DAVIES - Skinners in Dolgellau & Tywyn

[Br1gau]

I have lost a Davies family!

William Davies, a skinner, born Dolgellau c1800
Wife: Ann
Children; Ann, Griffith David, Margaret & Catherine, all bpt. Llanwrin Parish

1841: Corris
1851: Corris
1861: not found
1871: William moved back to Dolgellau, his son Griffith David Davies (born c1826), also a wool dealer & skinner, married Jennet Williams, moved to Tywyn (they were recorded there in 1861)

Griffith David Davies & Jennet's children were: Ann Elizabeth, Griffith Charles, John E, William H, Henry Ch, Mary C, Edward O and another daughter b. 1881.

Griffith David Davies died in Tywyn in 1886 at the home of his eldest daughter, Ann Elizabeth, by then married to David Roberts.

After the 1881 census all the children vanished!  Their mother, Jennet stayed in Tywyn, recorded variously as a milliner, bouquet maker and OAP, living on her own in 1891, 1901 & 1911.  She died in 1917 aged 77, death registered in Machynlleth.

I find it strange because at the time of Griffith's death in 1886 the children's ages would have ranged between 5 and 25 years – what happened to them all after he died? I can't find any of them.

If anyone has links to this family, please do get in touch

Diolch yn fawr,

Brigau

[Br1gau]

I thought it might help if I posted the last sightings of Griffith David & Jennett Davies' family in 1881:

1881 census      Towyn
Registration District: 8 - Household: 130
Red Lion Street

Griffith D Davies, Head, 56, Skinner & Wool Dealer, Llanwrin
Jennett Davies, Wife, 42, Towyn
Ann E Davies, Dau, 20, Acting as Servant, Towyn            
Griffith Ch Davies, Son, 18, Pupil Teacher, Towyn
John E Davies, Son, 16, Railway Clerk, Towyn
William H Davies, Son, 14, Grocer's Assistant, Towyn
Henry Ch Davies, Son, 12, Scholar,    Towyn
Mary C Davies, Dau, 7, Scholar, Towyn
Edward O Davies, Son, 3, Scholar, Towyn
Iywyna [sic] JS Davies, Dau, 1, Towyn

brigau

[baz143-au]

I can help.  My Great Grandfather, David ROBERTS and Ann came to Australia.  Settled firstly near Ballarat and then later at Seddon, a suburb of Melbourne.  He called his property "Towyn".  Seddon Street, Seddon.

[baz143-au]

Can you check Jannet's maiden name.  I have it as JONES. Marriage @ Dolgelly. Marriages Volume 11b page 713.  I think you will find they emigrated to Australia in 1889.  The family bible has Iowyna as the baby's name Iowyna Jennet Sophia.  I have her dying of Typhoid so it may be that Ann Elizabeth took the kids with her, especially if her mother was sick and depending on what Griff died of.  If you can search emigration records there, it would give me a better idea of where they landed here.  At the time Australia was split into 6 colonies so none of the records are centralised and it's hard to find where they landed.

[Br1gau]

Hi baz,

<<especially if her mother was sick and depending on what Griff died of>>

Yes, but Jennet lived alone until 1917 without any sign of her children appearing!  I don't know if you have this, but Griffith left a will in 1886, personal estate: £136. 6s. Anne Elizabeth, wife of David Roberts was named as sole executor.  Nine years previously Griffith inherited from his father, William (estate £200.)

Jannet’s maiden name is indeed coming up as JONES, Williams was a typing error on my part, I’m afraid.  Her parents appear to be Harry Jones, a farmer and Elizabeth, his wife.

Did Iowyna die in Tywyn? I can’t find a record for her.

Findmypast, a subscription site has emigration records from the UK to Australia, but only from 1890 – 1960.  The only appropriate record is for 1891, with a David Roberts on the same journey to Sydney as an Annie Roberts but there is no way of knowing if it is them, or even if they were travelling together, without paying to view the manifest.

In case you don’t have them, here are some baptism records for Griffith Davies and his sisters:

Children of William Davies & Ann:
Ann Davies      bpt   27th December 1823
Griffith Davies   bpt   18th April 1825   
Margaret Davies   bpt   7th April 1827
Catherine Davies   bpt   7th March 1829
Jane Davies      bpt   19th May 1833
All baptised Wesleyan Circuit, Machynlleth, Montgomeryshire

I also have a partial transcription of a will dated 1836 for William Davies, Skinner of Dolgelley who was married to Susan Maria.  He names his siblings as Elizabeth, married name Franklin; Thomas, who married Jane (he appears to have been a Hatter in Dolgellau,) and Griffith, who had died by1836.  This Griffith was married to Catherine and their children, who each benefited from an equal part of one third of the estate, were Thomas, William and Griffith.  So that potentially takes Griffith’s (born 1825) family back a further two generations.

brigau

[Br1gau]

Hi,

On a 'best fit' basis from UK - Vic, AU
http://www.access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/PROVguides/PROVguide050/PROVguide050.jsp

ROBERTS ANNIE age 26 arrived JUL 1891 aboard CULGOA B 547 003
ROBERTS DAVID age 28 arrived JUL 1891 aboard CULGOA B 547 003

I wouldn't worry too much about ages not being exact, most emigrants I've encountered invariably lost a few years of their life on board ship!!

I can't see anything for 1889.

brigau

[baz143-au]

According to the family bible Iowyna died at Braybrook on the 7th of March ?.  (Year has been eaten by silver fish).  Now there is a Braybrook , which is a suburb of Melbourne and adjoins Footscray and Seddon but I can't find a record of the death here. The writing however is in Jennet's hand writing, not Anne's.  I'm not familiar with the U.K. but is it possible she died at Braybrooke, Northamptonshire.

Now my uncle griffith, a reverand who married my parents, visited England in 1910.  He was also tracing the family tree.  He came back with a Baptism certificate for Jannet.  She was baptised on the 14th of October, 1838. Daughter of Henry and Elizabeth JONES, Henry a Farmer at a property known as Bodilan Fach.  The parish was LLanfihangel-y-Pennant.  The extract is dated February 1910.

In his notes he has William DAVIES, 1797 to 1861 married to Ann ROBERTS

gobeithio y bydd yn helpu

Baz

[Br1gau]

Hi,

Bodilan Fach is still a working farm.

What a nuisance those silver fish are, but Iowyna must have died at Braybrook, Victoria, surely, there’s no other reasonable explanation, I still don’t understand what she was doing there without her mother!  Her birth was registered as Jennet Sophia, is it possible her death was recorded under the same name?
Births: Davies Jennet Sophia June qtr 1880 Machynlleth 11b 172

I have William Davies, born ca1799 married to Ann as dying in 1878.  In 1861 and ‘71 they were enumerated at South Street, Dolgelley.
Deaths Mar 1878
DAVIES William 79 Dolgelly 11b 333

[baz143-au]

Brig

I'm going off script I can't quite read here.  Griff seems to have made the connection that Ann, who married William, had a maiden name of ROBERTS and that Ann Elizabeth married her cousin ?? Are you able to confirm ?

Oh and it's ironic that William died 85 years to the day of my birthday.  Funny how the same dates keep popping up.  It's happened several times throughout my tree