Please help me past this dead-end

[Paul Jones]

Hi,

I know that my grand-father Reginald JONES had two sisters Lilian JONES (b.1882, Penarth, Glamorgan) and Elsie JONES (b.1885, Penarth, Glamorgan). Because my father died when I was very young and my grand-father before I was born, there are no family members whom I can ask about them. I took out an advert in the Western Mail but got no replies, previous web appeals have got me nowhere and I can't find a will for their father, Daniel. With names as common as these, what can I do? I can't afford to buy every marriage certificate in the registry in the vague hope of finding them. Any suggestions would be most welcome.

These are not distant relatives from the murky past but my great aunts. Their descendants, if they had any, would be my second cousins. I would SO MUCH like to find out something about them or, better still, talk to their descendants.

This is them from the 1891 and 1901 censuses:

1901 census of 44 Monthermer Road, Cathays, Cardiff

Daniel Jones Head 49 St Athan, Glamorgan Coal Foreman
Mary J Jones Wife 53 Cardiff, Glamorgan
Lilian Jones Daugh 19 Penarth, Glamorgan
Elsie Jones Daugh 16 Penarth, Glamorgan
Reggie Jones Son 14 Cardiff, Glamorgan School

1891 census of 31 Richards St., Cathays, Cardiff:

Daniel Jones Head 38 St Athan, Glamorgan Coal Foreman
M J Jones Wife 43 Cardiff, Glamorgan
Joseph Jones Son 23 Cardiff, Glamorgan Coal Foreman
Lillian Jones Daugh 9 Cardiff, Glamorgan
Elsie Jones Daugh 7 Cardiff, Glamorgan
Reginald Jones Son 3 Cardiff, Glamorgan
Charlotte Morse Boarder 70 Gileston, Glamorgan

Joseph Jones is Mary's son from a previous marriage and Charlotte Morse
is their grandmother.

Take care,
Paul

[BarryBear]

Hi Paul,
It may be a little obvious but have you tried GenesReunited? Thats how I started and found a cousin in a day, although, we aren't Jones'!
Cheers
Barry

[c w]

Hello Paul,

Perhaps I have this all wrong but looking at the 1881 census, I make the assumption that Joseph Jones is the son of Daniel Jones.

Mary's children from a previous marriage seem to be-

Gosseppa(probably Guiseppie)  MELANDRI  13 on 1881 census &
Charlott   MELANDRI 10

perhaps it would be easier to find info. following this line as it is a more unusual name.

Caroline

[Hackstaple]

I see a problem here - Joseph - 23 in 1891 and the son of whom - obviously not of Daniel who is only 38 himself. But Charlotte Morse is the mother of who? Mary Jones? Ok but how does Joseph get his surname of Jones? You say from a previous marriage - was that of Mary Morse to another Jones or Mary * to a Mr Morse?
The only candidate for Lilian appears to be this one:
Name:    JONES, Lilian Helen
Record Type:    Births
Quarter:    September
Year:    1883
District:    Cardiff (1837-1974) 
County:    Glamorgan Monmouthshire
Volume:    11a
Page:    258

[lcsnor]

Could the wife have been Jones before and after marriage and the Morse name have come from mother remarrying.  However surely it's more likely that the name for the son was just written in as the same as everyone elses without much thought.  I don't suppose any of these people ever imagined how important these things would be to us in the future.

[Caswell]

After looking at the 1881 census, presumably the person enumerated as  Gosseppa Melandri who was the step son of Daniel Jones is the same person who appears as Joseph Jones in the 1891.

With regard to trying to find descendants of Lillian and Elsie Jones, the only thing I can think of is trying to find their marriages so that you will at least know what names you should be looking for.  I appreciate it would get expensive to send for all possibilites, but it may be possible to narrow down to just a few.

There is only one marriage of a Lilian Jones in Cardiff between 1901 and whenever they are now upto on Free BMD as follows:

Marriages Dec 1904
~~~~~~~~
 
Carter  Henry John    Cardiff  11a 711   
Jones  Lilian     Cardiff  11a 711   
Reynolds  Philip Edwin     Cardiff  11a 711   
Skidmore  Ethel Elizabeth S     Cardiff  11a 711   

Of course the name is a common one, so there is no guarantee that this is her.  However as she was 19 in 1901 and was then living in Cardiff there is a good chance it may be the correct one.  You could try getting a copy of that marriage certificate to find out if the father's name and occupation match. (i.e Daniel Jones, Coal Foreman).  You could even put a reference check in so that at least part of your money would be returned if her father's name was not Daniel.

Good Luck

Caro