Rowney Family Tree

James was born around 1766, but his place of birth is not known. He is not confirmed as a member of this family. His presence has been assumed based on his date of birth and his association with the town of Kempston, near Bedford, in Bedfordshire, where the family resided.

James was married to Mary SMITH in 1788, in Kempston. He would have been around 22 years old at that time, and Mary is believed to have been around 18 years of age. James' younger sister, Hannah, appears to have been christened on the same day as their wedding.

After they were married, James and Mary settled in the village of Cardington, near Bedford, where they raised their own family and saw out their days together. Their first known child, Mary, was christened in Cardington, in 1792. She died as an infant. Her birth was followed by that of John in 1794, James in 1795, another daughter named Mary in 1798, William in 1801, Sarah in 1804, and their last known child, Hannah, in 1807.

James died just a couple of years after his last child was born, in 1809, when he was 43 years old. He was buried in Cardington. His widow, Mary, would have been just 39, and assuming they were all still alive, their children would have been; John (aged 15), James (aged 14), Mary (aged 11), William (aged 8), Sarah (aged 5), and Hannah (aged 2).

It is not known whether Mary remarried and her subsequent fate has not yet been determined. However, her family seems to have remained in the Cardington area for some time afterwards.