12 Sept 2010

Another wrong turn :(

Aw following a luscious week off on the tiny Greek island of Skiathos, Rob and I returned home on Friday just in time to witness the Harlequins play a decent game of rugby against the Saints where we had three tries disallowed and a ref who should have, in my humble opinion, been carrying a white stick. Anyways we lost the game thanks to a late try for the Saints that followed directly on from a forward pass so it should never have been.

Anyway I digress... Having returned from my hols all relaxed and ready to do battle with the family tree I remembered I hadn't said hello for a while.

Whilst I've been off doing things I've managed to find out that my Great Great Grandfather Robert DAVIES (born 1873, Hawarden) may not be the child of Samuel DAVIES and Mary ELWIN as I previously thought :(

It happened like this; I went to the LDS centre and had a look at the Parish Register for St. Mary's Without-the-Walls, Handbridge, Chester to have a look at the entry for Robert's marriage to Elizabeth JONES on the 15 September 1900 (below)

Marriage Entry in Parish Record. Photograph from Microfilm held by the LDS
As you can see there is a lovely great GAP / ABYSS / HOLE where Robert's father's name should be. This is somewhat disheartening.

So I have now ordered Robert's birth certificate. I hope that it will be the correct one. From the census records / marriage entry he would have been born in 1872/1873. Hawarden falls under the Civil Registration District of Chester at this time and there is only one Robert DAVIES who was registered in Chester in 1872/83 so I've sent off for reference: 1873 Q1 Chester,8a 457 and will keep my fingers crossed. At £9.25 a pop and no reference checking service now available it does tend to get mighty expensive when you choose the wrong.

Whilst I was at it I also ordered the birth certificate for my Great Grandmother, Evelyn Grace DARLINGTON. She was born in 1905 in Mold.

The certs should be here on the 17th September so until then I'm going to be left holding my breath trying desperately not to order more certificates.