Sources |
- [S8939] Ancestry Family Trees, (http://ancestry.co.uk), accessed 3 Mar 2014), Owen Family Tree (Reliability: 3).
Owner: Roger Owen
http://trees.ancestry.co.uk/tree/11801014/
- [S9742] Owen, Roger, Roger Owen, 9 Oct 2015>, "John Richards," (Reliability: 3).
Hullo Phil,
Many apologies for taking so long to respond, but here is what I know or can tell . . .
In my possession is a Welsh family bible of the sort printed by the British and Foreign Bible Society. I think it is probably akin to that purchased by Mary Jones in 1800 in the story recounted in Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Jones_and_her_Bible). It came from my mother who got it from her mother Nora Davies, who got it from her mother Ann Daniel Davies who got it from her mother Margaret, who seems to have been married to Richard Richards (b. 1820: d.1862) and then who subsequently married John Davies, from which union I seem to have arisen!!
The Bible is in a parlous state and the story in the family is that it was among the few things that were rescued after a fire destroyed the family home. There are certainly what I presume are water-stains on pages. However there is no one now alive that I know of who can tell me anymore about it. Internet searches of welsh newspapers for 1862 have not proved useful. Possibly if I ever find my way to Aberystwyth and the university library?
Anyway within it, written in the space after the Apocrypha are a number of entries in what I suspect are a couple of differsnt hands are a number of entries, which I have scanned in and transcribed for you. The file shows the pages in the order they appear in the Bible, and that’s how I have transcribed it. Most notably, Richard Richards the father of John Richards died on the same day as his youngest son Isaac - May 8th 1862.
Moreover the Bible also records the death (4/8/1893) and burial (7/8/93) of John Richards in Bradford Cemetary, Manchester. (Ithink this the Phillips Park Cemetary My guess is that is that is Margaret recording the death of her second husband and that of her surviving son from her first marriage.
Given the number of infant deaths in the Richards household, as a nurse I do wonder whether Richard Richards (the father of John) had at some stage contracted syphylis. Speculative I know, but insofar as I can tell none of his kids apart from John (I think the first-born) appear to have lived, while Margaret successfully raised three kids in her second marriage. I hope you are not insulted - I mean no slur?!!
While going over this I found an 1891 census that showed a John Richards living in Conran Street, Harpurhey which is about a mile and a half from the cemetary, so I guess that might be him.
That is about all I know or can speculate for John Richards, who in none of the first hand records has the middle name Aneurin, but then they only seem to have noted second names in their kids when they wanted to differentiate them from predeceased children of the same name.
I'd love to hear what you make of this, is it of any use to you? For me, it has felt like sewing the fabric of someone's life from scraps, and I have no idea how convincing any of this is to someone else? I think above all, my heart goes out to Margaret (I fear I have no idea as to her maiden name), living through the death of her kids and husband, and still having the wherewithal to try again.
Best wishes with your researches,
Roger
Courtesy of Roger Owen
- [S8515] FreeBMD, England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915, ((http://freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl)), accessed 15 Oct 2015), Birth Registration for Mary Elizabeth DAVIES (85187); Sep 1871, Machynlleth, Montgomeryshire, Volume 11b, Page 179. (Reliability: 3).
- [S9347] Wales. Merionethshire., 1881 Wales Census for Merionethshire, (\i Ancestry\i0 . http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=8059 : n.d.), Aberdovey, folio 40, page 1; digital images, \i Ancestry\i0 ?(http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=8059 : accessed 15 Oct 2015); citing PRO RG 11/5478 (Reliability: 3).
1881 Wales Census data extracted from Ancestry Records 15/10/2015
RG11 Piece 5478 Folio 40 Page 1
Information for John DAVIES
Age: 64
Estimated birth year: abt 1817
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Margaret Davies
Gender: Male
Where born: Towyn, Merionethshire, Wales
Civil Parish: Towyn
County/Island: Merionethshire
Country: Wales
Street address: 5 New Street
Condition as to marriage: Married
Occupation: Gardener
Registration district: Machynlleth
Sub registration district: Pennal
ED, institution, or vessel: 5
Piece: 5478
Folio: 40
Page Number: 1
Household Members:
John DAVIES: Age 64 (1817)
Margaret DAVIES: Age 60 (1821)
Ann DAVIES: Age 13 (1868)
Isaac DAVIES: Age 11 (1870)
Mary DAVIES: Age 7 (1874)
Edward William RICHARDS: Age 52 (1829)
Richard SOMES: Age 23 (1858)
Catherine SOMES: Age 19 (1862)
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=uki1881wales&h=12951116&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&rhSource=7618RG11 Piece 5478 Folio 40 Page 1
- [S8519] FreeBMD, England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index, 1837-1915, ((http://freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl)), accessed 15 Oct 2015), Marriage Registration for John DAVIES (85184) and Margaret RICHARDS (85178); Jun 1865, Machynlleth, Montgomeryshire, Volume 11b, Page 380. (Reliability: 3).
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