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Charles James Jones was born in 1876 in Aberdare. He married Sarah Churchill in 1900 and they had two children. I have found prison records for him and an army deserter record but these were before his marriage to Sarah. In 1901 he's living with Sarah and her parents in Ebbw Vale. I can find no trace of him after this. Sarah married Joseph Davies in 1908 and went on to have more children.

Someone with a tree on Ancestry (and I never take these for granted) has Charles emigrating to Australia in the mid-1900s and records his death in 1937 in Sydney but I've searched Find My Past and Ancestry for his possible immigration and can't find a record of this. However, I do know that other of Charles's close family did go to Australia so it is possible that he joined them. It's also possible that, if this were indeed the case, that his wife, Sarah, remarried bigamously.

I wonder if someone else could please take a peek at immigration records for Charles in case I've missed something blindingly obvious - which wouldn't be the first time!


Annie

What did Sarah say about her marital status when she re-married?

I don't have the cert but that will probably have to be my next move. It may well say "widow". It's a tree I'm doing for a friend and I'm mindful of spending money on certs as the marriage ones are still not available on a digital copy. I should say, the only death recorded for a Charles Jones in that district between 1901 and 1908 is one in 1903 and is not our Charles. I have a digital image of that death.

Annie

As it’s unlikely that the couple divorced, and unless Charles can be shown to have died, the re-marriage was certainly bigamous.

The man who died in Australia 02/02/1937 was a Produce Merchant. He died intestate and Letters of Administration were granted to Geraldine and Athol, his daughter and son

Birth of that Charles's son:

Athol M Jones
in the Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922
Name Athol M Jones
Birth Date 1910
Birth Place New South Wales
Registration Year 1910
Registration Place Glebe, New South Wales, Australia
Father
Charles J Jones
Mother
Ethel B Jones
Registration Number 14584


ADDED:
A tree on Ancestry says that Athol's parents were Charles James Starmore Jones 1873 (born in Brisbane) and Ethel Beatrice Belfield 1876-1951.

1901 for reference

1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census
14, Brynheulog Street, Ebbw Vale, Bedwellty, Monmouthshire, Wales

William Churchill Head Married Male 43 1858 Coal miner hewer Staffordshire, England
Esther Churchill Wife Married Female 43 1858 - Beaufort, Breconshire, Wales
William Hy Churchill Son Single Male 18 1883 Coal miner hewer Beaufort, Breconshire, Wales
Arthur J Churchill Son - Male 11 1890 - Beaufort, Breconshire, Wales
Sarah A Jones Daughter Married Female 21 1880 - Beaufort, Breconshire, Wales
Charles J Jones Son-in-law Married Male 25 1876 Laborer colliery below Aberdare, Glamorganshire, Wales
Htos Phillips Boarder Single Male 17 1884 Coal miner hewer Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Birth more likely to have been 1875............unless born in the first three months of 1876

Who were his parents?

He doesn't seem to have a middle name until his marriage.

Is this him?

JONES, CHARLES mmn PRICE
GRO Reference: 1876 M Quarter in MERTHYR TYDFIL Volume 11A Page 505

???

Charles Jones
in the 1881 Wales Census
Name Charles Jones
Age 5
Estimated Birth Year abt 1876
Relation Son
Father's Name John Jones
Gender Male
Where born Aberdare, Glamorgan, Wales
Civil parish Aberdare
County/Island Glamorgan
Country Wales
Street Address 62 Ynyslwyd St
Occupation Scholar
Registration District Merthyr Tydfil
Sub registration district Aberdare
ED, institution, or vessel 25
Neighbors
Piece 5322
Folio 75
Page number 23
Household Members (Name) Age Relationship
John Jones 53 Head - widower
Margaret Jones 18 Daughter
James Jones 16 Son
John Jones 14 Son
Catherine Jones 9 Daughter
Charles Jones 5 Son
Elizabeth E. Jones 2 Daughter


Charles Jones
in the 1891 Wales Census
Name Charles Jones
Age 15
Estimated Birth Year abt 1876
Relation Nephew
Gender Male
Where born Aberdare, Glamorgan, Wales
Civil parish Aberdare
Ecclesiastical parish Aberdare
Town Fforchaman
County/Island Glamorgan
Country Wales
Registration District Merthyr Tydfil
Sub registration district Aberdare
ED, institution, or vessel 25
Neighbors
Piece 4445
Folio 74
Page number 32
Household Members (Name) Age Relationship
George Parr 48 Head
Mary Parr 48 Wife [ nee Price ]
Albert E Parr 22 Son
Mary J Parr 17 Daughter
Agnes Parr 15 Daughter
Charles Jones 15 Nephew


Marriages Sep 1856
Jones John Merthyr Tydfil 11a 393
PRICE Catherine Merthyr Tydfil 11a 393


Deaths Sep 1880 (>99%)
JONES Catherine 46 Merthyr T. 11a 281

Have you investigated this possible death?

JONES, CHARLES 30
GRO Reference: 1906 M Quarter in PONTYPRIDD Volume 11A Page 314

My apologies to you all. We had visitors yesterday evening so I was unable to return to this. Thank you all for your help. I'll read all this and get back to you.

Annie

I just had a digital image of that death in Pontypridd and it's not our Charles. That one died in a workhouse and lived in Penrhiwceiber. Charles's parents were John Jones and Mary Williams but it looks as though she was his second wife.

Annie

I can't find the birth of a Charles James Jones, 1876 +/-1, with mmn Williams, in Merthyr Tydfil reg district, which includes Aberdare.

However, there is this birth in 1874 - is this him?

JONES, CHARLES JAMES mmn WILLIAMS
GRO Reference: 1874 D Quarter in MERTHYR TYDFIL Volume 11A Page 509

Not all Welsh Chapel records were kept/survived which can create problems when looking for births.

Then add in the name ‘Jones’ and the problem grows.

You say that some of the man's family migrated............which ones, and when?

It would also be advisable to get fully accurate birth year info for him, to facilitate searching

Charles, with varying details, is in 27 trees on Ancestry.

Some say he died in Australia, without posting proof; the rest don't give any death place or date.

Two say his parents were John and Mary, but don't list a wife.

24 trees list Sarah as his wife, but either don't name his parents, or only name his father John.

Only one tree says his parents were John and Mary, and also says he married Sarah.
That tree also says he was in Abertillery, Monmouthshire in 1911.
However, the Charles in Abertillery was born in Gloucestershire, his wife was Sarah Ann Williams, and his 6 children (as at 1911) were all born in Abertillery.


This is Charles (parents John and Mary) in 1891:

1891 Wales Census
Name Chas Jones
Age 16
Estimated Birth Year abt 1875
Relation Son
Mother's Name Mary Jones
Gender Male
Where born Aberdare, Glamorgan, Wales
Civil parish Bedwellty
Ecclesiastical parish Christchurch
Town Ebbw Vale
County/Island Monmouthshire
Country Wales
Street Address
Condition as to marriage
Education
Employment Status
Occupation
Registration District Bedwellty
Sub registration district Tredegar
ED, institution, or vessel 22
Neighbors View others on page
Piece 4357
Folio 128
Page number 15
Household members
Name Age
Mary Jones 48
John Jones 20
Chas Jones 16
Mary E Jones 13


And in 1881??

Charles Jones
in the 1881 Wales Census
Name Charles Jones
Age 6
Estimated Birth Year abt 1875
Relation Son
Mother's Name Mary Jones
Gender Male
Where born ...Arkan, Glamorgan, Wales
Civil parish Llanelly
County/Island Breconshire
Country Wales
Street Address Fitzroy St
Registration District Crickhowell
Sub registration district Llanelly
ED, institution, or vessel 9
Neighbors
Piece 5466
Folio 40
Page number 6
Household Members (Name) Age Relationship
Mary Jones 40 Head
John Jones 11 Son
Charles Jones 6 Son
Mary Elizabeth Jones 4 Daughter


How do you know "your" Charles's parents were John and Mary?

There is this death, in a suburb of Sydney, which may be the one people have latched on to - but there's no indication of this person's age or history, or any means of identification:


Charles James Jones
in the Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985
Name Charles James Jones
Death Date 1937
Death Place Petersham, New South Wales
Registration Date 1937
Registration Place Petersham, Australia
Father T
Registration Number 1500

If "T" is correct for his father's initial, then he's obviously not Charles of Aberdare.
However, to be fair, it could be a mistranscription of a badly written J.

I just caught up with this - visitors still here! Thank you all again. I'll look at those further suggestions.

Annie

An update. Sorry for the delay, I've been away for a while.

A relative of the family has now remembered being told that a family member received a letter from someone in Australia at around the time, or just after, Charles did his disappearing act. The family member was very secretive about it and later emigrated to the USA, either destroying the letter before he left or taking it with him.

I have followed all your suggestions and I'm still looking for the family members who were known to have emigrated. I found these once but failed to make note of them because I thought they were irrelevant, thus breaking one of the cardinal rules of researching! Thank you again for your help.

Annie

Argyll I think this may be your man here. From https://ryersonindex.org

JONES Charles James Death notice 02FEB1937 Death 63 at Leichhardt Sydney Morning Herald 03FEB1937


Leichhardt (/la?dk??t/) is a suburb in the Inner West[2] of Sydney. The suburb is bordered by Haberfield to the west, Annandale to the east, Lilyfield to the north and Petersham, Lewisham and Stanmore to the south. from Wikipedia


EDIT The funeral of this Charles had a wife called Ethel and lived at 47 Perry Street, Leichhardt. He was cremated at Rockwood.

He had a son Athol and a daughter, Geraldine.

From https://trove.nla.gov.au

JONES - February 2, 1937, at 47 Ferry Street, Leichhardt, Charles James, beloved husband of Ethel Jones, and loving father of Sidney, Pauline (Mrs Hense), Iris (Mrs Hawthorne) , Heather (Mrs Wyer), Athol, Geraldine (Mrs Nelson). Aged 63 years.

JONES - The relatives and friends of Mrs Ethel Jones and family are kindly invited to attend the funeral of her beloved husband and their father, Charles James. To leave his late residence, 47 Ferry Street, Leichhardt, this (Wednesday) afternoon at 3.30 o'clock, for Crematorium, Rockwood.

Both notices in Sydney Morning Herald, 3 Feb 1937.

He was a member of the Victoria Park Bowling Club, and the Masonic Lodge Thomas Mort, No 73, UGI, NSW.


However, it's not the right man.

Copied from an earlier post:

A tree on Ancestry says that Athol's parents were Charles James Starmore Jones 1873 (born in Brisbane) and Ethel Beatrice Belfield 1876-1951.

I found those articles and got quite excited until I found the parents' names were wrong and Charles's parents weren't born in Australia. However, it's possible tat Charles married (bigamously) in Australia.

Annie