I am trying to get an answer to a brick wall I have with locating the parents of William Riley ELLWAY born 1881 in Yorkely and died 1969.

William was brought up by his aunt Emily ELLWAY who married Henry PHILLIPS and ran the Royal Oak in Whitecroft where William lived until his marriage in 1921. I have his marriage cert and he did not put a fathers name down.

He is described an the census as Emily's nephew.

I have been unable to locate a baptism for him. I have all the information from his birth onwards inc census, electoral register and marriage and death, but I cannot locate his parents, if anyone has access to any records of bastism or can help please.

Have you sent for the birth certificate? would give mother's name

Name: William Riley ELLWAY

Registration Year: 1881

Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sept

Registration District Monmouth

Inferred County: Monmouthshire

Volume: 11a

Page 21

GRO - dash for mother's maiden name

(Probably one of Harriot ELLWAY's daughters) - Harriot's husband was WILLIAM

Need to trace where her daughters were in 1881

Date of 1881 census: 3 April

Gloucestershire Non-conformist Register

Bream CHAPEL : July 24 1872

Alma ELLAWAY - parents: John HASKINS and Hannah - West Dean

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1861 Census, West Dean

ELLAWAY

William - 43
Harriet - 41
Emily - 21
John - 14

Ann - 11
Henry - 7 ***
Alma - 5
Annah - 2

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William & Harriet only appear to have a couple of their children baptised, so the family appear to be non-conformists.

**** Yorkley Slade CHAPEL - Dec 1876

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Earnest William ELWAY - parents: Henery (Collier) and Mary - of West Dean

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ALMA born c 1856 - do wonder whether there is a clue in

William RILEY ELLWAY - and his wife Sarah Agnes, having a child named : Emily ALMA - 25 November 1923.

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Found a possible Alma listed as Alma ELLMAY (Ancestry) on the 1871 census East Dean born Yorkley : aged 13/15 (cross over second figure) and a Servant, in the household of William JAMES

Some details,

In GR 1891 Census, Pastors Hill, Bream, apart from William Riley ELLWAY, there is listed a Harriot ELLWAY, Widow, 71 (c1820), living on means. On the assumption that this might be William’s grandmother we have, from this site,

Record_ID 150929
Entry_Number 119
Year 1839
Month Apr
Day 1
Grooms_Surname ELLWAY
Grooms_Forenames William
Grooms_Age of full age
Groom_Condition Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation Collier
Grooms_Residence Yorkley
Grooms_Fathers_Surname James
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames Thomas
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation Labourer
Brides_Surname DAVIS
Brides_Forenames Harriot
Brides_Age of full age
Brides_Condition Spinster
Brides_Occupation none stated
Brides_Residence Yorkley
Brides_Fathers_Surname Davis
Brides_Fathers_Forenames John
Brides_Fathers_Occupation Collier
Licence_or_Banns Banns
Date_of_Banns
Signature_or_Mark He marks she signs
Witness_1 John James
Witness_2 Richard Morgan
Other_Witnesses
Officiating_Minister H W Sheppard Curate
Event Marriage
Memoranda
Notes bride signs Hariot
Register_Reference P227 IN 1/12
Page_Number 60
Parish_Chapel Newland

The children of this marriage (also from this site under ELLWAY or ELWAY and baptised at Parkend with father William and mother Harriet) look to be,

1840 Emala (Emily)
1842 Harriet
1844 Hester
1847 John
1849 Ann
1854 Henry
1856 Alma
1858 Hannah
1864 Martin

Census confirms this is a family.

Thanks for the information.

As outlined I have William's details from the 1891 Census onwards (census, electoral reg, marriage, death), and that he was the grandchild of Harriet and William. It was just locating his parents whom he never appears to have lived with. The favourite is one of William and Harriets daughters, and from them Alma seems the favourite. Of their 6 daughters 3 died before William was born, one was married well before he was born one had him living with her as her nephew which leaves only Alma.

It was a long shot that someone had already located the mother and would have saved me applying for the birth cert, but that seems the only option.

Thanks again for the help.
Best wishes all.

There is a marriage at Keighley Yorkshire, in 1878

Alma ELWAY - to Hod Artaxertes CRAVEN

?

There is a burial of Yorkley, Glos at VINEY HILL

15 January 1879

of Alma CRAVEN aged 23 years

he appears to be back in Yorkshire with a new wife and family 1891 census.

Looking at the 1891 census, and GRO think the children's mother's name is MASON

and Hod CRAVEN married Mary MASON, Dec Qtr 1879, Keighley, Yorkshire

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William is described as a Visitor aged 9 on the 1891 census

Harriett ELWAY was buried 2 December 1900 aged 80 - at VINEY HILL

Thanks for that info on Alma ELLWAY. It rules her out of being his mother as she died 1879 and William was not born until 1882.

The Birth Certificate should give the name of the mother and can be ordered online at:
https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/menu.asp

At the moment GRO is running a pilot supplying certificates in PDF format at a cost of £6.00. Details required are as follows:
Name: Mother's Maiden Surname:
ELLWAY, WILLIAM RILEY -
GRO Reference: 1881 S Quarter in MONMOUTH Volume 11A Page 21 Order