RootsChat.Com

Thanks ever so much Angela.
In fact I had another pm from another RootsChatter to suggest the LDS Family History Centres to me. I had not heard of them before.
So, I have done just that and have an appointment to view the christenings of Awre and Blakeney from about 15?? to 1875, on Tuesday next week.
I am not so sure about the possibility of Jane being a widow, as she would have been 14 or so when she gave birth to John Hawkins (based on her age at marriage to Thomas Clay) - thanks for the suggestion anyway.
It was kind of you to offer to look in the GRO - I'll let you know how i get on next week.
Have a good holiday!
Andy.

Regarding Jane Hawkins and her son John Hawkins (father unknown) of Awre:

IGI has a reference to the Birth (09/Mar/1808) and Christening (13/Mar/1808)of Hannah Clay daughter of Thomas Clay and Jane Hawkins at Awre with Blakeney batch C023302. I think this is John's half sister.

However, I suspect that Jane Clay (nee Hawkins - John and Hannah's mother) dies somewhere between 1808 and 1810.

IGI then has a reference to the Birth (15/Jun/1811) and Christening (14/Jul/1811) of a William Clay son of Thomas Clay and Jane Tirley at Awre with Blakeney batch C023302

They also go on to have two more sons Thomas (05/Oct/1817) and George (20/Apr/1823)

Now looking at marriages in IGI there are two references to a Thomas Clay marrying a Jane (neither of these have official batch numbers though)

Abt 1807 Thomas Clay mr Jane Hawkins at Awre (1st wife?)
Abt 1810 Thomas Clay mr Jane Tirley at Awre (2nd wife?)

So Thomas has 2 wives both named Jane...how inconsiderate of him!

Interestingly the census records for 1841/1851 and 1861 show a Jane Clay wife of Thomas living within a few houses of the Tirleys.

Unfortunately I cant look at the Deaths Register to confirm the death of Jane Hawkins as this only starts from 1813.

I suspect that the only routes forward from here are...

To look at parish records to find a reference to the marriage of Thomas Clay and Jane Hawkins abt 1807 - although I wonder if this exists, otherwise why is it not in the IGI official batches already?

To look if there are any monumental records in support.

I have a few questions if anyone can help me...

Are the parish records for Awre complete around the period 1780-1813? Does anyone have access to them - apart from submitting a query to Gloucester Records Office? (I have just recevied a reply from them some six months after submitting it.)
I find it strange that there are no references to either the Birth/Christening of Jane Hawkins or her subsequent marriage.
The location of Awre and Blakeney is I think a 'constant' throughout my research

Do death records exist prior to 1813?

Does anyone have any other suggestions of what else to try?

Many thanks,

Andy (Hawkeye)

Debbie,
that's no problem, thanks for taking the time to reply.
No rush, take all the time you need to get a handle on the info you have.
I am also new to this, and learning fast that you can't assume that people on censuses are correctly listed...
Bye for now.
Lisa.

Thanks Peter,
sounds like you might be a useful man to know  .
As far as I can find out, Elizabeth Jones married Joseph Ames in 1869. His name is spelt 'Jospeh' in the BMD marriage listing. Elizabeth Jones had been married before, and her maiden name was Williams. I haven't even tried to find her first marriage to be honest, due to the volume of Williams and Jones I would have to wade through  .
In fact I have just bitten the bullet and had a look - I have found her, married to Thomas Jones, with children Leah, Robert, Hannah and Mary Ann - on the 1861 census.
I don't really understand why then, on the 1871 census, she was living with her mother, Elizabeth Williams and her two children, Hannah and Mary Ann - as at that point she should have been married? It looks like I have got confused somewhere along the line....
I have hit a brick wall with my g-grandad George Bain(es) as I can't even locate his birth certificate. My only way forward now is to try and find a descendant of Elizabeth Ames/Jones/Williams or Joseph Ames, as they brought George up from a small boy.
It goes without saying that any help or advice you can give would be very much appreciated.
Thanks again.
Lisa.

Thanks for the direction to the other post - I have posted there too now.

Hello everyone,
I am posting this again, as I had made a mistake in the previous post.
My greatgrandad, George Bain, was adopted by Elizabeth Ames (nee Jones) of Bodvari. He lived with her in Flint from at least age 4 (1881) until he left to be a footballer in Lancashire at some point before 1901, when he is on the census in St. Helens, lodging with another family from Flint called Roberts.
This lady, Elizabeth Ames, lived until she was 85 (died in 1906) so I am hoping that the trail in Flint has not yet gone cold. I have her death vertificate, and her death was reported by her grandson, Robert Jones of Halkin Road, Coleshill Fawr. She was 56 when she adopted my greatgrandad. I think that he was 'born out of wedlock' and adopted by Elizabeth Ames. George was born in Liverpool, so any links from Flint to Liverpool around that time would be very helpful.
Do any of there names ring any bells? Please!
Lisa Hawkins.