From Rural to Urban Life: The Davey Family Moves to London

My husband’s second-great-grandparents, Thomas Davey and Mary Nicholas, lived in several small villages in County Cornwall after marrying in 1832 in St. Agnes.[1] Census and baptism records of their children help document their moves.

St. Agnes Parish
St. Agnes is a town on the north coast of Cornwall, about five miles north of Redruth. The mines in the area produced copper, tin, and arsenic. Besides mining, there were iron foundries, a smelter, and a stamp mill. As a blacksmith, Thomas may have worked at one of the mines or other industries. The first two daughters, Elizabeth and Susan, were born and baptized in St. Agnes Parish.[2]

Constantine Parish
Their first son, Thomas Nicholas Davey, was born in Bridge in the Parish of Constantine in County Cornwall, as well as their second son, Edward Nicholas.[3] Constantine was on the other side of the County Cornwall. The mines in the area extracted copper, tin, and iron.

Bristol
Mary Jane was born in Clifton, Bristol, in County Gloucestershire.[4] Clifton was the first urban town they moved to. This town was independent until it was incorporated into Bristol in the 1830s. Thomas may have worked independently or for another business. In 1841, they were enumerated in the parish of Bedminster in Bristol. Their next move was to Bedminster, another part of Bristol, where their daughter, Lydia Nicholas Davey, was born.[5] In Bedminster, several industries provided potential work: a steamship builder, a coalfield, smelting, tanneries, glue works, paint, and glass factories. Perhaps he worked at one of these industries as a blacksmith.

London
Their next move was to Deptford, located on the south side of the River Thames. Their daughter, Catherine Rose Davey, was born in this location. Thomas still worked as a blacksmith, and they lived on Creek Road.[6]

However, when the census taker came later in the year to enumerate the family, they were living at Dokking Road.[7]

The next year, the family emigrated to America, where they lived in Reading, Pennsylvania,[8] and later Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Like many of our ancestors, in the industrial age, moving to the cities provided more opportunities for work and a better life.

#52Ancestors: Week 43: Urban

This is my eighth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

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[1] St. Agnes Parish, County Cornwall, England, Register of Marriages 1813-1833, p. 274, Thomas Davey to Mary Nicholas, 23 May 1832, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-XC3Z-P6W : accessed 15 Oct 2025); IGN 004279986, item 2, image 144 of 157.

[2] St. Agnes Parish, County Cornwall, England, Register of Baptisms 1833-1836, Elizabeth Davey, p. 4, 19 May 1833, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-XC3Z-TSV : accessed 15 Oct 1832); IGN 004279986, image 490 of 1773. For Susan, see ibid., p. 46, Susan Nicholas Davey, 2 Nov 1834, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-XC3Z-1FB : accessed 15 Oct 2025); IGN 004279986, image 511 of 1773.

[3] Constantine Parish, County Cornwall, England, Register of Baptisms, 1813-1844, p. 156, Thomas N Davey, 24 July 1835, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DYVS-LT4 : accessed 15 Oct 2025); IGN 004007098, image 261 of 1515. For Edward, see ibid., p. 161, Edward Nicholas Davey, 6 May 1837, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DYVS-LP9 : accessed 15 Oct 2025); IGN 004007098, image 263 of 1515.

[4] Birth date for Mary Jane Davey, 23 May 1839, Thomas Davey Family Bible, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Moore, Wilstch, Keyes & Company, 1859); original owned by Thomas Davey, transcription done by Mary Davey Korn, granddaughter of Thomas Davey.

[5] 1841 England census, Somerset, Bedminster, Bristol, folio 41 recto, line 11, Thomas Davey; PRO HO 107/376/4, GSU roll 288785, citing The National Archives of U.K., London.

[6] "London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1924," Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1558) > Lewisham > St Paul, Deptford: Deptford High Street > 1818-1859 > image 409 of 685 > Register of Baptisms p. 132, no. 1052, Catharine Rose Davey, 16 Feb 1851. Note: Ancestry did not include the title page to the registers, so I could not put the date range of the book.

[7] 1851 England Census, Kent, Deptford, St. Nicholas parish, page 5-6, household 24, Thomas Davey; PRO HO 107/1585, GSU roll 174822, citing The National Archives of the UK, London.

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