Lost in the ether: John & Eliza Jane Davis

[James18]

Jann,

Thanks for the suggestion.

Her parents didn't emigrate until the 1880s -- the entire family are in the same residence in Coleford, Gloucestershire in 1871; only Eliza Jane is missing. I'm not sure that any extended family were in the USA at that point, and it would certainly have been strange that only Eliza - one of the youngest - would be sent there, and without her parents or any older siblings.

John Watson was a coal miner, and I think he may have emigrated to Iowa to set up a coal mining business, but I'd need to check whether that economically viable (i.e. did Iowa have large coal deposits).

Rosie,

1901

Piece   590
Folio   92
Page number   21
Household schedule number   96

1891

Piece   1017
Folio   21
Page number   38

1881

Piece   1010
Folio   27
Page number   48

1861

Piece   3983
Folio   46
Page number   25
Household schedule number   137

1871 and 1911 are currently unknown.

[jann]

The suggestion to check ship lists was made in connection with  John and Eliza's absence from the 1911 census  ( " I cannot find either John or (Eliza) Jane in 1911, either together or apart.")

In regard to Eliza Jane in the 1871 census.  I suspect it's due to an enumerator error in the last name. Young girls often first went into service in a household near their family home.  I'd look for Eliza Jane in the general area where her parents lived using a first name, dob, birth location search.

Jann

[James18]

Eliza Jane has been discovered in 1871; if you search for Jane Walson b. Joyford, Glocestershire you'll find her.

Still nothing for 1911, though.

[amondg]

Aside notes
Iowa State census 1885- Town Vernon, County Wright.
John Watson 57 farm laborer born England
Elizabeth 57 born England
Samuel 15 born England
Trythena 13 born England

Possible death for John 1887 age 60 Mount Hope Cemetery, Franklin County Iowa.(Find a Grave)

Majority of emigrants to Iowa were German and Danish.
Known for large hog farms, cattle and corn.
Mining only Limestone

[James18]

Yes, that's her parents; I certainly remember the name Trythena as I thought it unusual when I first saw it. I think she was the youngest daughter.

John died in 1887, and Elizabeth in 1902.

Good find!

Somewhere (?) I managed to find a death for Elizabeth: 23 October 1902 • Franklin County, Iowa, USA

Nothing for John yet, though. Only the year 1887.

[[Ray]]

Hi

"John and Jane had a daughter, Lucy Horne b. 1889, Chertsey. In 1891, (Eliza) Jane and Lucy are living together as lodgers in Staines, Middlesex, as Jane Davis and Lucy Smith -- I think this is due to an error by the enumerator, who has confused Lucy with the Smith family she and Jane are lodging with."

If you look at the original census sheet, Lucy is recorded as DAVIS not Smith aged 2 born Chertsey.


R

[James18]

Yeah, thanks Ray, I'd realized that by now. That's certainly her, anyway. She was registered as Horne and appears as Lucy Horne on the 1911 census when living with her brother Percival's family.

She was John's daughter, though, so I suppose when living with him the family opted for Davis as a surname.

[James18]

re Elizabeth and John, there are a number of sources for them on Ancestry, but I can't view them as I don't have a Worldwide subscription.

i.e.

Name   Elizabeth Nichols Watson
Birth   Jun 1827 England
Death   1902 Franklin County, Iowa, United States of America

So, we do have the right people, but I don't currently know much about their lives in America.

As for Jane and John Davis, I suppose we shouldn't rule out the possibility that they also ended up in America (as unlikely as that is, it would explain their absence in 1911) -- I can't find any corresponding UK deaths for them between 1901 and 1911, so I doubt they died between those census years.

My current theory is that Jane's death is:

Eliza J Davis death registered Dec 1930 aged 71 Wandsworth RD Vol 1d p 611

...that John's birth and death are:

John William Davis b Dec qtr 1857 City of London RD Vol 1c p 67

(This is the best match for a Westminster birth, as stated in the 1901 census)

John W Davis death registered Mar 1932 age 75 Lambeth RD Vol 1d p 294

Another alternative for John would be the Q1 1932 Guildford death, aged 72. I think both of these are plausible options, although Lambeth is nearer Wandsworth. Oddly, Jane's first husband (George Horne) died in Guildford as well.

The Q1 1932 Lambeth death does have a corresponding probate record; no next of kin is mentioned; not surprising given that we assume Jane predeceased John, but possibly strange that Lucy isn't mentioned... assuming they were not estranged.

...and that their daughter Lucy's death is:

Lucy L Horne  death registered Mar 1959 age 69 Wandsowrth RD Vol 5d p 947

Age-wise, this matches up nicely, and we know from electoral rolls that Lucy used the middle name Louise; I can't find a baptism record for her, and so it is possible she was given a middle name when she was baptized, but I have no idea. She may well just have liked it, and decided to use it later in life.

I can't find any evidence that Lucy married (I've found possible matches, but ruled them out), nor can I find her on the 1939 register.

Any thoughts are welcome. I've tried all manner of search criteria on Ancestry, but finding John and Jane in 1911 is proving a real headache, and I don't have much information to go by in terms of finding John prior to 1901.

[amondg]

Probate indexes only list the person assigned as executor, you will have to get a copy of the probate to find the names of legatees.