Genealogy Chat

I have at long last found my ggrandmother on the wales 1911 cencus, but where do i go from hear? I have also found her birth records, so how and where do i apply for a birth cert.
She is 15 on cencus and in 1915 gave birth to my Nan Evelyn Harris whom she gave away some 18 months later and was brought up by (rumour has it) family members, how do i find the conection between my g randmother Blodwen Harris and the parents who brought up my Nan? Blodwen was unmarried at the time so would have been a great scandal. Yet another question, she is a domestic servant on my nans birth cert and 1911 cencus aged 15, how do i find out where she worked?
I have lots more questiones as i am not very good at this but will leave it for now.
Many thanks Andrea Clark

You can apply for her birth certificate from the GRO:

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/

They will cost £7 each as long as you quote the GRO reference number found on the birth indexes.

Also you may find that it wasn't such a big scandal as you imagine, unmarried mothers were extremely common in those days! Do you know the names of the people who brought up your nan?

As to finding where Blodwen worked, that could prove difficult unless she is with her employer on the census, many people had servants in those days.

Sam x

This must be your nan's birth.

Births Sep 1915
Harris Evelyn Harris Merthyr T. 11a 1539

So you must be assuming this is her mother:

HOUSEHOLD HARRIS BLODWEN F 1896 15 Merthyr Tydfil Glamorganshire

How can you be sure this is your Blodwen? Do the addresses in 1911 and the birth cert match?

Rose

Hi All,
And thank you for all your helpfull replys. I will try to answer all of the questiones bellow. My Nans Birth Cert matches the address on 1911 cencus, this was 13 Edwards Terrace, Quakers Yard Mirthyr Tidfill, so i do think ive got the right Harris family. As for Blodwens Birth Cert, i did find it very difficult and am not one hundred percent sure now. The Blodwen Harris i think it is is the Bedwelty 11a 142 and i am going on the year she was born 1896.
My Nan Evelyn was born July 1915 and brought up by Walter and Margaret Matthews who according to the 1911 cencus was living in Cardiff. They later moved in with her mother and Father Ivor and Margaret Gould who lived at Pentwyn House Groes Wen i know this as my mother was later to move in with her parents to look after Walter and Margaret.
Thanks for everyones help any more help would be most appreciated.
Andrea Clark

Jim,

I also get Rebecca in 1911:

HARRIS REBECCA F 1873 38 Merthyr Tydfil Glamorganshire

Rose

Walter and Margaret?

Marriages Sep 1907
GOULD Margaret Ann Pontypridd 11a 1053
MATTHEWS Walter Edward W Pontypridd 11a 1053

Rose

Hmmm. Don't see a marriage for William and Rebecca.

There's a William who is married to a Jane in 1891 in Merthyr.

Rose

And Beatrice?

Births Sep 1899
Harris Beatrice Pontypridd 11a 638

Margaret?

Births Sep 1887
HARRIS Margaret Pontypridd 11a 42

Andrea, I do think Simon is right about Bronwen's birth - he's very clever, have been scared by him before!!

Births Mar 1895
Harris Bronwen Pontypridd 11a 686

Jan

The Bronwen birth isn't the one because that would make her 6 and 16 during census years.

I've been able to find Bronwen in 1901 under Harries and 1911.

If her parents didn't marry, it could be Blodwen is under her mother's maiden name.

Rose

Think Rebecca's maiden name is Clark. Just need to prove it.

Rose

Perhaps this is it?

Births Mar 1896
Harries Blodwen Pontypridd 11a 651

Rose

Wonder if this is the marriage after William's first wife died?

Marriages Jun 1914
Clarke Rebecca Harries Pontypridd 11a 1204
Harries William Clarke Pontypridd 11a 1204

Rose

Sam from Stoke - Whilst I can't say how big a scandal illegitimacy was back then, I wouldn't call illegitimacy extremely common, so I doubt that unwed mothers were "extremely common" either.

The illegitimacy rate 1891-1900 was 4.2% of live births in ENG/WAL. In S Wales it was 3.4%.

[Sixty-fourth annual report of the registrar-general Page xc (1901)]
http://www.histpop.org/ohpr/servlet/Browse?path=Browse/Registrar%20General%20(by%20date)&active=yes&treestate=expand&titlepos=0

Rebecca must be a Clark/Clarke.


Ivor Gould's wife was Margaret Clark. That must be the connection.

Marriages Dec 1878
CLARK Margaret Pontypridd 11a 422
Gould Ivor Pontypridd 11a 422

Rose

Margaret Clark and Rebecca Clark were sisters. Let me know if you need census records of this.

Rose

Thank you Rose and everybody. There are Clarkes on my mothers side of the family so it makes sence. Yes, i would love the cencus of the Clarke sisters. Thank you.
Margaret and Ivor Gould are buried in Goes Wen Chapel with their daughter and her husband Margaret Ann and Walter Matthews, if this is any help.
What Birth Cert do you think i should apply for regarding Blodwen? and how would i find out if she ever married and had children?
Andrea

Andrea, the Pontypridd Blodwen gets my vote as the other children seem to have been born there.
Jan

Thanks Janet,
I now have Blodwen Harris birth Certificate. Why is her name down as Harries, yet on the 1911 census they put them selves down as Harris? Is this the mistake of the Registrar?
My next question is, how do i find out if she ever married and had children?

Thanks again couldn't have done it with out all of you helping, its like looking for a needle in a hay stack!
Andrea

Andrea please remove your email address it isn't safe to put it on here where anyone could see and use it and is against T & Cs. You can send it to Portland Rose if you click on her name and send a private message direct.

regards Rose

So were the parents William and Rebecca?

It's been hard to reacquaint myself with this thread because of all the deletions:

1881 Wales Census
about Rebecca Clark
Name: Rebecca Clark
Age: 9
Estimated birth year: abt 1872
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: David
Mother's Name: Margaret
Gender: Female
Where born: Merthyr, Glamorgan, Wales
Civil parish: Merthyr Tydfil
County/Island: Glamorgan
Country: Wales
Street Address: 5 Morgan Josephs Square
Education: View image
Employment status: View image
Occupation: Scholar
Registration district: Merthyr Tydfil
Sub-registration district: Lower Merthyr Tydfil
ED, institution, or vessel: 17
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members: Name Age
David Clark 41
Margaret Clark 48
William Clark 20
Joseph Clark 16
Esther Clark 14
David T. Clark 11
Rebecca Clark 9
John S. Clark 6
Rachel Clark 4
Ann Clark 3


1871 Wales Census
about Margaret Clarke
Name: Margaret Clarke
Age: 38
Estimated birth year: abt 1833
Relation: Wife
Spouse's name: David
Gender: Female
Where born: Merthyr, Glamorganshire, Wales
Civil parish: Merthyr Tydfil
Ecclesiastical parish: Merthyr Tydfil
Town: Merthyr
County/Island: Glamorgan
Country: Wales
Registration district: Merthyr Tydfil
Sub-registration district: Lower Merthyr Tydfil
ED, institution, or vessel: 17a
Household schedule number: 239
Household Members: Name Age
David Clarke 39
Margaret Clarke 38
Mary Clarke 16
Eliza Clarke 15
Margaret Clarke 13
Sarah Clarke 11
William Clarke 10
Martha Clarke 9
Joseph Clarke 7
Richard Clarke 5
Hesther Clarke 3
David Thomas Clarke 1


Rose