Jones/Williams of Ruabon/Rhos/Wrexham

[NickJarvis]

Hi

I have ordered some marriage certificates, but still a little unsure. Hopefully someone can either offer reassurance or point me in the right direction please

My great grandparents were Harriet Jones (1875 to 1973) and Edmund Williams (1875 to 1944). I have asked about this before I think, but I now have more info. According to the MC, Harriet's dad was Thomas Jones (a collier). One of the witnesses was Sarah Jane Williams (maybe Edmund's sister) and the other was Walter Davies. Neither Harriet nor Edmund had been married before and their marriage was 1906 in Cefn, Wexham. I therefore searched the census records for 1881 and 1891 for a Harriet and Thomas Jones (in Rhos/Cefn/Wrexham/Ruabon etc) and found:

https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bi...97&usePUB=true

I am not convinced as that would mean a huge family I know nothing about but also it would end up being that Thomas's sister Ann married a Richard Potter (who was my 2nd great granddad on my Dad's side). Richard's first wife died then he married Ann.

My second great granddad on my Dad's side had a niece (Harriet) who was my great grandmum on my Mum's side. So therefore, Richard was not only my 2nd great granddad on my Dad's side, but also my 2nd great grand uncle on my Mum's side (through marriage). I assume this is quite common, but is a strange coincidence too?

Unless, there is another census that I have missed. That is my query really. Could I have the wrong census and therefore the wrong family?

Thanks
Nick

[kiterunner]

It's not unusual to find connections between the two sides of your tree if your parents came from the same area.

Obviously it is easy to go wrong with names like Jones and Williams, but at least Harriet is a less common first name than some. What does the marriage cert say for her place of residence?

[NickJarvis]

Thanks Kiterunner

Residence at time of marriage for Harriet was Cambrian Buildings, Cefn. Edmund was Bank View, Cefn

Thanks

[kiterunner]

Can you confirm that this is the correct 1911 census entry?

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageview...9c&pId=2333257

Gives Ruabon as birthplace for both Edmund and Harriet.

[NickJarvis]

That is correct, as Howell was my Granddad's brother

[kiterunner]

This could be Harriet on the 1901 census at Cambrian House, Well St:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageview...n&pId=33055447

Her age is 21 but she could have knocked a few years off. I think the birthplace is the same as for the Harriet who you found in 1881?

[NickJarvis]

Haha - that was something else that threw me. I am sure I have a few records where the age differed by 3 or so years

[NickJarvis]

So it looks like I am on the right lines then?

[Phoenix]

In the family you have found, Harriet is the youngest of her family by several years, so it is quite possible that she might not be very closely attached to siblings who were nearly a generation removed, losing contact within a generation or two.

Conversely, in small, tight-knit communities that had no need to travel you will often find several marriages between families.

There are a lot of Thomas Jones that you need to be sure you have eliminated, but I would not have a problem with inter-family marriages, nor that you don't know about families nearly 150 years ago.

[NickJarvis]

I can only find one family though with both a Thomas and a Harriet Jones. Was concerned I had missed something though.

Cheers