Jane Parker (Jones) (c1830-1912) of Knighton, b. Llanfihangel Rhydithon

[TicknerV]

Jane Parker (formerly Jones) (c1830-1912) is a bit of a mystery ancestor. She appears to have married Edward Parker (1807/8-1865) Sheriff's Officer of Knighton after his first wife died, although her marriage to him between 1857 and 1859 has still not been located. Jane repeatedly gives in the Censuses that she was born in Llanfihangel Rhydithon, Radnorshire.

Llanfihangel Rhydithon was a parish with 337 inhabitants in the 1841 census. St. Michael and All Angels is the local parish church. A baptismal record has not been found for her there over the 1825 to 1835 period under the surname JONES. I suspect that she may have been from a Non-Conformist background. The 1831 Land Tax Assessments for Lanfihangel Rhydithon have a William JONES (owner and occupier of a property), Nathan JONES (occupier of a property owned by J.L.SEVERN, John  JONES (occupier of a property owned by John TUNLEY), Revd JONES owning a property occupied by Thomas MOORE, Mssrs EVANS, JONES & EDWARDS owning a property occupied by D… EDWARDS, and Ann JONES owning a property occupied by John BUSTON.

One clue is that in the 1861 Census a Mary Evans (79) in Jane's household in Knighton, given as her grandmother, a widow, and born in Radnorshire, but I cannot locate anything more about her either.

Of course, I would be thrown into a JONES family as my first discovered Welsh ancestor!!! Any help on finding her parentage would be appreciated.

Vincent

[Morganllan]

Hello 

Could Jane have been married before? Or perhaps she was born with the name Jones but brought up with a different family and is shown with their name on the census records.

As she is consistent about her birthplace, Llanfihangel Rhydithon, you could try tracing all the Jane's of the right age from 1841 onwards.

However, I still can't see a Radnorshire marriage for Edward Parker  What year did his first wife die and was she with him on any census?

Kind regards
Morgan

 

[TicknerV]

Dear Morgan,

Thank you for your comments. Jane could have had an earlier marriage, it is true. I could try and re-constitute the lives of all Janes from LR born around 1830.

Edward Parker's first wife was Sarah (nee Garstone) (c1802-1857) from Hereford, who died of carcinoma and peritonitis, aged 55, on February 26, 1857, at their home in the Pig Market, Knighton.

I have not definitively found the birth record of my great-grandfather, James Parker, but in the 1861 census he was given as aged 3, and in the 1871 census as aged 15. The daughter of Edward and Jane, Alice Maria Parker had her birth registered as such in the 1st quarter of 1859, suggesting that Edward and Jane were married by then, but they may never have actually married.

I suspect that my great-grandfather was the James Jones born on August 6, 1857 in Child’s Alley , Knighton, with only Jane Jones given as his mother, she signing with her mark, and being given as also of Child’s Alley, Knighton. Obviously, Jane would have been pregnant before Edward's first wife, Sarah had died.

regards

Vincent

[PhilDrayton]

Vincent

I have a copy of the the front page of the Parker family Bible, which shows  "James Parker Jones  born Aug 7th 1857 at 5 o'clock in the morning. Christened at Stowe, Salop". (Stowe is a couple of miles from Knighton) The way he is named would tend to confirm your notion that Jane was unmarried when James was born.

James' sister Alice Maria Parker is my wife's Gt-Grandmother.

regards Phil

[PhilDrayton]

The 1841 Census for

Llanfihangel Rhydithon, Boxtree LE (Cwmllecwed in Parish of Llanbister) has

Name      Age   Sex   Occupation   Born in same county?
Anne    Jones   5         Y
Edward   Jones   12         Y
Elizabeth   Jones   45(45-49)         Y
Evan   Jones   15(15-19)         Y
James   Jones   7         Y
Jane   Jones   10         Y
John   Jones   55(55-59)      Carpenter   Y
Maryanne   Jones   2         Y


This may be Jane (Jones) Parker

Phil

[TicknerV]

Dear Phil,

Just got home from York! Thanks very much for this. It looks highly plausible. Can you tell me what "Boxtree LE" refers to? I am not on Ancestry.com, so do not have instanteous access to the censuses, but I wonder if any of the people mentioned are located in the 1851 census, because origins for the parents John and Elizabeth Jones would help, or, if I could trace what happened to any of this Jane's siblings it may throw some clarifying light on her. I might also try to get the birth certificate of Maryanne Jones, as that should give the maiden name of her mother, and locate exactly where they were.

regards,

Vincent

[PhilDrayton]

Hello Vincent,

I supposed that 'Boxtree' was the name of a house or farm. The census info that I posted, was information that I had copied from the original census returns about 10 years ago at the Family History Centre in London. I havent been able to locate it online.

Family Search website records a Jane Jones baptised on 27 Nov 1830 at Llanbister, Radnorshire; her parents' names are given as John Jones & Elizabeth, which correspond with the census data.

I have a 'Birthday Book' (a small notebook/diary for recording friends, & family birthdays) that was owned by Jane's daughter Alice Maria. The August 7th entry is for 'James Parker' indicating that your ancestor dropped the 'Jones' part of his name at some stage.

I'll keep looking through my notes for other info. I have photos of Alice if you are interested.

best regards

Phil Parsonage, Malvern

[Hugh BlacK]

Hi
I lived in Llanfihangel Rhydithon for many years and have never heard of anywhere called Boxtree?
This is not very helpful but felt you ought to know

[TicknerV]

Dear Hugh,

I had difficulty, too! Subsequently I have found out that it was a holding in the southern part of Llanbister parish that no longer exists, but it was situated near to Painscastle farm on the Llanbister Road to Llangunllo. It might be located in the Tithe Map for Llanbister parish of about 1840.

regards,

Vincent