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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: Donches on Saturday 22 September 18 12:34 BST (UK)
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I've been trying to find Pumpherston, Linlithgowshire (West Lothian), Scotland, in the 1891 census, without success. Does anyone know the registration district for a start?
Don
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpherston
Jamjar
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It comes under West Lothian. Was and still is a tiny wee place.
Where are you searching? If it is on scotlandspeople just click on West Lothian and then all.
Hope this helps.
Dorrie
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Many thanks for the replies.
I'm actually searching for my great grand father, William Davies, who disappeared after 1871 when his wife left him for the bible salesman. An old aunt told me he said he was "Going to look for gold". I thought for years he had gone to America, but I now think he probably went to Scotland. The only Scottish record for a possible William Davies is of one who was a tenant of Pumpherston oil works in 1888, 1889, and 1892. However I can't find this William in the FindMyPast 1891 census anywhere.
My William Davies was born in St. Martins, Shropshire, in 1881, and had been a coal miner, manager of a short lived oil works in Wales, and a publican. His son Fredrick went to Scotland from Nantwich, which would be explained if he was following his father
If I could find William it would answer a search of may years.
Don
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When was he born please? 1881 doesn't compute if he disappeared before then!
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Oh crikey.
He was born 1838, where did 1881 come from. Also it was many years not may years. My apologies.
Can I add I can't find him in 1881 or other censuses and wonder if he avoided them somehow, not wanting to be found. He might have married again - bigamously - although that didn't worry his son!
Don
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I think that the William Davies who was a tenant of Pumpherson Oil Works in the 1880's/1890s was a different man ufortunately.
Census records from Ancestry show the following -
1881, 1891 & 1901 Census Records for William Davies show him as having been born in Airdrie, Lanarkshire around 1855. He was a shale miner living in Uphall which is only about 2 miles from Pumpherston.
Dorrie
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Although it is now in West Lothian it was originally in Edinburghshire / Mid Lothian and would come under Mid Calder. The border runs along the Caw Burn.
Eric
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I'm very grateful for the replies again.
Dorrie - the William Davies, the shale miner whom you found in the 1881,1891 and 1901 censuses, born c1855 in Airdie, Lanarkshire seemed that he must be him. I have now been able to find him in FindMyPast in 1891 and 1901, but not in 1881 for some reason. However, there seems to be something odd. In the 1891 census William is a coal miner, still living in Airdrie - he seems to be the same one, with his wife Agnes. The oil works records list a William Davies, a tenant in 1888, 1889 and 1892, in their housing, actually in Pumpherston, not Uphall. It would be odd for William to go home and become a coal miner for one year. Does the 1881 census record him in Uphall? If it does he must have done.
Don
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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