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hi there all searchers. im trying to find out more info on my great great great grandfather. all i have is a photo of him and all i can understand on the back written is captain ___ thomas of swansea. the actual name is impossible to read. but i do know his daughter my g.g.grandmother is louisa b1861. who married william roe b1858. please help me .....im guessing he must of been born between 1820-1840 but how do i go further without a 1st name x x x

Well, there should have been a fast and easy way -- get Louisa's marriage certificate.

Unfortunately, I can't find a record of their marriage:

http://www.freebmd.org.uk

-- no record of a Louisa Thomas - William Rowe marriage 1870 to 1910.

Do you know the date of her marriage?

I also don't see a birth that matches her -- Louisa Thomas b. 1860-62 in Swansea. 1857, maybe? 1864? Not in Swansea? Do you know where?

And I can't find any matching Louisa and William Rowe in any census.

More info, please!

So why was I spelling it "Rowe"?

Still can't find a marriage, but here they are in a census:


Name: Louisa M Roe
Age: 30
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1861
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: William Henry
Gender: Female
Where born: Margam, Glamorgan, Wales

Civil Parish: Margam
Ecclesiastical parish: Margam
Town: Tai Bach
County/Island: Glamorgan
Country: Wales

Registration district: Neath
Sub-registration district: Margam
ED, institution, or vessel: 3

Annie L L Roe 7
Harry E B Roe 5
Louisa M Roe 30
Theresa M Roe 2
William Henry Roe 33


So let us see whether anything can be tracked down ...

Army or Navy captain?

So the only Louisa in Margam in 1861 and 1871 was Louisa Jenkins, whose father was a mason.

Actually, there seem to have been a Louisa Jenkins and a Louisa Jenkin.

But -- was she Louisa Jones?

Marriages Dec 1882
DAVIES Thomas Neath 11a 925
**Jones Louisa Margaretta Neath 11a 925
**ROE William Henry Neath 11a 925
Sutton Margaret Ellen Neath 11a 925


If so, how is this Captain Thomas her father?

Here's Louisa Jones in 1871:


Name: Louisa Margaretta Jones
Age: 10
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1861
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: Edward Owen
Mother's Name: Annie
Gender: Female
Where born: Taibach, Glamorgan, Wales

Civil Parish: Aberavon
Ecclesiastical parish: Llandaff
Town: Aberavon
County/Island: Glamorgan
Country: Wales

Registration district: Neath
Sub-registration district: Margam
ED, institution, or vessel: 7
Household schedule number: 289

Ann Elizabeth Hughes Jones 12
Annie Jones 37
Clara Emily William D Jones 6 months
Edward Owen Jones 38
Edward Owen Jones 8
Hewellyn Lloyd Jones 6
John Edward Jones 14
Josephin Lydia Jones 2
Louisa Margaretta Jones 10
William Stanley Jones 4


Her father was a schoolmaster and actuary ...

there surname is roe not rowe x maybe thats the prob xthanx for searching x and i dont know if its navy army

I think you may have to look at working backwards by getting a few certificates to confirm names ,ie start with birth/ marriages that you are sure of ,or put more detail on here that you know i.e do you have Louisa/William's deaths ,any detail of their family etc

1871 only Louisa Thomas 1858-1862 Swansea is the following but father at that time was engine fitter
Name: Louisa Thomas
Age: 13
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1858
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: Owen
Mother's Name: Hannah
Gender: Female
Where born: Landor, Glamorgan, Wales

Civil Parish: Llangyfelach
Town: Clase
County/Island: Glamorgan
Registration district: Swansea
Household Members: Name Age
Alfred Thomas 7 months
Annie Thomas 6
Edwin Thomas 11
Frederick Thomas 8
Hannah Thomas 40
Louisa Thomas 13
Owen Thomas 39
Rosalina Thomas 4
Sarah J Thomas 7 months

1861
Name: William Roe
Age: 1
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1860
Relation: Son
Father's Name: Edmond
Mother's Name: Mary
Gender: Male
Where born: Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales
Household Members: Name Age
Benjamin Roe 12 -SWANSEA
Edmond Roe 42 Where born: St Claes, Cornwall, England
Edmond Roe 10 Where born: Swansea, Glamorgan, Wal
Elizabeth Roe 14 Where born: Swansea, Glamorgan

Mary Roe 36 ,Where born: Swansea, Glamorgan


Mary J Roe 4 Where born: Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales
Thomas Roe 6 Where born: Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales
William Roe 1 born: Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales

Hi Stephanie -- you see I sorted myself out on that Rowe/Roe business. ;) I always think of myself as having a visual memory (if I just *hear* something it goes in one ear and out the other, so I was the one looking like a suck-up in classes, taking notes, but it was because if I didn't I'd have no idea 10 minutes later what had gone on) -- but I'm amazed how many times I read a name, go to another window to search for it at FreeBMD or whatever, and completely forget what it was in the space of 5 seconds.

Anyhow, you confirmed:

"annie l l roe is my great grandmother so i know this is correct"

-- so it looks like her parent were this couple:

Marriages Dec 1882
**Jones Louisa Margaretta Neath 11a 925
**ROE William Henry Neath 11a 925

-- so like Janice said, you should order up that marriage certificate. Search it at FreeBMD first and look at the actual image to make sure the transcribed numbers are right, but since they're the same for both of them it looks like they are.

It should give you Louisa's father's name and occupation, and you can go from there -- and no point in trying to go anywhere before that, until you have that info!

btw, the family Janice found fits better than the schoolmaster family -- someone who was an engine fitter might have worked on boats, and eventually become a captain. "Captain" might not necessarily have meant military -- it could it have meant captain of a commercial vessel of some sort, I think. Is there a uniform in the picture?

Also, are you sure the picture is of Louisa's father, or could it be an uncle or some such?

Your Louisa does seem to be the Jones who married Roe. So I'd start with that marriage cert.

hi there you fab searchers. this is all so exciting and cant wait to discover heaps more especially captain thomas. doesn't seem to fit in at mo but hopefully will sometime. also just ordered marriage cert for louisa jones and william roe x keep you updated x

this captain thomas is puzzling. louisa m (jones to be confirmed) was b1861 and her husband william henry roe b1858. now they had 4 children my great grandmother annie roe b1884. harry b1886. theresa b1889. and frank b 1892. annie my g. grandmother married frederick john jones in gower 1909. so i have wondered if captain thomas is on his side of the family by any chance. maybe his mums dad ? if you get me.or could it be louisa's mums dad?. im also wondering if the name on the back of photo is just a 1st name but called captain something thomas. mmmm im so confused.... but ever so interested. cant wait to find out. maybe some dark secrets will come out. how exciting !!!!!!

1901 census
Name: Louisa Roe
Age in 1901: 40
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1861
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: William
Gender: Female
Where born: Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales

Civil Parish: Swansea
Ecclesiastical parish: St Mary
Town: Swansea
County/Island: Glamorgan
Country: Wales
Name: William Roe -publican
Age in 1901: 43
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1858
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Louisa
Gender: Male
Where born: Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales

Civil Parish: Swansea
Ecclesiastical parish: St Mary
Town: Swansea
County/Island: Glamorg
Name: Annie Roe
Age in 1901: 17
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1884
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: William
Mother's Name: Louisa
Gender: Female
Where born: Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales
Name: Harry Roe
Age in 1901: 15
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1886
Relation: Son
Father's Name: William
Mother's Name: Louisa
Gender: Male
Where born: Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales

Civil Parish: Swansea
Ecclesiastical parish: St Mary
Name: Theresa Roe
Age in 1901: 12
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1889
Relation: Daughter
Father's Name: William
Mother's Name: Louisa
Gender: Female
Where born: Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales

Civil Parish: Swansea
Name: Frank Roe
Age in 1901: 9
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1892
Relation: Son
Father's Name: William
Mother's Name: Louisa
Gender: Male
Where born: Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales
Name: Grace Jones
Age in 1901: 24
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1877
Relation: Servant ????wonder if she is family
Gender: Female
Where born: Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales

Civil Parish: Swansea
Ecclesiastical parish: St Mary
Name: Eleanor Waters
Age in 1901: 27
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1874
Relation: Servant
Gender: Female
Where born: Reynoldston, Glamorgan, Wales

Civil Parish: Swansea
Ecclesiastical parish: St Mary
Name: Ethel Waters
Age in 1901: 17
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1884
Relation: Niece
Gender: Female
Where born: Cape Colony

Civil Parish: Swansea
Ecclesiastical parish: St Mary

Civil Parish: Swansea
Ecclesiastical parish: St Mary

marriage names haven't been linked together because page wasn't transcribed on Fredericks properly
Name: Frederick John Jones
Year of Registration: 1909
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
District: Gower
County: Glamorgan
Volume: 11a
Page: 1_81
Name: Annie Louisa L Roe
Year of Registration: 1909
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
District: Gower
County: Glamorgan
Volume: 11a
Page: 1381

A marriage cert. would give Fredericks age and fathers name (hopefully)

Birth index
Name: Annie Louisa L Roe
Year of Registration: 1883
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
District: Neath (1837-1970)
County: Breconshire, Glamorgan
Volume: 11a
Page: 571

i have looked at the possible marriage link between frederick john jones and annie louisa roe and see what you mean its not clear but does look like 11a 1381 x what does anyone else think? x(marriage 1909 j/f/m for frederick john jones gower)

1891
Name: Louisa M Roe
Age: 30
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1861
Relation: Wife
Spouse's Name: William Henry
Gender: Female
Where born: Margam, Glamorgan, Wales

Civil Parish: Margam
Ecclesiastical parish: Margam
Town: Tai Bach
County/Island: Glamorgan
Name: William Henry Roe
Age: 33
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1858
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Louisa M
Gender: Male
Where born: Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales

Civil Parish: Margam
Ecclesiastical parish: Margam
Town: Tai Bach
County/Island: Glamorgan
Country: Wales

Household Members: Name Age
Annie L L Roe 7
Harry E B Roe 5
Louisa M Roe 30
Theresa M Roe 2
William Henry Roe 33

Looks like Louisa Margaretta Jones is the wife then