Hello all. Thanks for your replies. I'll tell you a little bit about what I know also more about Jane's story as it is interesting. Maybe you can also tell me if my reasoning is sound. My great-grandfather, Steven A. Rebeck was a sculptor from Cleveland. During World War I he was in the 97th Aero Squadron and on his way to France he stopped in Liverpool. There he found Jane Jones being assaulted and rescued her. He saw her a few times the next few days and asked her to marry him (she declined) but they corresponded throughout the war, and in 1920 she sailed to America to marry him. The story was written up in the New York Times and in papers throughout the US. (I also just found it written up in a Liverpool and London paper. The former having an interview with her mother). They had three sons, but unfortunately Jane (also known as Jennie) died young in 1933 leaving very little information. From family lore I knew she had a brother Christopher. I have a picture of Christopher and Edith Jones labeled London 1951 from my grandfather so there was a little contact at that time. Her death certificate lists her birth as September 30, 1897. The newspaper accounts and marriage license in 1920 list her age as 22 which agree with that date. Though the Ellis Island and UK departing passenger lists state her name as 27 (I always thought the 27 age was a mistake in these lists but I was wrong, more on this later. Her birth place on the marriage license and passenger lists is Carnarvon. Her parents are listed as William and Ellen (Hughes) Jones on the marriage license. And her nearest relative on the Ellis Island Passenger List is her mother, Mrs. Ceven 14 Carrington Street. There's also an entry in my grandfather's baby book mentioning her mother Mrs. Ceven, or at least what I took for Mrs. Ceven. Someone told me a few years ago that Ceven was not a British name, and when she looked at the baby book, she thought the name was Owen. I can get Owen and Ceven out of the name. Presumably the person who typed the passenger list did too. With that information I got no where for many years. I even tried ordering a birth certificate for Jane but they found no matches in Carnarvon, 1897 with parents William and Ellen (Hughes) Jones.
Recently, I realized that the 1921 census had come out, and using that I looked up the address 14 Carrington Street and found a Ellen Owen (57 born Anglesea North Wales living with her son Christopher Jones (19 born Walton, Liverpool). From there I went to the 1911 census and found an Ellen Jones (widowed 47 born Anglesea, Beaumaris) and Christmas (9, born Liverpool) living at 43 Alverstone Road, Liverpool. This seemed like a good match. I assumed Christmas became Christopher. But there was no Jane. I did however find two Jane Jones nearby - one Jane Jones was 14 (born Lyn Ddol Llanyst) and a visitor at a household nearby. The other Jane Jones was a servant, age 19 and born Carnarvon Llandudns.Thinking Christmas Jones might narrow my results quite a bit, I searched for his name and found a few listings for him in school records. I found one school record particularly illuminating. It listed his address as 43 Alverstone (the same as the 1911 census) his birthdate as December 25, 1901 in Liverpool, and his parents as William and Ellen (Hughes) Jones. He was also listed as fatherless (in 1911). His parents marriage was listed as being November 24, 1891, West Derby (I have ordered the certificate but not received it yet). The parents matched the names of her parents on the birth certificate. With that I ordered his birth certificate. And his birth certificate listed his place of birth as 2 Olney Street, West Derby. His father's occupation is joiner. I then found the Olney Street address in the 1901 census. And I found the following:
William Jones, 50, Joiner, Mold
Ellen Jones, 36, Llanrug, Wales
Jane Jones, 8, Llanrug Wales
Ellen Jones, 5, Liverpool
Owen Jones, 11, Liverpool
(Note that Ellen Jones age is 1 year younger than one would expect from the 1911 and 1921 census and that her birthplace is listed as Llanrug here as opposed to Anglesea in 1911 and 1921. Christmas doesn't show up on this census because he won't be born until the end of the year in December)
With that I ordered the birth certificates for Ellen and Owen in Liverpool, and the best match I could find for Jane. All had William and Ellen (Hughes) Jones listed as parents, and William's occupation as joiner. So I am pretty sure I have the right Jones family and the right Jane. And that is where I am at and led to my current question about the birth certificate. I'm hoping to receive the marriage certificate of William and Ellen (as well as the marriage certificate of Ellen Jones and Robert Owen in 1918) by the end of next week.
So for all those who have been patient and kind enough to read through all this, does my reasoning seem sound? And what next steps would you take? Are church records worth looking into? Is the parish of Llanrug available online? Thanks again! It is exciting to finally be getting some where.
