REES, James b.1830 Pembroke Dock

[JamesDMcBust]

I'm trying to find parents/siblings of JAMES REES born in 1830 at Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire.  He was a mariner who died in December 1863 - drowned at sea when fishing boat capsised.  Death registered in Pembroke Dock.  When he died he left wife, Maria nee Howell, and 3 children - Arthur, Margaret & Sarah.  I'm guessing his father probably was a seaman also.  Thanks.

[osprey]

Do you have his marriage certificate? If not, it would be worth getting it as it would give his father's name and occupation.
James Lee Rees june qtr 1856 Haverfordwest vol 11a pg 1030 with Maria Howell on the same page.

Too many James Rees entries in 1841 without more info.

Do you have him on any census?

[JamesDMcBust]

Hi
No, I haven't sent for marriage certificate yet.
On the 1861 census I have found Maria with her first two children, Arthur and Margaret, living in town of Milford.  It records that she was wife of seaman m.s.  That would account for why James' full details weren't on this census.  They had another child, Sarah, in 1862 but unfortunately James died before the 1871 census was held (Dec 1863, Pembroke Dock).
If you cannot find anything that will link him to his original family I will send for the marriage certificate.

[osprey]

If you don't have him on a census, how do you know he was born in Pembroke Dock?

I think the marriage certificate should be your next move. Looking for any of the common Welsh surnames, without getting all the info you can, turns into guesswork.

He's not on the Welsh Mariner's Index as yet either.

http://www.welshmariners.org.uk/n_intro.php

[JamesDMcBust]

Well I sent for the marriage certificate which, interestingly, shows James Lee Rees as "grocer" at point of marriage(?).  Perhaps he became a seaman later although if he was married aged 24 and died aged 33 that didn't give him a long career at sea!  Maybe the story down the years was wrong.  Anyway his father is listed as George Rees, who was a watchmaker.  Does that help.  The marriage was held in Steynton (where his wife's family lived) and James was living at Milford at time of marriage.

[welsh lady]

In the 1851 census in Haverfordwest,Pembrokeshire ,James Lee Rees is age 18 and an Apprentice Grocer born Haverfordwest

IGI Extracted Entry

James Lee Rees
Baptised-10th June 1832
St Thomas,Haverfordwest
Father-George Rees
Mother-Sarah

Welsh Lady

[osprey]

Sorry, our posts croseed as I was typing......

I can see him on the 1851 census in Haverfordwest

Quay St HO107/2480 folio 122 pg 9
James Lee Rees 18 apprentice grocer b. Haverfordwest

in the household of John Bryan Henley.

I seem to remember looking up a watchmaker in Pembs by the name of George Manning Rees. He has children who have the middle name Lee, but James isn't with him and his wife Martha in 1841. There is an extracted baptism on the IGI for a James, son of George & Martha  24/7/1836 in Tenby batch C081911.

1851 George M Rees HO107/2480 folio 122 pg 9
1861 - RG9/4170 folio 40 pg 8
1871 - RG10/5535 folio 39 pg 6

You could try contacting the other poster to compare notes - the post is further down this page.

    

[JamesDMcBust]

Welsh Lady
What are your thoughts on this.
James

[JamesDMcBust]

I've had a few more thoughts, short of sending for a birth certificate for one of his children, the only info for him on a census is on 1851 - born approx. 1833 Haverfordwest (apprentice grocer) - this matches info that Welshlady supplied below (baptism 1832, Haverfordwest).

However, the fact that George Manning Rees gives most of his sons the middle name "Lee" is, I feel, an important pointer to James' parentage, and what I haven't mentioned before is that James Lee Rees' eldest child(my ggrandfather) was called Arthur LEE Rees.  What doesn't add up is that James is not listed with George Manning Rees + family on the 1841 census (when at less than 10 years of age you would expect him to be there).  George Manning Rees and wife Martha had the following children (taken from censii 1841, 1851, and 1861):-

George Manning Rees  -  1806 watchmaker (1803 on 1861 census)
Martha                          -  1821 (1818 on 1861 census)
Emeline                         -  1841
Amelia                           -  1842
William Lee                    -  1844
George Manning            -  1846
Martha                           -  1848
David Lee                       -  1850
Margaret Hall                 -  1852
Rhys Lee L                     -  1854
Thomas Lee                    -  1857
Mary M                           -  1858
John Henry                     -  1860
Anne L                            -  1863

I have found a marriage for George Rees and Martha at Pembroke Dock 26 977 in December 1840 (just in time for baby Emeline).  Because of Martha's age I can't believe she would be old enough to have a child born around 1830-1833.  I'm wondering whether George Rees, in view of the fact that he was considerably older than Martha (by 15 years) had in fact been married before and that James Lee Rees was his child by his first wife.  I can't find information on another marriage for him though as the bmd's can't be found on ancestry.  The other question is where was James Lee Rees in 1841?

Your thoughts
James