I found these images from the 1891 Welsh Census some time ago, and realized I hadn't added them to my blog! So I tried to lighten them a bit and put them on here in full size.
If you look for 396 on the left side, this is the line to lead you to the Bellamy's living at #5 Zinc Street, in the civil parish of Roath in Cardiff, Wales.
Here is a closeup of the family:
William age 30, occupation "coal tipper", born in Lydney, Gloucestershire according to the transcriber's rendering at World Vital Records; Elizabeth, age 27, born in Cardiff, Glamorganshire; and their children: Joseph, age 11, Florence M age 7, William age 5, Deborah age 4, Edward H age 2, and Elizabeth age 1. I wonder if all the children had a middle name, or just Florence and Edward.
Here is the 1901 census, showing Florence M on line 3, living at #10 Preswylfa St, in the civil parish of Canton, in the county of Glamorganshire, Cardiff, Wales.
I looked up that strange sounding street name in Google maps, and sure enough, it exists! So I "saw" the place where my great grandmother, Florence May Bellamy, was a domestic servant, age 17.
She was living there with Harry S Newton age 1; George L Newton, 7 months; and Kitty M. Stead, an aunt, a widow age 70. This is a strange household! I don't know why Kitty is listed as "aunt". Who is she an aunt to? The small children? You can see it all in the closeup below. Can you imagine taking care of such young children at age 70?
I took this photo of a photo from my Uncle Harry's album in Summerland BC.
One of my 2nd cousins has a better copy and promised to scan it in for me when she has time.
She said her father, Norman Palmer, identified the people as:
Alma Beatrice Palmer on the right with her brother, Herbert Henry Palmer, and his young wife, Florence Bellamy Palmer. I do so wonder where Herbert and Florence met! They were married on May 15, 1906. So Florence didn't have to wait too long to leave her life of maid service.
By Loretta Houben
Update: June 20, 2013
A kind friend in Wales, Jenni, who often comments on any Welsh genealogy post here, pointed out that the "strange household" mentioned above on the 1901 census really does have a head and a wife too!
I never thought to look on the PREVIOUS page of the census, so I've learned something new.
The parents of the little children mentioned above are George B Newton, age 30 and his wife, Kate Newton age 37. Whew. I'm glad that Jenni pointed this out to me!
A closeup showing George and Kate Newton at #10 Preswylfa Street, Cardiff, Wales.
3 comments:
I'm wondering if the page in the register you have for Preswylfa Street is a continuation from page 3? It sounds as though the parents should be there as the first on the any household list in any UK census is the nominal head of the household - usually the father. It would be common to take in a widowed or unmarried aunt in her old age.
Jenni
Hi again Loretta
This piqued my interest so I looked it up. Sorry can't work out how to send you a view of the original but on the previous page it lists George B Newton as head of the household. He is 30 years old, born in Cardiff and is working as a fitter's helper - what ever that is!
Then there is his wife, Kate Newton. She was 37 and a school mistress. That is quite surprising as in most school districts at that time, female teachers were expected to 'retire' on marriage, but would explain why Florence M was employed to look after the children and the old auntie! I do know that one of my father's aunts went on teaching after marriage because it was hard to find competent, confident women who could deal with the rough children in the part of Leeds her school was in, so she taught on for twenty years after marrying - nobody wanted her job!
Another interesting thing I noticed is that the family in the house next door (#8) was also headed by a man several years younger than his wife. It seems to have been a 'lower middle class' street where people worked but in respectable trades such as shop assistants or teachers. I'm guessing that Florence M's parents would have vetted her employers before letting her go there, just as my Grandma's parents did when she went into service at 12 and changed employers even at 20.
I love social history. Sorry to interfere - just can't resist a peek at those registers!
Jenni
Thanks so much, Jenni! I never thought of looking at a previous page! I'll have to figure out how to do that. I appreciate your kind comments so much, and all your help. I find the subject fascinating.
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