Welsh Ancesters

[pat fowles]

Hi All...Wondered if anyone has any tips on searching for Welsh ancesters. I have Williams, Jones and Evans ancestry but pretty much impossible to track them as the names are so common.

[Megan Roberts]

To be honest it's basically the same as searching for English ancestors.

Jones is the most difficult and ranks up there with Smith! I have one set of great great grandparents caĺled James Smith and Mary Jones who died in North Wales, but who came respectively from South Western England and Mid Wales and I have traced them both back to their parents and the beginning of the 19th century. The only thing I haven't found is Mary in the 1851 census when I suspect that she was in service somewhere.

If you give us some details maybe we can help.

[Lesley Robertson]

Hi Pat. I’ve escaped from the Scotland forum to offer odd bits of advice since my surname and its variants is one of the 10 most common in Scotland. The first thing that you can do is head for our Welsh forum and have a look at the stickies - you never know what’s there.
With common names, it’s important to collect all names associated with a family - siblings, aunts and uncles, in-laws, even witnesses if you notice them. Forenames of children can be very useful - I gained a critical clue when I had to decide between 2 Georges and noticed that on had called a child Barbara, not such a common name in Scotland but one shared with an in-law aunt of one of the Georges. Obviously I kept the info for George 2, but this proved to be the clue that broke the brick wall. It’s extra work but.. .

[Sue Mackay]

You may find some pointers at https://www.british-genealogy.com/fo...ching-in-Wales

[Lesley Robertson]

Pat, maybe it's a good idea to giveus some details about one or more of them that you're sure about them?

[pwholt]

I agree with post 3. If sufficiently rare, you can search on gro site using only the first name. A date range is helpful. I draw your attention to a book called The surnames of Wales by John & Sheila Rowlands (from Federation of Family History Societies)where they identify where in Wales certain surnames are most common.In Wales only, Jones is most common at 13.85% and Williams at second at 8.91% Edwards ranks at 20th. The authors also explain the patronymic system and other useful details. pwholt

[pat fowles]

I have Thomas Williams b 1801 Wales married Charlotte Evans b 1811 North wales. Married in Manchester Cathedral 25th Oct 1830. Thomas only on 1841 census. Charlotte 1841 -1871 census'. Children Robert, Thomas, and William. No other info for them to get them back to Wales. Margaret Jane Davies b 1861 Cardiff, Wales, died 1926 Manchester. Father...Joseph/ Coal Miner. Married William Pendlebury 1898 @Prescot, Lancashire. Father noted as deceased. I can't find Margaret before 1891 census. NB she lived with William and had their children before they married.

[Megan Roberts]

Witnesses to the marriage of Thomas and Charlotte were (1) Thomas Parry and (2) John Evans. The former, Thomas Parry seems to have been a witness to most, if not all the marriages at that time. The latter, John Evans seems to have been unique to this marriage, suggesting some kind of connection to the couple.

Thomas, Charlotte and their son Robert appear in an Ancestry family tree “Sophie Kent Family Tree”. That tree needs to be approached with some caution as it has 4 baptisms for Thomas ranging from 1798-1828! It also has him dying in Lancaster in 1847, and being buried in Lancaster in 1848.

The 1841 Census (piece 570 book 18 folio 30 Page 8) lists them as “William” – no “s”. That is not uncommon amongst Welsh surnames, particularly to see them switching between the singular and plural.

In the 1851 census (piece 2221 page 20 schedule 4253), lists Charlotte was WilliamS and married and says that she and her children were British Subjects in the column listd “birth place”.

In the 1861 census (piece 2886 page 42 folio 95) Charlotte is listed as a widow and says that she was born in North Wales.

In the 1871 census (piece 4003 folio 30 page 8) her birth place is listed as Wales – virtually illegible squiggle. I’ve stared at it hard and it might be St. Asaph, which is in Flintshire.

I cannot see a probable death between 1871-1881 for Charlotte. I cannot see her in the 1881 Census, but nor can I find her son Robert with whom she was living with in 1871.

[pat fowles]

Thank you everyone. I have the census info up to 1871 for Charlotte, but no death found as yet. Her son Robert is on 1881 census with his wife Fanny, daughter Lucy and grandchild Ada @64 Pryme St, Hulme.