The Gwynedd Family History Society (GFH Society) covers the geographical area of historic Gwynedd and I’ve mentioned previously that the Society has regular monthly branch meeting in Bangor, Caernarfon, Dolgellau, Llandudno, Llangefni and Pwllheli and that they produce cemetery records. The Society also publishes a journal, “Gwreiddiau Gwynedd – Gwynedd Roots” twice a year. Individual membership of the Society costs £10 and this includes two issues of the journal each year. Family membership costs £14 to reflect the fact that only one copy of the journal is sent to each family.

Gwreiddiau Gwynedd is an A4-sized bilingual publication of 64 pages and contains a number of articles, with photographs, on various aspects of family history but each edition has a series of articles on a specific area. In the latest edition, published in December, the spotlight was on Dyffryn Ogwen, the Ogwen valley. The next issue in the summer will spotlight the Dolgellau area and the following edition will highlight the Dyffryn Peris (Llanaberis) area.

The articles on Dyffryn Ogwen included articles on various aspects of the history of the area including the famous 1900 strike and a detailed account of chapel membership in the valley from about 1800 to the present day. There is an article on a family of photographers in Bethesda and Bangor and a fascinating article on a bombing raid in the Ogwen valley in 1940. There are a number of articles about Dyffryn Ogwen families and their family trees.

If you have connections with the area you may be lucky as see a connection with people mentioned in these articles. My wife, Margaret, had an article on her family in the Llyn area in the previous edition and she had a number of responses from readers and she discovered some new relatives.

Other articles include one by the society’s President, Dafydd Wigley, on the interesting situation in his grandparents’ house when his grandmother was President of the Pwllheli Liberal Association and his grandfather was Chairman of the Pwllheli Conservative Association!! And an article on Brabazon Rees, VC, OBE, MC, AFC of Caernarfon by T Meirion Hughes. There are other articles from which you can pick up tips about researching your family history.

There is also a section where new members can list their research interests. If you joined you could list the names of the ancestors that you are researching giving their dates of birth, marriage and death, etc, where known, and where they lived. With a bit of luck you may get a response from someone who is also researching that family tree and have already done some important work. Finding someone who is also researching parts of your family tree and finding that they have already done some work is an enormous psychological boost and it will encourage you to search further.

If you’re interested in membership of the Society, contact the Membership Secretary:
Ieuan Wyn Williams, Llan yr Ardd, Bethel, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1PL
ieuwyn@aol.com or 01248 670186

The GFH society meetings for remainder of February and for March are:

Bangor, 4 March (first Tuesday of each month) 7.00pm at the Quakers Meeting Hall, Dean Street: Venessa Fields, “The five Vincents of Llanfairfechan”

Caernarfon, 28 February (last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the The Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: Hywel Roberts, “Tom Bach y Gwiga”

27 March (last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the The Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: Geraint Jones, “Hanes Nant Gwrtheyrn”

Dolgellau, 13 March (second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel: Hywel Roberts, “Morwyn Glasgwm Hall”

Llandudno, 11 March (second Monday of each month) 7.00pm at The Library, Mostyn Street: Margaret Dunn, “Dating old houses in Snowdonia”.

Llangefni, 21 February (third Thursday of each month) 7.15pm at Capel Smyrna, Ffordd Glanhwfa: Dave Wilson, “Civil Registrations”.

Pwllheli, 21 March (third Friday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Seion, Lon Dywod: Dr Hywel Wyn Owen, “Llen Cynefin”

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