Rowney Family Tree

George was born around 1851 in the village of Stevington, in Bedfordshire, England. He possibly worked as an agricultural labourer as a young man, as most of the men folk of Stevington did, but when the railway came through town in the 1860's he appears to have been one of the many who found alternative employment there.

George's father, Thomas ROWNEY, died in 1867, when George was around 16 years of age. As the eldest son, he probably had considerable responsibility in helping to raise her large family.

In the 1871 census, George (aged 20) was living with his widowed mother, Maria ROWNEY (aged 45), in Stevington.

In late 1873, George's mother was remarried to a widower named Joel HULATT. George was also married around the same time, to Ann Maria COX. They were married in Stevington. George was 22 years old at that time and Ann was 21 years of age. She was also from Stevington. Her parents lived next door to George's sister Priscilla, on Silver Street, in Stevington.

Sometime over the next few years, George and Ann seem to have moved from Stevington to the village of Sharnbrook. George was possibly following the work with the railways.

In 1876 Ann Maria hgave birth to a son Ernest.

In the 1881 census, George (aged 30) and Ann (aged 28) were living at the Coffle End, in Sharnbrook. George was employed as a railway labourer and Ann was a lace maker. They do not appear to have had any children living with them at that time. Ernest may have died, or perhaps was staying elsewhere.

Their first child, George, was born around 1885 in Sharnbrook, and he was followed by a daughter, Mary Jane, in 1887.

Ann died in 1887, in the Bedford registration district, at the age of 34. The date suggests that she may have died from complications in the birth of Mary Jane, but this has not been confirmed.

In the 1891 census, George (aged 40) was a widower and was still living with his family at the Coffle End, in Sharnbrook. He was employed as an under-ganger. His two children, George (aged 6) and Mary Jane (aged 4), were both attending school. They also had a housekeeper, Emma LORD (aged 35), who was an unmarried woman from Stevington. Emma also appears to have been a lacemaker. All four members of the household are indicated as 'disabled' on the census transcript. It is not known whether this is an error or whether it is accurate (possibly to some degree).