Edith HAWKINS / MATHEWS 1856 Old Engine / Lydbrook (General)

by Stephen Hawkins, Monday, August 02, 2010, 09:53 (5233 days ago) @ slowhands

Slowhands, et al. There are, I think, other Hawkins/Matthews links though, for the life of me, I do not understand them. I was thinking along the lines of the Matthews girl being related to Richard's wife, Blina. Perhaps (I thought) she came as part of the package. A younger sibling in a desperate situation. But that was only a thought, and could be way wide of the mark.
Were Thomas & Frank Richard's children from a previous marriage? His first wife dies in childbirth, and he snaffles up the first 17 year old who happens along to look after his kids and himself. He's the right age.
Edith and Thomas are born in the same year. I thought it unlikely that they came from the same mother because of that. There is, I'm sure, an earlier (and a later) Matthews link. Understanding this link may be the key. At present, I am thinking along the lines of Matthews being cousins, in the same way that I have cousins and second cousins of a different name.
Honestly, I don't know. I need someone in the Forest of Dean who is familiar with the story. As yet, no-one has come forward with an answer. Who knows, through these pages, perhaps the answer will come.
Henry (born 4th Feb 1797) was the son of Henry & Elizabeth Hawkins (nee Matthews), so the little Matthews girl is related, but not in the way you are thinking. Given the number of deaths in childbirth at the time, it is highly likely that their offspring end up living with Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, Grannies, etc. Little Edith may well fit this profile, as could Enoch, Thomas & Frank, but from a different direction. The house must have been "cosy".
Unless I have mis-read the records, there is a marriage in 1790 between a John Hawkins & Elizabeth Matthews. It is not unheard of to marry a dead brother's widow, and Henry (Henry's Dad) could have done that. Have a think. Regards, Stephen.