Pumpherston

[dowdstree]

Sorry, that was my error only in the 1891 and 1901 census. I could not find the William Davies born in Airdrie 1855 in the 1881 census.

Does the Pumpherston Oil works records of tennants give any indication as to age etc. Where did you find this record?

You also say that his son Frederick came to Scotland - any other info on him?

The mystery deepens,

Dorrie

[Donches]

Dorrie,

The information was from the Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry site, It gives two entries for a William Davies from tenancy records of the Pumpherston Oil Company Ltd. from 1888, 126 South Village, Pumpherston, and from 1892 to 1894, 94 North Village, Pumpherston. Unfortunately no details of age etc are given.

William's son Frederick was originally a picture framer, living in Nantwich with his mother and the man she had left his father for. He then goes to Glasgow, works as a miner, and marries in 1889, has three children, leaves them to marry bigamously in Edingurgh, then leaves them to go off with another man's wife. He had photographs of his father which suggests he was in touch with him. I couldn't understand why he should go all the way to Scotland, but if he was following his father, it would explain things. His life was quite a story, but it's all a mystery which would be nice to solve.

Don

[dowdstree]

The William Davies I found is also in the 1911 Scottish Census -

William Davies -age 54 - Shale Miner, Mineral Oil
Agnes Davies - age 42  - Wife, Confectioner
William Davies - age 13 - Nephew
They are all born in Airdrie and living at East End, Main Street, Uphall.

Still not sure if this is your William Davies.
Have you got his son Frederick's marriage certificates? How does he list his father?

Dorrie

[Donches]

Dorrie,

Many thanks for your continued interest in the mystery.

William doesn't show up on FindMyPast in the 1911 census, for some reason.

In his son Fredrick's first (legitimate) marriage certificate in Gorebridge, in 1889, his father is described as a labourer. One would have thought that this was correct as there was no reason to lie. Although William had been part owner of a mine, a publican and a manager, it would be concistent that this was the only job he could have got after leaving England, wherever he was.

In Frederick's second, bigamous, marriage certificate in Edinburgh, in 1900, his father is correctly named as William, but his occupation is "manager of oil works." William had in fact been a manager for one year of an oil works in Wales. This might have been Frederick picking the most prestigious sounding of his father's occupations, but with the record of a William Davies, a tenant of Pumpherston oil works, I thought the oil works part might at least be true. But your discovery of another William Davies, a shale miner, who must have been employed by the Pumpherston oil company, makes it very doubtful, particularly as there weren't many William Davieses in Sctoland.

However there is still a bit of a mystery, particularly the fact that William Davies from Airdrie does not seem to have left home until after 1891, while a William Davies was a tenant of Pumpherston oill company, in 1881 onwards, and 1892 to 1894. The address of the latter also appeared to be in Pumpherston and not in Uphall.

Frederick finally married in 1928, in Wakefield, Yorkshire, (still technically bigamously), but i haven't got the certicicate. I would think that it would probably say "father deceased."

There dosen't seem to be any other records of personal details of the employees of the oil company and I can't think of any way forward. It leaves me with a lot of doubt and still longing to know how and where my great grandfather finished his days. I have also wondered if he married again and I had more relatives somewhere else in the world.

Don

[dowdstree]

Don,

It is indeed still a mystery but you never know one day something may turn up to help you.

The 1911 Scotland Census is only available at Scotlandspeople. That's where I got the Airdrie William from.

What we must all remember in our research is that the information is only as good as what is given by the informant so you could fabricate details.Not like today when everything is computer linked.

Dorrie

[Donches]

Dorrie,

There's a great fascination in trying to solve a mystery and sometimes an answer turns up unexpectantly. However some mysteries are never solved. I'm very grateful for your interest and help.

As an aside, much of the information about Frederick came almost by chance. One thing that intrigued me was that I found his three children with his second wife, were living in 1911 with their grandparents, John and Margaret Wood, at Ladhope, Galashiels. My wife's mother came from Galashiels and she said a Wood was a next door neighbour to her relatives.

Don

[Wilton Endeavour]

Hello Don,
I have ancestors in the Oakbank, Kirknewton area whose surname was Davies. He was an Oil Still Headman in 1904 and his name was Elijah Davies. He was born in 1853 in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. He had a son called William Mowbray Davies born 1884 Kirknewton who was an apprentice wagon builder.
Elijah married Elizabeth Bell Mowbray in Lincoln in 1876.
Elijah and Elizabeth also had a son called Frederick Willetts Davies who was born 1896 in Oakbank, Kirknewton. He later became a fruiter and confectioner who ran two shops in Broxburn. Frederick married Mary Purves in 1921 in Addiewell.
Frederick and Mary had a son called Frederick Elijah Davies who was a librarian. He was born 1921 in Leith and he married Williamina McHardy Johnson Meek in Uphall in 1945. Williamina died 1969 Broxburn, after which he re-married Esther Bell Moore in Broxburn in 1970.

Apart from Elijah working in the oilworks as a shale worker in possibly the same premises as your Davies family. And having the first names of Frederick and William in the family. I think that is the only links and I do not think they are related to the same Davies line you are tracing. Apart from showing up on the oil work factory. 

Yours,

Wilton Endeavour

[Donches]

Hello Wilton,

No, there doesn't seem any connection between our lines of Davieses. I can trace mine to Evan Davies, a miner, born in Sr. Martins, Shropshire, about 1815, but because his family seemed to be non-conformists, I can't be sure of his ancestors. Probably they were Welsh at some time.

As Davies is one of the common names it makes tracing them difficult, particularly as they were fond of similar forenames. There is the thrill of the chase in family history, but some brick walls seem unsurmountable, despite always hoping.

Don