My mystery ggmother May Ann Davies [Davis] said on most censuses that she was born Abergavenny [Trish's most favourite Welsh town]. On the 1871 census, as Mary Ann Southern, she is stated as born at Llanarth, a parish close to both Abergavenny and Chepstow.
Her first son William Albert Southern was born at Chepstow in 1869 also according to censuses.
After she was widowed [1890] she remarried in 1893 to John Edwards, a widower at Lydbrook, Forest of Dean. At that time she states her maiden name as Davies [with an e] and her father's name as William.
Consistently, through censuses and her remarriage she has a birth year of 1850 or 1851.
Here is the mystery - years of search have not turned up a likely birth registration for Mary Ann, nor her marriage to Thomas Southern about 1868, nor even the birth of William Albert in 1869. However, the birth of Thomas her husband is easily found as is his death and also the births of her other children Tom, Florence, Gertrude and two who died very young, James and Mabel.
I have recently made another effort through the Abergavenny Registrar to find her but still no success.
The matter is not helped by the interchangability of Davies and Davis and Southern and Sothern [the spelling always used by the Minister at Lydbrook!].
Somewhere in the world, perhaps even on Rootschat, there mus be another descendent who has tackled this problem.
Moderator comment: if you can assist, please reply on the Gloucestershire board to avoid duplication:http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,250650.0/topicseen.html
