Luck had everything to do with it .......

[Megan Roberts]

My gt. grandmother, Mary Ann Couzens (surname can be spelt in many different ways) born 1868 in Haverfordwest, had an older sister Hannah born about 1864. In the 1871 census she was living with her parents, and in the 1881 she was a dairymaid on a farm. After that she vanished.

I could not even find a birth record for her - was she a figment of my imagination?

In the 1911 Census, their aunt Esther O'Connell was recorded as having a 19 year old niece called Ethel Maud Walters born in Mumbles living with her. So wanting to know who she was and how she fitted into the tree, I looked for her in the 1901 census. There she was with her mother Anna Cooze and step-father Joseph Cooze living in Cardiff.

So now who was Anna Cooze? I soon discovered that she had married as Anna Walters in 1900. So now who was Anna Walters? The 1901 census had other children from what must have been a first marriage living with her, and they were all born in Haverfordwest. Using that information I back tracked to the 1891 census, discovering that her first husband was John Walters.

So then I looked for a marriage of John Walters to an Anna. The only one that fit was an Anna Maria Couzens, who had a birth record in 1864 in Haverfordwest, but did not appear in either the 1871 or 1881 census. I ordered her birth certificate which arrived today, and low and behold she is a sister to my gt grandmother Mary Ann.

I now know that Hannah must have been a mistranscription of Anna - perhaps they were trying to sound posh, and sounding a non-existent H before her name.

Moral - never ignore loose ends you never know where they will take you!

[cicilysmith]

That was a very interesting story. Thanks for that, ciclysmith

[Waitabit]

Well found Megan, & if you hadn't- it was an interesting side trip for you.
Amazing what can be learned along the way.

[Colin Rowledge]

Luck - as you put it - played no part. It was Divine Intervention!!

I've had some-of-'em but need a heck of a lot more.

Regardless, congrat's on following the leads.

Colin