Gravestone info. Cowmeadow/Yemm

Gravestones are a mine of information.

Whilst accompanying an Australian 4th cousin around the Forest of Dean, I took dozens of photographs of gravestones mostly in the Forest Church Drybrook.

One of them was for a William James Cowmeadow died 16 Feb 1929 age 52. Married to Ada Charlotte with son Basil John. I had no idea whether William James was amongst the 160 Cowmeadow’s in my Family Tree.

When checking the images, I found I did indeed have a William James Cowmeadow born 1877 in my Family Tree, a 5th cousin three times removed, son of James Cowmeadow a boilerman 1846/1905 (not related) and Leah Bower related via her mother Ann nee Meek 1825/1892, daughter of Joseph Meek 1782/1866 & Hannah Cooke 1792/1869.
I decided to see if I could find the marriage and if in church - his father’s name.

Year: 1902
Month: Mar
Day: 22
Grooms_Surname: COWMEADOW
Grooms_Forenames: William James
Grooms_Age: 25
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Boilermaker
Grooms_Residence: Steam Mills
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Cowmeadow
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: James
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Boilermaker
Brides_Surname: YEMM
Brides_Forenames: Ada Charlotte
Brides_Age: 22
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Residence: Steam Mills
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Yemm
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: James
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Collier
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns: [not stated]
Signature_or_Mark: both sign
Witness_1: Frank Baker
Witness_2: Ellen Yemm
Parish_Chapel: Drybrook

Next Ada Charlotte Yemm :
Year: 1880
Month: Jan
Day: 14
Parents_Surname: YEMM
Child_Forenames: Ada Charlotte
Fathers_Forenames: James
Mothers_Forenames: Eliza (maiden name Merry)
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Father living in Abinghall
Occupation: Miner
Officiating_Minister: [not stated]
Event: Baptism
Memoranda: daughter of: Born Dec 24th 1879
Register_Reference: D6026 8/1
Parish_Chapel: Mitcheldean Congregational

Next James Yemm & Eliza Merry :

Marriage at Drybrook
Year: 1869
Month: Sept
Day: 6
Grooms_Surname: YEMM
Grooms_Forenames: James
Grooms_Age: 24
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Labourer
Grooms_Residence: The Pump
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Yemm
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: Sarah
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Widow
Brides_Surname: MERRY
Brides_Forenames: Eliza
Brides_Age: 20
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: The Plump
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Merry
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: Joseph
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Labourer

I have a James Yemm 1848 in my Family Tree - Born after his mother Sarah nee Wintle's spouse Emanual Yemm had died in 1844, but James used the surname Yemm throughout his life.

1881 Census Abenhall
James Yemm 35 Lab Mitcheldean
Eliza 32 Longhope
James 12 East Dean
Thomas 10 East Dean
Lucy M 8 East Dean
Leah 6 East Dean
Matthew H 4 East Dean
Ada C 1 Abenhall

Sarah Wintle & Emanuel Yemm are only in my Family Tree as Sarah’s sister Mary Wintle 1806 married James Jayne 1803. Their daughter Ann Jayne 1827 married Thomas Marfell.

If you add spouse's siblings and parents, in most cases you make further connections.

I will post the gravestone and add a link to this thread.

Jim Ashton

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I'm glad you found it a useful visit and your post has added a little more info to my tree and a few more leads to investigate in due course. I am finding Jayne's and Yemm's cropping up quite often but have only found one direct link to one of the latter to date.

My relatively disorganised wander around the Forest Church churchyard a year or so ago yielded suprisingly little of interest to me but perhaps I didn't look for a big enough selection of family names while I was there. I must be better prepared next time.

-Colin

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Colin

I forgot to add to my original posting that William James Cowmeadow & Ada Chaarlotte Yemm's son Basil John's death is shown on the gravestone as taking place in Lightmoor Colliery 23rd October 1933, aged 15. I checked on the roll of honour CD and found :

Killed by the fall of 6 cwt of dirt from roof in a roadway. Basil was riding in the cart against colliery rules. Cart knocked out 2 pieces of timber. Death due to dislocation of neck. The CD shows 24th October, but I imagine the gravestone is correct.

I also forgot to add another link in my family tree William James Cowmeadow's aunt Elizabeth Cowmeadow 1841 married my 2nd cousin 4 times removed James Griffiths 1841. James Griffiths being the son of Henry Griffiths 1800 & Dinah Rudge 1806. Dinah Rudge was the daughter of John Rudge 1783 and my Great Great Great Great Great Aunt Eleanor Marfell 1778.

Jim Ashton

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Hi Jim

Another newby as far as posting concerns, so forgive me if I dont do this correctly; I will improve with practice.

I am the grand-daughter of Arthur Griffiths (Grandson of James Griffiths and Elizabeth Cowmeadowand son of Earnest Griffiths and Florences Jones). I would like to take my mother, Arthur's daughter to some churchyards to see what we can find and I note you visited Forest Church Drybrook - did you visit other churchyards which we could include in our searchings.

Carol Collins

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Hi Carol

I find the Forest Church the most interesting and unusually these days it is unlocked. The next most interesting, from my viewpoint is Ruardean Church, which is currently having repair work on the steeple. I have posted recently a plan of the graves there which an official was kind enough to let me photograph. There are a lot of interesting churches, but if you have time the Dean Heritage Centre at Soudley is well worth a visit :

http://www.deanheritagecentre.com/

Ernest Griffiths 1863 is my 3rd cousin 3 times removed, so we will be related. I will send you an email and perhaps we can help each other with our researches. I have just been checking on Free BMD and Ancestry and from what you have quoted in your thread, would I be right in thinking this is Ernest ?

1901 Census Ruardean
Ernest Griffiths 38 Drybrook Farmer
Margaret Griffiths 34 Hereford
Sydney Griffiths 4 Ruardean
Arthur Griffiths 2 Ruardean
Thomas Jones 37 Servant Tintern

Jim Ashton

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Hi
My husbands grandmother was Angelina Wilks born 19 Dec.1892 at Knights Hill Ruardean, she was the daughter of William Wilks(Reynolds) and Elizabeth Griffiths who was the daughter of James and Elizabeth, after Angelina's birth the family moved to Six Bells Abertillery. I think this is part of your family.

Joan

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Hi Joan

Thank you for the information. I have found the marriage for Elizabeth, but am confused as to the change of name. Was this after an adoption ?

Please use my email link, by clicking on the envelope icon to send me an email if you do not wish to post the details. Elizabeth Griffiths was my 3rd cousin 3 times removed, so I will be related to your husband.

Year: 1890
Month: May
Day: 29
Grooms_Surname: REYNOLDS
Grooms_Forenames: William
Grooms_Age: 23
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Collier
Grooms_Residence: The Pludds Lydbrook
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: REYNOLDS
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: William
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Labourer
Brides_Surname: GRIFFITHS
Brides_Forenames: Elizabeth
Brides_Age: 22
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: Lydbrook Hill
Brides_Fathers_Surname: GRIFFITHS
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: James
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Farmer
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: he mark she sign
Witness_1: Charles Black
Witness_2: Selina R[illegible]es
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: H T Hoitt
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P208 IN 1/5
Page_Number: 77
Parish_Chapel: Lydbrook

Jim Ashton

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Hi Jim - you are quite right the names you mention are my relatives, and Arthur is my Mother's father. We are visiting Mitcheldean Church cemetry next week and I hope to take some photographs of the graves there, which I could then send for publication to this website if they would be of interest.

Did you send me an email as mentioned in your previous information - I dont seem to have received anything?

Regards
Carol Collins

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Carol

I have you entered in my Family Tree. You are my 6th cousin. Whenever I enter someone in my Family Tree with whom I have made email contact, I enter the address in the notes field, so that I can make contact, should future developments occur. I also add behind the scenes accessed by a "Research" link, a copy of any email. We exchanged emails in September 2011.

As it appears you have lost your emails, I will send you another, using the address I have recorded.

Jim Ashton

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I have just been checking on Free BMD and Ancestry and from what you have quoted in your thread, would I be right in thinking this is Ernest ?

1901 Census Ruardean Meend farm ( nr Jovial Colliers)
Ernest Griffiths 38 Drybrook Farmer
Margaret Griffiths 34 Hereford
Sydney Griffiths 4 Ruardean
Arthur Griffiths 2 Ruardean
Thomas Jones 37 Servant Tintern

Jim Ashton

Name: Arthur Griffiths
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1899
Registration district: Ross
Inferred County: Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Hereford and Worcester
Volume: 6a
Page: 342

1911 Ruardean
GRIFFITHS ERNEST M 1863 48 Ross Herefordshire
GRIFFITHS FLORENCE M F 1867 44 Ross Herefordshire
GRIFFITHS GEORGE S M 1896 15 Ross Herefordshire
GRIFFITHS LILLIAN F 1902 9 Ross Herefordshire
GRIFFITHS MARGARET F 1903 8 Ross Herefordshire
GRIFFITHS MAY F 1908 3 Ross Herefordshire
GRIFFITHS ARTHUR M 1899 12 Ross Herefordshire

<><><>????
Name: Arthur Griffiths
Birth Date: 17 Jan 1899
Date of Registration: Mar 1987
Age at Death: 88
Registration district: Cheltenham
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 22
Page: 1630

--
Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

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Slowhands

Details in your posting correct as usual.

Jim Ashton

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Along with Ernest GRIFFITHS/Florence on the 1911 census ,(who is the Bailiff at Meend Farm - they had been married 20 years, 5 children born alive, 2 dead) is a Dorothy JONES, Niece, age 10, at School, born 'at Bath'

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