Haverfordwest lookup please - Bowen

[jbidaho]

My great grandmother Fanny Maria Bowen gives her birthplace as Haverfordwest on the 1891 census.  She married Thomas Noble in 1878 in Kent, and gave her father's name as Isaac Bowen, Farmer. 

I've been unable to find any online entries - I have Ancestry, so have searched the census - that will confirm this.  Does anyone have any ideas where else I can search?  or access to Haverfordwest records?

I'd be grateful for any help - I'm based in London!  Thanks

JB

[ricky1]

Hi JB

You sure they married in Kent, as FreeBMD as it as Kensington

ricky

[CaroleW]

The only Fanny Maria Bowen on freebmd was b 1854 Ludlow and the 1861 has her as the daughter of Richard & Catherine

Your Fanny Maria was b 1849 according to both the 1881/1891 census entries

Have you checked the full GRO index for a birth for her?  It's a possibility she was illegitimate and made up a fathers name for respectability purposes when she married

[ricky1]

Fanny Bowen
1849
June Quater
Haverfordwest
Dyfed/Pembrokeshire
vol 26
page 739

is the only one I can see of the right year

ricky

[CaroleW]

Ricky - you just beat me to it - I had just checked the full index for 1848/9 and came to the same entry

I wondered if perhaps Maria was added later as a baptismal name

[ricky1]

Hi Carole

was the only one I could see of the right age, but I carnt see her with a father called Isaac
1871 has her as a servant in Swansea

Rg10/ 5452
folio 39
page 19

but still no middle name

[jbidaho]

Thanks everyone. 

I too found Fanny as a servant girl in 1871 (I only found her once though - lost it afterwards, never to be found again!).  You are of course right about the marriage - it was in Kensington, not Kent.  Their son was born in Kent, and I was working from memory.  Sorry for the confusion!

I'll work through the messages and see whether anything fits in with any other information I have.  It hadn't occurred to me that Isaac could have been a fictitious father's name.  That's of course possible.  Without knowing the correct birthdate, I can't get the birth certificate which would confirm father's name - and don't know her mother's name!  If she wasn't a servant in 1871, she might have been at home with her parents!  Which is a shame!
JB

[jbidaho]

Back to Fanny Bowen - she seemed determined to avoid being found.  Another problem is that she died in 1899 in St Bartholomews Hospital in London (so no 1901 census to use!).

Haven't found a baptism yet, either.

Thanks again for all your help....

JB

[juliew]

There is a Fanny Bowen age 38 born Haverfordwest occ servant (cook) living in the civil parish of St. Ishmael's.  She is on the 1851 census with parents John and Mary still born abt 1843.

Class RG11
Piece 5416
Folio 27
Page 9