Blodwen Preece, Catherine and Edward Evans Mystery

Date: Before 1863 to 1996
Location: Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom
Surnames/tags: Evans Preece

Contents 1 People Involved 2 Researchers 3 Latest Updates 4 Background 4.1 Edward Evans 4.2 Catherine 5 Issues 5.1 Main Questions 5.2 Brick Walls 5.3 Assumptions 6 Blodwen Preece (nee Evans) 6.1 Birth Record 6.2 Only Child 6.3 Marriage Certificate 7 Edward m. Catherine 8 Sources

People Involved

• Edward Evans (husband to Catherine)
• Catherine (maiden name unknown) (wife to Edward)
• Blodwen Preece (nee Evans (daughter of Edward and Catherine)

Researchers

• Matthew Tyler-Howells (great-grandson of Blodwen)
• Notes added by Jessica Gannon, of no relation (uses her free time to research women with unknown maiden names).

Latest Updates

• 20 Jul 2021. Thank you Jessica for your help on this mystery! I've reviewed the sources I've listed below and am confident that your suggested records, Birth Pontypridd "Blodwen EVANS" 11a 601 Jun 1903 and Marriage Cardiff Sep 1900 11a 656 "JONES, Catherine x EVANS, Edward". I was unable to access the 1911 census for some reason, as no matching records for Edward, Catherine or Blodwen could be found with details that lined up. This mystery isn't completely solved and closed yet as I will need to check the certificates when they arrive next week, but thank you Jessica for helping us move much closer to finding out who these people were!

Background

There is a mystery surrounding who Catherine, Edward Evans and their daughter Blodwen Preece (nee Evans) are. This mystery is believed to take place across Aberdovey, Merionethshire, Wales; Llantrisant, Glamorganshire, Wales; and Cardiff, Wales.

Edward Evans

Edward Evans was likely born between 1862 and 1864 ^[1] in Aberdovey, Merionethshire^[2]. In 1901, he was living at 27 Edmondstown Road in Ystradyfodwg, Llantrisant, Glamorgan, Wales; where he was married to Kate (Catherine) and was working as a "colliery stonemason (below ground / B.G.)^[2]. At the time of the census, he was 38 years old (7 years older than Catherine) and spoke both English and Welsh^[2]. In 1938, he was a builders mason^[3]. He died of myocardial degeneration at the age of 76 on 31st March 1939 at his residence of 130 Albany Road, Roath, in the east of Cardiff^[4][5].

Catherine

Catherine (maiden name unknown) was born on 23 Jan 1869^[6] in Aberdovey, Merionethshire^[2]. In 1901, she was married and living with Edward Evans at 27 Edmondstown Road in Ystradyfodwg, Llantrisant, Glamorgan, Wales; she spoke both English and Welsh and she was 31 years old at the time of the census^[2]. In 1939, she was widowed and lived at 130 Albany Road in Roath, Cardiff alongside William E G Preece (son in law), Blodwen Preece (her daughter), Edward Alun Preece (her grandson) and an unknown person (blanked out for privacy - 100 years rule) presumed to be Barbara Preece (born 1931)^[6]. She died 25th April 1940 at 130 Albany Road of myocardial degeneration at the age of 71^[7].

Issues

Main Questions

• What is Edward Evans' birth date?
• When (and specifically where) did Edward and Catherine marry?
• What is Catherine's maiden name?
• Where was Blodwen Evans born?

Brick Walls

• Blodwen was born before 1911, so the birth index does not list a mother's (Catherine) maiden name.
• There were many Edward Evans who could have married a woman named Catherine between 1875 and 1901.
• There were multiple Blodwen Evans born in 1903 in Wales.
• There were multiple Edward Evans born in 1863 (and the surrounding years) in Merionethshire.

Assumptions

• Blodwen was born in Glamorgan.
• Edward and Catherine probably married in Merionethshire before moving to Glamorgan.
• Blodwen doesn't have a middle name.
• Catherine doesn't have a middle name.
• Catherine usually goes by the name Catherine, not Kate.
• Edward doesn't have a middle name.

Blodwen Preece (nee Evans)

Birth Record

According to the 1939 Register, Blodwen was born 06 March 1903^[6]. This means that Blodwen is either on the Jan/Feb/Mar 1903 birth index, or on the Apr/May/Jun 1903 birth index. Assuming that Blodwen was born in the county of Glamorgan (given her parents were on the Glamorgan census in 1901), this yields 9 results on FreeBMD.

The birth certificate may hold Catherine's maiden name, which would solve many parts of this puzzle, as well as confirming where Blodwen was born.

Out of these 9 results, it is more than likely that the Blodwen EVANS we are looking for is from the Pontypridd district.

• Notes: Mother's maiden name actually is included on the General Register Office's website: https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates. The 1911 census lists Blodwen's birthplace as Tonyrefail, Glamorgan. Tonyrefail should fall within the Pontypridd registration district. Cross-referenced with the potential marriages of her parents, she was almost certainly the one registered in Pontypridd with mother's maiden name JONES.

• EVANS, Blodwen; Merthyr Tydfil; Mar 1903; 11a 816 [Mother's maiden name not listed, indicating that her mother was unmarried]
• EVANS, Blodwen: Bridgend; Mar 1903; 11a 892 [Mother's maiden name DAVIES]
• EVANS, Blodwen: Pontypridd; Mar 1903; 11a 737 [Mother's maiden name WILLIAMS]
• EVANS, Blodwen; Pontypridd; Mar 1903; 11a 621 [Mother's maiden name PALMER]
• EVANS, Blodwen; Pontypridd; Jun 1903; 11a 633 [Mother's maiden name HOPKINS]
• EVANS, Blodwen; Pontypridd; Jun 1903; 11a 601 [Mother's maiden name JONES]
• EVANS, Blodwen; Neath; Jun 1903; 11a 940 [Mother's maiden name GRIFFITHS]
• EVANS, Blodwen May; Merthyr Tydfil; Jun 1903; 11a 826 [Mother's maiden name JOHN]
• EVANS, Blodwen May; Merthyr Tydfil; Jun 1903; 11a 756 [Mother's maiden name DAVIES]

Only Child

Joy S Preece believes that Blodwen Evans was an only child. This cannot be confirmed.

• Note: the 1911 census states that Edward & Catherine had 2 children born alive in their marriage, 1 still living and 1 who had died.

Marriage Certificate

William Edward George Preece married Blodwen Evans on 18th October 1938 at the Newport Register Office. William was 43 years old and a motor omnibus driver, and Blodwen was 34 years old^[3]. Both lived at 26 Lime Street, Newport, which is now a park / grassy field. Edward and Catherine Evans were witnesses, as William's father - Francis Preece - had died, and it is believed that William's mother had fallen distant to the family.

Edward m. Catherine

The 1901 census states that Edward and Catherine were married^[2], so I tried searching for all Edward Evans that married in Merionethshire and Glamorgan between 1887 and 1901. From there, I searched each page on FreeBMD to find any listings that included a "Catherine" or "Kate". Just because a "Catherine" and "Edward Evans" were on the same page, this does not mean that Edward married the "Catherine" listed.

• Note: the 1911 census states that Edward & Catherine had been married 11 years, so they married in about 1900. Cross-referencing this with the mother's maiden names on Blodwen's birth registration, the 1900 marriage in Cardiff of Catherine JONES and Edward EVANS seems to be the correct one.

• Mar 1887 11a 189 Newport M. EDMUNDS, Catherine x EVANS, Edward
• Jun 1887 11b 633 Dolgelly OWEN, Catherine x EVANS, Edward
• Dec 1887 11b 643 Dolgelly JONES, Kate x EVANS, Edward
• Mar 1888 11a 531 Pontypridd EDMUNDS, Catherine x EVANS, Edward
• Mar 1890 11a 374 Cardiff CARROLL, Catherine x EVANS, Edward Lewis
• Dec 1892 11a 881 Pontypridd MORRIS, Catherine x EVANS, Edward
• Jun 1895 11b 577 Bala JONES, Catherine x EVANS, Edward
• Jun 1895 11b 626 Festiniog THOMAS, Catherine x EVANS, Edward Llewelyn
• Dec 1896 11b 682 Dolgelly JONES, Catherine Elizabeth x EVANS, Edward
• Dec 1897 11a 1235 Bridgend POLMEER, Kate Mabel x EVANS, Edward (Ruled out: married Frederick William Day according to https://www.lasbury.com/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I21418&tree=tree1)
• Dec 1897 11a 1242 Bridgend HOPKINS, Catherine Ann x EVANS, Edward
• Sep 1900 11a 656 Cardiff JONES, Catherine x EVANS, Edward
• Jun 1901 11a 843 Pontypridd PARRY, Catherine x EVANS, Edward
• Jun 1901 11a 713 Cardiff SULLIVAN, Kate x EVANS, Edward James
• Jun 1901 11a 713 Cardiff SAMUEL, Catherine x EVANS, Edward James

Sources

1. ↑ Gravestone EJ2084 at Cathays Cemetery, Cardiff. Photo and transcription available at Find A Grave. Verified in person by Matthew Tyler-Howells to be accurate. Profile and image available here: Edward Evans' (? - 1939) Find A Grave Profile. Confidence: certain.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} 1901 Wales Census, published 2005 by Ancestry (USA), provided by The National Archives, London. Class: RG13, Piece: 5009, Folio: 5, Page: 2. Confidence: most likely.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} WMXZ 451683 Marriage Certificate between William Edward George Preece and Blodwen Evans. Reproduced at the Generaal Register Office. Accurate as of 26 Jan 2021. Obtained and held by Matthew Tyler-Howells.
4. ↑ WDXZ 261224 Death Certificate of Edward Evans. Reproduced at the General Register Office. Obtained and held by Matthew Tyler-Howells. Accurate as of 23 April 2021.
5. ↑ England and Wales Civil Registration Death Index listing for EVANS, Edward, 1939, Jan. Vol 11a, Page 376. Available at: FreeBMD. Accurate as of 30 Apr 2021. Confidence: certain.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} 1939 England and Wales Register, held by The National Archives, London. Published by Ancestry.com in 2018 (USA). Confidence: certain.
7. ↑ WDXZ 254104 Death Certificate of Catherine Evans. Reproduced at the General Register Office. Obtained and held by Matthew Tyler-Howells. Accurate as of 19 April 2021.