Hi, this topic started in Kent under the heading
Martha Leigh (Benge) North Cray but the part of the family we are interested in has moved to Brecon. I've tried to add a link to the Kent post but it didn't work. The family has become another puzzle, and we’d welcome advice/suggestions. Apologies for the long post; hope it makes sense.
What we know:
Thomas Henry Leigh married Margaret Alice Eliza Adams in Cilfynydd in November 1915 (we have the certificate). Thomas Henry’s age is given as 27 though we believed him to be born in 1880/81 (birth index and 1901 and 1911 censuses when he’s living in Pontypridd with his mother and step-father). Thomas Henry’s father is listed as Walter Robert Leigh (groom). It doesn’t say ‘deceased’ though we believe he died in 1891, wife Mary Ann (was Thomas) re-married in 1894.
The only Walter Robert Leigh likely to be THL’s father that we can find was born in Southwark, Surrey in Jan 1845, confusing family – see Kent link above for more info. We’ve found census info in 1851 (home in Kent) and 1861 (transcribed as Wagser, in lodging along with his 2 older sisters). But we’ve been unable to find any mention of him in 1871, 1881 or 1891 - though he died in 1891. And we have no idea how, why or when he moved to Wales.
But, he was married in Brecon in 1876, and had children that we know of in Brecon in 1880, 1883 and 1889 so where are they in the censuses? We did wonder if Walter was in the army but nothing to confirm or deny that yet.
Thomas Henry’s birth certificate arrived this morning, and initially all it did was confirm what we knew …. Thomas Henry Leigh, born 31/12/1880, father Walter Robert Leigh (groom, domestic servant), mother Mary Ann (was Thomas). Address given as Mount Street, Brecon. So we searched for the address in the 1881 census and to our astonishment found no Leighs but at:
8 Mount Street, Brecon (Brecknockshire RG11 piece 5459 folio 71 page 10)
Walter R Packman Head 32 Coachman dom Kent Alton
Mary Ann ” Wife 24 Brecon Llandew
Walter R “ son 4 Brecon
John R “ son 2 Cardigan Blaenforth
Thomas H “ son 4 mths Brecon
This looks so like our family but with the wrong surname. Could it have been a mistake in copying up the returns?
Compared with our family…
Walter Robert Leigh is 36 and born in Surrey but lived in Kent as a child, and was listed as a groom on son’s birth certificate 4 months earlier
Mary Ann Leigh was Thomas, is about 25 and from Brecon
WRP – we didn’t know about this child but have found a birth record for Walter Roberts Leigh in Brecknock for Q2 1877
JRP - nor this one, birth record found in Q1 1879 in Cardigan as John R Packman
THP - Thomas Henry Leigh born Dec 1880
So then we looked in 1891 and found them at 27 Struet (RG12 piece 4570 folio 97 page 9):
Walter Packman Head mar 40 groom Kent Footscray
Mary A “ wife mar 34 Brecon
Walter “ son 14 Brecon
John “ son 12 Cardigan
Harry “ son 10 Brecon
Elizabeth “ dau 8 Brecon
Charles “ son 6 Brecon
Albert “ son 2 Brecon
Walter’s age is again slightly out, but Walter Leigh lived in Footcray in Kent as a child (we believe our Walter Robert Leigh died in April 1891, just after the census).
Mary A, Walter and John are as in 1881
Harry could well be Thomas Henry
We have a Mary Elizabeth Leigh born in 1883 and Albert James Leigh born in 1889, both in Brecon and both matching the Packmans age and birth place above. Not heard of Charles before but have found a birth index for a William Charles Leigh, born Brecknock in Q4 1886. There may have been another child too Frederick Joseph Leigh, born Q1 1882, died Q2 1883.
Elizabeth & Albert appear in 1901 census (living with mum, step-dad and Thomas Henry). Elizabeth married John Stuckey and was a witness at Thomas Henry Leigh’s wedding.
The final bizarre thing about this is that one of Walter Robert Leigh’s older sisters married a man called Henry Packman.
This would explain why we can’t find the Leighs in 1881 and 1891 (still not found Walter in 1871 so maybe he was in the army). It all looks too close to be a coincidence but can anyone offer any suggestions? Why name all but 1 of the children Leigh on their birth records but call themselves Packman on the censuses. Any where does John, the child from Cardigan fit in, named as a Packman? Apart from John I haven’t been able to find any records of any of the Packmans. Nor can I find a wedding record from Mary Ann to her 2nd husband Llewelyn James Jones either as Thomas, Leigh or Packman. They had one child, Arthur Godfrey Leigh Jones, suggesting she wanted to keep the Leigh name somewhere.
Any advice or suggestions as to how to unravel the mystery would be most welcome.
Thanks for reading