Hi Everybody I would like to thank the members of this list for all their help in researching the above. If there is one thing I have learnt from this exercise is to not believe everything you read on a certificate. I was researching my cousins Paternal line, their father died nearly 60 years ago when they were both small children and knew very little about their fathers family. What they did know that their Grandmother had been born in Ballarat and that her father had died their and they had returned to Wales. I had a certificate that said that Henry Taylor HOPKINS 25 had married Elizabeth JONES 24 on 18 June 1859 at the Ebenezer Baptists Chapel in Merthyr Tydfil. It told me that she was the daughter of John JONES an Iron Moulder Deceased. And that is when I sought the help of this list because I couldn't pin down an Elizabeth JONES in the right time frame with a John JONES as father. With the help of members of this list it how appears that Elizabeth's father wasn't John JONES but Owen JONES of Bryncaws, Blaenhonddan, Cadoxton. For Elizabeth to give a wrong name for her Father and possibly a false address Plymouth St, Merthyr. It seems likely that her parents had possibly not wanted their daughter to marry Henry Taylor HOPKINS. But she did. I think that knowing that her parents wouldn't be very happy that the pair of them, prior to their marriage, had possibly applied for assisted passage to Australia as I doubt they could have afforded the fare. Whatever they ended up in Ballarat where they had 4 children. Henry died in Ballarat I suspect that Elizabeth who had 4 young children was perhaps finding it a struggle and possibly wrote home and asked for help because Elizabeth and the children are back in England by the time the 1881 census is taken. And I found her son Owen and daughter Mary living with Elizabeth JONES their widowed Grandmother aged 79 at Bryn Rose Cottage, Blaenhonddan. Also their is another Granddaughter named Elizabeth MORGAN aged 16. In the 1871 census we find Elizabeth JONES aged 69 with husband OWEN JONES 73 retired farmer along with granddaughter Elizabeth MORGAN now aged 6. Follow Elizabeth and Owen back and you find daughter Elizabeth aged 15 and her siblings one of whom is Mary aged 12, and both Elizabeth and Mary are found in the 1911 census living at Bryncaws. It all appears to fall into place. In the 1841 Census Elizabeth is at home with her parents and brothers and sisters. She has a brother named Ebenezer, she named her son Ebenezer with the second name Owen, her fathers name. She has 2 sisters Mary and Jane, Mary Jane was her youngest daughter. She has a 3rd sister Caroline, that was her second daughters name. Her eldest daughter was Joanna. Henry Taylor HOPKINS mother was Junia could that be Welsh for Joanna? So that part of my Jigsaw appears to be complete. All I need to do now is expand the JONES & HOPKINS lines and see if I can find my cousins any living relatives. So again my thanks to all on the list for your help, it is much appreciated. Best wishes to you all Michael

Michael, You have done a lot of research and figured out the puzzles that would have troubled a lot of us. I applaud you and will remember your digging while I look for my Jones in Wales. Always, Jeanmarie On 22/09/2013 3:22 AM, Michael wrote: > Hi Everybody > > I would like to thank the members of this list for all their help in > researching the above. > > If there is one thing I have learnt from this exercise is to not believe > everything you read on a certificate. > > I was researching my cousins Paternal line, their father died nearly 60 > years ago when they were both small children and knew very little about > their fathers family. What they did know that their Grandmother had been > born in Ballarat and that her father had died their and they had > returned to Wales. > > I had a certificate that said that Henry Taylor HOPKINS 25 had married > Elizabeth JONES 24 on 18 June 1859 at the Ebenezer Baptists Chapel in > Merthyr Tydfil. It told me that she was the daughter of John JONES an > Iron Moulder Deceased. > > And that is when I sought the help of this list because I couldn't pin > down an Elizabeth JONES in the right time frame with a John JONES as father. > > With the help of members of this list it how appears that Elizabeth's > father wasn't John JONES but Owen JONES of Bryncaws, Blaenhonddan, Cadoxton. > > For Elizabeth to give a wrong name for her Father and possibly a false > address Plymouth St, Merthyr. It seems likely that her parents had > possibly not wanted their daughter to marry Henry Taylor HOPKINS. But > she did. > > I think that knowing that her parents wouldn't be very happy that the > pair of them, prior to their marriage, had possibly applied for assisted > passage to Australia as I doubt they could have afforded the fare. > Whatever they ended up in Ballarat where they had 4 children. > > Henry died in Ballarat I suspect that Elizabeth who had 4 young children > was perhaps finding it a struggle and possibly wrote home and asked for > help because Elizabeth and the children are back in England by the time > the 1881 census is taken. And I found her son Owen and daughter Mary > living with Elizabeth JONES their widowed Grandmother aged 79 at Bryn > Rose Cottage, Blaenhonddan. Also their is another Granddaughter named > Elizabeth MORGAN aged 16. > > In the 1871 census we find Elizabeth JONES aged 69 with husband OWEN > JONES 73 retired farmer along with granddaughter Elizabeth MORGAN now > aged 6. > > Follow Elizabeth and Owen back and you find daughter Elizabeth aged 15 > and her siblings one of whom is Mary aged 12, and both Elizabeth and > Mary are found in the 1911 census living at Bryncaws. > > It all appears to fall into place. In the 1841 Census Elizabeth is at > home with her parents and brothers and sisters. She has a brother named > Ebenezer, she named her son Ebenezer with the second name Owen, her > fathers name. She has 2 sisters Mary and Jane, Mary Jane was her > youngest daughter. She has a 3rd sister Caroline, that was her second > daughters name. Her eldest daughter was Joanna. Henry Taylor HOPKINS > mother was Junia could that be Welsh for Joanna? > > So that part of my Jigsaw appears to be complete. All I need to do now > is expand the JONES & HOPKINS lines and see if I can find my cousins any > living relatives. > > So again my thanks to all on the list for your help, it is much appreciated. > > Best wishes to you all > > Michael >