 |
| Benjamin with his wife (standing) and daughters May and Sophia |
Name: Benjamin Jones
Birth: December 24, 1836 in Caio, Wales.
Death: before 1915, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Marriage: before 1882, in Wales
Location(s):
Caio, Wales;
Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Relation to me: Benjamin Jones is my maternal grandmother's paternal grandfather, which makes him 5th generation before me.
Alias(es): None known at this time.
Parents: David Jones & Mary, whose surname is unknown at this time.
Children: John, Joseph, David, Daniel, William, May, Sophia
Other Family: Joseph Jones, brother
Details: Ben is the first of the people on my original list that I've gotten another generation back on his tree. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten far back enough to really call this a complete success. I know his parents' names, but nothing more about them, and in his mother's case, I don't have a maiden name. The majority of information I had on Benjamin before came from my grandmother, only knew of him from her father, as he died before she was born. I do know that he and his wife apparently ran the post office in Merthyr Tydfil, and that Hannah continued to run it even after his death. I have now found several Census records for he and his family, which helped a lot in sorting out the family members, but still left a lot of questions.
Aside from what I already knew, and what I've found in the census records, I really know nothing about this man. I don't know how he moved from Caio to Merthyr Tydfil, or when and where he married his wife, or if he always worked in the post office, or anything else.
Proof:
1) All my details on Benjamin in my family tree came from my grandmother, and through her father. Beyond that, I had no specific proof for many years.
2) My first actual proof came from the record of my great-grandfather's death on Family Search, which lists Benjamin as his father. I assume this came from my grandmother or one of her siblings, but it at least is a more concrete proof of Benjamin's existence than the family tree I had.
3) The last piece of proof I have is from family photos dating to around the turn of the century, one of which shows Benjamin with his wife and daughters. I do not believe we have any other shots of him, but it is lovely to have the one we do have.
New Proofs I have found of Benjamin:
4) I found a baptism record for him with his parents' names, which confirms his birthdate as December 24th 1836.
5) I also have several Census forms listing him. The first is the 1871 Census, where he is shown with his wife and their eldest two sons, John and Joseph. This one was taken in Merthyr Tydfil, so I know he was there by then, at the very latest.
6) I have a second 1871 record that if it correct, shows him in the household of a Joseph Jones. Given he had a son named Joseph, and this record also lists a mother for both named Mary. It's possible with the commonness of the names, this is not a correct record, but until I know for certain otherwise, I will assume he was visiting the day the Census taker came to his brother's house.
7) The 1881 Census lists him as a Grocer, and their family has grown to three sons: David James, Joseph, and John Joseph. They also have a servant living with them.
8) The 1891 Census they have six children listed: David J, John J, Daniel T (my great-grandfather), William N, Mary A, and Sarah S.
9) The same six children are listed in the 1901 Census, with no further additions.
10) I also found that he is listed on the wedding record for his son Daniel.
11) He is also listed on Daniel's death record.
Needed:
The censuses tell me there were seven children, if I understand them correctly. And the second 1871 Census is less certain, but with the names, I have to believe that is also him.
I have an exact birth record for Benjamin, but I don't have his marriage or death information as of yet. I know I could pay for it, as it should be available on the UK BMD records website, along with marriage information for he and Hannah. This is obviously my next step for this branch, but given how much I've found on Ancestry, I will continue to look there first.
I'd love to know more about his life, especially life before Merthyr Tydfil, and about his parents, how many siblings he might have had, and how he met Hannah.
At that's what I have on Benjamin. Though I've found his parents' names, I still don't have his mother's maiden name, so until I do, I'm not going to consider this brick wall solved. If you're a member of the Jones family who knows more about him, I'd love to hear the stories you have, and I'd love to share what I have as well. Please feel free to contact me.
Original Post
Other Posts about Benjamin Jones:
