Rowney Family Tree

Susan was born around 1823 in the village of Stevington, in Bedfordshire, England.

Around 1845, when she would have been about 22 years old, she gave birth to a daughter who was named Elizabeth. Elizabeth's name is sometimes given as Elizabeth Wooding ROWNEY and sometimes as Elizabeth Rowney WOODING, so it is reasonable to presume that the father's surname was probably WOODING, although he has not yet been identified. Susan is believed to have given birth to another daughter around 1855, who was named Sarah. Both of Susan's daughters were christened in Stevington; Elizabeth in 1851 when she appears to have been around 6 years old, and Sarah in 1855.

In the 1861 census, Susan (aged 39) was living with her father, John ROWNEY (aged 67), at his home on Silver Street, in Stevington. John was employed as a farm labourer and Susan was working as a washerwoman. Her two children, Eliza (aged 17) and Sarah (aged 6) were also present and were both working as lace makers.

In the 1871 census, Susan (aged 48) was still unmarried and living with her elderly father, John ROWNEY (aged 76), in Stevington. Her mother was deceased by that time. Her eldest daughter, Elizabeth (aged 26), and Elizabeth's husband, Robert TYSOE (aged 28), were also present, as were their two children; Sarah (aged 3) and William (aged 1). Her sister-in-law, Maria ROWNEY, the widow of her deceased brother, Thomas, was also living next door with a large young family.

In the 1881 census, Susan (aged 60) was living with her son-in-law, Robert TYSOE (aged 38), at his home on Silver Street, in Stevington. Robert was employed as an agricultural labourer. Her daughter Elizabeth, Robert's wife, had died by this time, leaving him with several young children to care for. The children at that time were; Sarah (aged 13) who was working as a lacemaker, William (aged 11) who was working as an agricultural labourer, and Charles (aged 9), Harry (aged 7), and John (aged 6) who were all attending school. Susan was described as a lodger, and she was working as a lacemaker.

In the 1891 census, Susan (aged 70) was still living in the same cottage on Silver Street, in Stevington. She was described as a pauper. Living with her was a family consisting of father, John SANDERS (aged 52), who was working as an agricultural labourer, his wife, Sarah (aged 51), who was a lacemaker, and their two children, Samuel (aged 13) and Charlie (aged 11). Susan was described as an "aunt", but the precise relationship of the SANDERS family has not yet been established.

Susan ROWNEY died in the December quarter of 1892, in the Bedford registration district, which included Stevington. She was 72 years of age.