James Wareing was born in London, on 18 August 1807, and is the oldest child of George and Mary Wareing.  When James was very young their family shifted to Birmingham to support George’s tailoring business, a line of work that James would also enter into after leaving school.

Emela Catherine Mewis was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, on 26 January 1818 to Thomas and Sarah Mewis.  They married 21 January 1841 and are my great great great grandparents.

Their family of 12 children were: James (1841-1915), Francis (1842-1844), George Poncia (1844-1899), Francis (1845-1911), Mary Catherine (1847-1926), my great great grandfather Joseph Bernard (1848-1928), Thomas (1849-1930), Philip (1851-1918), Bernard (1852-1938), Augustine (1855-1855), Agnes Lucy (1856-1934) and finally Gertrude Anna (1857-1901).

James Wareing passed away on 11 April 1857 at the age of 49 and is buried with his parents in the family vault at St Chad’s Cathedral in Birmingham.

Emela moved to Edgbaston to live with her daughter Mary after James died.  From about the 1870’s Emela’s name is changed in records to Emily.  This may have been the name she went by for most of her marriage, and accounts for the Emily name in future generations – Emily Catherine Wareing (my great grandmother) and Emily Margaret Brosnan (my grandmother) and Emily Rose Woodhouse (my niece).

Emela Catherine Wareing passed away in March 1906.