I'm trying to trace the origins of a carpenter called William Gwatkin who was born in St Weonards, Herefordshire around 1815. He married a Fanny who was born in Awre (possible marriage on familysearch William Gwatkin m. Fanny Steele 1837 Abinghall, Gloucs). In 1851 he was living in Lydney,Gloucs, and seems to have moved around a lot. His children were John, 15, born Blaina, Monmouthshire; Fanny, 13, born Aston Ingham; William,11, Joseph, 9 and Anne 7, all born in East Dean (William and Joseph were baptised in Blakeney) and Susanna, 2, born in Lydney. Later children were probably Edward and Thomas.
In 1841 and 1851 there was another carpenter in the Blakeney area, who could have been the father of the one above. He was 64 in 1851, born St Weonards and had a wife Ann, 54, born Newland. Children were John, born c.1822/24 in Newland (a carpenter, in 1851 living separately with wife Susan, born East Dean); Susanna born c. 1823; George born c. 1825; James born c.1828/31 Little Dean; Thomas born c.1830/1833 Newland. There was also a niece, Caroline Gwatkin, born in East Dean, aged 17 in 1851.
Another Gwatkin carpenter was Richard in Little Dean, aged 50 in 1851 and born in Llanwarn. His wife, Sarah, was 55 in that year, born in Newnham, and there was a son, Richard,
born in Little Dean c.1834.
I have seen a lot of Gwatkin entries on 'Familysearch' for St Weonards, but can't tie in the younger of the two Williams, although there is a possible baptism for the older one (6/3/1785, son of William and Anne). Does anybody have any connections with or information about these carpenter Gwatkins ?
I am pretty sure that the John born in Blaina was my 3x great grandfather. Along with several of his brothers and sisters, he moved to the Staffordshire mining area and married my 3x great grandmother in Northwood by Stoke on Trent in 1860. He died a couple of years later and my 2xgreat grandmother ended up in Rotherham with her mother and stepfather. Other brothers seem to have moved on to the mines in the Wigan area, so I would be interested to hear from anyone with Gwatkin ancestors there or in the Potteries.