Margaret Ann Davies (1859 - aft. 1929)

Born 1859 in Aberdare, Glamorganshire

Ancestors

Descendants

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Records

Birth Record

A search of birth records of the General Register Office (www.gro.gov.uk) shows that Margaret Ann Davies was born in the Merthyr Tydfil district (which included Aberdare) between January and March 1859 and that her mother's maiden name was Beddoe.

Census Records

Margaret is listed as a daughter of Evan and Elizabeth Davies in Aberdare, Glamorganshire, Wales, in the census of 1861^[1] (Margaret Ann, 2) and census of 1871 (Margaret A., 12). In the 1871 census^[2] she and her family lived at 32 Glamorgan Street, Aberdare.

In the 1881 census her family is listed without her; they lived at 224 Cardiff Road, Aberaman, Aberdare.

Is it possible that she is the Margaret A. Davies, 22, born in Aberaman, that is listed as a servant in the 1881 census in the household of George H. Poole in Cardiff? (See here.)

Records of Children

There is a baptism record dated October 1885 at St. Elvan's in Aberdare for David Evan Davies, the son of Margaret Ann Davies of 224 Cardiff Road. The mother's name is given but not the father's.^[3]

There is a marriage record dated May 1913 at St. Elvan's in Aberdare for David Evan Davies of 224 Cardiff Road and Blanche Protheroe. The entry for David Evan's father is left blank.^[4]

Family Letters

Family letters from the time suggest that Margaret was married and lived in nearby Newport, while David Evan and Beatrice lived with Margaret's mother Elizabeth Davies (born Beddow/Beddoe) at 224 Cardiff Road. The census records of 1891, 1901 and 1911 show that David Evan and Beatrice lived at 224 Cardiff Road with Elizabeth Davies and that Margaret is not listed in the household. The family letters also indicate that Margaret survived a stroke in 1927 and required care from other family members for much of that year.

Excerpt from letter of 27 June 1895: "Margaret is still at Neuport [sic] and she is going to open a shop for her self."

Excerpt from letter from 1906: "I received a letter from your sister Margaret in which she said she was very well, and all the family with the exception of her husband. He has been ill and out of work. They would all like to come up here to live if William could get work here. The price of houses is very high in Newport. The have to pay 9/9 a week."

Excerpt from letter from 1921: "Margaret has not been well at Newport and Lizzie is down there with her now."

Excerpt from letter written by Lizzie, dated 6 December 1927: "I was looking after Margaret from February till September. She had a stroke. I had to watch over her day & night."

Excerpt from letter written by Lizzie in 1929: "Margaret is getting fore feble. I heard from them last Saturday. I have not been to see her for a long time of course. . . . They told me she is in bed now and has been for 2 months."

Research Notes

What the above records seem to show is that Margaret had two children, in 1885 and 1887, when she was unmarried and living in Aberdare. By 1895 she was living in Newport, Monmouthshire. By 1906 she had a husband named William in Newport and a family.

Given this information one uncertain possibility is that she married William Thomas at Newport in late 1896. The 1911 census has a listing for Margaret Ann Thomas, 51, born in Aberman (Aberdare); she had been married for 15 years to husband William Thomas, a carpenter. This listing says that Margaret Ann Thomas had 1 child of whom 1 was living and this must have been Samuel Thomas, 13. There were three older children in the house, likely from William's previous marriage. There is a listing in the 1921 census for a Margaret Ann Thomas, 61 years 3 months, household duties at home (9 Kirby Street). Samuel Thomas was 23 years 7 months, a book keeper. More research is needed to confirm or contradict this possibility.

There is a civil death record of Margaret A. Thomas, 70, in Newport in 1930 that is possibly hers. More research is needed.

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1861," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M71G-VTN : 13 December 2017), Evan Davies, Aberdare, Glamorganshire, Wales; from "1861 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 9, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
2. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1871", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRMS-JXV : 10 December 2017), Evan Davies, 1871.
3. ↑ Baptism record of David Evan Davies, 1885, Aberdare. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=GBPRS/B/855377900/1
4. ↑ Son's marriage record, 1913. https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=GBPRS/M/851091738/1.

Davies family letters, dated 1886–1945, between Agnes Davies (married Peter Schaffer) and Sarah Jane Davies (married Albert Rogers) in Ray County, Missouri, and their mother, siblings, nephews and nieces in Aberdare and other locations in Wales. Digital copies of letters in possession of Arthur Carter Rogers (grandson of Sarah Jane Davies) in 2019.