John EDWARDS was a machinist, engineer and millwright. This information is confirmed on his children's marriage certificates, although he didn't live long enough to see any marry. Perhaps tellingly, the older children described him as a machinist and engineer, while the younger ones, who would have been 8 and 4 when he died, described him as a millwright as he self-identified on the 1841 census return. That census also records that he was also born in Warwickshire, but the same answer was recorded for his wife Sarah, even though we know that she was from Shropshire.

His death certificate of 1844 confirms that he was both engineer and millwright. So perhaps John was a machinist as an apprentice, then an engineer, becoming a millwright shortly before his death in 1844.

A millwright and engineer at the beginning of the 19th century would have been responsible for the construction and maintenance of all the mechanical devices within a mill. This would include grinding cereals, brewers, manufacturing or any other endeavours. Millwrights tended to work on the moving parts while engineers would be more concerned with the steam engines that were increasingly replacing water, horse or human power. A millwright would have had to apprentice to a master millwright, but Birmingham was more liberal and the demand for expertise would enable John to expand his role.

John's first marriage

There were many marriages between a John EDWARDS that could potentially be John's first wife but only one satisfies his profession and explains his second marriage.

In 1820, a John EDWARDS married Elizabeth SLATER. Neither bride nor groom were able to sign their names. The couple had two children: Sarah Ann in 1822 and Elizabeth in 1824. In both cases the couple were living on Constitution Hill and John is an engineer.

Elizabeth EDWARDS, wife of John EDWARDS of Constitution Hill, died (probably in childbirth) in 1826, which correlates with John marrying Sarah REYNOLDS in 1827.

Their use of the name Sarah explains why John and his second wife, Sarah, did not name one of their daughters Sarah after their mother.

One loose end is the witness to Elizabeth's 1851 marriage to Nathaniel TWIGG: Ann EDWARDS. Who was Ann EDWARDS? Possibly Ann was John's sister, or less likely a brother's wife. She might even have been his mother, but female witnesses were often contemporaries of the bride, so Ann may have been a cousin to Elizabeth.

John's second marriage

John married Sarah REYNOLDS, born in Kinlet, Staffordshire, in January 1827. We know for certain that Sarah REYNOLDS was John's second wife because Reuben, Stephen and Andrew Enoch's baptismal records give her maiden name.

John and Sarah baptised their first child in December 1827. As his first marriage, John was unable to sign his own name. In modern times it seems strange for an engineer and millwright not to be able to write. We know that John was also a machinist from his daughter Sophia's marriage record, so a natural progression from apprentice machinist to engineer to millwright might not leave time for book-learning.

John and Sarah had seven children between 1827 and 1840.

John's death

John died of consumption (tuberculosis) on 7 September 1844 at home at 1 Court, New Summer Street in the presence of his wife Sarah. He was buried in the Chapelry of St Paul, in the parish of St Martin, in Birmingham, on 15 September 1844.

In his son Enoch's marriage announcement, John is described as the late Mr. Edwards of Aston.

Constitution Hill

In 1824 John was living on Constitution Hill with his first wife and growing family. His profession was "engineer". Other relevant residents of Constitution Hill (in 1841) included:

• A builder named Eli BUCKLER had premises on Constitution Hill in 1828.[Pigot's Directory 1828] Perhaps John was working for him installing mill engines. Eli was 60-64,and his wife Ann HAYWOOD, 65-69.
• In 1841, a James EDWARDS, 40-44, a publican from Warwickshire and his wife Ann, 45-49, from outside Warwickshire, were living with there daughter Ann 12 and son James 10.⁴
• By 1841 Elizabeth had died, and John with his second wife and their seven children had moved to Unett Street. Was James John's brother? No baptismal records for James' children have been found.
• By 1851 James and Ann had disappeared. An Ann and a James of the right age were in service and apprenticed to a shoemaker in Birmingham respectively, but no burial records for their parents have been found in England. Or did the family move away?
• A James EDWARDS married Ann FACER in Aston Juxta on 29 Feb 1829. Witnesses were Robert KRINKS and Martha LISTER.
• James EDWARDS, brassfounder by trade, born 1795 in Birmingham, joined the 52nd Regiment of Foot in 1813, was at Waterloo, served in North America and was discharged in 1832. If his marriage had happened before he left the army, then he could be the publican. And if that was true then it's possible that his wife was from North America.
• A James EDWARDS was baptized by John and Mary EDWARDS at the St Martin in the Bull Ring on 28 Mar 1796. A John EDWARDS was baptized on 29 Sep 1791 by John and Mary at St Phillips. On the same date they baptized Sophia and Hopestill. Hopestill, daughter of John and Mary EDWARDS was buried on 17 Jul 1794.

John's origins

A family oral memory has it that John only spoke Welsh, however his marriages to women with English names suggests that this is not entirely accurate, but Welsh might have been his parents native tongue.

At the time of 1841 census (7 Jun 1841) John was '40', i.e. 40-44 years old and at his death on 7 Sep 1844 he was 49. These ages are inconsistent so both cannot be right. To be only one year off either census or death would mean a birth date between 7 Jun 1795 and 7 Sep 1796.

Possible baptisms

There are a number of candidate baptisms for John in Birmingham including:

• 1791 by John and Mary, on the same day as Hopestill and Sophia. Had the family just arrived in Birmingham? John EDWARDS, the Unitarian Minister, had just arrived to replace Joseph PRIESTLEY, but would he have had his children baptized in St Phillips, when he could do it himself? No reference to Hopestill has been found except the baptism. A Sophia EDWARDS married George ALLEN in 1818, and in 1841 was a retail brewer of the Brick Layers Arms on Great Barr Street, and the Three Crowns on High Street, Deritend in 1851...but she was from Bradford, Yorkshire. Perhaps this family had arrived from Bradford... But the baptism was too early for John.
• 1792 by John and Sarah - see Theory B
• 1793 by Joseph and Sarah. Also baptized: Mary 1796 and Ann 1798 - see Theory C
• 1794 by John and Sarah - see Theory A
• 1795 by John and Hannah at Wednesbury, Staffordshire on 29 Nov 1795. Also Paul 1790 d1791,Hannah 1794, Mary 1797, Jonathan 1801
• 1796 by John and Mary Edwards at Rowley Regis, Worcestershire on 12 Feb 1796. Also Mary 1791, John 1794, Hannah 1796, Hannah 1797, John 1797, Johanna 1799
• 1798 by Benjamin and Sarah. Benjamin and Sarah WOODALL m. 1785 - see Theory D
• 1799 by George EDWARDS and Catharine PAGE (twin of sister Catharine) - married 1789 in Wolverhampton. Too late. John had no child named Catharine.
• 1799 John EDWARDS and Rebecca. John and Rebecca PARKES married in 1792. Too late.
• 1800 by John and Lucy (FAWDRY). This baptism can be ruled out as Lucy mentions her deceased son John in her 1823 will.

Further afield, matching the Jun 1795 -Sep 1796 birth estimate there were many, but few in a likely county with the correct dates and with a mother called Sarah (Ann) to explain his first daughter's name:

• John and Sarah EDWARDS baptized John on 24 Jul 1796 in West Felton, near Oswestry, Shropshire.
• Stephen and Sarah EDWARDS, Shoreditch, on 5 Jun 1796
• Clement, lighterman, and Sarah EDWARDS of John Street Folly, Bermondsey, Middlesex on 22 Sep 1796.

Theory A - The best fit Birmingham baptism by date. John is the son of John EDWARDS, plater of metal, died 1803 and his wife Sarah DAVIS

A possible christening for John Edwards is on 31 Jan 1794 at St Martin, Birmingham, by John and Sarah EDWARDS. They also christened a daughter Sarah Ann on 29 Jun 1792, who died of 'decline' and was buried on 13 Nov 1792. This John was a plater of metals, money lender and property developer. He was issued a game certificate in 1794 and 1798 [Aris' Gazette 29 Sep 1794 and 10 Sep 1798]. He died in 1803 when John was 8 leaving a will naming his wife and his children.

The couple had several children, but confusingly, another John and Sarah EDWARDS were also raising a family at the time time and place. The following children were baptized by a John and Sarah EDWARDS in Birmingham, all at St Martin in the Bull Ring:

• Elizabeth on 30 Nov 1779
• Elizabeth on 8 July 1782
• Thomas 'David' on 23 Sep 1782.
• Mary on Jun 1787 in Sutton Coldfield. (Mary married John SLATER in 1813, by license aged 21 and above. The license was co-signed by John EDWARDS. The reason for the license is unclear: both were of age and of this parish. Could the license be needed to satisfy the will's condition or after the death of her parents. Mary's marriage was witnessed by her sister Elizabeth WHITEHOUSE and brother John. In 1871 was aged 83 when living with her niece Sarah A REEVES. This suggests that she was born before 1792 and in 1787-88 respectively and strongly indicates that hers was the Sutton Coldfield baptism on 1787. )
• Sarah in Jun 1790
• Sarah Ann on 29 Jun 1792….died of decline aged 6 months.
• John on 25 Dec 1792
• John on 31 Jan 1794

There are two marriage records that might fit with the two families:

• John EDWARDS married Sarah DAVIS on 1 Oct 1778 in Edgbaston on 1 Oct 1778
• John EDWARDS married Sarah ASKEY, daughter of Thomas ASKEY d 1801

Given the timing it looks like the two families' children were as follows:

• John EDWARDS and Sarah DAVIS: Elizabeth 1779, Thomas Davis 1782, Mary 1787, Sarah Ann 1792-1792, John 1794
• John EDWARDS and Sarah ASKEY: Elizabeth 1782, Sarah 1790, John 1792

This is corroborated by John EDWARDS senior's will, dated 22 Jan 1803, describes John as a plater of metals of Great Hampton Street, Birmingham. Great Hampton Street heads North West out of Birmingham towards Hockley and West Bromwich. The will names his wife Sarah and children Thomas Davies EDWARDS, John, Elizabeth and Mary. Their daughter Sarah had died in infancy. His net worth was estimated at £2000.

In the first paragraph he gives and bequeaths to Samuel JARVIS of West Bromwich , farmer and James HAYES of Little Charles Street, Birmingham, jobbing smith, the sum of £1300 which had been lent as a mortgage to a property in Chaddesley Corbett on trust to provide support for his widow, Sarah EDWARDS.

After her decease (or second marriage) then his four children were to receive equal portions. Thomas Davis also received property in Canon Street, Birmingham, one of six new built houses in Hockley in the parish of St Martin, Birmingham and Barr Beacon in Staffordshire. John also received dwelling houses in Canon Street, a house in Hockley and a fourth part of a brewing house. Elizabeth received a house in Hockley, a quarter of the brewhouse and two new shops. Mary got the two middle houses in Hockley and a quarter of the brewhouse, and two houses in Canon Street. His house in Great Hampton was to be managed in trust for his family until the children were 21 years old then liquidated. Should any of his children be married before they were 21 then they would receive £100 and nothing more.

In a codicil, dated 30 Jan 1803, he provides for his parents by bequeathing them the property that they were living in, in Hockley, and a pension to be paid by his wife and eldest son.

The advantage of this theory is that John would have been born in 1794 which matches the census and death certificate dates perfectly.

The key issues with this theory are:

• It is thought that John EDWARDS was unable to sign his own name (as evidenced on the record of his marriage to Sarah REYNOLDS.) Given the wealth of the family it would be strange for a son not to have been able to sign their name. And this family's John was able to co-sign and seal his sister Mary's marriage license alongside her husband John SLATER.
• If this was John's family then where did his inheritance go? Why is he living in a yard off Unett Street?
• There is no obvious link between John's family and his putative siblings (yet discovered):
• The admon of Thomas Davis EDWARDS of West Bromwich, Gentleman, was dated 23 Dec 1856. He died on 6 Feb 1854, intestate, a bachelor without parents. The estate went to Elizabeth WHITEHOUSE, widow, his sister. John had already died, but his surviving family received nothing.
• In 1851 Elizabeth WHITEHOUSE was a canal office keeper in West Bromwich, widow age 71, living with 2 unmarried daughters, and in 1861 ditto (but no longer a canal office keeper).
• In 1861 Mary SLATER (she had married John SLATER in October 1813) was also living in West Bromwich, a widow living alone. In 1871 Mary was living in West Bromwich with her great niece, her sister Elizabeth WHITEHOUSE's granddaughter, Sarah Ann REEVES. This confirms that Mary and Elizabeth WHITEHOUSE nee EDWARDS were sisters.

Theory B - John is the son of John EDWARDS and his wife Sarah ASKEY

If John was part of the second family described above then the census and death certificate would need to be off by a couple of years, which in the 1840s was not unreasonable. It would explain why no inheritance was received, and why John could not sign his own name.

If correct, and it was this John that married Elizabeth SLATER in 1820, then it would appear that he named his first two children after his sisters Elizabeth and Sarah.

But the baptism in 1792 was too early to match with his age in 1841 and at death.

Theory C - John is the son of Joseph EDWARDS and his wife Sarah

In this scenario, John would have been baptized in 1793 by Joseph and Sarah, that is closer to the target 1794/5. The couple also baptized Mary in 1796 and Ann in 1798. There was no obvious marriage in Birmingham, but further afield, for example:

• Joseph EDWARDS, cordwainer, married Sarah WOOD in Nuneaton in 1791. Both Joseph and Sarah were literate.
• Joseph EDWARDS married Sarah COLLINGS in Wolverhampton on 5 Nov 1792.

If this theory is correct then John's sisters would have been Mary and Ann. John's first child with his first wife was Sarah Ann, his second named for his first wife, and his first child with second wife was called Maria. So consistent, if this kind of naming was important to him.

Again 1793 is not an ideal match to his age in 1841 or at death.

Theory D - John is the son of Benjamin EDWARDS and his wife Sarah WOODALL

Benjamin and Sarah WOODALL married in 1785. Their son John EDWARDS was born in 1798, which is late for his age in 1841 and for his reported age at death.

Their children might have included: Benjamin 1791, Sarah 1793, John 1793, Sarah 1795 and Benjamin 1803. The names suggest that infant mortality was high, and the number of burials of children with these names at this time means that its not possible to know which, if any, of these survived.

Theory X - Something else

A John EDWARDS, boot maker aged 80 and born outside of Warwickshire, appeared in the 1841 census, with Elizabeth EDWARDS, 50 and Hannah GRIFFIN, 50. Hannah Maria EDWARDS, daughter of John EDWARDS and a minor, married Richard GRIFFIN, draper, in 1810 by license.

A partnership between Thomas EDWARDS and James EDWARDS, of Birmingham, Lancashire Tool Makers, carried on under the name T & J EDWARDS was dissolved on 24 Oct 1809. Was the young John a machinist apprentice here?⁵

Possible Genetic connection

A DNA relative of Paul Weaver has GG Grandparents called William Thomas and Gladys Ivy EDWARDS. William Thomas was born on 16 Mar 1895 (1939 Register) and was a cabinet maker.

William Thomas' parents were James and Eliza EDWARDS of Blackheath, Rowley Regis, Staffordshire. His eldest brother was called Enoch.

James EDWARD was a gas tube maker and born in Rowley Regis in about 1869 (1901 census). In 1891 he was working as labourer at the furnaces, living with his widowed mother Rosehannah EDWARDS b ~1837, a nail maker, and his wife Eliza and son Enoch. Also in the house were James' siblings Selina 16, Willie 14, and John 10. (1891 Census). James' father was Enoch EDWARDS, a carter, born in ~1836 in Rowley Regis (1881 census).

In 1871 Enoch EDWARDS, then a coal miner, was living with his wife Rosanna (PAYNE), daughters Mary A 14, a nailer, Emily 4 and James 2. (1871 Census). In 1861 he and 'Rosannah' were living in Blackheath with daughters Mary A and Amelia. (1861 Census) Enoch's father was John EDWARDS.

John EDWARDS was a coal miner, born in about 1805 in Cock Green, Rowley Regis, Staffordshire. In 1841, he was a coal miner living with his wife Hannah and 6 children in Blackheath. His children were William 16, Selina 15 (mother Hannah), Elizabeth 13, John 11, Joseph 8 and Enoch 6. In 1851 he was living in Blackheath with wife Elizabeth and son John 20, Joseph 18 and 'Enock' 14. (1851 Census)

John's parents may have been William and Mary EDWARDS, of Rowley Regis who baptized a John on 2 Jun 1805. Other children baptized include: Elizabeth 1794, Hannah 1796, Nancy, Joseph, Leah, John 1805, William, Thomas and Samuel 1813. William married Mary HACKITT in February 1794 in Rowley Regis. A burial of a William EDWARDS in Rowley Regis in 1830 gives his ages as 57, i.e., born in ~1773.

Despite the DNA connection and the name Enoch, there is no evidence of a recent connection between William Thomas EDWARDS' family and John EDWARDS, millwright of Birmingham. It is a coincidence that both families had a John EDWARDS who had a son, Enoch, born between 1836-1840.

Enoch EDWARDS engineer to the Birmingham Fire Office

The court testimony of Enoch EDWARDS, engineer to the Birmingham Fire Office, was reported in the Birmingham Journal on 10 Aug 1839. He had attempted to attend the fires lit by rioters, but had been assaulted in the process.³ Could this have been John's brother?