My great grandmother Jenny Bowen was born on 30 April 1864 in Nantyglo Wales, her parents were James Bowen and Martha Jones. This information comes from relative I'm no longer in contact with. I found the family in the 1871 census--but she wasn't listed! Or at least not as "Jennie" this family was Baptist--does this make a difference as to what/where records were kept?
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Bowen
- Thread starter Lirio100
- Start date
This one is the right area of Wales and Jane could be Jenny? The original says she was born in Nantyglo.
BOWEN, James Head M 36 1835 Monmouthshire VIEW
BOWEN, Martha Wife F 35 1836 Monmouthshire VIEW
BOWEN, John Son M 13 1858 Monmouthshire VIEW
BOWEN, Louisa Daughter F 11 1860 Monmouthshire VIEW
BOWEN, Jane Daughter F 9 1862 Monmouthshire VIEW
BOWEN, Edward Son M 6 1865 Monmouthshire VIEW
BOWEN, Elizabeth Daughter F 1 1870 Monmouthshire VIEW
Piece:5316
Folio:67
Page: 41
Registration District: Bedwellty
Civil Parish: Aberystruth
Municipal Borough:
Address: Row, Aberystruth
County: Monmout
BOWEN, James Head M 36 1835 Monmouthshire VIEW
BOWEN, Martha Wife F 35 1836 Monmouthshire VIEW
BOWEN, John Son M 13 1858 Monmouthshire VIEW
BOWEN, Louisa Daughter F 11 1860 Monmouthshire VIEW
BOWEN, Jane Daughter F 9 1862 Monmouthshire VIEW
BOWEN, Edward Son M 6 1865 Monmouthshire VIEW
BOWEN, Elizabeth Daughter F 1 1870 Monmouthshire VIEW
Piece:5316
Folio:67
Page: 41
Registration District: Bedwellty
Civil Parish: Aberystruth
Municipal Borough:
Address: Row, Aberystruth
County: Monmout
Nothing showing in the births under Jenny or Jennifer. Here is Jane - so is right time of year for her birthday just 2 years diff?
BOWEN, Jane
Registration district: [?] Bedwellty
County: Monmouthshire
Year of registration: 1862
Quarter of registration: Apr-May-Jun
Mother's maiden name: Not available before 1911 Q3
Volume no:[?]11A
Page no:[?]74
BOWEN, Jane
Registration district: [?] Bedwellty
County: Monmouthshire
Year of registration: 1862
Quarter of registration: Apr-May-Jun
Mother's maiden name: Not available before 1911 Q3
Volume no:[?]11A
Page no:[?]74
Hi, very many women in my part of Wales used a variation of their given name, and even something that didn't, so Barbara has hit the nail on the head.
However, having never heard of the area 'Aberystruth' I googled it and according to Wikipedia, it was an ancient ecclesiastical parish in the north west corner of Monmouthshire and is now the eastern part of the new area known as Blaenau Gwent. Like the village I came from, the arrival of coal mining in this area saw an explosion of the population in the 19th century.
The whole of Wales was transformed by legislation which resulted in many old names of counties being lost.
Brian
However, having never heard of the area 'Aberystruth' I googled it and according to Wikipedia, it was an ancient ecclesiastical parish in the north west corner of Monmouthshire and is now the eastern part of the new area known as Blaenau Gwent. Like the village I came from, the arrival of coal mining in this area saw an explosion of the population in the 19th century.
The whole of Wales was transformed by legislation which resulted in many old names of counties being lost.
Brian
Everybody:
That has to be her but it's rather a surprise. She's always been known as Jennie, I even had a UK contact last year wanting to know what happened to the Jennie Bowen on his tree. Knew who she'd married over here, just wanted to know the rest! Even her marriage record with the state of Ohio says "Jennie".
This is one I hadn't collected much documentation on before now because I "knew" who she was--I got her basic information from her daughter in law, my grandmother, years ago. The two years isn't that much of a problem, since I already have noticed in the censuses (censi?) that she was a bit elastic when it came to birthdate, she was older than her husband and apparently wanted to minimize that:biggrin: The family did move back and forth between Nantyglo and Aberystruth. Another reason I'm satisfied it's her is that she named her son George Jarrett Newton; Jarrett is Jennie's paternal grandmother's maiden name and I don't think it's common as a given name rather than surname.
The mining is significant, if only indirectly. She settled first in Youngstown Ohio, where there were other Bowens. At the time it was a big iron/coal mining town.
Thank you!
That has to be her but it's rather a surprise. She's always been known as Jennie, I even had a UK contact last year wanting to know what happened to the Jennie Bowen on his tree. Knew who she'd married over here, just wanted to know the rest! Even her marriage record with the state of Ohio says "Jennie".
This is one I hadn't collected much documentation on before now because I "knew" who she was--I got her basic information from her daughter in law, my grandmother, years ago. The two years isn't that much of a problem, since I already have noticed in the censuses (censi?) that she was a bit elastic when it came to birthdate, she was older than her husband and apparently wanted to minimize that:biggrin: The family did move back and forth between Nantyglo and Aberystruth. Another reason I'm satisfied it's her is that she named her son George Jarrett Newton; Jarrett is Jennie's paternal grandmother's maiden name and I don't think it's common as a given name rather than surname.
The mining is significant, if only indirectly. She settled first in Youngstown Ohio, where there were other Bowens. At the time it was a big iron/coal mining town.
Thank you!
Jennie Bowen turns out to be an example of problems with trusting documents absolutely:
US census:
1890 does not exist, burned
1900 she was born in Apr of 1863 in England and came here in 1891
1910 she was born in 1862 in England and came in 1892
1920 she was born in 1866 in Wales and came in 1892
1930 she was born in 1864 in Wales and came in 1902
1940 she was born in 1865 in England, no date for immigration.
I have spoken with her granddaughter, she says Jennie tried to teach her Welsh, so I'm assuming she was indeed Welsh! 1902 is not possible for immigration, she married William Newton here well before that.
The GRO has no birth record for Jennie Bowen, it does appear that this is Jane.
US census:
1890 does not exist, burned
1900 she was born in Apr of 1863 in England and came here in 1891
1910 she was born in 1862 in England and came in 1892
1920 she was born in 1866 in Wales and came in 1892
1930 she was born in 1864 in Wales and came in 1902
1940 she was born in 1865 in England, no date for immigration.
I have spoken with her granddaughter, she says Jennie tried to teach her Welsh, so I'm assuming she was indeed Welsh! 1902 is not possible for immigration, she married William Newton here well before that.
The GRO has no birth record for Jennie Bowen, it does appear that this is Jane.
Hi again. The coal mining in many of the valleys of South Wales started 1840/1850's approximately. It would be reasonable to assume that most people spoke Welsh 1860/1870/1880's - my ancestors moved from West Wales (which is still a very welsh-speaking area) to the Rhondda and all spoke fluent Welsh (I don't)! However, there was also a massive increase in people coming from across England to these valleys for work - very similar to the 'gold rush' no doubt, and that was the start of the slow conversion to English being spoken more than Welsh across the whole of South Wales! Just thought this bit of useless information adds to your family history.
Brian
Brian
Not useless at all! One of the big draws for me to genealogy is finding out what I can about the people who came to America, instead of just names. Six of my great grandparents were the immigrants, the parents of a seventh were, I only have one family branch that was here before 1855.
From what my father and her granddaughter have said (or carefully not said) it seems she was a rather stern and hardworking woman. Jenny Bowen only went to fifth grade in school and it seems she was out to domestic service by the time she was 12 or so. With the English speaking miners coming in that would explain why she knew English and Welsh, though.
From what my father and her granddaughter have said (or carefully not said) it seems she was a rather stern and hardworking woman. Jenny Bowen only went to fifth grade in school and it seems she was out to domestic service by the time she was 12 or so. With the English speaking miners coming in that would explain why she knew English and Welsh, though.
I have found a bit more information, and I'm pretty sure that Jane Bowen is Jennie Bowen, my great grandmother. However, I'd like to run the 'evidence' past members, see if it seems reasonable.
Her death certificate says Jennie Newton was born April 30, 1864 in Nantyglo Wales. Says her mother was Martha Bowen also born in Nantyglo, no father's name listed. Informant was her husband. Her daughter in law (my grandmother) told me Jennie's maiden name was Bowen and Martha's maiden name was Jones.
Her marriage license confirms her maiden name was Bowen. It doesn't give any ages, simply that he was over 21 and she was over 18.
US census gives 1891 as immigration year; I find a Miss Jane Bowan (transc error, should be Jane Bowen) arriving 2 June 1891, with destination given as Ohio. She's 28 with a date of birth given as abt 1863. Youngstown Ohio city directory for 1891/2 has a Miss Jennie Bowen listed. Youngstown Ohio is where she and my great grandfather were married. There were also several Bowen families in the area, it's possible there was already a Jane there, and my great grandmother started using Jennie then.
Going back to Wales; GRO has no record of a Jennie Bowen born in Nantyglo.
1871 Wales Census has a Jane Bowen 9 yo born in Nantyglo, with a mother Martha also born in Nantyglo. I did get her birth record from the GRO. Jane was born 30 March 1862, her parents are James Bowen and Martha Bowen nee Jones. The birth however, was not registered until 24 April, and Martha was apparently illiterate, her signature is an x with "her mark of Martha Bowen" in the signature box for the informant. I suspect the dates were conflated in later years.
In the 1900 US census she gives her age as 37, born about 1863. In 1910 she's 48, born in 1862. After that she gets younger every census--in 1920 she says she's 54, not 58. That seems to be the time that she drops the "extra" 2 years, as in 1930 she should be 68, if she was 48 in 1910. Instead she says she's 66.
I think I've found my great grandmother Jane Bowen who became Jennie Bowen Newton, but does this seem reasonable?
Her death certificate says Jennie Newton was born April 30, 1864 in Nantyglo Wales. Says her mother was Martha Bowen also born in Nantyglo, no father's name listed. Informant was her husband. Her daughter in law (my grandmother) told me Jennie's maiden name was Bowen and Martha's maiden name was Jones.
Her marriage license confirms her maiden name was Bowen. It doesn't give any ages, simply that he was over 21 and she was over 18.
US census gives 1891 as immigration year; I find a Miss Jane Bowan (transc error, should be Jane Bowen) arriving 2 June 1891, with destination given as Ohio. She's 28 with a date of birth given as abt 1863. Youngstown Ohio city directory for 1891/2 has a Miss Jennie Bowen listed. Youngstown Ohio is where she and my great grandfather were married. There were also several Bowen families in the area, it's possible there was already a Jane there, and my great grandmother started using Jennie then.
Going back to Wales; GRO has no record of a Jennie Bowen born in Nantyglo.
1871 Wales Census has a Jane Bowen 9 yo born in Nantyglo, with a mother Martha also born in Nantyglo. I did get her birth record from the GRO. Jane was born 30 March 1862, her parents are James Bowen and Martha Bowen nee Jones. The birth however, was not registered until 24 April, and Martha was apparently illiterate, her signature is an x with "her mark of Martha Bowen" in the signature box for the informant. I suspect the dates were conflated in later years.
In the 1900 US census she gives her age as 37, born about 1863. In 1910 she's 48, born in 1862. After that she gets younger every census--in 1920 she says she's 54, not 58. That seems to be the time that she drops the "extra" 2 years, as in 1930 she should be 68, if she was 48 in 1910. Instead she says she's 66.
I think I've found my great grandmother Jane Bowen who became Jennie Bowen Newton, but does this seem reasonable?
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