Emily Griffiths b c1862 Usk[?]Monmouthshire–desperately seeking Emily’s family

[PH54]

Hi bbart, Thanks for yours. The informant on Beatrice Day's BC is 'Emily Day, mother, 48 William St'; marked with a 'X'  - couldn't write at this stage but could later (I have a letter dated 1913 in her hand)

[bbart]

Hrmm...So she really wouldn't know what was written with regard to the "Addis" name popping up.

The 1891 census was also in error, referring to the Rowe's as Addis, as mentioned by Osprey in reply 14:

John L Rowe is the same age, has the same place of birth as the John Addis from 1891 census. 1871 census in Newport has a John L Rowe of the same age who was a blacksmith.

By this point, J. Addis was deceased, and Elizabeth remarried to Rowe.  Whoever gave the info for the census had Addis on their mind, and I am wondering if the same thing happened when info was given for the birth of Beatrice.  (James Griffiths mixing up his daughters?)

Hope you can understand what I am getting at!

[PH54]

bbart, Thanks again. I'm still trying to get my brain round it all. This is my theory so far:

1861 James Griffiths & Martha Williams living together as common law couple, all the girls recorded with surname Williams.

1864 Alfred arrived (did Martha die giving birth to him?)

1871 Martha is missing, perhaps dead - her mother Betsy (Elizabeth) Williams moves in to help look after the kids and seek refuge because she is a widow.

1873 Elizabeth marries James Addis and, as Betsy is getting on a bit, becomes 'mother' to the kids and together with her first child, Maud, they all adopt the Addis surname.

1883, 10 Dec Emily (Emma)(Williams) Griffiths (lately Addis?) marries Henry James Day (b 1862)

1888 Emily's 2nd child Beatrice Day is born with the BC containing the strange 'late Addis formerly Griffiths' phrase which kicked this whole enquiry off.

The Beatrice BC copy that I have is a facsimile (obtained in 1980 - not the modern digitised thing) and looking at it I would say the writing is all the same as the Registrars details in Block 9. I would have assumed that as Emily appears to be illiterate at the time, the registrar filled it in through a question and answer session.

As I say, I'm still trying to tie in all the ancillary info that has flooded in and I bow to you more experienced experts in the field for most of the suggestions. I agree the Addis / Rowe thing is rather confusing.

Looking forward to more. Peter

[osprey]

The birth certificate would have been filled out by the registrar and then the mother signed. It wasn't filled out by the mother.
Not unusual for a mother to move in to help with children if their mother died. The father had to work, so someone had to help out, often an unmarried sister or sometimes the mother or mother in law.

Birth reg
Alfred Griffiths sept qtr 1863 Pontypool vol 11a pg 146 mmn Griffiths

Possible death reg
Martha Griffiths 39 jun qtr 1867 Pontypool vol 11a pg 101

[bbart]

With the exception of the 1881 census, James Griffiths age leads to a birth around 1815, and most give a birthplace of Trostrey.
Luckily, there were very few Griffiths in the Trostrey church records.  I may have missed some:

Trostrey
1810 Marriage of James Griffiths to Mary Jones. (Some indices say Mary James.  It is without a doubt written as Jones)

1811 baptism of Mary dau of James Grifths [sic] and Mary
1814 baptism  of James of  James and Mary Griffiths  Trostrey Common, labourer
1818 baptism of  Elizabeth to James  labourer in husbandry
1820 baptism  of John of James and Mary Griffiths labourer in husbandry
1824 baptism of  Anne  of James and Mary Griffiths Trostrey Com  SAWYER
1837 baptism  of William born to single Mary Griffiths

Trostery burials
James Griffiths age 84 Trostrey Common 16 May 1867  (b 1783)
Caroline Griffiths 03 Jun 1894  age 79 Trostrey Common (need to see if that could be the one from the potential marriage to youngest James)
Ann Griffiths 1838 08 May Trostrey age 14 yrs 8 mo (matches James and Mary's daughters age)
Mary, mentioned  3 lines down:

James Senior and Mary appear on the 1851 census still in Trostrey.
James Sr is widowed on the 1861 census.
There is a possible burial for Mary: Mary Griffiths age 67 (b 1785ish) 30 Jan 1852 Trostry

The daughter Mary married James Hobbins in 1844 in Trevethin, of full age, father James Griffiths, sawyer
There is a possible death registered for each of them in 1879.  They are with James and Mary Griffiths on the 1861 census.

The son John Griffiths married Mary Ann Williams in 1845, and was living in Trevethin at that time. His father is given as James Griffiths, sawyer.
Most censuses he is an ag labourer, but on the 1851 he is a sawyer:

John Griffiths, Head, age 28  Sawyer  b Trostrey
Mary Ann wife age 24 b Gwehellog
Mary Ann  dau age 2 born Usk
Elizabeth dau age 2 months born Usk
Elizabeth Williams niece age 7 b Abersychan
Esther William mother in law widow age 52 born Gwehellog

Note that the Williams family we are interested in is also from Gwehellog.

James Griffiths born 1814 (the one we think is Emily's father); on the 1841 1851 he is widowed, with a 13 yr old son James, and a 7 yr old daughter Sarah.  I can't nail either of these down.  I wanted to track Sarah, as we have the Sarah Williams that "should" be his as well?

In Reply #5, Osprey noted this:
Possible marriage 1 March 1852 parish church of Trevethin for James Griffiths sawyer & Caroline Richards, his father James also a sawyer. But he is noted as a bachelor.

That may very well be the 13 yr old James in the 1841. It was the 1851, so too young.

Jumping back to James Sr, in the 1861 census, he has some relatives visiting him.  A James Albins, age 50, b Rhadnorshire, and also a Mary Albins, b Monmouthshire.  Mary does not show in the index, only the image.  Given that she is the one from Mons, I would think she was the relative.

On the 1851, James Sr says he is born Newgate, Gloucestershire, but the 1861 states Trostrey.

Sorry this is rambly, but the old laptop is getting too hot and didn't want to lose my notes!
Some of this might help sort the family out a bit, but still doesn't help us with Emily 

Edited in red to correct a senior moment when I mixed up the 1841 for the 1851 census.  Apologies!

[PH54]

Dear bbart & Osprey,

Thanks again for a mind-numbing amount of research you have done   . I had been having the greatest difficulty with the earlier Griffiths so much gladness that you have thrown some light on that. (Given the times of posting, do you chaps ever sleep?  ).

I need some time to digest the latest info but at first run through:

Osprey: re Beatrice BC, agreed. Registrar probably just handed over pen and said 'sign here' hence the 'X'.

bbart:

- I've been assuming Emma Williams (1861 Census, b c1860)(subs Griffiths, Addis, then Day) decided to convert her forename Emma to Emily sometime before she married Henry J Day in 1883. Maybe there were other 'Emmas' in the near vicinity and she wished to distinguish herself. Given the fluidity of surnames she had had presumably that wasn't a huge step. I think the reason that 'Williams' wasn't one of the surname litany on Beatrice's BC is that Emma/Emily would have been so young when she lost her mother and her father decided she would now be a 'Griffiths', that it was lost in the mists of time (also they were running out of space on that part of the BC!)

- Emily (Emma?) consistently under-estimated her age throughout her life. From MC and death records her birth is put v slightly later 1861-3 but 'vanity, vanity...' Also, her husb Henry James also lied on the MC stating he was 23 when he was actually 21; Emily stated 22, perhaps to appear not too senior to him. (She would have been at least 23).

 - I agree, the first 'Sarah' b c1844 is problematic (did you mean 1851 census? I could not find James Griffiths b c1814-5 on the 1841 census when he should have been 26 yrs old, married and with 3 yr old son, James)

Looking forward to next. Peter

[Mabel Bagshawe]

The only Caroline Griffiths of the right age in Trostrey is the married daughter of John & Ann Richards - born Usk. 1861&71 censuses she's with her mother - states married but husband never in sight. 1881 - head, with boarders (including the vicar), still married. 1891 - alone and widowed

[osprey]

Well, that Caroline is a possible, right sort of age.

A couple of oddities to ponder.

1851 census for James has a visitor called Margaret Dawes born Llangibby enumerated as married. She would appear to be Margaret Edwards who married Thomas Daws 29 Oct 1834 in Usk.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGTG-J99

There are banns read 13, 20 & 27 July 1844 in Trevethin for James Griffiths & Margaret Daws, but no marriage.
Also banns read in the same parish 18 & 25 March, 1 April 1849 for James Griffiths & Martha Williams, but no marriage.

 

I haven't found Sarah other than that entry. James may be this boarder in 1861

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7YS-PRJ

[Spidermonkey]

There is a Thomas Dawes who is convicted at Monmouth Court on 28th March 1838 and sentenced to Transportation to Australia for 7 years.  Potentially, that could be the husband of MArgaret Daws/Edwards - James Griffiths and Margaret wouldn't be able to marry because Thomas Dawes could still be alive, albeit in Australia.....

ETA: The only crime that I can see if the papers for Thomas Dawes is that he stole 9lbs of beef