Masters/Trays

[JimDeakin12]

I'm trying to trace my ancestors from the eastern part of Cornwall and western Devonshire. The surnames are Masters and Trays. Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers.

[stickymone]

Hi Jim,

You need to give us a lot more detail of your ancestors A quick check on Masters in the 1901 census for Devon and Cornwall show 300 people registered with that surname.

Post what you've got and we'll have a look

Stickymone

[mamaburk]

William John Masters was born in 1861 Trethevey Stone, Saint Cleer, Liskeard, Cornwall, England. He is the son of William John Masters and Elizabeth Doney.

William and Elizabeth were married in 1859 in the Register Office in Liskeard.

Annie Trays was work in 1857 in Anthony Cornwall, the daughter of John Trays and Mary Ann Sparkes.

John and Mary Ann were married in 1845 in the Parish Church, East Stonehouse, Devon, England, but lived their whole lives in Anthony, Cornwall.

[GeoffD]

Thanks for the Sparkes surname, there. One more piece to the puzzle.

I have some TRAYS info I have gleaned while researching the details surrounding the marriage of Mary Elizabeth DREW and Joseph TRAYS (Annie's brother).

I am also in touch sporadically with people still living in the general Anthony area who have links to TRAYS families.

[GeoffD]

In a further twist, I have Ann's youngest sister, Lydia TRAYS, marrying a Samuel SPARKES, September Quarter, 1894, St Germans.

[Mutley]

I am not sure if we have two threads running on the same family so before you reply
refer here,
just in case.

[mamaburk]

MESSAGE FROM THE PLYMOUTH THREAD THAT IS NOW CLOSED:
It could be that Annie TRAYS was a widow when she married MASTERS. I found a possible marriage:
September Quarter 1879
EDWARDS Walter St. Germans 5c 33
TRAYS Ann St Germans 5c 33

There is then a death:
March Quarter 1888 EDWARDS Walter 48 Exeter 5b 74

I have not looked at Census for 1881 yet.

There is marriage in Bodmin in September Quarter 1890, William John MASTERS to, possibly, Annie SNELL.

All very confusing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My response to that message:

Well, I looked at the 1881 census and found:
Annie Edwards, born abt 1858 in Anthony, Cornwall, England living in Lambeth, London with husband Walter Edwards.
This does look like our girl, Annie Trays ... birth date and birth place are right. BUT there is no marriage of Annie Edwards to William John Masters ...

AND the birth date given on her death record in Toronto Ontario by her husband is not what we got when we sent for a birth record. He says on the death record that she was born 19 Feb 1861, the daughter of John Trays, making her 68 years, 6 months and 4 days old when she died 23 Aug 1929.

The birth record we got was for an Ann Trays who was born 24 Nov 1857 in Antony Cornwall to John Trays and Mary Ann Sparkes. Now, the Free BMD birth index does not show an Ann Trays being born at all, anywhere in 1861. ,,, so she did not tell her husband her correct birthday, not only changing the year, but also the month and day ???? seems a little far fetched to me, but who knows.

I am still looking for the marriage of Ann ??? to William John Masters in time for them to have 2 children: Jane age 2 and George age 1 in the 1891 census of Plymouth ... where FANNY [as she is called on the record] is of an age to be born about 1862 in Liskeard, Cornwall according to that census.

There is a Fanny Trays born in Launceston Cornwall in the March qtr of 1861, but she dies in the June qtr of the same year. Interestingly enough, there are no births registered of ANYONE with the surname Trays in any quarter in 1857 to 1863 in Liskeard, so did she change that also????

Confusing is the right word for it, GeoffD.

[GeoffD]

I suppose the logical way to go about it would be for someone to obtain the TRAYS/EDWARDS marriage from St Germans (Anthony), and work from there.

I'll look at that Lambeth Census record - saw it on the list when I had a quick check. If Walter's age fits with the age at death in 1888, then that part of the mystery might be partly solved.

I treat reported ages and places of birth with a very large grain of salt these days - had too many that were completely wrong (especially on death certificates).

Ann Trays - International Woman of Mystery!

[GeoffD]

1881 Census Class: RG11; Piece: 606; Folio: 112; Page: 53
27 Brooklands Rd, Lambeth, Vauxhall
Walter Edwards, Head, Married, 30, Railway Porter, born Devon, Plymouth
Annie Edwards, Wife, Married, 28, born Cornwall, Anthony.

So, Walter born about 1851 does not match with the Exeter death of Walter Edwards, aged 48, born about 1840.

Deaths Dec 1881
EDWARDS Walter 31 Neath 11a 383
is about the only age fit for deaths 1880-1890, but Neath is a long way from Lambeth.

Deaths Jun 1883
EDWARDS Walter 29 Lambeth 1d 259
Place is correct, age is a bit off.

[GeoffD]

If Fanny Masters really is Ann Trays, then it looks as if she's really trying to muddy the waters.

28 in 1881, which would be her correct age.
29 in 1891, and saying she was born in Liskeard. (William born in Liskeard)
36 in 1901, and saying she was born in Launceston. (William born in "Not Known")

1891 Family
William Masters 26
Fanny Masters 29
Jane Masters 2
George Masters 1

1901 Family
William Masters 39
Fanny Masters 36
Jane Masters 12
George Masters 11
Rose Masters 10
Celia Masters 8
John Masters 5
Bessie Masters 2

Anyway, I have started interrogating people I know who are connected, to see if there are any family whispers about Ann Trays and her life.