Gowers of Briton Ferry

[suzard]

Probate
Elizabeth Ann Hope Gower of 55 Caerleon Rd Newport Monmouthshire (wife of Thomas Silas Gower) died 8 Jan 1933 Admin Llandaff 28 Jan to Thomas Silas Gower retired Market Superintendant
Effects £100

Thomas Silas Gower of 41 Coldra Rd Newport Mon died 17 Jan 1934 at Wooloston House Newport Admin Llandaff 27 April to Charles Edward Gower Grocer
Effects £60 11s 7d

Suz

[suzard]

a couple of snippets

Western Mail 29 Nov 1894
Death
GOWER on 27 Nov at Rothesay Villa Stanley Road newport Florence Margaret 2nd daughter of Thomas Silas & Hope Gower age 6years 3months

(Thomas Silas' wife goes by name of hope in 1911 - it is her third name Elizabeth Ann Hope Gower)

Western mail 21 Feb 1895
Nomination of councillers to fill vacancies in South Ward newport Mon were as follows.......(3 names preceeding)  Thomas Silas Gower (L) provision merchant Rothesay Villa Stanley Rd

Suz

[Mabel Bagshawe]

1881 Thomas Gower is a grocer's assistant living with the cordey family at 35 High St

[Mabel Bagshawe]

more on the Llewelyns in the US

this looks to be the death of a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FPSQ-4NT

And with a Gower cousin
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:S1X3-FMM

With husband, children and her mother
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMVJ-XGB

Henry, Elizabeth and sons in 1880
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MNH9-MF7

[Ricardian]

Thank you for this Mabel. I looks as if Henry and Elizabeth emigrated to America with all of their children. Fascinating information. Also the information on Edward's family Suzard.

Thank you

Ricardian

[Mabel Bagshawe]

I've being trying to work out who Annie Llewelyn Wentworth's cousin Jane Gower is. I haven;t defintiely palced her.

However. I have come across a family consisting of

James Gower  b c1831
Mary Gower b c1829
Jennie Gower b c1862
Alice M Gower b c1865
Winifred Gower (born Illinois, USA)

james and Mary married c1860. They are mostly to be found in Milwaukee as well, and immigrated c1865. Jennie can also be found in Daytona beach in the 1930 census, the same location as Annie nee Llewelyn and jane Gower

I've found a possible for Alice - b Alice Martha in Cardiff district, baptism 1 Jan 1865, Peterston-Super-Ely. Parents James and Mary Gower. 

it's the right age for your James - although he is single on 1861 census (the one where he is late returned from the East Indies) there is a marriage in Q2 1861 in Cardiff involving a Mary. I'm just not 100% sure about it - and don't have sufficient subs to get more info. Somehow Peterston doesn't quite fit the family history

[Mabel Bagshawe]

I may have been too suspicious!


Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian, Glamorgan, Monmouth, and Brecon Gazette, 6 July 1861
 
June 30, at Peterston-super-Ely, by the Rev. L. Charles Lewis, B.D., rector, Mr. James Gower, engineer, of Britonferry, to Mary, eldest daughter of Mrs. Mary David, of Peterston.

James is made bankrupt in the summer of 1864, which may explain his decision to emigrate.


One final possibility  - the Cardiff Times of 10 November 1865 reports on the annual meeting of the Bridgend Labourers' Friendly Society, attendees including a James Gower of Tondu

[Ricardian]

Edward and Jane were living in Tondu where he was the Forge Manager and James was living with them. Peterston is somewhere between Bridgend and Cardiff I think. It looks as if quite a few of the family emigrated to America.

[Ricardian]

Edward and Jane at some point went to live in Briton Ferry and it looks as if James was living there when he got married. I have looked at the other census info that you and suzard have posted and there don't appear to be any more sons that could have been Jane's father because it appears that Silas and John didn't get married and have children. Edward and Jane died in Briton Ferry but were buried at Newcastle Church in Bridgend. That's where I first found them when my mother took me to see their grave when I was a teenager. It must have been a quite something in those days to bring a body back from Briton Ferry to be buried in Bridgend. The grave isn't there anymore my sister and I searched for it about 10 years ago.