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Post by taffydog on Dec 19, 2014 14:51:49 GMT 1
Thank you Mike - it's some time since I have posted here - but I have acted on your advice and contacted the Merthyr Central Library. I will let you know how I get on - it's a resource I hadn't thought of using.
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Post by mikemerthyr on Dec 19, 2014 17:45:42 GMT 1
Hello taffydog. I had a look in the books they have and there are a number of Dwyer and Foley names in them.There are 3 baptism's of children with the surname FOLEY parents names JOHN and Mary Ann Foley(nee Dwyer)or either Mary Dwyer(Foley) or Ann Dwyer(Foley)baptised after 1869. MARGARET FOLEY parents JOHN and ANN baptised 5th Feb 1870 MARY FOLEY parents JOHN and MARY ANN baptised 10th March 1872 JOHN FOLY parents John and Mary baptised 30th August 1872
They are all baptised at ST MARY'S Catholic church MERTHYR TYDFIL they must have move to Ireland later than 1869. There are a number of deaths and the names all seem to be around the BRECON ROAD/BETHESDA STREET area. There are some families living in the same area in WW1 who served in the forces if they are your ancestors I could look to find what they were serving in at the time if you are interested. Mike
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Post by taffydog on Dec 19, 2014 19:10:53 GMT 1
Thank you so much Mike - yes - I have my G-G Aunt Mary marrying a Foley - they were the ones who moved back to Bandon in Cork. I've been searching for the Irish connection for years - and have been so stuck. Without a clue it's impossible to locate my particular Patrick Dwyer as there are quite a few of them. I've been much luckier with my Heppell ancestors - they were viewers and surveyors for Anthony Hill at the Plymouth works. My G G Grandfather Richard Heppell married in Pentrebach house and some of his first children were born there. After that they lived in a house called Springfield Villa - then fell on hard times. My father was born in Wool St Caedraw. I remember him taking me to see the Greyhound Pub there just before it was knocked down. Caedraw was long gone though. I was wondering in the Corporation of Merthyr kept records, as Michael Dwyer born 1855 - was an iron puddler - but in later years a corporation foreman for Merthyr Borough. I've searched the Merthyr Newspaper archives at the national library of Wales for references. Be careful what you wish for! Seems my Dwyer lot were in the police notices every weekend John Dwyer seems to disappear - I can find no death certificate for him at all. I'm wondering if he returned to Ireland to die. I'm hoping there are some parish baptisms to give me a clue of their origins
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Hywel
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Post by Hywel on Dec 23, 2014 19:34:53 GMT 1
Hello ... I hope I'm in the correct place to post this :- (sorry if I am not)
I have ancestors that once lived in Merthyr, but I am having difficulty tracing them. I was hoping someone might be able to help me.
Ann Walters was born in Grawen Merthyr Tydfil, in Jan 1841. Her parents were John Walters (a tailor) and Anne (formerly Reece)
Ann Walters (b 1841) had moved to Ystalyfera by 1861 but I have been looking for her parents in the Merthyr censuses, without any success. I can't find a marriage for them either.
I am wondering if there is anyone who has a connection with this family .... I would be very grateful for any information that someone would like to share with me.
Thank you.
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Post by mikemerthyr on Dec 29, 2014 16:10:55 GMT 1
Hello HYWEL I had a look in the MERTHYR TYDFIL FAMILY HISTORY branches records for an ANN WALTERS /WALTER /WATER /WATERS registered in MERTHYR with a mother with maiden name of REECE /REES /RHYS could not find her registered in MERTHYR. These records were taken out of the MERTHYR REGISTRARS actual books. Is the address you have given off a birth certificate or is it from family recall. I could only find one girl registered in MERTHYR with a mothers name of REES and that was for an ELIZABETH WALTERS born in 1843. I also looked for the parents marriage and could not find them either,they may have married under different names eg JACK or HANNAH somewhere else I did look on website FREEBMD and could not find them on there perhaps they did not marry you have to remember it did happen back then. There was a marriage in DEC 1844 in TREGARON registration district of JOHN WALTERS TO ANN REES could these be them and you have got your dates wrong I do hope so! HAPPY NEW YEAR MIKE
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Post by mikemerthyr on Dec 29, 2014 16:28:07 GMT 1
Hello taffydog Found this it could be your MICHAEL DWYER an obit in MERTHYR EXPRESS dated 3/9/1921 on page 12 MICHAEL DWYER AGE 60 died on 26/8/1921 worked for MERTHYR CORPORATION FOR 40+ YEARS address 50 QUARRY ROW BETHESDA STREET MERTHYR TYDFIL don't know how big the obit is as it is just a note I made while noting down obits for others to look at. HAPPY NEW YEAR mike
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Hywel
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Post by Hywel on Dec 30, 2014 18:27:22 GMT 1
Hello HYWEL I had a look in the MERTHYR TYDFIL FAMILY HISTORY branches records for an ANN WALTERS /WALTER /WATER /WATERS registered in MERTHYR with a mother with maiden name of REECE /REES /RHYS could not find her registered in MERTHYR. These records were taken out of the MERTHYR REGISTRARS actual books. Is the address you have given off a birth certificate or is it from family recall. I could only find one girl registered in MERTHYR with a mothers name of REES and that was for an ELIZABETH WALTERS born in 1843. I also looked for the parents marriage and could not find them either,they may have married under different names eg JACK or HANNAH somewhere else I did look on website FREEBMD and could not find them on there perhaps they did not marry you have to remember it did happen back then. There was a marriage in DEC 1844 in TREGARON registration district of JOHN WALTERS TO ANN REES could these be them and you have got your dates wrong I do hope so! HAPPY NEW YEAR MIKE Hello Mikemerthyr, Thank you very much for your help - much appreciated
The information I have comes off a birth certificate for Ann Walters, born in Merthyr on 2nd January 1841. The place name Grawen was given as the father's residence, when he registered the birth. So it is strange you could not find it. I believe Grawen is the name of a road/street in Merthyr.
The only lead I have is that the father's occupation was a tailor, and I have found another tailor in the 1841 census for Merthyr, with the surname Reece - so maybe he was a relation ...
As you say, perhaps the parents did not marry, or went back to Tregaron to get married after living together for a few years .... I've come across other ancestors who did this as well.
Anyway thanks for your time, and Happy New Year to you also
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Post by mikemerthyr on Dec 31, 2014 16:14:25 GMT 1
Hello Hywel There is a road/street in Merthyr called GRAWEN it is on the BRECON ROAD.I could not find a (Tailor) living or working there or another (Tailor) called Reece in 1841 MERTHYR CENSUS. I did find in 1841 a JOHN WALTERS aged 22 occupation Tailor/Journeyman he was living at GROESWEN hamlet in BROMBILL NEATH. In 1841 census for Merthyr Tydfil living in PLYMOUTH STREET there was a family called REES. THOMAS REES age 31 Iron Miner MARY REES age 27 SARAH REES age 9 MARGARET REES age 2 ANN REES age 25 ANN REES age 3 months Could it be that JOHN WALTERS of NEATH was the father of this child as he being a travelling tailor could have been to the area.The addresses are very similar and could be mixed up GRAWEN for GROESWEN.If they are the couple she could have gone to live with her sister and her family to have the child as a cover up just a possibility the census does not say any relationship to each other or was THOMAS REES a bigamist? who knows.Family history is a pain sometimes. Good Luck Mike
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Hywel
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Post by Hywel on Jan 2, 2015 17:49:23 GMT 1
Thanks for your help Mark. I don't think I'm going to get any further with this branch of my family.
The name Grawen is very clear on the birth certificate. It was typed in by the registrar, so I could not have misread it. The birth was registered as in the Upper District of Merthyr.
A journeyman did not necessarily travel from place to place. The term refers to someone who has completed an apprenticeship, and does not live with his master any more, but in his own house with his own family. He travels in to work every day, to the place where the master of that trade lives.
I did have the entry details of the tailor named REECE, living in Merthyr in 1841, but can't find it now. I'll have to look it up again next time I go to the archives ...
Thank you again ... Hywel
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Post by taffydog on Jan 26, 2015 12:36:16 GMT 1
Mikemerthyr - thank you so much for this - I will seek further. That is indeed him. It made things difficult as he lied about his age on censuses etc - he was actually 66 when he died. I have his death certificate now. I also have his birth certificate (1855) in Merthyr. I'm actually thinking if I can trace a descendant of MArgaret Glavin (the lady he married after his first wife died) they might know something. Merthyr Library have been very informative - and I look forward to visiting and doing my research there. Thanks again for your kind efforts on my behalf.
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Post by mikemerthyr on Jan 28, 2015 15:07:29 GMT 1
Taffydog There is a list of the first employees of Merthyr Tydfil Corporation for 1908 your Michael Dwyer is listed on that,it says he was living in Quarry Street? I think they meant QUARRY Row. He was in the borough surveyor department and his job title was GANGER it also says he earned 4/6 per week.Hope this helps you.
Mike
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Post by chrisvic on Apr 26, 2015 19:13:56 GMT 1
Hi, I hope this is the correct place to make this request. I am looking for information on the parents and family of my three times Great Grandparents, Hugh S. Jones(1827) and his wife Sarah R. Roberts(1834), (according to their grave marker they were both born on December 3 which seems a coincidence). According to what we have found Hugh was born in Merthyl Tydfil but I have no information about Sarah's birthplace. They were married in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts USA but I don't know when they moved to the USA. Sarah's parents were Phillip Roberts(abt 1815)and Mary Lewis(abt 1793) in Wales. At least one of these birthdates are probably incorrect as that would put her 22 years older than him and him 12 when their first child was born. Any information you could find on any of these people would be greatly appreciated including dates and occupations!
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Post by mikemerthyr on Sept 24, 2016 16:13:52 GMT 1
Information for TAFFYDOG if still looking on this website. There is an obit and photo of a PRIVATE WILLIAM COSTELLO served in DUBLIN FUSILIERS died of Malaria son-in-law of Mr MICHAEL DWYER of 15 QUARRY-ROW MERTHYR TYDFIL on page 10 21/10/1916 edition of MERTHYR EXPRESS and photo of him on page 10 4/10/1916 edition of paper.
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Post by taffydog on Jul 3, 2017 5:26:39 GMT 1
Mike...it's been some years since you wrote that...but you were spot on. I had a holiday in Merthyr last year and spent several,days in the Library. The staff were marvellous and helped me find lots of baptisms of children I never knew existed. As you say, they were all in Latin. The children I never knew about were baptised iminens Mortis.....meaning close to death. Hard times. I loved Merthyr. It's so vibrant now. I remember it as a child and it was a wee bit grim back then.
Thanks for the tip. My family from around 1900 were atheists, and it never occurred to me there might be church records. I still haven't discovered where they came from....but found out plenty to compensate.
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Post by taffydog on Jul 3, 2017 5:37:00 GMT 1
I meant to add Mike...I realised that on your photos page - the street party in mid taff st at the end of the second war shows an elderly, bespectacled gentle man towards the bottom right of the picture. He is my grandfather, Richard Michael,Dwyer.
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