http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/ Hywel Roberts shares his enthusiasm for family history and offers some helpful advice to those delving into their own past. en Copyright 2008 Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:03:46 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Last time I showed the fairly elementary 1841 census and the format of the 1851 which has been the basis of subsequent Census Records to the 1901 Census which is last that is currently available because of the 100 year confidentiality rule. The format of the 1861 Census is the same as that in 1851. There is one change in the 1871 Census in that the last column asks the enumerator to note whether a person is "1 Deaf and Dumb, 2 Blind, 3 Imbecile or Idiot, 4 Lunatic". I can't really understand how you differentiate between a person who is an "imbecile or idiot" and one who is a "lunatic", particularly as the enumerators were not medically qualified! Thankfully I haven't, so far, come across any of my ancestors who fitted into these categories but I have seen a person categorised as a "lunatic". I show part of the 1871 Census where one of my great great grandfathers, Owen Griffith, is shown as an agricultural servant at the age of 75 at Tyddyn Gethin, Penmachno the home of Owen Gethin Jones. A little above at Ty'n y Coed a boarder, Elizabeth Davies aged 53 is categorised as a "Lunatic". This seems very cruel. There are no changes in the 1881 Census but I show and extract from the 1881 census for Cerrig Ceinwen, Angesey, which shows one of my great, great grandmothers, Catherine Morris" living by herself at Hendre Bach aged 71. Under "Occupation" she is described as a "Pauper" which makes me feel really sad. There was, of course, no state pension in those days so ordinary people had to work into their old age as we see Owen Griffith working as a farm servant at the age of 75 or they went to seek charity from the parish and were then categorised as paupers as was Catherine Morris. We should be really thankful for David Lloyd George who started our welfare state through the introduction of the Old Age Pension in 1911, even if it was only five shillings a week at that time! The 1891 Census saw the question on the Welsh language on the records for the first time. I show the page containing Talywaen, Penmachno, where my great grandfather (born in Glanypwll in 1851, was living with his wife Catherine and four sons; William John aged 15 a quarryman slate dresser; Robert (my grandfather) aged 12 a scholar; Owen aged 8 also a scholar and Thomas aged 4. Under "Language spoken" they all say Welsh as does everyone else on the page except one person who is described as speaking "both" languages. How things have changed! However by the 1901 Census, Robert, Owen and Thomas are described as speaking both languages so their time at the Penmachno National School was clearly effective. The next Gwynedd Family History Society meetings are: Bangor, 2 December (first Tuesday of each month) 7.00pm at the Quakers Meeting Hall, Dean Street: Wynne Roberts, "Aber Ogwen to Ogwen Lake" Caernarfon, 29 January (last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the The Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: Dewi Tomos, "Beirdd Gwlad yn y Teulu" Dolgellau, 8 January (second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel: BUT this night. "Noson yn yr archifdy / An evening in the Archives" Llandudno, 8 December (second Monday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Ebenezer, Abergele Road, Old Colwyn (please note new meeting place): Members evening Llangefni, 15 January (third Thursday of each month) 7.15pm at Capel Smyrna, Ffordd Glanhwfa: But this evening "A workshop in the Llangefni Archives" Pwllheli, 16 January (third Friday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Seion, Lon Dywod: Dewi Tomos, "Bardd Gwlad yn y Teulu" ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/12/no_20_census_information_chang.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/12/no_20_census_information_chang.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:03:46 +0000 I'm showing again part of the 1851 Census for Glanypwll, Penmachno, where my great, great grandparents, William and Ellin Williams, can be seen at the bottom. Three doors away in the same terrace can be seen the names of Gwen Jones, Head aged 53, with her son Ellis Jones aged 22 who was a tailor. Also in the house on census night was Ellis Price aged 20 who is described as a visitor and was a smith by occupation. Was Ellis Price a friend or relative who was visiting on census night or was he a rent-paying boarder taken in to help the family finances? In many cases boarders are actually described as "boarders" on the census forms but it really depends on the accuracy with which the enumerators undertakes the recording of the information that he's been given. I have received, through the generosity of one of the readers of this blog, a copy of William and Ellin's Wedding Certificate, where Ellin is down as Ellinor. On this Certificate William's father is shown as William Pritchard and Ellin's as David Jones, who is shown in the 1851 as living with them. William had therefore followed the Welsh tradition of taking his father's first name as his surname and became William Williams and he was the last of my ancestors to do this as keeping the father's surname was then becoming standard practice. In Blog 15 in September I quoted the gravestone where William Pritchard was buried and this shows that he died in 1830 aged 42 and that his wife was Gwen Pritchard who died in 1867 aged 80. So how do I know that the Gwen Jones shown as living in Glanypwll in 1851 is William Williams' father and the widow of William Pritchard who is shown on the gravestone as Gwen Pritchard? It was because my grandparents kept important papers. Amongst my mother's papers I found copies of two editions of "Yr Eugrawn Wesleyaidd" (monthly journal of the Welsh Wesleyans) dated May and June 1897. William Williams had become a leading member and deacon in the Wesleyan chapel in Penmachno and these two journals contained tribute articles on his life following his death in 1896. These were invaluable to me in building up the family tree. I might have found these articles through painstaking research through journals but finding them with the family papers saved me dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of research work. These articles relate how Gwen was left a widow with 7 children to raise when William Pritchard died in 1830 which would have put my great great grandfather aged 5 when he lost his father. Gwen reverted back to her maiden name of Jones on becoming a widow, or she might have always have been called Jones throughout her marriage, and she is down in the 1841 census as Gwen Jones. The extract of the 1841 Census shows her living in a house called Mynydd with three sons, Richard aged 18, William (my gggrandfather) aged 15 and Ellis aged 12. Richard and William are both described as quarrymen but there is no occupational description for Ellis. Gwen is down under occupation as "Ind" for "Independent means". This doesn't mean someone with a private income but a person we would today call "self-employed" and in Gwen's case she scratched a living bringing up 7 children as a stocking knitter. The three sons are all called Jones in 1841 but by 1851 William has called himself William Williams after his father whilst Ellis is still Ellis Jones. The articles relate how the other sons left Penmachno to look for work leaving only William and Ellis in Penmachno and Ellis then changed his name to Williams so as to be consistent with his elder brother and he is recorded in censuses from 1861 onwards as Ellis Williams. A descendent of Ellis Williams came to a complete stop with her searches as she was quite naturally looking for an Ellis Williams before the 1861 census. It was only when I was able to tell her about the articles that the mystery was solved but the further back you go in researching your family history there is always a chance that you come up against this type of problem! The 1841 Census Records shown that it was very elementary. The last column simply asks whether the person was born in the same county or not and in all those shown the answer was "yes". The next Gwynedd Family History Society meetings are: Bangor, 2 December (first Tuesday of each month) 7.00pm at the Quakers Meeting Hall, Dean Street: Wynne Roberts, "Aber Ogwen to Ogwen Lake" Caernarfon, 27 November (last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the The Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: J Elwyn Hughes, "Byd go iawn Un Nos Ola Leuad" Dolgellau, 8 January (second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel: BUT this night. "Noson yn yr archifdy / An evening in the Archives" Llandudno, 8 December (second Monday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Ebenezer, Abergele Road, Old Colwyn (please note new meeting place): Members evening Llangefni, 20 November (third Thursday of each month) 7.15pm at Capel Smyrna, Ffordd Glanhwfa: David Price "J J Dodd, A Victorian Painter" Pwllheli, 21 November (third Friday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Seion, Lon Dywod: Elwyn Davies, "Cyfenwau" ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/11/19_census_information_-_surnam.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/11/19_census_information_-_surnam.html Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:02:12 +0000 In the conduct of the census these days we are given forms which we are expected to complete and these are then collected by an official. When the census was first conducted in 1841 many people could not read or write and therefore the information was collected by an enumerator visiting all the houses in a parish and recording the information. The information in the 1841 Census was fairly elementary and, whilst there have been changes over the years; the general pattern was set in the 1851 Census. As an example I show a typical page from the 1851 Census but I'm not sure whether people will be able to read all the detail. On the top you will see that this is taken from a census of the Parish of Penmachno and in particular for the village of Penmachno in that parish. In some parishes there could have been more than one village. If you go to the full records you will find that the parish is divided into a number of Enumerator Districts dependent on the size of the parish. The first column gives the sequential number of each dwelling house that the enumerator visited. The second column gives the name of the house or street (usually with a number). This page shows five houses in Glanypwll and there is a sixth house on the next page. This was a terrace of houses which were renovated in 2006 and will hopefully still be standing in another 150 years. When I was a child living with my grandparents in Penmachno I remember that we used to visit someone living in Glanypwll and what stands out in my memory were the toilets. These were built at the end of the terrace over a small stream, so they had a water toilet which was far superior to that at my grandparent's small farm which was a hut with a seat with a bucket underneath whose contents had to be buried periodically in a field! Before the bridge was built to cross the river Machno the main means of crossing the river was by means of a ford near to Glanypwll. When first built this terrace was therefore on the main route from Lleyn to the markets in Denbigh and Rhuthun, i.e. the main highway in its day. The third column shows the name and surname of the persons staying in the house on the night of 30 March 1851 and the fourth column gives the relation of each person to the Head of the Family. The last entry on the page shows the name of William Williams, the Head of the Family who was my great, great grandfather; Ellin Williams, his wife and David Jones, his father in law. From this I can see that Ellin's father was David Jones. Against other entries in the fourth column you can see "son" or "dau". The fifth column is headed "Condition" which means the marital status. The "U" means unmarried. The sixth and seventh columns give the age of each person, the sixth for males and the seventh for females. From this I can see that William is 25 which gives me the clue that he was born around 1826 which I can use to try to establish his date of birth. Ellin was 20 and therefore born around 1831. This information is consistent with the record on grave B007 in the St Tudclud Memorial Inscriptions published by the Gwynedd FHS which show that Ellin died aged 34 on 1st March 1865 and that they were then living at Bryn Madog. The census will show where people were living at the census date but to find any movements between these dates you have to go to other records. The eighth column shows the "Rank, Profession of Occupation" which shows that both William and his father in law were quarry men and Ellin was a quarry man's wife. The ninth column is headed "Where born". All except one person on this page were born in "Caernarvon Penmachno", i.e. this column shows the county and the parish. This is important information in tracing your ancestors as it give you the clue as to where to search for a person's birth details. The census data gives a wealth of information to help you trace your ancestors and is an important part of the jigsaw that you are trying to complete. In Blog No. 7 back in March I showed the Birth Certificate of William and Ellin's first son, William my great grandfather, who was born in Glanypwll on 29 November 1851. Unfortunately most of the 1861 Census records for Penmachno, as is the case for many other parishes, are missing and I can't find William and Ellin so I can't tell when they might have moved to Bryn Madog where Ellin died in 1865. Gwynedd FHS Library will be open on the afternoon of Saturday 15 November The GFH Society meetings for the next 4 weeks are: Bangor, 4 November (first Tuesday of each month) 7.00pm at the Quakers Meeting Hall, Dean Street: David Kent, "Welsh Highland Railway Update" Caernarfon, 27 November (last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the The Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: J Elwyn Hughes, "Byd go iawn Un Nos Ola Leuad" Dolgellau, 13 Tachwedd (second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel Brian Paul, "Bywyd Samuel Holland" Llandudno, 10 November (second Monday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Ebenezer, Abergele Road, Old Colwyn (please note new meeting place): Neil Sutton, "Mercy Ships". Llangefni, 20 November (third Thursday of each month) 7.15pm at Capel Smyrna, Ffordd Glanhwfa: David Price "J J Dodd, A Victorian Painter" Pwllheli, 21 November (third Friday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Seion, Lon Dywod: Elwyn Davies, "Cyfenwau" ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/11/18_census_information_-_census.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/11/18_census_information_-_census.html Sun, 02 Nov 2008 23:28:56 +0000 A census has been undertaken in the UK every 10 years since 1841 with the exception of 1941 when it was clearly impossible to conduct a census under wartime conditions. These censuses record who was living in every house in the country on census day. The information in the 1841 census was elementary but a fairly stable pattern emerged from 1851 onwards. These give the name of each person, their sex, age, marital status, their occupation, their place of birth and whether Welsh speaking or not. The "head" of each household is identified and the relationship of each household member to the head, e.g. son, daughter, mother, servant etc. The information recorded on the census forms are confidential and are not released for 100 years. The latest census information that is currently available is therefore that in the 1901 Census. Local Census information is available at your local Archive office and the Archive offices in the area are given below. The most common format in which the census records are to be found is on microfiches. To look at these you will need a microfiche reader and the archive offices have these. The Gwynedd Family History Society also has some of the Census records and has microfiche readers. The Society's library is open on the third Saturday afternoon of each month and is therefore accessible to those who are working during the week who are unable to visit the public records offices which are open during normal office hours. Some are also available on CD discs and it is also possible to subscribe to internet services to get census information on line. I shall cover these sources in future blogs. The census information is collected and recorded for each county but you must remember that they are the counties that existed before the local government reorganisation in 1974. Locally the counties were Anglesey, Caernarvonshire and Merionethshire with the old Denbighshire on the boundary. It's important to remember that Caernarvonshire was spelt with a "v" in the old records so if you are using a search facility you must use this spelling. If you use Caernarfonshire you'll come up with a blank. Each county is divided into parishes and the results are recorded for each parish. The old county of Caernarvonshire had 71 parishes and these are outlined on the map shown. The name of the parish does not always coincide with the name of the town or villages within the parish. You must therefore know the parish in which the town or village in which you're interested was situated. Even a town such as Caernarfon is not listed as it was in the Parish of Llanbeblig and it is Llanbeblig that is listed and not Caernarfon. If you are new to searching these records then you will be given guidance when you go to the public records offices or the Gwynedd Family History library. Once you have gained an understanding of the structure of the counties and the parishes in the area where your ancestors lived then you'll find it much easier to search the Census records. Gwynedd Archive Service Caernarfon Record Office The Caernarfon Record Office is based at Victoria Dock, Caernarfon Telephone: 01286 679095 Fax: 01286 679637 e-mail: archives.caernarfon@gwynedd.gov.uk Opening Hours: Monday: Closed. Tuesday-Friday: 9:30-12:30; 13:30-17:00 (Wednesday 13:30-19:00) Introductory courses: 8 November As it happens the Caernarfon Records Office is holding two introductory courses, one in Welsh and one in English, to give people an understanding of what is available at the local archives office. Booking through the above telephone or email contacts is essential. Welsh course: 10.00 - 12 noon English course: 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm Meirionnydd Record Office The Record Office and the Library are at the same location in Dolgellau. Access to the Record Office is through the Library on Ffordd y Bala, DOLGELLAU Telephone: 01341 424682 Fax: 01341 424683 e-mail: archives.dolgellau@gwynedd.gov.uk Opening Hours: Wednesday: Closed. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9:30-1:00; 14:00-17:00 Anglesey Archive Service: Llangefni Records Office The record office is located on the first floor of Shire Hall, Glanhwfa Road, Llangefni Telephone: 01248 752080 Email: archives@anglesey.gov.uk Opening Hours Monday to Friday: 9am-1pm; 2-5pm (except public holidays, (including St David's Day) and the first week in November). Afternoons only, every second Tuesday, starting 13/12/05 Conwy Archive Service Records Office based at: The Old Board School, Lloyd Street, Llandudno Telephone or fax the service on (01492) 860882 email: archifau.archives@conwy.gov.uk Open to the public every Monday to Thursday from 10 am to 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm. The Gwynedd-Liverpool Connections Exhibition continues at the Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery in the centre of Bangor until 25 October. The opening hours are Monday to Friday, 12.30 to 16.30, and Saturdays 10.30 to 16.30. The GFH Society meetings for the next 4 weeks are: Bangor, 4 November (first Tuesday of each month) 7.00pm at the Quakers Meeting Hall, Dean Street: David Kent, "Welsh Highland Railway Update" Caernarfon, 30 October (last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the The Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: Mair Lloyd Evans, "Cae'r Gors cyn Kate" Dolgellau, 13 Tachwedd (second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel Brian Paul, "Bywyd Samuel Holland" Llandudno, 10 November (second Monday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Ebenezer, Abergele Road, Old Colwyn (please note new meeting place): Neil Sutton, "Mercy Ships". Llangefni, 20 November (third Thursday of each month) 7.15pm at Capel Smyrna, Ffordd Glanhwfa: David Price "J J Dodd, A Victorian Painter" Pwllheli, 17 October (third Friday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Seion, Lon Dywod: Margaret Dunn, "Dyddio hen dai yn Eryri" ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/10/17_census_records_counties_and.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/10/17_census_records_counties_and.html Sun, 19 Oct 2008 22:56:37 +0000 www.gwyneddfhs.org. You will find the list of the names of those churchyards and cemeteries where the Inscriptions that have been prepared together with the price if you wish to purchase. These are grouped under the names of the old pre1974 counties of Anglesey, Caernarvonshire and Merionethshire and also a few in the old county of Denbighshire which became part of the new administrative county of Gwynedd in 1974. You can therefore check whether the cemetery in which you are interested has been recorded. As members are continuing with the recording of cemeteries these lists are updated regularly. Other publications listed are a number Indexes of Marriages, Baptisms, Census and Burials for the three counties which can also be purchased. There is also a list of over 500 of the 800 books in the Society's library. These can be borrowed by members for the cost of postage and packaging both ways. There are also details of the GenFair system which enables people to pay for publications, memberships etc. The website also contains the names and addresses of the Society's officers and their telephone numbers and email addresses where relevant. There are also details of membership rates and a means to apply for membership. There is also a facility for members, or any non-member, to send messages and questions about their family history to try to get answers. Unfortunately, because of a spate of spam messages, this facility is not currently available but it is hoped that the problems will be resolved in the near future. Other Family History societies also have similar websites and one way of finding them is to put the name into the search facility. I will however be giving details of how you can access these and other sources of information through websites in future blogs. Next Society open afternoon: Saturday 17 October, 2.00 - 5.00 pm Yr Aelwyd, Church Street, Caernarfon, LL55 1SW Gwynedd Archives will be closed for stock-taking between 13 and 17 October The Gwynedd-Liverpool Connections Exhibition continues at the Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery in the centre of Bangor until 25 October. The opening hours are Monday to Friday, 12.30 to 16.30, and Saturdays 10.30 to 16.30. The GFH Society meetings for the next 4 weeks are: Bangor, 4 November (first Tuesday of each month) 7.00pm at the Quakers Meeting Hall, Dean Street: David Kent, "Welsh Highland Railway Update" Caernarfon, 30 October (last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the The Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: Mair Lloyd Evans, "Cae'r Gors cyn Kate" Dolgellau, 9 October (second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel Mari Emlyn, "Llythyrau O M Edwards" Llandudno, 13 October (second Monday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Ebenezer, Abergele Road, Old Colwyn (please note new meeting place): Angel Brabin, "Poison is a woman's weapon". Llangefni, 16 October (third Thursday of each month) 7.15pm at Capel Smyrna, Ffordd Glanhwfa: Peter Brindley "Aspects of Bangor" Pwllheli, 17 October (third Friday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Seion, Lon Dywod: Margaret Dunn, "Dyddio hen dai yn Eryri" ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/10/16_gwynedd_family_history_soci.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/10/16_gwynedd_family_history_soci.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:11:24 +0000 Some months ago I wrote about the Society's journal, Gwreiddiau Gwynedd, published twice a year, and I'll now try to give you some more information. The Society has an office and Library in Canolfan yr Aelwyd, Stryd yr Eglwys, Caernarfon, LL55 1SW. The centre is open once a month on the third Saturday of the month between the hours of 2.00 pm and 5.00pm. On these days members can come to use the research aids available and the library which now contains some 800 books that are relevant to people researching family history. Some of the books have been donated but most of the research aids have been purchased. The Society produces its own publications for sale including the Journal, Gwreiddiau Gwynedd, which is written and edited by volunteers. The other important publications are the Memorial Inscriptions of churchyards and cemeteries throughout the area. Members go out and record what is written on every memorial stone in a churchyard. They record exactly what is written on the stone, even though the spelling may sometimes be incorrect. A careful plan is prepared recording the location of each stone and all this is transcribed into a comprehensive publication. As an example, the plan of the churchyard of St Tudclud Church in Penmachno is shown. Here I've found 11 graves where my direct ancestors are buried ranging from great, grandparents to great, great, great great grandparents. The location of these graves is shown in the copy of the churchyard map. As an example, the inscription on grave B022 reads as follows: "Er coffadwriaeth am JANE HUGHES, a gladdwyd yn 1795, yn 42 oed. Hefyd claddwyd dwy oi merchaid, MARGARET, 1785, yn 1 flwydd oed, ELIZABETH, 1795 yn 3 bl. Oed. Drachefn am WILLIAM PRITCHARD, a gladdwyd Medi 6ed, 1830 yn 43 oed. Hefyd GWEN PRITCHARD, ei wraig, yr hon a fu farw Mehefin 16, 1867, yn 80 oed." William and Gwen were my great, great, great grandparents and Jane Hughes was Williams' mother. There are only two gravestones in this churchyard dated earlier than this. Most of the transcriptions on the stones in a Welsh country churchyard are, of course, in Welsh but these publications have some translation guidance for the non-Welsh reader. Briefly the above stated that Jane Hughes was buried in 1795, aged 42. Also two of her daughters, Margaret in 1785 aged 1 and Elizabeth in 1795 aged 3. Then William Pritchard buried 6 September 1830 aged 43. Also Gwen Pritchard, his wife who died 16 June 1867 aged 80. Note that the exact dates are not given for the first three; the date of burial is given for William and the date of death given for Gwen. There will be variation like this on many gravestones. You will see that the map shows the churchyard split into 3 sections, B and C, and each grave is numbered although the numbers will be too small for you to see on this map. Therefore, if you have the grave number and the map you can go directly to the grave, provided it's in a reasonably tidy condition! In my experience the St. Tudclud churchyard in Penmachno is well kept. The publications also have an index by name so if you have a name you can find the grave number and read the inscription to see whether this is the person you're looking for. You will also see the names of the other people buried in that grave which may give you more information. If it's a common name that you're looking for you find that there will be a number of graves for you to check. In this Penmachno churchyard, for example, there are 30 graves where a John Jones is buried! There is also an index by home names so if you know the name of the house where your ancestor lived you can find graves where people living at that address were buried and read the inscriptions. In the example given above there is no mention of the address where any of the individuals lived but the majority would have a house name. In some of the publications there is also an index by occupation. I obviously purchased this publication as it contains so much information that is of interest to me. In addition to these 11 graves of the direct ancestors there are many more where their brothers and sisters are buried. You can buy these publications but if you're not sure where your ancestors are buried you can come along to one of the open days on the third Saturday of the month and look at the reference copies. You can then decide whether you wish to buy any publication. Next Society open afternoon: Saturday 17 October, 2.00 - 5.00 pm Yr Aelwyd, Church Street, Caernarfon, LL55 1SW The Gwynedd-Liverpool Connections Exhibition continues at the Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery in the centre of Bangor until 25 October. The opening hours are Monday to Friday, 12.30 to 16.30, and Saturdays 10.30 to 16.30. The GFH Society meetings for the next 4 weeks are: Bangor, 7 October (first Tuesday of each month) 7.00pm at the Quakers Meeting Hall, Dean Street: Gareth Haulfryn Williams, "Using Probate Records" Caernarfon, 25 September (last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the The Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: Margaret Dunn, "Adeiladau Tuduraidd yn Eryri" Dolgellau, 9 October (second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel Mari Emlyn, "Llythyrau O M Edwards" Llandudno, 13 October (second Monday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Ebenezer, Abergele Road, Old Colwyn (please note new meeting place): Angel Brabin, "Poison is a woman's weapon". Llangefni, 16 October (third Thursday of each month) 7.15pm at Capel Smyrna, Ffordd Glanhwfa: Peter Brindley "Aspects of Bangor" Pwllheli, 17 October (third Friday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Seion, Lon Dywod: Margaret Dunn, "Dyddio hen dai yn Eryri" ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/09/15_gwynedd_family_history_soci.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/09/15_gwynedd_family_history_soci.html Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:49:50 +0000 Since undergoing surgery in July I haven't been able to do much during the past weeks but on Saturday morning I managed to attend the Official Opening of the Gwynedd-Liverpool Connections Exhibition at the Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery in Bangor. The Exhibition has been organised, during Liverpool's year as the European Capital of Culture, to celebrate the Gwynedd and Liverpool connections over the last three centuries. The Exhibition was opened jointly by Alun Ffred Jones, Arfon Assembly Member and Minister for Culture in the Welsh Assembly Government, and the Rev Dr. D Ben Rees, who has recently retired following 40 years as a Presbyterian Minister in the city and author of numerous books on the Welsh in Liverpool in both Welsh and English. In the opening ceremony both men gave enlightening speeches which I found extremely interesting and I was glad that I had made the effort to attend. My other reason for attending was that I had responded to an appeal at the beginning of the year and had provided some items of my own for possible use in this exhibition and I wanted to see how many, if any, had been used! I wasn't disappointed. As soon as I walked into the main hall I noticed a blown up photo on the wall of a ward in the Royal Southern Hospital which I had provided. The photo is shown above and my mother can be seen standing on the extreme right hand side as you look at the photo. It was taken in the Men's Ward during Christmas 1934 and I have a number of other photos in which my mother appears taken in different wards at different dates during the 1930s. The Royal Southern, now long demolished, was located near the docks and was the hospital used by sailors. I remember my mother telling me that it was a very rough area but she and other nurses never felt frightened when walking home at night after a late shift. In those days nurses were respected and were not attacked or abused on the streets. I had a brief look round the exhibition and spoke to a number of people before the opening ceremony but after the ceremony had finished I felt too tired to stay much longer and had to be taken home. However, from what I saw I could see that the presentation was excellent with well produced information boards with photos on the walls and well set out items in display cabinets. I shall certainly be going back within the next few weeks when I'm feeling stronger in order to see and enjoy the exhibition properly and, of course, to find out whether any more of my items have been included! The Exhibition is at the Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery in the centre of Bangor and will continue until 25 October. The opening hours are Monday to Friday, 12.30 to 16.30, and Saturdays 10.30 to 16.30. The Gwynedd Family History Society meetings are starting up again and the meetings for the next four weeks are: Bangor, 7 October (first Tuesday of each month) 7.00pm at the Quakers Meeting Hall, Dean Street: Gareth Haulfryn Williams, "Using Probate Records" (Sorry, I've missed the first meeting on 2 September) Caernarfon, 25 September (last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the The Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: Margaret Dunn, "Adeiladau Tuduraidd yn Eryri" Dolgellau, 11 September (second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel Margaret Dunn, "Dyddio hen dai yn Eryri" Llandudno, 8 September (second Monday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Ebenezer, Abergele Road, Old Colwyn (please note new meeting place): E Rowland Pickering, "A trip to Heritage sites". Llangefni, 18 September (third Thursday of each month) 7.15pm at Capel Smyrna, Ffordd Glanhwfa: Margaret Dunn "Dating old houses in North Wales" Pwllheli, 19 September (third Friday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Seion, Lon Dywod:Dr Parch Harri Pari, "Meddygon Dafad Wyllt" ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/09/14_liverpool_and_gwynedd_exhib.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/09/14_liverpool_and_gwynedd_exhib.html Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:04:34 +0000 Over the past few years I've been involved in a project to redevelop one of Caernarfon's historic buildings, Feed My Lambs. It was built originally as an Infant School in 1836 and the school Log Books for 1865 to 1899 deposited in Gwynedd Archives give a fascinating insight into life amongst the poorer community in Caernarfon in the second half of the nineteenth century. We secured a grant of £347,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to carry out renovation work to save this historic building and to restore it for use by the Church, who own the building, and it to enable it to become once again a thriving community centre. The first photo shows how it was before the work started and the second of how the exterior looked a few weeks ago. There will be an Open Day on Saturday 12 July between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm to give the public an opportunity to see inside. The work revealed an original church window that had been hidden for decades. The new stained glass for this window will not be ready until September but the window frame is a remarkable sight and a real bonus that's come to light through the restoration work. Part of the project is to prepare interpretation panels to illustrate the use of the building since 1836. Work has been undertaken in the Archives by a Bangor University student which will form the basis of the interpretation of its history as a school. A photo of a plaque on the wall to commemorate Ellen Parry for 50 years service to the school is shown. We have also been appealing to the public for stories and photographs of people and events at Feed my Lambs in twentieth century. A fair number were received at the planning stage but now that the restoration is seen to be a reality we are being inundated with stories. Only last week Robert Glyn Williams of Caernarfon told me how the building been used as a convalescence home during the First World War. Robert's parents, Elizabeth and Robert Williams kept a well-known grocer's shop in Penllyn. His mother's uncle, John Jones from Bwlchtocyn, lost his toes through frostbite in the trenches and when he came back from France he was taken to Feed My Lambs for convalescence before being discharged from the army. As a boy, Robert used to visit Bwlchtocyn regularly and each time John Jones used to ask about Feed My Lambs and he clearly had very fond memories. This is the first time that we learnt of this use of the building and we'd be pleased to hear from anyone else who may know of this aspect of its use. Many have told us that when they were pupils in the Ysgol Râd (the associated National School that stood opposite FML but now demolished) that they went to Feed My Lambs to get their school dinners. It appears that is was used as a school canteen when school dinners were first introduced during the Second World War until the time the pupils left Ysgol Râd to go to the new Maesincla school. We've been given a very interesting photo of the pupils making the move from the old school to the new. If any of the readers have any memories of using Feed My Lambs or know some stories about their ancestors using the school I be very interested to hear from you. We would be very interested in receiving photographs which we would scan and return the originals. Because of the recent influx of material there will be a delay in completing the interpretation boards so your photo could still make a significant contribution. I've had a few health problems lately which explains the inconsistencies in the timing of these blogs. I'm going for treatment next week but hope to resume the regular blogs from the end of August when I'll be dealing with census returns. ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/07/no_13_feed_my_lambs.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/07/no_13_feed_my_lambs.html Sun, 13 Jul 2008 11:45:18 +0000 Women’s History Roadshow to be held at Caernarfon Record Office on Saturday, 28 June, 11am - 3pm (entry free). This is being organised by Archif Menywod Cymru / Women's Archive of Wales (WAW) which exists to promote the study, and to rescue and preserve the sources, of women's history in Wales. Their aim is to rescue material of all kinds which relate to women’s lives in Wales and to ensure it is properly cared for and preserved, and made accessible (subject to any restrictions) to anyone interested. The task of recovering women’s history in Wales is urgent and pressing. Central to the reclamation of this distinctive history is the active process of tracking down, rescuing and conserving historical sources which throw light on women’s lives. The past cannot be reconstructed without authentic historical sources. WAW collect a broad range of archival, photographic and other material sources which illustrate the history and heritage of women in Wales, and their experience in a range of spheres including the domestic, political, religious, economic, cultural and social. They particularly seek diaries, scrapbooks, the minute books of women’s organisations, literary manuscripts, photographs and similar materials. Their collections are deposited in WAW’s name in existing record offices in Wales, and in the National Library of Wales, where they are properly cared for, and where they can be accessed by researchers subject to any restrictions put on a collection. Roadshows are a means of getting the public involved and are based on the popular model of the Antiques Roadshow. The public are being invited to bring memorabilia which tell us about the lives of women in Wales. As well as one-to-one discussions about the historical (as opposed to monetary) value of family or organisational records, each roadshow will also include talks and exhibitions, advice on conservation, and on safeguarding material for posterity. Experts on hand at the Roadshow will give advice on conservation and preservation as well as discussing the historic value of the items. Items can be deposited with the Archive or copied for the Women's Archive of Wales’s website. Professor Deirdre Beddoe, Emeritus Professor of Women's History at the University of Glamorgan and President of the Women’s Archive of Wales, will be among the experts viewing items at the Caernarfon roadshow, as will Catrin Stevens, author and historian, and local archivists will provide the vital local link. Catrin Stevens said: “People are often unaware of the significance of many items, and may throw them away without realising their potential value – there is a lack of material about women of the twentieth century, and women in general, especially ordinary women.� If you have any material of this nature amongst your family records I would urge you to take it along to the Roadshow in Caernarfon on Saturday June 28th. A total of 17 Roadshows are being organised throughout Wales over a period of 2 years. One has already been held in Dolgellau and the next opportunity in this area will be in Anglesey on April 25, 2009. Even if you haven’t got relevant information it could still be an interesting event and you could learn a lot about how records are kept in public archives. For more information about the Caernarfon Roadshow, contact Rhiannon Gomer on 01341 420168 or email rhiannon.gomer@womensarchivewales.org, or visit the website: www.womensarchivewales.org. Caernarfon Archives closed in June The Gwynedd Archives in Caernarfon will unfortunately be closed to the public throughout the month of June due to maintenance work (Apart from the Roadshow on 28 June). Ynys Môn Archives Service The special “Ask your Archivist� introductory sessions continue with one session in July as follows: • Have you wondered how to start tracing your family history? • Have you ever wondered about the history of your house? • Do you want to know more about a subject or a place on Anglesey? • Then come along and ask Anne Venables. You can get advice on how to go about doing your own research which includes how to use the Anglesey Archives in Llangefni. Once you’ve started you’ll find it hard to stop! By appointment only: If you wish to attend any of the sessions listed in the following libraries you should telephone 01248 752083 to book your place. Llangefni Monday, 7 July 2-7pm ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/06/12_womens_history_roadshow.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/06/12_womens_history_roadshow.html Wed, 18 Jun 2008 07:51:49 +0000 The photo shows officers of the Gwynedd Family History Society together with the Rev. Dr D. Ben Rees and his wife Meinwen following his lecture at the Society’s AGM on Saturday 17 May. Seated in the photo are Mrs Meinwen Rees, The Rev. Dr. D Ben Rees and Society Chair Myfyr Hughes. Standing are myself, Llew Williams (Vice-Chair), Bryan Jones (General Secretary), John Barlow (Librarian) and Gwyndaf Williams (Publications Officer). Ben Rees spoke on “Gwynedd Families in Liverpool and Bootle since 1800� and he gave numerous examples of Gwynedd people who came to undertake a range of different roles in the life and development of Liverpool. He is an expert in this field having written or edited numerous publications including “Cymru Lerpwl a’r Cyffiniau, Cyfrol 1�, now sadly out of print, and “Cymru Lerpwl a’r cyffiniau yn yr Ugeinfed Ganrif, Cyfrol 2�, both published by Cyhoeddiadau Modern Cymraeg Cyf, 32 Garth Drive, Liverpool, L18 6HW. These are excellent reference books. The talk was attended by members from all 6 Branches of the Society in Gwynedd and some members from Clwyd. Following the talk there followed an interesting question and answer session and an opportunity for people to mix, revive friendships and acquaintances and discuss common interests. One of the great things about belonging to a Family History Society is that you meet people who are always prepared to give guidance to newcomers and share experiences and through this there’s always a possibility that you might meet a distant cousin. You may notice that I’m wearing a medallion in the photo. This is because that at that stage I was acting in my capacity as Deputy Mayor of Caernarfon. I’d been installed on the previous Thursday evening and was delighted that my first official duty in this position was to welcome Ben Rees to Caernarfon. This gave me enormous pleasure because of my involvement with the Society and because of my friendship with Ben Rees since college days. At the Mayor installation ceremony on the Thursday evening my proposer and seconder said a few words about me and mentioned my interest in family history and my family connections with Penmachno and Llithfaen. After the formalities, Lis Jones, the Mayoress of Bangor, told me that she was also researching her family history and had family connections in Llithfaen. I asked if by any chance she was related to the Victoria Inn family and, to my surprise, said that she was. My great grandparents John and Jane Roberts kept the Victoria Inn (now Tafarn y Fic) from the 1870s onwards and I remember their daughters, my grandfather’s sisters Hannah and Minnie, keeping the pub in the 1940s and early 1950s. It turns out that Lis’s great grandmother Laura, was Jane’s sister and had spent time helping out in the inn before marriage. I had found a new third cousin! I had previously found John and Jane’s wedding records and therefore knew that her parents were John Hughes and Ellen Thomas from Efailnewydd but I hadn’t had time to investigate any further along this branch of the family tree. Lis has now offered me the benefit of her research and this is a fine example of we all try to help each other. Caernarfon Archives closed in June The Gwynedd Archives in Caernarfon will unfortunately be closed to the public throughout the month of June due to maintenance work. Ynys Môn Archives Service The special “Ask your Archivist� introductory sessions continue during June and July as follows: • Have you wondered how to start tracing your family history? • Have you ever wondered about the history of your house? • Do you want to know more about a subject or a place on Anglesey? • Then come along and ask Anne Venables. You can get advice on how to go about doing your own research which includes how to use the Anglesey Archives in Llangefni. Once you’ve started you’ll find it hard to stop! By appointment only: If you wish to attend any of the sessions listed in the following libraries you should telephone 01248 752083 to book your place. Rhosneigr Wednesday 4 June, 2-4.30 pm Beaumaris Monday 9 June, 4- 7pm Moelfre Monday, 16 June, 2-5pm Llangefni Monday, 7 July 2-7pm ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/06/11_discovering_a_new_cousin_1.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/06/11_discovering_a_new_cousin_1.html Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:54:59 +0000 Rev Dr D Ben Rees on “The presence of Gwynedd Families in Liverpool and Bootle since 1800�. Potential new members are welcome to come along to this talk and also to find out what the Society has to offer. Ben Rees has been a Welsh Presbyterian Minister in Liverpool since the end of the 1960s until his recent retirement and has authored a number of books and numerous articles on the history of the Welsh in Liverpool and is active in all aspects of Welsh life in Liverpool. This year Liverpool is the European City of Culture and Gwynedd Archives are in the process of preparing an exhibition featuring the links between Gwynedd and Liverpool to be held at the Museum in Bangor during September. Dr Rees’s talk is therefore very timely and I’m particularly looking forward to the talk because of my own Liverpool background. I was born in Liverpool but went to stay with my grandparents in Penmachno during the war and returned to bomb damaged Liverpool in 1945. Although we went back to Wales in 1947 I continued visit Liverpool regularly to stay with my aunt and uncle every school holiday until about 1954 when they also left Liverpool. I therefore have many childhood memories of Liverpool but strangely my subsequent visits to Liverpool were very rare until my daughter went to college in Liverpool in 1998. This gave me the opportunity to get to know the city again and the memories came flooding back as I took her around to show where I used to live in Litherland, where I went to school, where my grandparents had lived, Gwladys Street School where my father had been a teacher etc. One day I took her to see the Stanley Road Chapel in Bootle where I had been baptised. Unfortunately the chapel had been completely destroyed in a bombing raid in 1941 so when we returned in 1945 all the services and activities were held in the vestry. The members decided to rebuild and a new chapel, built in a similar style to the old, was opened in 1955 but unfortunately it was closed during the 1990s. It is now used by the local authority and the building is in good condition but when my daughter and I visited I saw that there was nothing to indicate that this had once been a Welsh Chapel. I felt that there should be a plaque to show its former use and decided to do something about it. I approached Ben Rees, whom I’d known since college days, and money was raised, a plaque was prepared and I was delighted to be invited to the unveiling ceremony during the Bootle Welsh Festival in October 2003. I felt that I’d played a small part in preserving the heritage of this chapel where I was baptised and that had been so important to my parents and thousands of Welsh people over the years. GFH Society Annual General Meeting Talk, Saturday 17 May 2008, 2.00 pm at Yr Aelwyd, Stryd yr Eglwys (Church Street), Caernarfon. Guest Speaker: Rev Dr Ben Rees, Liverpool. “The presence of Gwynedd Families in Liverpool and Bootle since 1800� The talk will be in English Ask your Archivist I’ve been sent more information about additional special sessions being organised by the Archives Service in Ynys Môn. • Have you wondered how to start tracing your family history? • Have you ever wondered about the history of your house? • Do you want to know more about a subject or a place on Anglesey? • Then come along and ask Anne Venables. You can get advice on how to go about doing your own research which includes how to use the Anglesey Archives in Llangefni. Once you’ve started you’ll find it hard to stop! By appointment only: If you wish to attend any of the sessions listed in the following libraries you should telephone 01248 752083 to book your place. Benllech Tuesday 13 May, 2-5pm Cemaes Monday 19 May, 2-6pm Rhosneigr Wednesday 4 June, 2-4.30 pm Beaumaris Monday 9 June, 4- 7pm Moelfre Monday, 16 June, 2-5pm Llangefni Monday, 7 July 2-7pm ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/05/gwynedd_and_liverpool.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/05/gwynedd_and_liverpool.html Tue, 13 May 2008 05:58:44 +0000 In Blog No 8 I wrote about the problems that occur sometimes with records for people living in parishes on the borders of counties. This doesn’t only apply to counties with land boundaries as I remember some totally unexpected complications my wife once had when looking for birth details of ancestors in the Brynsiencyn area of Anglesey. She was looking, quite naturally, in the Llangefni Archives and Llangefni Registry Office without success. She eventually found them in the Caernarfon records office! When there was a regular ferry service from Anglesey to Caernarfon, Caernarfon was the market town for the southern corner of Anglesey and people found it easier to get to Caernarfon than to Llangefni and used to register their births etc in Caernarfon rather than Llangefni. You would only know this if you knew the history of the area but staff in the County Archives and volunteers at the Gwynedd Family History Society open days are very good in bringing such complications, and the potential solutions, to your attention. These days we have to make an appointment to go the office of the Registrar of Birth, Marriages and Deaths to register a birth but in the nineteenth century a local Registrar would visit people to register the births. If you look back at the birth Certificate for Robert Williams, born in July 1878 shown with Blog 8 you will notice that the Registrar was Matthew R Williams. He was a clockmaker by trade and I have a grandfather clock made by Matthew Williams. My mother said that he was related but I haven’t succeeded in finding the connection yet. Matthew Williams was the son of Parc, Penmachno, which was the neighbouring farm to Tyddyn Ucha, the home of Robert Williams’ mother, Catherine Roberts, so he was most probably a close family friend rather than a relative. The authors of an excellent 1993 book “The Clockmakers of Llanrwst�, which is mainly about the famous clockmakers John and Watkin Owen, mention Matthew Williams as one of the lesser known clockmakers in the area. In their research they found only one Matthew Williams clock. I have one and I’ve subsequently found one other so there are at least three of Matthew Williams’ clocks surviving today. If anyone reading this piece knows the whereabouts of another Matthew Williams clock, with the name “M Williams, Penmachno� like mine in the photo, I’d be very interested in learning about it. Being the Registrar of the Yspyty sub-district was a part-time job for Matthew Williams but he sadly hanged himself on 7 March 1879 at the age of 35. In the report on the unfortunate incident in Banner ac Amserau Cymru (12 March 1879) it states that he had spent the previous day in the parishes of Pentrefoelas and Yspyty Ifan collecting details of births and deaths. This would indicate that people would get a message to the Registrar about a birth or a death and he would arrange to visit to collect and record the details. The Birth Certificate is one of the key documents in tracing your family tree as you will get you will get the exact birth date and details of the father and occupation and address at the time. You will also get the mother’s maiden name. You will always get the mother’s name but in the cases of illegitimate births there will be no name for the father and I’ll give an example of this at some later blog. Finding a connection with the Registrar, as I did in this case, is an unexpected bonus which you sometimes get when researching your family history. And the story of the clock is itself an interesting story which I’ll write sometime. GFH Society Annual General Meeting, Saturday 17 May 2008, 2.00 pm at Yr Aelwyd, Stryd yr Eglwys, Caernarfon. Guest Speaker: Rev Dr Ben Rees, Liverpool. More about this meeting and the Liverpool connection in the next Blog The GFH Society meeting for May are: Bangor, Saturday 10 May Branch Outing: Rhyd Ddu and Nantgwynant with Margaret Dunn Caernarfon, No meeting Dolgellau, 8 May (second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel: Penri Jones Evans, “Hanes Tref y Bala� Llandudno, No meeting Llangefni, 15 May, Mystery trip Pwllheli, No meeting ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/04/9_birth_certificate_again.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/04/9_birth_certificate_again.html Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:50:47 +0000 Last time I wrote about my great grandfather’s Birth Certificate and the example shown was a copy of the register entry of William William’s birth on 29 November 1851. The copy shown was prepared by the then Registrar, Arthur Owen, and dated 16 August 1921. More experienced readers will know that he obtained this copy in preparation for his seventieth birthday on 29 November 1921. He would have needed the certificate in order to be able to prove his age in making an application to receive his old age pension, which at that time was paid at the age of 70. Unfortunately he didn’t get much benefit from his old age pension as he died on 3 February 1922. This time I show a copy of the Birth Certificate of my grandfather, Robert Williams who was the second of four sons of William Williams and Catherine Roberts. He was born in July 1878 and you will notice that the copy is dated March 1948 which again indicates that it was obtained ahead of his application for an old age pension at the age of 70 in July 1948. You will notice that his father’s name is down as William P. Williams even though we saw from his birth certificate that he was born William Williams. As he was exactly the same name as his father, he decided to adopt the middle name “Pritchard� taken after his grandfather William Pritchard. He was known, certainly during his adult life, as William Pritchard Williams and I’ve seen many documents that he has signed as William Pritchard Williams. He didn’t change his name officially but simply adopted the middle name. If one was starting to trace the family tree from complete ignorance then this type of change of name could lead to much confusion but I was lucky that I’d listened to my grandparents and then my mother talking about him and I knew about the additional name. Robert Williams went on to do exactly the same and adopted the middle name “Cadwalader� after his grandfather on his mother’s side. He was subsequently known as Robert Cadwalader Williams despite his birth certificate stating simply Robert Williams. The family lived at Talywaen which was a terraced house on the main road going into Penmachno but bigger than the Glanypwll terraced houses. Talywaen looks in very good condition today. On the top of both certificates is shown the Registration District, Llanrwst and the Sub-District, Yspyty. It then states that this is the Counties of Caernarvon and Denbigh. In most cases the District and Sub-District will be within one county but sometimes, as in this case, a sub-district can cover parts of two counties. The Parish of Penmachno was wholly within the old county of Caernarvonshire but the main town in the area, Llanrwst, was in the old county of Denbigh and this has caused me problems from time to time. The sub-district of Yspyty covered the parishes of Penmachno, Yspyty Ifan and Pentrefoelas, the second two being in Denbighshire. If you’re interested in a parish that is on the border with another county you should check that the nearest main town is within the same county otherwise you could encounter difficulties as I’ve had with Llanrwst being within Denbighshire. The GFH society meeting for remainder of April and early May are: Bangor, 10 May: Branch Outing “Rhyd Ddu and Nantgwynant with Margaret Dunn� Caernarfon, 24 April (last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the The Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: Members Evening - talks given by members about aspects their family history Dolgellau, 8 May (second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel: Penri Jones Evans, “Hanes Tref y Bala� Llandudno, 14 April (second Monday of each month) 7.00pm: An evening in the Conwy Archives, Old Board School, Lloyd Street, Llandudno. Llangefni, 17 April (third Thursday of each month) 7.15pm at Capel Smyrna, Ffordd Glanhwfa: Visit to Yr Aelwyd undertaking research Pwllheli, 18 April (third Friday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Seion, Lon Dywod: John Dilwyn Williams “Gair o brofiad� Ask your Archivist I’ve been sent information about special sessions being organised by the Archives Service in Ynys Môn. The first session is at Holyhead Library, Thursday 17 April 2p.m. - 7p.m • Have you wondered how to start tracing your family history? • Have you ever wondered about the history of your house? • Do you want to know more about a subject or a place on Anglesey? • Then come along and ask Anne Venables. You can get advice on how to go about doing your own research which includes how to use the Anglesey Archives in Llangefni. Once you’ve started you’ll find it hard to stop! By appointment only: If you wish to attend the above session or any of the further sessions listed below you should telephone 01248 752083 to book your place. Porthaethwy Thursday 24 April, 2-7pm Amlwch Thursday 1 May, 2-7pm Benllech Tuesday 13 May, 2-5pm Cemaes Monday 19 May, 2-6pm Rhosneigr Wednesday 4 June, 2-4.30 pm ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/04/more_about_birth_certificates.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/04/more_about_birth_certificates.html Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:25:17 +0000 On Easter Day I had the pleasure of attending the baptism service of my granddaughter Cara in St. Luke’s RC Church, Salford. It was a wonderful experience and it brought back memories of 27 April 1980 when Cara’s mother, my daughter Ceri, was baptised in the Rhosddu Welsh Presbyterian Church, Wrexham. I have Ceri’s Certificate of Baptism but I’ve no recollection of ever having seen my own Certificate of Baptism and I’ve no idea whether one was ever prepared. However, my parents had kept the Annual Report for the Stanley Road Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Chapel, Bootle, for the year of my birth and my name appears amongst the list of those baptised during that year. This was one of the many document and booklets that I found in the house following my father’s death and I therefore have proof that I was baptised but unfortunately the date is not recorded. Neither is the name of the minister who conducted the service but I do know that it was the Rev. John Easter Ellis because I remember my parents telling me. Baptism is, of course, a voluntary act depending on the parent’s religious beliefs the strength of their belief and the records are variable depending on the church and how careful the parents are in keeping records. Birth records are very different as it has been a legal requirement that all births be registered in a civic registration office since 1837. Before this many births would have been recorded in Church records. The format of the Birth Certificate remained the same from 1837 to 1969 and the example shown is the Birth Certificate of one of my great grandfathers, William Williams, who was born in Penmachno on 29 November 1851. The number in the first column is the number on the register. The second column shows the date and place of birth which, in this case, was Glan y Pwll, Penmachno. This is a row of terraced houses which were renovated in 2006 and the owner gained a Civic Trust Wales Award for the quality of the renovation work. There’s therefore a good chance that this terrace will still be standing in another 150 years. The next columns show the name, William, that he was a boy and then the name of his father, William Williams. He therefore had exactly the same name as his father! Next is the name of the mother, Elinor Williams, and the useful information here is that she was formerly Jones. If you didn’t already know it, this information gives you a clue to help you to trace the family history of the mother. The next column gives the father’s profession or work and in this case is “quarryman� which was the predominant employment for men in Penmachno in those days. Before the start of the quarries, the population of the Parish of Penmachno was about 600 and it rose to nearly 2,000 during the height of the quarries later in nineteenth century. By today, however, the population is back down to about 600. The birth was not registered on the day of the birth and, like today, someone had to visit the Registrar to register the birth. As the men were working, this task was usually undertaken by the mother and column 8 shows that this was done on 20 December 1851. Column 7 shows that it was Elinor who registered the birth and it also shows that Elinor had made a mark of a cross which the Registrar certified it to be that made by Elinor. This shows that Elinor was not able to write which was quite common in those days. In those days even where there is a signature, this is no guarantee that this person could write as many learnt to write their name but nothing else. I shall write more about Birth Certificates next time. The GFH society meeting for April are: Bangor, 1 April (first Tuesday of each month) 7.00pm at the Quakers Meeting Hall, Dean Street: Gina Kent and Pat Lindsey, “Two short talks� Caernarfon, 24 April (last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at The Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: Members Evening - talks given by members about aspects their family history Dolgellau, 10 April (second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel: Ann Lloyd Roberts, “Teulu’r Post, Llanuwchlyn� Llandudno, 14 April (second Monday of each month) 7.00pm: An evening in the Conwy Archives, Old Board School, Lloyd Street, Llandudno. Llangefni, 17 April (third Thursday of each month) 7.15pm: Visit to Yr Aelwyd to undertake research Pwllheli, 18 April (third Friday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Seion, Lon Dywod: John Dilwyn Williams “Gair o brofiad� ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/03/family_baptisms_and_birth_cert.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/03/family_baptisms_and_birth_cert.html Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:22:39 +0000 There has been some discussion in Caernarfon in recent weeks about the future of the Boer War memorial on top of Twtil, the hill that dominates the town. (see photo) It’s in a spectacular location with views in all directions over the town and the famous castle, towards Segontium Roman Fort; over the Menai Straits and Ynys Môn in one direction and the mountains of Eryri in the other. However, it’s not easy to get to, particularly if you have the slightest walking problem, and there had been suggestions that it should be moved to a more accessible locations such as Twtil Square which was thought suitable as so many of the men from Caernarfon who served in the Boer War came from the Twtil area. We had invited the Caernarfon Chairman of the RWF Comrades Association to come to a meeting of the Caernarfon Civic Society to discuss the situation. To prepare myself for the meeting I decided to do some research into Boer War Memorials which I knew were fairly rare. I found a number of websites including www.roll-ofhonour.com/Boer which I found to be the most useful. This contained details of memorials in various towns and cities but in Wales only two were listed, in Llandudno and Merthyr Tydfil. The memorial in Caernarfon was not listed and I realised that the list was not complete and this is because the website is run by volunteers. They are to be applauded for the work they do but clearly they do not have the resources of a professional organisation and I realised that there is no comprehensive list of the dead of the Boer War. It’s different for the casualties of WW1 and WW2 where cemeteries and their records are cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Since its establishment in 1917, the Commission has constructed 2,500 war cemeteries and plots, erecting headstones over graves and, in instances where the remains are missing, inscribing the names of the dead on permanent memorials. Over one million casualties are now commemorated at military and civil sites in some 150 countries. If you have a relative who was lost in these wars and are uncertain of the details then you should visit www.cwgc.org and go to the search page. The more information you have the easier it will be but if, for example, you only know his name and that he was killed in WW1 then you simply enter his surname and initials with the time range of 1914 to 1918 and you’ll get a list of all persons of that name who were killed during the war. Against each entry you will find his rank, Service Number, date of death, age when killed, regiment, nationality, the grave or memorial reference number and the name of the cemetery where he was buried. If you don’t know any of these details then you’ll have to check each name in turn until you, hopefully, find your relative. When you click on the name you get additional information including the next of kin which, in the case of single men, would be his parents and their address and this should be sufficient for you to be able to identify your relative. You can also get information about the cemetery, its location and how to get there and there are also photographs. You’ll find a Cemetery Plan so that if you did decide to visit you could easily find your way to the grave of your relative. You’ll also find a Certificate that is a record of exactly what is written on the gravestone. Anyone interested in learning about relatives lost in the world wars should visit this site. The GFH society meeting for remainder of March and April are: Bangor, 1 April (first Tuesday of each month) 7.00pm at the Quakers Meeting Hall, Dean Street: Gina Kent and Pat Lindsey, “Two short talks� Caernarfon, 27 March (last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the The Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: Geraint Jones, “Hanes Nant Gwrtheyrn� Dolgellau, 10 April (second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel: Ann Lloyd Roberts, “Teulu’r Post, Llanuwchlyn� Llandudno, 11 March (second Monday of each month) 7.00pm at The Library, Mostyn Street: Margaret Dunn, “Dating old houses in Snowdonia�. Llangefni, 20 March (third Thursday of each month) 7.15pm at Capel Smyrna, Ffordd Glanhwfa: Stephen Binks of Western Front Battlefield Tours “Wales and the Great War’ Pwllheli, 21 March (third Friday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Seion, Lon Dywod: Dr Hywel Wyn Owen, “Llen Cynefin� ]]> http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/03/commonwealth_war_graves_commis.html http://hywelroberts.northwalesblogs.co.uk/2008/03/commonwealth_war_graves_commis.html Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:45:42 +0000