Genealogy Chat

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Can you help me? as I am a little confused about what to do now. I ordered my great grand parents marriage certificate May Clarke and William Henry Miles. The marriage is dated the 3rd of May 1911 and May Clarke gives her age as 16 years. The residence at the time of marriage is 62 Cwmcelyn Road , Blaina, for William Henry and 72 Cwncelyn Road, Blaina for May. May also gives her fathers name as Henry Clarke (deceased). But I cant for the life of me find Mays birth, (I know for definite that her birthday was the 31st May.) There was one entry in the BMD index that looked to be it, it was in the area Newport Mon, June 1895 but unfortunately it’s not the right one. Now…..on the back of some photos that I have of May Miles nee Clarke which were taken when she was 21 is the address of a Mrs Brown, 72 Cwmcelyn Road, Blaina. On the 1901 census I have found a May Clarke living with :- View Record Henry Brower abt 1851 Leamington, Warwickshire, England Head Aberystruth Monmouthshire View Record Margaret Clarke abt 1872 Bryn Mawr, Breconshire, Wales Mother Aberystruth Monmouthshire View Record Margaret Clarke abt 1896 Bmawr, Breconshire, Wales Daughter Aberystruth Monmouthshire View Record Mary B Clarke abt 1898 Blaina, Monmouthshire, Wales Daughter Aberystruth Monmouthshire View Record May Clarke abt 1894 Bmawr, Breconshire, Wales Daughter Aberystruth Monmouthshire Brower looks more like Brown to me on the image. Also Arch Houses according to my mum ran along the cwmcelyn road and if you go a page or so forward from this image they start to call Arch Houses Cwmcelyn Road. ( My William Henry is the next page along to this one) This all fits in great, but I still cant find my Mays birth! How do I know for sure that this census entry is for my May Clarke? Don’t know what to do now.

maybe its one of these May Clarke Year of Registration: 1893 Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun District: Neath County: Breconshire, Glamorgan Volume: 11a Page: 885 May Clarke Year of Registration: 1894 Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep District: Crickhowell County: Breconshire Volume: 11b Page: 97 Sue What is Mays fathers name and occupation on the M/C ?

The bottom one does look promising,thanks sue She gave her fathers name as Henry Clarke (deceased) occupation General Labourer.

If the facts on the marriage certificate are true, May would be nearly 17 and so was probably born in 1894. With a birthday at the end of May, she could have been registered in the June quarter or the following quarter.

I don't want to seem awful, but if you look at the 1901 image what has been transcribed for Margaret Clarke as 'mother' looks more like 'mistress' and she is down as single. Could your May have 'invented' a deceased father on the marriage certificate to appear more respectable to her in-laws? Kath. x

Hi Thanks for your replies. Yes I thought it looked like mistress as well Kathleen, It really wouldnt surprise me if she was. I also ordered what I though to be Mary B Clarkes birth certificate b1898, which came through the other day and the B stands for Brown and low and behold the mothers name is Margaret, and there is no father given, so I am certain that this cert is for the Mary from that household on the 1901 census. But of course this still dont prove that the May on this census return is for my May, I still need the birth cert for her. Anyway, I have ordered the 1894 birth that Sue suggested earlier, so I will just have to wait now.