Hello all,
I’ve hit a brick wall and would really appreciate any help or fresh eyes.
I’m trying to trace more about my ancestor Maud Alice Jones, who was born on 15 July 1874 in Pittsburgh, USA. She later came to the UK (date unknown) and married my 2x great-grandfather Richard Cooper on 25 December 1893 in Tipton, Staffordshire (St Martin’s Church).
Maud and Richard settled in West Bromwich, where they raised 8 children: Maria, William (my direct ancestor), Mary Jane, Leonard, Doris Maud, Elizabeth, Lily, and James. Maud died in 1946 in West Bromwich.
I know from the 1921 UK census that she is listed as being British born, and the 1939 Register gives her birthplace as "Pitsburg" (which I take to be a misspelling of Pittsburgh). This suggests her parents were British citizens living temporarily in the USA.
The only information I have about her parents is from her marriage certificate, which lists her father as Joseph Jones, a retired miner. I have no information about her mother, and I haven’t found a definitive birth or baptism record for Maud in the USA or UK. I also don’t know if she had any siblings.
So far I’ve searched:
U.S. birth records for Pittsburgh (though Pennsylvania didn’t officially record births until 1906)
Passenger lists (UK and US)
UK and US census records
Parish records in Staffordshire
Variations of her name (Maude, Maud A., etc.)
If anyone can help me:
Find a baptism or birth record for Maud
Trace Joseph Jones and where in the UK he was from
Identify her mother
Or suggest where else I might look...
… I’d be incredibly grateful!
Thank you so much for reading and for any suggestions you may have!
