Mary was born at Trostrey, Monmouthshire (not to be confused with the Glascoed farms of that name) in approximately 1764. Her parents were William Arthur (1725 to 4th August 1771) and Mary George (1731 to 17th October 1796). They had married on 25th May 1758 at Usk. Sadly they were not to have a long marriage, as you will note from William’s death date – just 13 years. In that time, they had at least 5 children including Mary, James, Elizabeth (1759-1849), William (who only lived from 1760-1770) and Thomas Arthur (1768-1846).
Mary, therefore had to deal with death at an early age, losing her brother William and father of the same name in just 18 months, as a young girl.
She married Hercules Jenkins of Upper Trostrey, Glascoed, on 27th August 1796 at Trostrey church. She would have moved to Glascoed as a consequence.
They had at least seven children between 1797 (Elizabeth) and 1810 (Susannah). The other children included Mary (1799-1842), William (c.1802), Hercules (c. 1803), James (c. 1804-1892) and Florence (1806).
Hercules died in June 1821, aged 60/61 and was buried at Panteg Parish church. Mary died on 24th January 1835 at Upper Trostrey and was buried 6 days later at Panteg Parish church.
Of their children, Mary Jenkins married her cousin, Thomas Arthur (1800-1829) who tragically died at the age of 29, on 16th March 1829. He is buried at Panteg. Their son, named Thomas after his father, was born in 1829 (christened on 11th June at Panteg church). He lived at Upper Trostrey certainly until at least 1861. He was assistant farm manager on that census.
James Jenkins became the farmer at Trostrey Upper and first married Eliza Milner at Whitson, Monmouthshire on 16th March 1843. They had one child (William Hercules Jenkins born 1843) although this marriage ended when Eliza died on 19th March 1844. His second wife was Elizabeth Handley Wilmot. They married on 21st May 1847 at Llanddewi Fach Parish church. They had at least 7 children and died within 3 months of each other in 1892.
Florence married William Cowles (born 1805 at Mathern, Monmouthshire) at Usk on 27th May 1847. One of their children at least was born in Cardiff (John Milner Cowles in 1849). John appeared at Upper Trostrey in 1871 and was working as a Grocer’s assistant.
See Mary’s “family tree” in the names database for further details.
