JOHN EVANS & MARY GRIFFITHS OF LAMPETER VELFREY AND STACKPOLE

John EVANS and Mary GRIFFITHS

married at Lampeter Velfrey, Pembrokeshire on 10 Oct 1837. John Evans’s address when he married was Hill in the parish of Ludchurch and his father's name was given as Thomas EVAN. He was a labourer. Mary GRIFFITHS was a servant of husbandry in Lampeter village and her father was William GRIFFITH, a blacksmith. Witnesses were Theophilus Rees and David Rees.

In 1841, when the census was taken, John and Mary EVANS were living in Lampeter Velfrey with their two first born children, Thomas who was born around 1839 and Frances who was born about 1840. They were living in the same household as William GRIFFITHS, Mary’s father.

By 1851 the family had moved, they were now living in Stackpole at Thrustle Wood. John EVANS’s birthplace was recorded as Llandewi, Pembrokeshire around 1816 and Mary’s as Lampeter, Pembrokeshire about 1809. Now, as well as Thomas and Frances they now had four more daughters, and their birthplaces give clues to the family’s movements. Ann and Mary had been born in Castlemartin about 1844 and 1846 respectively and Martha (1847) and Harriet (1849) had been born in Stackpole. Son William came along in 1852.

The fate of John and Mary EVANS after 1851 is a mystery. They do not appear to be recorded on any later census returns and without knowing where they moved to its difficult to find a burial or death certificate, especially with them having such commonplace names. John EVANS was not recorded as deceased on the marriages of either Harriet in 1870, nor William in 1882

Thomas EVANS

(abt 1839) would appear to have married a lady called Martha who was born at Rudbaxton, Pembrokeshire. They show up on census returns living at a cottage on St Twynnells Farm in St Twynnells in 1871 and in 1881, 1891 and 1901 they appear to have settled at Church Cottage, Warren. The birthplaces of his children show that he probably started off married life in Crundale and later moved around the St Twynnells and Warren area. Thomas and Martha EVANS’s children were Sarah abt 1860, Ann 1861, Mary 1863, John 1864, William 1868, James 1871, George 1874 and Dinah 1877.

Its not known what happened to daughters Frances, Ann, Mary or Martha, although Martha was a witness to the marriage of her sister Harriet in 1870.

Harriet EVANS

(1849-1914) Harriet married William HARRIES at St Petrox Church, near Pembroke in 1870 - the details are on the HARRIES section of this website. In the HARRIES family bible, Harriet lists a Martha Ann born in 1876 as one of her children. Although it is thought that Martha Ann was the daughter of one of Harriet’s sisters. Martha EVANS was listed as a niece on the 1881 census. Martha is said to have gone off into ‘service’ as a young girl and was never heard of again.

William EVANS

(1852-1936) William was staying with sister Harriet and her family in 1881 at Corston Cottage, Monkton Parish. He married Mary WILLIAMS of Angle in 1882 at St Mary’s Church, Pembroke. William and Mary were living in Llangyfelach by 1891 and in 1901 they were at Landore, Swansea.