Birth Records - Wales

[jorose]

You start by trying to make basic assumptions and see how they work out:

1. William and Mary E. Hodges are probably a married couple.

freebmd.rootsweb.com shows possibles:
William Hodges m. Mary Ellen Wilmore, Newport M district, Jun 1900 quarter.

1901 shows possibly in Abercarn:
William Hodges, 27, b. Gloucester,
Mary E, 18, b. Glamorgan Tonypandy

2. A Hodges or Wilmore married a Harris, Gosen (or other relative?)
A good possible, Joseph Hodges may have married Elizabeth Gosen in Pontypridd in 1906.

1901 census of  Llanwonno shows William and Elizabeth Gosen (neither married), who I think are George's siblings.

This would make Mary E. the sister in law, via the Hodges/Gosen marriage. Perhaps she had some experience with midwifery, hence being present at the birth. 


(Incidentally, mother Amelia appears to have eventually married Richard Saunders, in 1896! It might be worth getting this certificate).

[Bo]

thankyou again jorose - I was working on the possibility of Mary E Hodges being Bronwen's sister so was looking for Harris / Hodges marriage details. It seems yours is more viable. I shall have to consider it all more closely cos I'm getting fuddled with details    I also spotted the marriage details for Amelia Gosen in 1896 - it might indeed be worth getting the certificate.

With regards to the query as to why William F Snr wasn't at home in 1881 census - it clicked that he was a soldier and possibly away from home or overseas.  I know he was deceased at 1906 but I cannot find any (British) death records for him.  Do you have any idea how to follow up Service Records of those who may have died overseas?  You've been a great help - many thanks again.