Author Topic: Owen Jones and Catherine Williams  (Read 12596 times)

Offline jstjones

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Owen Jones and Catherine Williams
« on: Wednesday 08 October 14 01:19 BST (UK) »
Newbie here, this is my first post so if I'm going about things the wrong way please set me straight. I feel like I'm searching for a certain pair of needles in a pile of needles the size of a haystack! lol.

My name is John William Jones and all I know about my father's father's family and ancestry is this:

My father's name is William H Jones, Jr. and he had a brother Owen H and a sister Glenna H.

My grandfather was William H Jones Sr. and he had brothers named John O, Hugh Owen, and Robert, and a sister Elizabeth.

My great grandparents came to the U.S. from Wales between 1883-1887, settled in Parsons, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and were married about 1889. His occupation was Stone Mason.

- Owen JONES, born January 1862 in Wales, both parents born Wales.
- Catherine WILLIAMS, born December 1868 in Wales, both parents born Wales.

That's all I know! The usual search methods are pointless and I have no idea where to start or where to turn. Is my quest to find my Welsh roots hopeless?

Thank you in advance for any advice you might be able to offer.
John W. Jones

Offline keyboard86

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Re: Owen Jones and Catherine Williams
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 08 October 14 01:59 BST (UK) »
Hi and welcome to Rootschat!

If I have located the correct marriage on Family Search, Owen married as Owen H Jones to Catherine Williams 26th June 1889 Luzerne, Pennsylvania, I see they were living with family there in the 1900 census, their is this potential family in the 1881 UK census:-

Hugh Jones 58 occ Slate Quarry Agent
Mary 48
Robert H 21 occ Slate Quarrier
OWEN H 19 occ Slate Quarrier
Hugh H 16 occ Slate Quarrier
William H 14
Elizabeth H 12
Ann H 9
Ellen H 5
Plus 1 Servant
All born Llandwrog, Caernarvonshire
Residing at 1, Fron Uchaf, Llandwrog, Caernarvonshire
Census Ref RG11/5564/34/23

Keyboard86
Pelly/Pelley/Kingsbury/Challis/Nalder/Rochester/Raydenbow

UK Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline jstjones

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Re: Owen Jones and Catherine Williams
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 08 October 14 02:14 BST (UK) »
@keyboard86:
Wow! That is amazing!! I've been looking for months and it seemed that half the people in Wales were named Jones and half of the male Joneses were named Hugh, Owen, or William! You nailed it in less than an hour! I am so elated, my heart is pounding! This is fantastic! I should have found this site a long time ago.

Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!
John

Offline keyboard86

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Re: Owen Jones and Catherine Williams
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 08 October 14 03:13 BST (UK) »
Hi sorry to say this but the Owen b c 1862 on the 1881 census is still in the UK on the 1891 census with his parents and some of the siblings ??? Census Ref RG12/4656/64/19

So if he went to the USA c 1886 then this cannot be him?

Will look for you again, so sorry.

It would possibly help if we could locate if he emigrated with any other siblings or even parents in 1886?
Keyboard86
Pelly/Pelley/Kingsbury/Challis/Nalder/Rochester/Raydenbow

UK Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Offline jstjones

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Re: Owen Jones and Catherine Williams
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday 08 October 14 03:55 BST (UK) »
@keyboard86. Understandable, like I say there are LOTs of Owen, Hugh, William Joneses! BTW, I did some more checking on the U.S. side and they also had a son named Robert, which is another match in Owen's siblings. And his age and occupation in the Wales 1891 census matches. But then again there are just too many other Owen Joneses that could have been 19 at the time and a slate quarrier there.

If the one you found was still there in 1891 then that tears it. I will look for other U.S. census data for Luzerne County, PA to see if there is other family there. Also will try to find any passenger lists.

Thanks again!
John

Offline jstjones

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Re: Owen Jones and Catherine Williams
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday 08 October 14 04:27 BST (UK) »
Found it! Arrived Philadelphia 30 MAR 1887 Ship "Indiana" from Liverpool.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-21551-3119-73?cc=1921481

Jones:
Hugh -Father (farmer)
Annie - Wife
Anne - Spinster
Owen - Labour
Robert - Labour

Owen's passenger index card states he was accompanied by four others. There was also a "E.H. Jones" (Male - Labour) on board.

Update: I'm beginning to have doubts that this is my great grandfather (Owen) and his father, mother, brother, sister. There are no Anne's in his descendants (there are just a couple of females and they are both Elizabeth (although they might have been Elizabeth Ann).

Also there are no ages to help confirm name matches, and we've already seen how unreliable simple name matches can be when they are Hugh and Owen Jones!

But my biggest concern is that I can find no other references to any of these people besides Owen in the Luzerne, PA area during the two decades after their arrival. It seems to me that they would have all settled together. It doesn't help that the U.S. 1890 Census was destroyed in a fire.

Offline jstjones

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Re: Owen Jones and Catherine Williams
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday 08 October 14 04:50 BST (UK) »
Could be a stretch but found possible passenger record for Catherine Williams:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-21482-6901-96?cc=1921481

Arr. Philadelphia June 5, 1883 British Prince from Liverpool

Mrs. Williams - Wales, Wife 35
"Miss" 16  Spinster  (this would make her the right age for Catherine)
"Child" 10

Unfortunately even if this is her, doesn't provide any more clues to her parentage other than mother's age. And that she had a brother or sister 6 years younger...

Offline shellyesq

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Re: Owen Jones and Catherine Williams
« Reply #7 on: Saturday 11 October 14 21:32 BST (UK) »
The age is a bit off, but there is a death certificate for Owen Jones born 6 Oct 1864 in Wales and died 6 Oct 1913 in Parsons, PA.  He was listed as a stone mason.  No marital status is given for him.  He died from shock following injury to his leg (compound dislocation).  His parents were listed as One Jones and Annie Evens or Evans, both born Wales.  The informant was Mr. or Mrs. C.W. Brown.  His burial appears to be in City Cemetery, which may be a match for this - http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=jones&GSfn=owen&GSiman=1&GScid=2182879&GRid=121004437& - which shows his age as older than on the death certificate. 

Offline shellyesq

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Re: Owen Jones and Catherine Williams
« Reply #8 on: Saturday 11 October 14 22:02 BST (UK) »
There are some possible matches for Catherine as a widow in the census in Elmira, New York. 

1915 - https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K9FY-3HP

1920 - https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MJ2M-C4X

1925- https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KS9B-ZPH

1930 - https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X7HP-8CR

Do those seem to fit with the later information you have?

www.fultonhistory.com has a lot of Elmira newspapers.