Matthew & Mary Ruff birth 1866 1865

[MollyMay]

I have spent the last couple of days looking at the various baptisms of Mary (Ann[e]) Roberts in the Oswestry area 1866 +/- 2 years. I have been able to match some of those with the families found on the 1871 census, but by no mean any of the children who are not with their parents. None of the baptism, which give the dob match with the 10/2/1866 that Mary gives in 1939

Having had little success with that angle I have looked again at the 14 children that Matthew and Mary named, hoping for some sort of link to Mary's family. There is certainly no Robert used, nor Margaret. The only names that do occur somewhere in those children's name are those that you would expect - Jane (registered as Sarah Jane - Sarah being Matthew's g.ma's name) and Matthew (Walter was registered Matthew Walter), which are Matthew's parent - the others are just common names that everyone seemed to favour - Annie Elizabeth, Mary Ann, William Thomas. The only name I cannot find any connection to the Ruff family is the first son - Charles Arthur, but none of the Mary's I have found have a Charles either.

I really think Mary does not want to be found yet, and am running out of ideas how to pin her down, with any certainty, before her marriage in 1887.

One rather odd thing, and you have mentioned the name Morris - John born 1907. I cannot find a birth registration for him with the mmn Roberts, nor with the name John. There is, however an Albert John Ruff registered in the Sept. qtr 1906 in Atcham for an Albert John Ruff, with a mmn of Morris. So is this just an error, or is he a child of Charles Arthur (only just of age to have fathered a child) which Mary and Matthew have decided to raise? That birth cert might just prove to be interesting.

 

[Lorraine333]

I have spent the last couple of days looking at the various baptisms of Mary (Ann[e]) Roberts in the Oswestry area 1866 +/- 2 years. I have been able to match some of those with the families found on the 1871 census, but by no mean any of the children who are not with their parents. None of the baptism, which give the dob match with the 10/2/1866 that Mary gives in 1939

Having had little success with that angle I have looked again at the 14 children that Matthew and Mary named, hoping for some sort of link to Mary's family. There is certainly no Robert used, nor Margaret. The only names that do occur somewhere in those children's name are those that you would expect - Jane (registered as Sarah Jane - Sarah being Matthew's g.ma's name) and Matthew (Walter was registered Matthew Walter), which are Matthew's parent - the others are just common names that everyone seemed to favour - Annie Elizabeth, Mary Ann, William Thomas. The only name I cannot find any connection to the Ruff family is the first son - Charles Arthur, but none of the Mary's I have found have a Charles either.

I really think Mary does not want to be found yet, and am running out of ideas how to pin her down, with any certainty, before her marriage in 1887.

One rather odd thing, and you have mentioned the name Morris - John born 1907. I cannot find a birth registration for him with the mmn Roberts, nor with the name John. There is, however an Albert John Ruff registered in the Sept. qtr 1906 in Atcham for an Albert John Ruff, with a mmn of Morris. So is this just an error, or is he a child of Charles Arthur (only just of age to have fathered a child) which Mary and Matthew have decided to raise? That birth cert might just prove to be interesting.

Amazing research I think I will buy Mary’s birth certificate .. unsure of her proper birth details .. gosh she’s a hard cookie to crack.
Thank you so much for all your research , it’s keeping me going, hoping I can find her path in life
I too have been going sideways looking at Matthew’s siblings, Jeremiah ended up in Queensland, boarding from London 15th Sept 1889, marrying a Minnie Grethiner, having children Cecil and Minnie .
I think Price Ruff emigrated too, quite a popular thing on my dad’s side of the family.

Despite going sideways I see nothing of Mary’s family, I see the older Matthew Ruff ( Mary’s husbands dad ) living with son John .. but absolutely nothing for Mary ..
I agree Robert Robert’s married to Mary Ruth nonely has a daughter Mary , but wrong dates for her birth ..
my grandad Alfred lived with us for 20 years , why oh why didn’t I ask him
I’ve missed out on so many stories .
I’ve had Morris in my head as I couldn’t remember if grandad told me Roberts or Morris, but thankfully the wedding cert you sent me settles that conundrum

 

[MollyMay]

why oh why didn’t I ask him

I think everyone here has the same regrets. So many things we ignored, or didn't ask when we were younger and able to, and now we want to know there is no one left to tell us

 

[MollyMay]

Lorraine - in case you have not seen it, the marriage cert for Matthew Ruff's parents - Matthew Ruff and Jane Evans is on Ancestry
14th May 1858, when you are ready to go back one more generation..

 

[burt]

I think everyone here has the same regrets. So many things we ignored, or didn't ask when we were younger and able to, and now we want to know there is no one left to tell us

That is so true!
My interest in family started as a young child, so constantly asking my parents about family. I was lucky in that my
father spent the Great War at home with his mother as a small child and was able to tell me all the stories told him
by his Mum when there were just the two of them. I only met my maternal grandmother twice, and on that second
occasion I went with the specific intention of gleaning all the information I could!
I need to write down all the many stories of my Dad's Mum!

 

[Lorraine333]

Lorraine - in case you have not seen it, the marriage cert for Matthew Ruff's parents - Matthew Ruff and Jane Evans is on Ancestry
14th May 1858, when you are ready to go back one more generation..

It’s refreshing to find lots of details on Matthew’s side .. I wish they had more photography back then, feel lucky to have a photo of Matthew married to Mary. I’ve got his dads marriage cert , that’s golden
Thank you

 

[Lorraine333]

That is so true!
My interest in family started as a young child, so constantly asking my parents about family. I was lucky in that my
father spent the Great War at home with his mother as a small child and was able to tell me all the stories told him
by his Mum when there were just the two of them. I only met my maternal grandmother twice, and on that second
occasion I went with the specific intention of gleaning all the information I could!
I need to write down all the many stories of my Dad's Mum!

Wish I’d done that too.. sadly I focused my interests on mums side, only because she was brought up by her gran.. so spent years trying to find her mother and father .. I found her mum then deceased , and father also deceased .. they’d married and started a new family and left mum behind .
It’s only this last year I’ve thought about dads side .. I didn’t think it would be as interesting, but it certainly is .
I’m so pleased your father was able to update you on stories from that era, it’s so much better getting the stories from the people themselves, they add bits we would never know about.
My grandad could have told me so much and I didn’t ask .. massive regret .

 

[Archie's Mum]

It’s refreshing to find lots of details on Matthew’s side .. I wish they had more photography back then, feel lucky to have a photo of Matthew married to Mary. I’ve got his dads marriage cert , that’s golden
Thank you

Were Jane Evans and Anne Evans, sisters marrying on the same day? As seen on marriage certificate image. Just curious.

 

[Lorraine333]

Were Jane Evans and Anne Evans, sisters marrying on the same day? As seen on marriage certificate image. Just curious.

That’s a good point, I hadn’t seen that . I will look into it