Find Ancestors

Trying to find a marriage between my ancestor Louisa Jane POWELL & someone with the surname SIMONS.

On her son's birth certificate in 1901 she is listed as "Louisa Jane WILKS, late SIMONS, formerly POWELL".

Therefore I am assuming she was married to a SIMONS after 1891 (on the Census she is still single & living with her POWELL family in B/Ham) but prior to 1898 when her 1st WILKS child was born.

Louisa Jane POWELL was born 1874 in Birmingham (St. George).

Any help would be really appreciated.

Clare

The first Louisa Jane Powell marriage after 1890 was

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Sep 1897 (>99%)
Evans Kate Worcester 6c 447 Scan available - click to view
Morgan William Henry Worcester 6c 447 Scan available - click to view
Powell Louisa Jane Worcester 6c 447 Scan available - click to view
Sheppard Albert Edward Worcester 6c 447 Scan available - click to view

Did she stay in the Birmingham district?
Is her Wilks husband William?

Hi Ivy,

My Wilks side are an elusive lot!

I have yet to find a marriage between Louisa Jane Powell & William Wilk(e)s.

I have found them on the 1901 Census living in Paxton Rd, Birmingham. I've found 2 of their children at the time farmed out to various Powell relatives (William George Wilks b.1901 & Doris May Wilks b.1898). On the Census William states his occupation as Cab Driver which matches the birth certs of the 3 Wilks children I know of (the 3rd is my Grandfather Leonard Albert Wilks b.1902). William's age however maybe 10yrs out (b.1847 on the 1901 Census). He was much older than Louisa, and maybe they were never married. The only William Wilk(e)s I could find born in Hartlebury with an occupation of Cab Driver was b.1837. If this is the correct William he was married before to one Esther Annis.

However this aside (getting off the beaten track here) - Louisa was born in B/Ham and all her children (I know of) were born in B/Ham. Her parents George Powell & Fanny Brodhurst were both b. in Walsall, Staffs. But all their children were born in B/Ham.

Curiously there is supposed to be one more child. My Grandfather said he had a brother - Thomas Wilk(e)s whom I've never been able to find. It is possible he may have been a Simons and not a Wilk(e)s. But with the lack of a marriage cert. for Louisa I am clutching at straws!

Maybe she was married more times than I think!?

I seem to have gone round in circles on this one for ages. Any help pointing me in the right direction would be very much appreciated.

Getting distracted myself - presumably Esther Annis is the Hester in Kings Norton in 1891 (and William had a brother Charles per 1881?

If so, Esther may have died Sep 97 in Brimingham?

All the right names, in all the wrong order:

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1911 (>99%)
Hollins Louisa Aston 6d 422 Scan available - click to view
Powell Annie G Aston 6d 422 Scan available - click to view
Robinson John Aston 6d 422 Scan available - click to view
Wilks William F Aston 6d 422 Scan available - click to view

Away now till tomorrow

Yes,Hester & Esther are one in the same - and yes her presumable death in 1897 does fit - as Louisa & William Wilks had a child in 1898 after Esther was off the scene!

Charles Wilks would have been WIlliams much younger brother and he shared the same occupation of Cab Driver - I am interested to trace him also. Can't seem to locate him on all the Census's. Particularly 1901.

The marriage entry you found was interesting - I haven't tried looking that far forward. Although my William would have been 74 by then!

I did try looking for William's death (to see if Louisa was listed on the Death Cert.) However I haven't found that either! I did send for the entry for William Wilkes in 1909 B/Ham but wifes name & occupation are different.

My only hope seemed to be trying to establish Louisa Powell's previous marriage. But every which way I turn I seem to hit another brick wall!

Clare