 3
James H Conway, Son, age 1 (Your grandfather)
Jane Conway, Daughter, age 2 months
So we've found all 12 of his children, 5 by his 1st wife Elizabeth and 7 by his 2nd wife Jane. His second wife appears to have been his housekeeper from 1891 by whom he already had a child Harold at the time of the 1891 census!
I can't find Richard & Mary Conway in any of the censuses nor the record of Michael's marriage to Jane but I hope this information is something to be going on with.
Regards,
Allan
