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My great-grandmother was born Marion Rosetta James. All we know is that she was born in Wales - no more specific than that - and that her parents were William James, carpenter, and Jane James (maiden name unknown). Her marriage certificate (1876, London) states that he was a carpenter, and was deceased at that time.
Marion had a son (my grandfather) out of wedlock in Chelsea, England, on Sept 6, 1873. She told him, when he was in his teens, that his father was Matthew Rufus Foster, son of Spencer and Flora Foster. That is all we know about his birth father. She told him that his name was actually William Henry Foster. That is the name that he went by from that point on.
Marion married Joseph Portius Clark (1831 - 1916) on May 21, 1876, at St. Luke's Parish Church, Chelsea, England. From then until his teens, as noted in the previous paragraph, her son was known as "Joey Clark Junior". According to the marriage certificate, they were living at 35 Leader St., London, England, at the time of the marriage.
Family tradition says that Marion's father died when she was quite young, and that she moved to London, England to work at a fairly young age. I have not yet been able to verify that.
I have not been able to find my grandfather's birth certificate, under William Henry Foster, or William Henry James, or any combination thereof. I cannot find Marion, or him, in the 1881 census. (Marion's husband retired from working as a sailor, and preceded her to Canada, where his sister and her husband and family were living. He is in the 1881 Canada census, at Beaverton, ON, Canada. It therefore is unlikely that he would be in the 1881 UK census) All 3 appear in the 1891 Canadian census as a family unit.
I cannot find a Spencer and Flora Foster marriage, and there is no record of them in the UK census documents. Neither can I find a Matthew Foster, son of Spencer and Flora. I have no information with respect to what part of England Matthew was from, but he obviously was in London around 1872 or early 1873.
With respect to Marion's family, I did find a William James in the 1851 census, age 20, working as a carpenter, born and living in Wales:
1851 Wales Census
about William James
Name: William James
Age: 20
Estimated birth year: abt 1831
Relation: Carpenter
Gender: Male
Where born: Llanllawddog
Civil Parish or Township: Llanfihangel AR Arth
County/Island: Carmarthenshire
Country: Wales
Registration district: Newcastle In Emlyn
Sub-registration district: Kenarth
ED, institution, or vessel: 6f
Household schedule number: 21
Household Members: Name Age
David Jones 57
Lettice Jones 63
Elizabeth Jones 23
William James 20
However, I cannot find a marriage record for him and Jane, whose maiden name I do not know. Another possibility is this family grouping, again from the 1851 census:
1851 Wales Census
about Marian James
Name: Marian James
Age: 1
Estimated birth year: abt 1850
Relation: Granddaughter
Father's Name: William
Mother's Name: Ann
Gender: Female
Where born: Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Civil Parish or Township: Pembroke St Mary
Ecclesiastical parish: St John
Town: Pembroke Dock
County/Island: Pembrokeshire
Country: Wales
Registration district: Pembroke
Sub-registration district: Tenby
ED, institution, or vessel: 1g
Household schedule number: 3
Household Members: Name Age
George Morgan 68 Head - widower - Superannuated - Dock Laborer
William James 39 Son-in-law - Joiner
Ann James 27 Daughter
William G James 8 Grandson
Jane E James 6 Granddaughter
Marian James 1 Granddaughter
Hugh Isaac 42 Visitor - Pensioner - Royal Marines
Jane Isaac 36 Visitor - Pensioner's wife
Louisa Curtis 16 Visitor
If you could help me to break through this brick wall that I've been struggling with for the past 10 years or so, that would be great! Any information re the Foster family, or the James family, would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your assistance!
Sue Fenn
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