Thomas Davies born Cardiff?

[msh]

desperately need help.  I have found nothing on my grandfather and his family prior to his coming to Canada.  What I know:
Thomas Daniel Owen Davies b 1 Jun 1898 Cardiff (info from my mother)
father Thomas Owen Davies b Ynysybwl
Mother Elizabeth Williams b llenley
step mom Lil ??

I Have been able to find nothing on Thomas Owen Davies or Elizabeth Williams other than a lot married having the same names.  I know that They lived in Cardiff & Swansea.  My greatgrandfather died at an old age in about 1940ish.   He had an accident and his bike wheel got stuck in trolly tracks and he fell and was killed.  Grandma Lil was still living at that time. 

I know my grandfather was a donkey boy and in his early teens signed on with a ship as a cabin boy and was in the merchant marines for some time.  He jumped ship in Vancouver, BC, Canada and continued with the ships.  This is where he married in 1926. 

Any help appreciated.  Thanks

[Cell]

Hi,
probably not much help,  and you may have already done this yourself (?), but I went through the years ( and looked at all quarters  on the images on the complete BMD ( no years and quarters were missing during those years on ancestry)  looking for a birth of a Thomas Daniel Owen Davies, and didn't find one. There are no Thomas Daniel Davies's  registered in the year of 1898 or the following year of 1899.
I searched through 5 years either side too, from 1893 to 1903

These below are  the quarters where you will find in the Birth indexes  all the Thomas Daniel Davies's in England and Wales in  the years from 1893 to 1903  . There was not one listed with the full name of Thomas Daniel Owen Davies.

1893 Quarter 1 - reg district  Llanelly
1893 Quarter 2 -     " "            Neath

1894  Quarter  3 -     " "         Pontypridd
1894   Quarter 4   -              Carmarthen
1894 Quarter 4      -               Llanelly

1895 - no Thomas Daniel Davies's

1896 quarter 1    - reg district     Neath
1896 quarter 3    -  "       "          Bedwelty

1897 Quarter 1    -  "         "      Chester

1898 - No Thomas Daniel Davies's

1899 - No Thomas Daniel Davies's

1900 - Quarter 1   -  reg district  West Derby
1900 - Quarter 2     -   "    "          Llanelly

1901 - Quarter 1    -   "   "           Pontypridd

1902 - Quarter 1 -      "   "           Merthyr Tydfil
1902 Quarter 2 -       "    "                Llanelly

1903 Quarter 4  -                        Merthyr Tydfil

The only thing I can suggest is he may not have been born in those years, is your mum  100% sure of the year of his birth? Or perhaps he is  registered as  just Thomas Davies ( which there are thousands of those and you'd have a hard job knowing which one is yours )  - Perhaps his middle names came later on , for example his birth was registered as Thomas Davies, but he was later christened as Thomas Daniel Owen Davies.
Or he could be registered under Davis, and not Davies , a mistake with the spelling of his name ,which can happen- I haven't checked the Davis's in those years, but you try  that too

Have you looked for the death of your G grandfather Thomas Owen Davies  in the 1940's - perhaps you may have some luck with him  and  be able to find that one, if his middle name is listed..

The complete" (  they advertise it's complete but some years and images  are missing - marriages in the 1900's  I found to be the worst for this ) BMD is free on ancestry at the moment if you didn't know . You could search through all the possible years. It will take some time searching through all the quarters , but you  never know  you may strike it lucky

Don't rule out the reg districts of  Pontypridd or Bedwelty if you think he came from Cardiff - one of my lines came from Caerphilly (lived there all their lives) which is near Cardiff , some were registered in the registration district of  Pontypridd, others  were  under the Cardiff  reg district and a few in  Bedwelty.which is just across the border .
Later on  my Caerphilly/Cardiff  lot ( in the 1900's, around 1920's I think)   becomes registered under  East Glamorgan.

 Sorry I didn't find him, but you can rule out* that there was no Thomas Daniel Davies  birth registered in that 1898 year . (* you should double check those years I looked through, just to be  totally 100% sure for yourself  that I didn't overlook his entry somehow )
Good luck

[Arranroots]

Just to confirm that I checked the years around 1898 too.

The only glimmer of hope:

Birth

Daniel Thomas O DAVIES

Cheltenham, Glos

Sep quarter 1900

Vol 6a  Page 442


Is it possible that the family were Welsh, but spent some time in Gloucestershire?

Another thing that would be helpful is to establish what his father's occupation was.  This would make it easier to find the family on the 1901 census.

It strikes me that the step-mother's name is also a contraction of Elizabeth: are you certain that Elizabeth was the mother's name?  I didn't find a suitable looking Thomas on the census where the parents' names matched those you gave.  Of course, I have used certain criteria to narrow down the search, so he might be there!

kind regards, Arranroots 

[msh]

Thank you both for your efforts.  I have checked the BDM and even sent for a few.  Still nothing.  On my grandparents marriage license, he has his age, place of birth and his parents listed.  Also his death put his birth at 1896, same other info.  This is were I got most of the info.  My mother says that his birth year is what he always said........but I'm beginning to think he was older than he said.  I believe his father might have been working in coal.  He always said his own grandfather was a minister but I'm not sure which church.  Him jumping ship in Canada didn't help either as there are no records from this end.  He did have a younger sister who died when she was 12 but again not birth year.  Her name was Laura, spelling unsure.  My mother wrote to her grandmother Lil until she was around 21, so I would think that is when she died.  I have tried to find a marriage license for a Thomas Davies to Elizabeth Williams and also a Lil.  Even send for a few of them.  But Thomas Davies is to common as is Elizabeth Williams.  I appreciate your help, but I haven't given up yet.  Perhaps the obits or local newspapers are the way to go.  I will keep looking.  Thanks again.

[Arranroots]

It might be worth contacting the local papers to see whether there was an accident report or obituary for the father in the 1940s, as you suggest.

Have you tried going through the deaths for Laura in the 1910s?  Her age would be on the register, which should help.

Is your mum still with us?  Does she still have the address where she wrote to Lil, as electoral registers might prove useful.

Innocent question - what do you mean by "donkey boy"?

A 

[msh]

my grandfather said he worked at an early age in the coal mines as a donkey boy.  So I guess that was what they called young boys doing labour they had no business doing.  I have thought about going after the accident end of it but I really don't know who to contact.  I checked on Laura but found a few there age 11-13 and would have to send for them all, but I just might do that as there were only a few, was trying to do it the most inexpensive way first but I'm like a bull dog and I will find them.  Thanks again

[Cell]

Hi,

RG13/4993
folio 139 , page 17

reg district Cardiff
town Barry


This is probably not them at all  as this above  family are in Barry (It falls under Cardiff though), and the son is born there too . The father  is born in Montgomeryshire so the birth places don't tie in with your info, but it's the only one I've come across around the Cardiff  reg districts  so far which has a wife called Elizabeth and a son called Thomas born around those years ( Elizabeth  b abt 1871 ,  her middle name S,  born in St clears, Carmarthenshire ), so I thought I'd  just mention it just in case .

He ,Thomas Davies, the head of the household  is born abt 1870. He has a  middle name of O and a son Thomas.
 The transcribed version says  the son's middle name is S , but that  really doesn't make sense to me ; on the image it  doesn't say S, it looks as if it says "Do" as in above - Above him his mum has a middle name of S , but why write Do, as in above ? it's easier to  just write the initial,  just one letter  rather than two letters as in "Do"  if you know what I mean. Did the enumerator mean it's an S or an O like his father, or is it just a double up of Do's? - Or is the" DO"  the initials of his middle names as in Daniel Owen?  ( If you look at the image , you'll see what I'm trying to say)
 Thomas "Do" Davies  the son is born  abt 1896

 It's more than likely that it's not them  as your birth place for the father doesn't tie in with this family, so please don't get your hopes up -  I just thought I'd mention this family just in case on the  remote off chance that they may be yours - as you  say your grandfather signed up as a ships cabin boy , and this family look as if they have something to do with ships ,plus there are coal workers on the street too

 There are no other people in the house , it's just Thomas O Davies and Elizabeth S Davies and their son Thomas "Do" Davies

Thomas O Davies occupation is something to do with ships - "ships rigger" it looks a bit like to me , and worker .


Best wishes

[msh]

I checked this census out and I believe you have found them.  I went back in the 1861, 1871 & 1881 census and I did find Thomas O Davies (not 1891) who was living with Thomas T Davies (a baptist minister)  My mother remembers siblings of Daniel and Henry.  So thankyou I believe I have them.  Now I have to go after marriage and birth to prove it, but I am hopeful.  Thanks for your help.