Edward R Edwards, the son of Edward and Elizabeth Edwards and my second great grandfather was born in Aberystwyth, Wales on July 7, 1845. We find him living with his parents on 14 Popular Row in Llanbadarn Fawr in the 1851 census along with siblings , Mary, and Ann. Two siblings, Elizabeth and Jack would be born in the next three years.
Three years after Edward’s mother died, he immigrated from Wales to the United States at the age of 23 and married Margaret Davis, daughter of John Paul and Martha P Jones Davis sometime after July 3, 1870. We find the family living in Cincinnati in 1880 with Edward’s occupation listed as a bookkeeper. By 1885 the family was living at 1020 West 8th Street where Edward was working as a bookkeeper for Marcy & Knoblaugh’s and then in 1887 for A. L. Knoblaugh Co. His brother Jack Edwards was living with the family and also working as a bookkeeper and a music teacher.
In January 1896, The Cambrian, A National Monthly Magazine Published in the Interest of the Welsh-American People and their Children published an article stating that:
The Cambrian, Jan 1896 page 29
Many friends will be glad to learn
that Mr. Edward R. Edwards has an
office in the Perin Building, Cincin-
nati, Ohio, where he is successfully
engaged as general and expert ac-
countant. Mr. Edwards came to this
country 27 years ago, and is a son of
Mr. Edward Edwards (Pencerdd Cer-
edigion), Aberystwyth, S. W., well
known for his musical talents and la-
bors in that part of Wales.
In June 1900 we find Edward and his family living on Franklin Avenue in Norwood, Ohio working as an accountant. The census records show that his wife had eight children, six of which were still living.
Later that year, Edward filed a patent for a new and useful improved system of keeping accounts. In 1909 Edward was still working as an account but by 1910 his occupation had changed to manager of an office building where he was identified by the Cincinnati Queen City Newspaper Reference Book as the well known and popular manager of the Commercial Tribune Building with offices at 528 Walnut Street. By then the family had moved to 4729 Woodlawn Avenue in Norwood.
Edward’s wife Margaret died on March 15, 1919 in Norwood of arteriosclerosis and was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery. In 1920, Edward who was 75 years old was still working as a real estate agent and still living on Woodlawn Avenue. He did retire before his death on October 16, 1923 due to pneumonia at the age of 78. He was buried near his wife in the Spring Grove Cemetery.
Research Questions
- What brought Edward to Ohio?
- When and where did Edward Edwards marry Margaret Davis?
CHILDREN:
E. P. Edwards (1873-1873)
John Granville Edwards (1874-1925) – inspector, clerk
Anna M Edwards (1876-1931) – teacher public school
Harvey Gates Edwards (1878-1966) – married Blanche LaRose Wuichet, worked for American Can Company
Edith Edwards (1880-1953) –
Ida Edwards (1881-????)
Eleanor Edwards (1884-1903) Died in Flagstaff, AZ of lung disease
Martha Elizabeth Edwards (1885-1966)
We have to thank the many folks who assisted us back in 2010 as we started to research Edward. We posted a question on the Ancestry Message boards and received replies from a variety of folks. They explained that there were two Edward R Edwards living in Cincinnati who were born in 1845 in Wales and who had a wife named Margaret. They did have different children, different occupations (carpenter and account/bookkeeper) and different death dates (1923 and 1929) but were both buried in the Spring Grove Cemetery. Because of their assistance, we were able to sort out the information and stay focused on the Edward R Edwards we were looking for – father of Harvey G Edwards, my great grandfather.
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SOURCES:
1870 United States Federal Census, Hamilton County, Ohio, population schedule, Cincinnati, Ward 8, Page 161 (penned), 183 (stamped), dwelling 712, family 1885, John P Davis; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 28 March 2014).
1880 United States Federal Census, Hamilton County, Ohio, population schedule, Cincinnati, enumeration district (ED) Enumeration District No 186, Supervisor’s District No 3, B Page 2 (penned), House No 9, Dwelling 7, Family 13, Edward R Edwards; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 July 2013).
1900 United States Federal Census, Hamilton, Ohio, population schedule, ill Creek Township West Norwood Precinct, enumeration district (ED) Enumeration District No 308, Supervisor’s District 1, A Sheet No 12 (penned), 263 (stamped), Dwelling 194, Household 231 (penned over 263), Franklin Ave, E R Edwards; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 29 July 2013).
1910 United States Federal Census, Hamilton County, Ohio, population schedule, Norwood, Ward 3, enumeration district (ED) Enumeration District No 336, Sheet No 8A, Dwelling 132, Family 174, Edward R Edwards; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 March 2014).
Cincinnati “The Queen City” Newspaper Reference Book (Cincinnati, Ohio: The Cuvier Press Club, 1914), page 173; digital images, Google Books (https://books.google.com : accessed 5 August 2017.
“England and Wales Birth Index, 1837-2008,” database, Familysearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 7 August 2017), Edward Edwards, Jul-Aug-Sept Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire, Wales
Evans Rev E. C., The Cambrian: A National Monthly Magazine, Published in the Interest of The Welsh-American People and their Children devoted to History, Biography, Literature Religion, Science, and General Celtic Intelligence (Utica, N.Y.: T. J. Griffiths, January 1896), page 29; digital image, Google Books (www.books.google.com : accessed 5 August 2017.
“Google Patent Database,” digital images, Google Patents (www.google.com/patents : accessed 16 August 2017), Edward R Edwards, Patent US690708, filed Dec 19, 1900, published 1/7/1902.
“MARWOLAETHAU [Deaths],” Baner ac Amserau Cymru (Denbigh, Wales), 20 December 1865; digital images, British Library Newspapers (galegroup.com : accessed 3 August 2017).
Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953, , Edward R Edwards, 16 October 1923; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 29 July 2013).
Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953, , Margaret Davis Edwards, ; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 28 March 2014).
“U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995,” database, Ancestry.com (www/ancestry.com : accessed 5 August 2017), E. R. Edwards, 1885 Cincinatti City Directory.
“U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995,” database, Ancestry.com (www/ancestry.com : accessed 5 August 2017), E R Edwards, 1887 Cincinnati City Directory.
“U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995,” database, Ancestry.com (www/ancestry.com : accessed 5 August 2017), Edward R. Edwards, 1917 Norwood Ohio City Directory.
Williams’ Norwood Directory For 1909-10 Embracing a Full Alphabetical Record of the Names of the Inhabitants of the City of Norwood, Ohio, A Business Directory, City Guide, Etc. (Cincinnati, O: The Williams Directory Co, Publishers, 1909), Page 87, Edwards Edward R; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 July 2013).
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