Eva Margaret Owen
Eva was born on 24 June 1888 at Bontuchel, a village about 2 miles west of Ruthin. Understandably in view of
events.
her birth was registered late [Wrexham 1888, 4th qt]. She was then sent to live with an elderly couple (they were in their early fifties in 1891), Robert and Maria Jones. I believe they had married in 1879 and two years later two other young children were boarding with them, one of them eight months old and born in Liverpool. In 1891 'Maggie Owen' (i.e. Eva) was a 'boarder' with them and they were living at 106
Mwrog, Llanfwrog. By 1901 they had moved to 7 Humphrey's Yard, Llanfwrog and Robert was a general labourer. I am told
that when she was 15 Eva entered service at Llanbedr Hall
(photo)
in Llanbedr, near Ruthin, the stately home of the Calvert family, friends of Rev. Elias Owen; she was nanny to Miss Joan, their young daughter
(photo).
By the time of the 1911 census Llanbedr Hall had become a tuberculosis sanatorium and the twenty-three year old Eva was a 'nursemaid' there
(photo).
She did not know of the existance of her brother until very much later.
Eva married Maurice Robert Jones (left) in 1914 [Wrexham 1914, 3rd qt]. He had been born on 19 February 1884 in Rhuddlan, Flintshire, the son of John Price Jones and Mary Jane (née Evans). Eva and Maurice had seven children: William, Stanley Parry, Vera, (Maurice) Robert, Garmon Owen, (Eva) Margaret and John. In 1939 the family were all together at 17 Princess Street, Wrexham, and Maurice was a Millwright’s Flour Mill Assistant. Sadly he was ill for a long time before his death on 18 July 1946 [Wrexham]. (see
local newspaper reports)
In the war years, Eva not only had to cope with his illness but also with the fact that all her children, except Margaret and John - he was only nine years old when his father died - were away at the war. It was a struggle but cope she did and, as her youngest son wrote: "She was an angel and was only happy when her house was full of friends. It was always full of fun and love. The less she had the more she gave away." Eva
(photo)
died in 1972 [Wrexham 1972, 1st qt] at 12 Edward Street, Wrexham.