I hope someone would be kind enough to read this and give an opinion.
I have been trying to track down a birth certificate for my paternal grandmother, Margaret Jane Evans, for over 10 years, without success.
She married my grandfather, Llewelyn Turner, on the 12th November 1924 at the Registry Office in Ffestiniog. The marriage certificate states her name as Maggie Jane Evans and that she was 35 years old, putting her birth date at circa 1889. The certificate also shows that her father was a Robert Evans, a labourer, who was deceased. The witnesses at the marriage were an Evan Anwyl Evans and a Nellie Evans.
At the 1939 register Maggie Jane Turner (nee Evans) was listed as residing at 19 Back Dora Street in Porthmadog, with her sons Alun Turner and Iorwerth Anwyl Turner (my father). Her birth date on the register is recorded as 12th May 1888.
Maggie died on the 25th March 1943 and the death certificate states that she was aged 52, putting her birth year at circa 1891.
I searched the census records for Wales and found a family that I am certain is the correct one. The census is from 1891 and shows the family living at 4 Williams Buildings, Barmouth. This is in the Dolgelly registration district. The people living here were:
Robert Evans, 31 years old, a labourer, born in Caernarvonshire.
Catherine Evans, 30 years old, a labourer, born in Merionethshire.
Griffith Evans, 7 years old, born in Barmouth.
Margaret Jane Evans, 2 years old, born in Barmouth.
Evan Anwyl Evans, 3 months old, born in Barmouth.
I found a marriage between a Robert Evans, 27 years old and a Catherine Anwyl, 28 years old. They married on the 14th May 1889 at the registry office in the district of Dolgelly. The certificate shows that Robert was a widower, so he had been married at least once before. Catherine was a spinster. Robert was listed as being a labourer, his father is listed as a Robert Evans, deceased, who was a lead miner. Catherine’s father was an Evan Anwyl, deceased, a master mariner.
The Margaret Jane and Griffith Evans listed on the 1891 Census were born before Robert and Catherine married, so I must assume that Margaret Jane and Griffith were the children from his earlier marriage. However, I have been unable to trace an earlier marriage for Robert.
I used the General Records Office site to search for some birth records that might help. I found children of Robert and Catherine, as follows:
Evan Anwyl Evans, b 7th January 1891 at Penygraig, Barmouth. He died on 27th March 1892, aged 14 months at Williams Buildings, Barmouth. This ties in with the 1891 census.
Ellen Annie Evans, b 12th March 1893 at Llanenddwyn Cottages, Barmouth.
Samuel Evans, b 18th January 1896 at Brynbach, Dyffryn, Barmouth
Evan Anwyl Evans, b 6th April 1900 at Llechwedd, Llandanwg, Deudreth. I think that this is the Evan Anwyl that was a witness at Margaret Jane’s wedding.
I have ordered several possible birth certificates for Margaret Jane Evans. These include births registered in Dolgelly in 1888 and 1890, birth registered in Carnarvon in 1890, birth registred in Llanfyllin in 1889 and births registered in Ffestiniog in 1887. None of these have been correct, they all have a different father. I also asked the GRO to do a search for all Margaret Jane Evans born from 1887 to 1889, with a father Robert Evans, without success.
I also did searches for a Griffith Evans, born c 1884, again without success.
I have found a Margaret Jane Evans, born in Barmouth, on the 1901 census, she was 12 years old and boarding with a Mary A Davies, a widow, in Barmouth. I could not find Ellen Annie, Samuel or Evan Anwyl on the 1901 or 1911 census records. I could not find Robert or Catherine either. I am assuming Robert had died at some point after April 1900 and before the 1901 census.
After years of trying to find birth records for Margaret Jane and Griffith, I tried putting Margaret Jane Anwyl and Griffith Anwyl, born in Dolgelly, into the search boxes on the GRO website. I returned 2 matches.
Griffith Anwyl, birth registered in 1885, Q1 and Margaret Jane Anwyl, birth registered in 1888 Q4. In both cases the mother’s maiden name is NOT recorded on the website search results.
Could these 2 children be the same children listed on the 1891 census? Would it be worth ordering the birth certificates?
I cannot find a Margaret Jane Anwyl or a Griffith Anwyl on the 1891 census.
Any advice or thoughts on this line of thought would be really welcomed and appreciated.
