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I am trying to trace who William Reuben Owen married. William was born in Merthyr Tydfil in 1911. He died 1974..There are too many William Owens to sort them out. They are all listed William R Owen but how do I find which R is for Reuben? I would like to know who he married and if he had a family..Thanks for any advice :-)

well his death cert informant could be family maybe you will have to work backwards

First name(s) WILLIAM REUBEN
Last name OWEN
Gender Male
Birth day 13
Birth month 1
Birth year 1910
Age -
Death quarter 4
Death year 1974
District GLYNDWR
County Denbighshire
Volume 24
Page 0478


1911 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
33 Hylton Street Bedlinog, Gelligaer, Glamorganshire, Wales

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Print transcription View image Household Members
First name(s) Last name Relationship to household head Marital condition Gender Age Birth year Birth place Occupation
William Owen Head Married Male 36 1875 Carnarvon Portmadoe Coal Miner Repairer Below Ground Transcription
Elizabeth Owen Wife Married Female 32 1879 Carnarvon Beddgelert - Transcription
Catherine E Owen Daughter - Female 11 1900 Dorset Weymouth School Transcription
Edith Eleanor Owen Daughter - Female 9 1902 Dorset Weymouth School Transcription
Jane Owen Daughter - Female 8 1903 Lancs Liverpool School Transcription
Lizzie Owen Daughter - Female 6 1905 Lanc Liverpool School Transcription
Blodwen Owen Daughter - Female 5 1906 Lanc Liverpool School Transcription
Griffith Owen Son - Male 3 1908 Lanc Liverpool - Transcription
William Reuben Owen Son - Male 0 1911 Glamorgan Bedlinog - Transcription

Name: William Reuben Owen
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1911
County: Glamorganshire
Parish: Gelligaer
Sub-District: Gelligaer
Registration District: Merthyr Tydfil
Gender: Male
Age: 0
Birthplace: Bedlinog, Glamorganshire
Record Type: Household

Assuming this is the same person, his Estate went to Probate. Unfortunately after 1966 the executors are not named on the Probate Calendar

OWEN, WILLIAM REUBEN of 45 Wats Dyke Llay Wrexham died 24 November 1974 Probate Sheffield 30 January (1975) £6938. Folio # 753009279J

We’d suggest that you either purchase a copy of the DC to see who the informant was from http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/ at a cost of £9.25 or a copy of the Will and Probate from https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#wills at a cost of £10. That should name his heirs and the Executor. You’ll have to find the correct 1975 page again

There is a tree on ancestry saying he married Edna M Cooper in 1937. It also mentions a daughter but there is nothing to back this up and they have his year of death incorrect.



william reuben owen
Birth 1 3 1911 in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Death november, 1979 in wales, united kingdom

Mother


pauline helen richards
1907 – 1978


This appears to be a different person from the one in the 1911 and the birth date is also different.


Mother is obviously wrong....I wonder if the name has been inserted in the wrong place?

That would be this marriage so I wonder if the tree owner is a bit muddled up.

Name: William R Owen
Spouse Surname: Cooper
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1937
Registration district: Luton
Inferred County: Bedfordshire
Volume Number: 3b
Page Number: 957
Find Spouse; Edna M Cooper

hi
if this is the marriage in luton in 1937 i found a brenda m owen 1938 mother cooper its the only birth with them names in luton

Thanks to every one who helped me with this I can now follow this information and move forward... his second marriage 1956 was to a Luton lady and it is their daughter in the USA who wants information... <3

William Reuben Owen .Who did he marry first??
Back to square one again as the Luton marriage of William R Owen turned out to be Robert .. I now think he married his first wife possibly in Wales where there are hundreds of William R Owens... any idea how I can look at an electerol roll for about 1930 ? I am out of ideas now as I cannot find a William Reuben..The other facts are correct he was born 1911 and died 1974, married a Pauline Richards in Luton after moving there from Wales but had three children with her starting 1941 and didn't marry her until 1956 Many ideas???? Thanks

The Will, probate details posted earlier, might name any children he was still in contact with. Alternatively, if his wife survived him, she may be named.
Have you purchased a copy of the DC or do you have personal details from it already? The informant could be family.

In the main you can't find historical ERs as they are listed by address. There are a few exceptions where they have been indexed on various FH websites, but as far as I'm aware there are no databases for Welsh voters and their addresses. Without an address, you're stumped!

His second wife did out live him and only she was named in his Will, as I know the children from the second wife, it is them who would like to trace the family from his first marriage. He had a child with his first wife or even two. I think his first child was born around 1937/38 the first child with this lady he later married was born 1940.. I can find no trace of him divorcing his first wife but he didn't marry the second one until 1956 so the first wife may have died.. thanks for all help given but I doubt if I shall solve this one..

You could try researching his siblings, and their descendants

One or more of them may be aware of their uncle's other children, who would, after all, be their cousins

I'm assuming you've looked in search trees?

I am going down that line at the moment but there were so many of them... I have contacted all the Tree's who have a W.R Owen born 1911 but had no replys so far... I will keep digging.many thanks

The man you are researching was born in 1910, according to his death reg, but if that were the case, he would have been aged 1 on 1911 census


Births Mar 1911 (>99%)
OWEN William R Merthyr T. 11a 816

So the person registering the death was misinformed.

mis-information is NOT uncommon on death certificates, unfortunately!!


The only information on a death certificate that can be considered reliable is ...............


date of death
place of death
cause of death
name of doctor
name, address and relationship of informant



That may surprise many people ................................


but all other information is a matter of hearsay .................. only what the informant knows, and even spouses or children often do not know the true birth date, or even name, of the deceased!!

The 1956 marr took place in 1959:

Marriages Dec 1959
OWEN William R. OWEN Luton 4a 343
#COMMENT Entry reads OWEN or RICHARDS for Spouse
OWEN Pauline E OWEN Luton 4a 343
RICHARDS Pauline E OWEN Luton 4a 343

I presume you have the m.cert, since his father's name is such a vital first step.
However, you never told us his dad's name from this m.cert - or do his daurs know their grandad's name.

William Reuben Owen did marry Pauline Richards in 1959 in Luton but they already had three children by then the first born 1940.. He was born in Wales but left to live with his sister in Luton to find work.his daughters now live in American and it is them who wants to know who he was married to before he married their Mum.. They were grown up when they found out their parents were not married . Then found out the reason why they were never married was because he was a married man already.. He never mentioned his first wife but they were to understand he did have one child with his first wife. If this '' child'' is still alive they would be well into their 70's and this is the person my friend would like to trace as it would be half brother or sister. I can find no divorce which would name the first wife and cannot find when she died as I have no name.. I looked on all the Family Tree's for any siblings to her Dad.William Reuben Owen but came up empty.. Not giving up and will try and trace them myself..Many thanks to everyone for advice.

Virtually all divorce case files after 1937 have been destroyed which is probably why you can't find anything on line.

You might be able to get GRO to search for a marriage which they could find as long as the details you give about William match exactly on the MC.

If memory recalls you fill out the online form pick a suitable year but don't give a ref number. They will then search upto 3 years either side (might be a smaller range) until they find one which matches. Let's hope that there weren't too many men of marriageable age with exactly the same name!

Thank you Ha Ha William Owen seems to be the most popular name in Wales.. I have been though all the William R Owens in Wales from 1930 when he would have been 19 years old to 1940..there are only 17 so I will start on them .. its a challenge but interesting. All advice is welcome..