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EVANS family (Treflach and Wolverhampton)
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My direct forebear was Edward Evans, born c.1760, probably in the township of Treflach, near Oswestry, Shropshire. Children born here to Edward and his wife Mary included Mary (died in infancy in 1800), William (bp 8 Feb 1801), Edward (born 10 Sept 1802), Thomas (born 27 Nov 1804) and Ann (born 10 Mar 1807).
By 1841 Edward Evans had been widowed and the census for that year records him as a labourer aged 80 living at Treflach with his son Thomas 40, daughter-in-law Mary 35, and their children Thomas 15, Edward 13, William 9, John 7, David 5, and Margaret 2.
Living a few doors away was another of Edward’s sons, my great-great-great-grandfather William Evans. William's wife was Jane Baines, who had been born at Llangadfan, Montgomeryshire, in 1798.
Some of their children were christened at Llanyblodwel six miles south-west of Oswestry, and included Edward (25 Dec 1823), Elizabeth (13 May 1827), William (22 March 1829) and Jane (29 June 1831).
On the 1841 Treflach census the family was recorded as:
William Evans, aged 40, labourer
Jane, aged 40
Edward, aged 15, agricultural labourer
Thomas, aged 11
Richard, aged 7
John, aged 5
Elizabeth, aged 13
Jane, aged 9
Mary, aged 2
Hannah, aged 2mths
*Hannah was born on 28 March 1841 at Treflach. The birth certificate shows her father as William Evans, labourer, and mother as Jane Evans, formerly Baines.
By 1851 the family had moved to Wolverhampton, where that year’s census recorded them at 27 Monmore Green:
William Evans, head, aged 51, furnace labourer, born Oswestry
Jane Evans, wife, aged 57, born Wales, Llang.…n
Elizabeth, daughter, aged 22, labourer at blast furnace, born Wales, Llang.…n
Jane, daughter, aged 18, born Oswestry
Richard, son, aged 16, coal miner, born Oswestry
John, son, aged 14, coal miner, born Oswestry
Mary, daughter, aged 12, born Oswestry
Margaret, daughter, aged 9 (?) born Oswestry
John Morris, lodger, aged 19, coal miner, born Oswestry.
The eldest daughter, Elizabeth, married Addison Mincher at St Matthew’s church on 7 July 1851. On the marriage certificate her father is shown as William Evans, labourer; and the groom’s father as Addison Mincher, labourer. Addresses are given as Monmore Green.
On the 1861 census the family was living at Wesley Street, Wolverhampton:
William Evans, 63, furnace labourer; born Oswestry
Jane, wife, 65; born Montgomeryshire
Jane, daughter, 31, unmarried, general servant; born Oswestry, Shropshire
Margaret, daughter, 17, general servant; born Oswestry, Shropshire
*William, son, married, 33, coalminer; born Oswestry, Shropshire
Bridget, son’s wife, 26; born Mayo, Ireland.
*William Evans jnr married Bridget Nolan at St Matthew’s church on 22 August 1853.
Next door to them in Wesley Street were living William and Jane Evans's eldest son, Edward, and his family:
Edward Evans, aged 36, furnace labourer, born Oswestry, Shropshire
Ann, wife, aged 38, born Montgomeryshire
Mary Jane, daughter, aged 12, born Wolverhampton
Edward, son, aged 3, born Wolverhampton
John, son, aged 1, born Wolverhampton
John Evans, father-in-law, aged 50 (?), carter, born Wales.
Edward Evans had married Ann Evans at St Peter's Wolverhampton on 6 February 1848. The address of both was given as Monmore Green.
William Evans was buried at Merridale Cemetery on 8 January 1863. His widow Jane subsequently remarried, on 10 November 1864 at St Matthew’s church, to George Phelp, a forge labourer. The marriage certificate gives her address as Monmore Green and her father as Richard Baines, deceased. Witnesses were John McMahon and Sarah Morgan.
Jane was widowed for a second time in 1868. On the 1871 census she and her daughter Jane were living at 9 Frost Street with two lodgers, both bricklayers’ labourers:
Jane Phelps, widow, aged 75, born Llangaden (sic), Montgomeryshire
Jane Evans, daughter, aged 39, born Oswestry
William Taylor, boarder, aged 47, born Gloucester
Thomas Edwards, boarder, aged 60, born Ellesmere.
On the 1881 census Jane and her daughter were still at 1 Court, 9 Frost Street:
Jane Felton, head, aged 87, widow, born Llangolen, Wales*; receiving parish relief
Jane Evans, lodger, aged 50, unmarried, born Oswestry, Shropshire; receiving parish relief
William Taylor, lodger, aged 64, unmarried, born Thornbury, Gloucester; general labourer.
*Jane’s surname and place of birth were recorded inaccurately here - cf 1871 census.
Jane Evans died at Frost Street on 31 December 1881, aged 88 according to the death certificate (she was actually 83). Cause of death was given as old age, with apoplexy as a secondary cause; and she is described as widow of George Phelp, forge labourer. Present at the death was Elizabeth Pickerill.
My great-great-grandfather John Evans married Mary Bradley at St Matthew’s church, Wolverhampton, on 10 September 1855, when both were under the age of 21. In the parish register they are shown as John Evans, minor, bachelor, of Monmore Green; occupation, miner; father, William Evans, labourer. Mary Bradley, minor, spinster, of Monmore Green; father, Thomas Bradley, miner (see WARD family).
Their witnesses were a neighbour, John Hopwood, and the groom's sister Mary Evans, who were married at St Matthew’s the following year, 29 December 1856. This time the witnesses were Mary’s brother, Richard Evans, and Jane Perkins. Mary Bradley appears to have had an illegitimate child before her marriage, referred to on the 1861 census as John Evans’s son-in-law (a term used for step-son).
On the 1861 census John and Mary Evans were living at Wesley Street:
John Evans, aged 25, coalminer; born Oswestry, Shrops
Mary, wife, aged 26; born Dudley
Richard B.Bradley, son-in-law, aged 6; born Wolverhampton (Mary's illegitimate child)
William, son, aged 4; born Wolverhampton
John, son, aged 1; born Wolverhampton.
On the 1871 census the family was recorded as:
John Evans, head, aged 35, miner coal, born Oswestry
Mary, wife, aged 36, born Dudley
Richard, (step)son, aged 16, brass caster
Betsey (Elizabeth), daughter, aged 7
Thomas, son, aged 7
Jane, daughter, aged 4
Mary, daughter, aged 2
Edward, son, aged 1
all born at Wolverhampton.
Until at least 1875, when his youngest child Richard was born, John Evans worked as a coal miner. Sometime after that date the family acquired a cow, and began selling milk. On the 1881 census they were living at Rough Hills, Wolverhampton:
John Evans, head, aged 47, born Montgomery, Wales; milkseller (cf other censuses)
Mary Evans, wife, aged 46, born Dudley
Elizabeth Evans, daughter, aged 17, born W’ton; domestic servant
Thomas Evans, son, aged 16, born W’ton; iron plate worker
Jane Evans, daughter, aged 14
Mary Evans, daughter, aged 13
Edward Evans, son, aged 11 } all scholars, born Wolverhampton
John Evans, son, aged 8
Richard Evans, son, aged 5
*Richard James Evans born at Rough Hills on 4 June 1875.
On the 1891 census the family was living at 30 Steelhouse Lane (a shop) in the parish of All Saints, and recorded as:
John Evans, head, aged 55, born Oswestry, Montgomeryshire; milkman
Mary, wife, aged 57, born Dudley, Worcestershire
Thomas, son, aged 28; iron stamper
John, son, aged 18; iron stamper } all born Wolverhampton
Richard, son, aged 16; drawer out in furnace
Alice Horton, aged 14, domestic servant.
My grandmother, May Tufft, was born here at 30 Steelhouse Lane on 8 January 1894, and her sister Florrie had been born here on 20 August 1892. The Tufft family were at this address on the 1901 census, and Mary Jane Tufft (below) was still living here in 1932, selling sweets, so it must have been a shared family home for many years.
John and Mary’s daughter, my great-grandmother Mary Jane Evans, married William Thomas Tufft at St Matthew’s Church on 15 February 1886. On the marriage certificate her father John Evans is described as a cowkeeper. Both were living at Frost Street, where Mary Jane’s grandmother and aunt had been residing in 1881 (see above). Mary Jane died on 7 February 1932 at 30 Steelhouse Lane. The death certificate gives her age as 65 and describes her as ‘wife of William Thomas Tufft, formerly electric cable joiner’s labourer’. Cause of death was acute bronchitis, and present at the death was her son Ernest, who was living with her.
On the 1901 census, John and Mary Evans are shown at separate addresses. John’s birthplace and age differ from those given in 1851 & 1881.
Parish of St Luke’s, Wolverhampton:
John Evans, head, married, aged 62, born Wolverhampton; milkseller
Thomas Evans, son, single, aged 35, born Wolverhampton; blacksmith
Richard Evans, son, single, aged 26, born Wolverhampton; general labourer
Joseph Wright, visitor, single, aged 63, born Wolverhampton; general labourer.
57 Dale Street, parish of St Paul’s, Wolverhampton:
*John H.Evans, head, married, aged 27, born Wolverhampton; builder’s carter
Caroline Evans, wife, aged 27, born Wolverhampton
Mary E.Evans, daughter, aged 7, born Wolverhampton
Beatrice Evans, daughter, aged 5, born Wolverhampton
John Henry Evans, son, aged 3, born Wolverhampton
Sarah G.Evans, daughter, aged 1, born Wolverhampton
Mary Evans, mother, married, aged 67, born Wolverhampton (cf 1881 census).
*John Henry Evans married Caroline McHale at Wolverhampton June quarter 1893.
William & Jane Evans’s children on the 1881 census:
Edward Evans and his family were living at no 1 Court, Barker Street, Wolverhampton:
Edward Evans, aged 57, born Oswestry; labourer in iron works
Ann, wife, aged 56, born Llanymynech, Montgomery
John, son, aged 21, born Wolverhampton; labourer in factory
William, son, aged 19, born Wolverhampton; labourer in factory
Eliza Shaw, married daughter, aged 20, born Bilston
Florence Shaw, her daughter, aged 1, born Wolverhampton.
The youngest daughter, Margaret, had married Richard Banks at St John’s church on 25 January 1864. The church register gives her address as Bilston Road, Wolverhampton, and her father as William Evans, labourer. On the 1881 census the family was living at Court 11, Bilston Road:
Richard Banks, aged 44, coal miner, born Wolverhampton
Margaret, wife, aged 39, born Montgomery, Wales
Jane Ann, daughter, aged 10
William James, son, aged 8
Richard, son, aged 5
Joel, son, aged six months.
All the children were born in Wolverhampton.
Note:
Children of Edward and Mary Evans baptised at Treflach, Oswestry:
Mary - c.1800; died 20 Feb 1800
William - bp 8 Feb 1801
Edward - b.10 Sept 1801; bp 2 Jan 1803
Thomas – b. 27 Nov 1804; bp 9 Dec 1804
Ann – b. 10 March 1807; bp 8 Apr 1807
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