Genealogy Chat

I think I found Lottie!!! I made the fool mistake of thinking Lottie was the family name for Charlotte....but nope! There she is, registered in Pontypool (where selina was married!) under the name Lottie. Do I feel dumb - just goes to show you can't fly by on assumptions in this game....now if I could just track down that darned elusive Selina.....lol

I can't thank you all enough for helping me to get my head round this lot! Emma, The Salina in staffs could very well be the one - that would make her about 19 when they married. Is she living with her family (are there any other family members to try to tie in?) It seems a bit of a stretch from Staffs to Wales, but stranger things have happened! Kate I will still bear in mind the younger one - as you say it could have accounted for his sudden change in proffession...family gossip tells that Selina wasn't liked by the Davies side of the family, and if she was so much younger than Ernest, especially if they met professionally, that would certainly explain their attitude! I may just have to bite the bullet and order more than one cert to narrow down the right one, but that will have to wait now till after payday :o( Thanks again Sarah

So Ernest was a schoolmaster at one point. Don't rule out the 14 year old then, she may have attended his school and would certainly account for his sudden change of profession! I know she would not have looked anywhere near 21, but if the vicar noticed she was obviously pregnant he may have decided to marry her rather than let the baby be born illegitimate.

Sarah, On the 1901 there is also a Salina Finch aged 10 in Sedgley Staffs who does have a Father James Finch. I'm not sure if he's alive in 1901 but he is in 1891. Emma x

Even more confusing I found the print of Selina Finch in 1901 - there are 2 of them, one born in Lancs, one in London - neither have a father called James, BUT - they both have an older brother called James....is it possible she moved to wales with her older brother, and put his name down on her marriage cert 'cos of how underage she was??

Hi emma at this point I'm willing to believe anything is possible - yes she may have come from England, but I'm stumped to think where :o( This would be so much easier if people didn't spell things wrong, or fib about their ages....in other words if you take out the human element we wouldn't end up tearing our hair out! lol (just as a matter of interest, Gwyladys Voilet Davies on the 1891, is actually listed on 1901 census as Violet Gladys, and Mary Ada has become May Ada) Sarah

Anne she is listed as 'spinster' on the marriage cert, and I'm fairly certain that is accurate, but I have serious doubts about the age - if she really was 21 in 1910 she should be on the 1891 and 1901 censuses as 2/12 yrs old respectively....but she's not! The only thing I can think is that she was under 21, which would explain why she wouldn't appear on the 1891, but 1901 census has the next youngest Selina Finch as 8 or 5, which would suggest she was either 17 or 14. 14 seems a bit too young to be marrying a 28yr old, so I would tend to go with the one who is 17....but even as I speak I can't find the copy of the page I printed!!!! The more I look at this the more confused I get :o(

Sarah, Still drawing a blank on Selina and her family. Have tried a million variations of the name Selina! There are only 4 James Finches on the Welsh 1891 census. There is only one James Finch in Monmouthshire on the 1891 census - he is a labourer married to Dora with son Oswald. It could be possible he is the Father of Selina - and she lied about her age? Could it be possible that she wasn't even born in 1891? Do you know that Selina was from Wales? Is it possible that she could be from somewhere in England? Emma x

Sarah, on the marriage cert does it say Selina is a spinster? If she was a widow at the time of her marriage to Ernest Davies then her birth (maiden) name will not be Finch. Could this be why you can't find her? Even though she was young she could have been a widow and just making up her father's name. Hmmm - even as I write this it seems a bit of a long shot. Sorry, no other ideas Anne

Oh wow - thats brilliant, thank you!! That fills in one of my gaps :o) Just to confuse things more, it appears that a James Finch married Sarah Ann Cooper in 1903 in Bedwelty....which just happens to be in the same area Selina and Ernest's Daughter was born, - chances are that this is the union resulting in the birth of Sarah the sister?? If my logic is correct, then does this mean that a) James married after the birth of Selina and her mother was called Sarah or b) James was never married to Selina's mother, who is not Sarah or c)James was married twice - once to Selina's mother, then to Sarah Is my thinking straight here?? And if so, any clues how to work out which would be the right one? Sarah

Sarah, No luck so far with Selina. However, here's Ernest in 1891: David Lewis Davies, head, mar, 46, school master ?, Tredegar Mon. Elizabeth, wife, mar, 46. school mistress, Tredegar Mon. Arthur Evans Davies, son, 14, scholar, Tredegar Mary Ada Jun? Davies, daur, 13, scholar, Tredegar Ernest Ivor Davies, son, 11, scholar, Tredegar John Lewis Davies, son, 9, scholar, Tredegar Hugh Glyn? Davies, son, 6, scholar, Tredegar Gwyladys Voilet Davies, daur, 4, scholar, Tredegar at 36 Park Row, Tredegar, Bedwelty, Monmouthshire Source information: RG12/4355 Registration district: Bedwellty Sub registration district: Tredegar ED, institution, or vessel: 3 Folio: 57 Page: 13 Emma.

Emma, Ernest's father was David Lewis Davies and he was a schoolmaster (I understand that Ernest was at one time a schoolmaster too, but had a career change and went into the mines...possibly connected to him marrying a girl much younger than him who was 7 months pregnant maybe...?) Sarah

Sarah, I'll have a look on the 1891 for you - What is Ernest's Father's name on his marriage certificate and what is his occupation? Emma x

Emma - the date of the marriage is 1st Jan 1910, I don't have access to 1891 census (have spent up totally this month - not got enough left to pay to view anything else till after I get paid again) but 1901 doesn't seem to have a Selina Finch of the right age anywhere at all, which implies she was telling porkies when she got married. This is hurting my head and my purse! lol

Sarah, What's the date of the marriage? Have you found them on 1891 census? Emma x

Have marriage cert for Selina FINCH and Ernest Ivor DAVIES - Selina's age is stated as 21 (but don't think that was true) and her father's name is James. The wedding took place in Llanhilleth, Monmouthshire, but neither witness appears to be from Selina's family. I have looked on 1901 census for both Selina and James (a collier), have trawled through 1837, 1881 census for James (all areas), freeBMD for any record of birth for Selina, or anything on James...She is also supposed to have 2 sisters, sarah and Charlotte but I can't find them either. I am now going round in circles and don't know where to look next. I just can't find anything to confirm anything! I can't order a birth cert for Selina 'cos I can't find when or where she was born...I only know that she was very young when she married (her hubby was 28 on cert, so at least 8 yrs difference assuming she was really as old as 21, as she claims). I have found a number of births, any of which could be her, but can't tie any of it up to census info or any other info. Am I just confusing myself? I can't help but think there must be some way I should be going through this info to narow it down, but I've been on this one for weeks now and I'm getting absolutely nowhere. Please help - I'm going mad!!! Sarah

....can anyone please help me unravel this one: