Welsh Surnames

[Betty Willson]

My grandfather's name was William Pugh. He was born Talybont in the district of Aberystwyth 5 April 1864. I have his birth certificate. As "Pugh" is a very popular Welsh surname, it is difficult to be sure who is related to who. William Pugh's grandparents were James and Mary James. I am sure of these facts as I knew my grandfather. He died at Townsville Qld. Australia 25 June 1960. Is anyone able to advise me on the best way to proceed with Welsh Family History. I have found my grandfather on the 1871 census. By that time his father Isaac Pugh (I have his death certificate) had died and his mother had remarried Edwin Morris. I am in contact with a lady in Australia whose surname is Pugh but it is proving very difficult for us to establish a relationship between our Pugh families. Best wishes, Betty Willson

[John Nicholas]

Hello Betty.

PUGH is a fairly common Welsh name, but not nearly as common as Jones, Davies, Williams etc, or as Smith in England. Researching Welsh ancestors in the 19th century is really no different from doing it for English forebears - so just follow the same principles.

However....... PUGH is a surname derived from the patronymic 'ap Hugh' or, more correctly, 'ap Huw', son of Huw. Lots of Welsh surnames beginning with P or B are the same - Bowen, Probert, Price, Prichard etc. So if you can get back well into the 18th century, you'll find that surnames disappear and these patronynics crop up. It's at that point that you might need to ask for further help (probably not from me!) or look at specialist books on Welsh ancestry. IGI assumes that patronymics finished in 1812, which is almost certainly too late for most areas and ignores the fact that this process was a gradual one.

John

[Betty Willson]

Thank you for your reply John Nicholas, The earliest I can go back is the 1841 census where I found the family of my great grandfather. ie. Parents James (b. 1791) and Mary (b. 1796) Pugh plus children Isaac (b. 1826), Mary, Rees and William.

I also have the marriage certificates for Mary Davies, widow nee James to Isaac Pugh (2nd marriage for Mary) and her third marriage certificate to Edwin Morris. Isaac Pugh was also a widower when he married Mary.

My grandfather said that his grandparents James and Mary James were founding members of a Welsh Baptist Church. I thought at the time he meant the Welsh Baptist Church at Talybont but when an enquiry was made at the church by a relative the Baptist minister there at the time (1950's) said that our James and Mary James were not of the correct James family. My relative who asked, was given a book written in Welsh which has been lost but I have found mention of this book on the internet and it certainly mentions the surname "James".

On census returns, Mary James is shown as much older than her husband. She made a cross for her signature as informant, on Isaac, her son in law's death certificate. I assume that she was illiterate and that perhaps she did not know her birth date. However she is the relative that my grandfather spoke of the most. I would like to know when she was born or even the date of her death as I wonder if that was what prompted my grandfather to come to Australia. Betty Willson