Rowney Family Tree

Elizabeth is believed to have been born in 1833 in the village of Bletsoe, in Bedfordshire, England. She was christened that year in the local parish church. Her family were later recorded living in the nearby rural district of Whitwick Green, in Bedfordshire, although it is not clear whether they may have perhaps lived in the village for a time beforehand.

In the 1841 census, Elizabeth (aged 7) was living with her parents at Whitwick Green.

In the 1851 census, Elizabeth (aged 16) was still living with her parents at Whitwick Green. She was employed as a lacemaker at that time.

Elizabeth is believed to have married George CHURCH in 1854 in the Bedford District, in Bedfordshire. She would have been around 20 years old at that time and George was around 22 years of age. George was employed as a labourer.

After their marriage, Elizabeth and George appear to have lived and raised their family for many years around George's home village of Milton Ernest, which was located just a short distance from Bletsoe, in Bedfordshire.

In the 1861 census, Elizabeth (aged 26) and George (aged 29) were living at Over-the-Green, in Milton Ernest. George was employed as a labourer and Elizabeth was working as a lacemaker. Their children at that time were; Joseph (aged 5), Mary Ann (aged 1), and baby Rebecca (aged 1). It would appear that there was some confusion with the children while compiling the census, as Mary Ann should have been 4 years of age, and Rebecca was left off the return and added as an omission at the bottom of the page.

In the 1871 census, Elizabeth (aged 36) and George (aged 38) were living at London End in Milton Ernest. George was employed as an agricultural labourer and Elizabeth was a lace maker. Their children at home at that time were; Susannah (aged 7), Edward (aged 5), and Arthur (aged 2), who were all reportedly attending school, and baby Edith (aged 5 months) who was at home. Their daughter Rebecca (aged 11) was staying with Elizabeth's sister Rebecca CHURCH (aged 40) and her husband John (aged 43) a few miles away in Radwell, Bedfordshire.

Judging from the birth details of their children it seems that the CHURCHs moved away from Milton Ernest sometime between 1871 and 1875, and resettled in the town of Wellingborough, in the nearby county of Northamptonshire.

In the 1881 census, Elizabeth (aged 46) and George (aged 49) and their family were living at 3 Hatton Park Road, in Wellingborough. George was employed as a general labourer. Their family at that time consisted of; Joseph (aged 25) who was a tailor, Mary Ann (aged 23) who was a charwoman, Susannah (aged 17) who was a shoe machinist, Edward (aged 15) who was a shoe skiver, Arthur (aged 12) who was a shoe knot tier; and the younger children, Edith (aged 10), Kate (aged 6), and John (aged 5) who were all attending school. The baby of the family was Alfred (aged 1). Alfred may have actually been an illegitimate child of one of the girls in the family, as he seems to have been described as a nephew of Joseph in the 1891 census.

It appears that Elizabeth died in 1883 in the Wellingborough Registration District in Northamptonshire at the age of 48. George would have been left with some very young children to care for, but fortunately they were blessed with a large family and there were plenty of older children to help out.

However George himself seems to have died in the same registration district just 3 years later, in 1886, at the age of 54. Some of the children would thus have become orphans at a very young age.

The death details of Elizabeth and George have not been confirmed as relating to this family, but seem likely.