Sunday 19 November 2006

Great Great Grandparents

William JONES
(1852 - 1896)

Born on 05th may 1852 at Pentre Felin, Wrexham, Denbighshire to Thomas JONES, sawyer and Catherine JONES (nee WILLIAMS).

I find Thomas and Catherine in the 1851 census at Pentre Felin with Maurice aged 3, John aged 1 and Catherine aged 2 months. A lodger Thomas BAKER aged 20 is also at the address.

By 1861 the family had moved to 14 Belle Vue Road, Wrexham. I find Catherine aged 10, William aged 8, Thomas aged 4, Jane aged 2 and Morris aged 1.

In the 1871 census the mother, Catherine, is widowed and the following children are still at home: Jane aged 13, Morris aged 9 and Anne aged 7.

At this time William, second waggoner, appears to be with brother Thomas, farm servant, on Sarah LEWIS' farm in the Erlas area of Wrexham.

A year later in 1872 William JONES married Sarah Jane HUXLEY at the Parish Church of Wrexham.

He and Sarah are living at 40 Chester Street, Wrexham in the 1881 census with the following children: Jane aged 7, William aged 4, Charles aged 3, Sarah A. aged 1 and a Sarah ROBERTS aged 78, an aunt, is visiting.

William purchased grave 3223 in section "L" of Wrexham Cemetery in 1889, as it appears another possible daughter named Catherine aged 11 months was buried in that same year.

In 1891 they have moved again into 38 Chester Street, Wrexham and have the following children still at home: William H. and Sarah A. or G. ages have blurred, Emily possibly aged 10, Phoebe aged 8, Morris aged 6, Frederick aged 4 and Kate aged 1.

Sadly William, a carter, died at Cobden Road, Wrexham on 16th October 1896 due to meningitis and was buried with his daughter at Wrexham Cemetery.


Sarah Jane JONES (nee VAUGHAN, aka HUXLEY)
(1855 - 1919)

Born on 04th February 1855 at Poor Land Cottages, Bieston, Wrexham, Denbighshire to Ellen VAUGHAN, no father named.

In 1851 I find an Ellen VAUGHAN with her siblings and parents, Charles and Ellen VAUGHAN in Bieston, Wrexham.

Yet in 1861, at Poor's Land, Bieston, I find Sarah Jane VAUGHAN with her grandparents Charles and Ellen VAUGHAN but her mother is not there. Further research enabled me to locate an Ellen VAUGHAN marrying a Thomas HUXLEY in 1857.



Thomas and Ellen are in Holt, Denbighshire in 1861 with their daughter Ann HUXLEY aged 3.

Sarah Jane VAUGHAN is still with her grandparents in 1871, the year before her marriage to William JONES where she is named as Sarah Jane HUXLEY and Thomas HUXLEY is listed as her father.



On her son's birth certificate she informs us that her maiden name was VAUGHAN, so I guess Thomas HUXLEY was a step-father.

1881 with her husband William JONES
1891 with her husband William JONES

It is the 1901 census in Warrington, Lancashire that shocks me, as she seems to have moved up in the world. She is a widow and is listed as having her own account, it appears by letting apartments.

With her is her children: Phoebe aged 20, Kate aged 12, Fred aged 14 and Maurice aged 18.

There is a ship's carpenter and an electrical engineer who are boarders and a theatrical *? agent, wardrobe mistress and two theatrical carpenters as lodgers.

At some point though, between 1901 and 1919 she had left Warrington and had returned to Wrexham. She died at 16 Lambpit Street, Wrexham and her daughter Phoebe DOWNES was present at the death. She was buried with her husband and baby daughter at Wrexham Cemetery, sadly there is no stone to mark the grave.


It all starts with Nana LANE (nee JONES)


Nana (nee JONES) & Grandad LANE



My Nana LANE (nee JONES) was born in Earlestown, Newton-In-Makerfield, Lancashire in 1927; she is the eldest daughter of Maurice (Morris) JONES and his second wife Ellen JONES (nee NAYLOR). She married Harry LANE in 1947.

My Great Grandfather Maurice was actually born in Wrexham, Denbighshire, North Wales but moved to Warrington, Lancashire some time between 1896 and 1901. His family appear to have returned to Wrexham but he and perhaps a brother remained in the Warrington area.

Maurice, a retired motor lorry driver, died in 1965 at 28 Laurel Avenue, Wargrave, Newton-In-Makerfield and his only son, my Nana's younger brother, was present at the death. He was cremated and his ashes scattered at The Garden Of Remembrance at Newton Cemetery.

Maurice and Ellen also had a second daughter, a middle sibling to my Nana and her brother, who moved to the Peterborough area.




Maurice JONES and Ellen NAYLOR were married on New Year's Day in 1927.

Maurice appears to have been widowed in 1926 when his first wife, Annis Selina JONES (nee WORLEY) died. He appears to have purchased a family plot where she was buried and later joined by my Grand-aunt May JONES (nee TRAVIS) (1935 - 1990).




The known children from Maurice's first marriage, on Christmas Day 1904 are:

Gladys RICHARDSON (nee JONES) (1905 - 1996) wife of Alfred RICHARDSON.

Phyllis TIMMINS (nee JONES) (1906 - 1980) wife of Harold TIMMINS.

Evelyn THOMAS (nee JONES) (1910 - 2004) wife of Arthur THOMAS.

Winnie LOWE (nee JONES) (1911 - 1997) wife of Frank LOWE.

Annis FLINT (nee JONES) (1917 - 2004) wife of William FLINT.

Dorothy WALSH (nee JONES) (1920 - 2004) wife of Wilfred WALSH.

In 1901 Maurice is living at 54 Wilderspool Causeway, Warrington, Lancashire with his widowed mother and three other siblings.

In 1891 he is living with his parents and six other siblings at 38 Chester Street, Wrexham, Denbighshire.

He was born on 23rd December 1882 at 37 Chester Street, Wrexham, Denbighshire to William JONES and Sarah Jane JONES (nee VAUGHAN).

Ellen JONES (nee NAYLOR) died on 13th March 1977 at 28 Laurel Avenue, as her husband had 12 years earlier and her son was present at the death.

Maurice was her one and only husband. They met on Bridge Street, Earlestown when Ellen's bike chain had come off and Maurice stopped to help her fix it. The rest as they say is history.

She was born on 08th October 1890 at 41 Derby Street, Earlestown, Newton-In-Makerfield to Thomas NAYLOR and Ellen NAYLOR (nee NAYLOR). Her mother listed her address at the time as 41 Gas Street, Newton-In- Makerfield also.