Bibbings family in Cardiff

[Kath Betts]

My grt grandfathers family William Henry BIBBINGS are shown in the Cardiff trade directories as having a Glass & China shop at 37 & 39 Royal Arcade and 111 Queen Street in 1891. William seems to vanish and the Royal Arcade shops are taken over by Mrs Amelia BIBBINGS in 1895. I believe that Williams 2 sons (Alfred 9 & Frederick 5) seem to turn up as borders at a houshold in Avening Glos.

Does anyone have any links with the BIBBINGS family or any thoughts on why 2 small boys would be sent away? I have not managed to find any death records and am unsure of Williams wife's name.

Kath

[Ruth Auwarter Kaufmann]

Your great grandfather is listed as head of the household in the 1881 Wales census and his wife is listed as Mary Ann Bibbings. Sons Herbert and William Bibbings are also listed as well as Sarah Cope, a servant; Amelia Drew, (relationship to head of family) unknown; Eliza Holbrow, Mother in law and Annie Payne, servant.

Sons Albert and Frederick are not listed here but appear in Avening, Glos. on the 1881 census for England, in the home of Charlotte Drew, widow, head of her household. They are called boarders.

Amelia Drew, relationship unknown, was a daughter of Charlotte Drew where Frederick and Albert were staying. This leads me to believe that the families knew each other, but I do not know how.

Death records show that Mary Ann Bibbings died in 1883. My GUESS is that she was ill before that and that her younger sons were sent to be with a friend, Charlotte Drew and that Charlotte's daughter may have been helping to care for Mary Ann. As I say, that's a guess.

The 1891 census for Wales does not show William Bibbings or his family, but as I was searching for Drew sisters, and I had found Amelia in Wales, I kept on looking for Drew sisters and I found Cconstance Drew and Augusta Drew in Cardiff in the home of "William Billings". Alfred and Frederick are listed as sons in that home. I suppose it is a typographical error, but the "Billings" family has all the aspects of the Bibbings family.

Listed as the wife of the head of the family is Amelia Bibbings, quite possibly my great-aunt, Amelia Drew. And this may be the Mrs. Amelia Bibbings you ask about.

Can we share information? Do you know if Amelia Bibbings had children of her own? The 1891 Wales census, using "Billings" as the name, certainly does suggest it.

My grandfather, Charles Drew, emigrated to Canada in 1892, married here and had children, in Guelph, Ontario, where my mother Constance Augusta (!) Drew was born.

I hope this helps to at least stir the pot.

Sincerely,

Ruth

Ruth Auwarter Kaufmann.
Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia, B0W 3B0

[Kath Betts]

Hello Ruth

Great to hear from you. I had found out much more information about the Bibbings family after I posted this question but I had failed to find them in 1891. So thank you as you have helped me fill in a gap!

Looking at the names of your I have no doubt what so ever that we are looking at the same family. The question in my mind is which one of John & Charlotte Drews 11 children did your grandfather come from!

I have quite a lot of information on the Drew family and the children of Amelia & William Henry Bibbings.

I will send you a private message giving you my e-mail address and we can exchange information.

Kath

[dsquared]

Hi Ruth & Kath,
My husband's great grandmother was Octavia Drew, the ninth child of John and Charlotte Drew (nee Powis) of Avening. According to my records they had 14, not 11 children as well (poor Charlotte)! I have some other info on these Drews if you'd like to know more.
Dawn

[Kath Betts]

Hi Dawn

Now that is a name I remember researching! Octavia is very distinctive. Yes I would like to share information with you and will send you a private message with my email address.

Kath

[bwp801]

I am after some information on Eva May Bibbings who i believe is a daughter of William Henry Bibbings and Amelia Drew. I am helping my fiance research her family tree and Eva might be her Great Grandmother. However, i can't find any information about who Eva married. I believe she married Sidney John Rodd in Cardiff, 1911 but am unable to find any facts. Can anyone help?

Many thanks,
Barry

[dsquared]

Barry

www.freebmd.org.uk has the following, as I'm sure you know:

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Dec 1911 (>99%)
Bibbings Eva Cardiff 11a 602
Hazell Sarah A Cardiff 11a 602
Rodd Sydney J Cardiff 11a 602
Westermann Marius Cardiff 11a 602

If you don't know already this lists the people who are recorded as being married on that page of the register, so yes it's possible that an Eva Bibbings married Sidney Rodd. You probably know all this already anyway. If your fiance would like any information on the background of the Drew family I have quite a bit...as my husband is the great-grandson of Amelia's sister Octavia....

All the best.

Dawn

[bwp801]

Great, thanks Dawn. It's quite an interesting one because my research tells me that they probably did marry however she died in 1944 as Bibbings and not Rodd! My research takes me back to Richard Drew 1758 (and Elizabeth Smith) then on the other side to William Smith 1762 (and Hester Evans) Is this correct? Did you go any further back?

Barry

[Kath Betts]

Hi Barry

I may be able to shed some light but I am a little further up the tree as although my grandmother is an Eva Bibbings she was the granddaughter of William Henry and his first wife Mary Ann. Her father was Frederick Bibbings and he moved to Manchester where he married in 1902 They seems to like to keep names running in the family as my father is Frederick as well.

I have not had chance to work on my family history for a few years now but I do have all my notes and research and I can look those out. I have been in contact with Dawn as our families overlap however that was a while ago.

Regards

Kath

[dsquared]

Hi Barry
Yes I can go back before that. I'll dig some stuff out over the next few days and let you know. I'll send you a private message with my email address. If you like, you can email me at that address and then I can send you the info I have about the Drews, sometime on/after the w/e.
Dawn