Ancestry

Over the past few years an exciting and interesting computer time activity has been to research Isobel and my family history as far back as possible. Before I started, the prospect of researching the surnames Davies and Evans seemed an impossible task, particularly when a few Jones and Griffiths were thrown in. But no it was not impossible and indeed at times made the searching more demanding and interesting. For example, throw in a few Rice, Rattenbury, Lucas, Ungoed and Cole made the searching more exciting.

The only way to make the ancestry search possible was to join the web search engine - ANCESTRY - not cheap at about £65 every 6 months but the censuses, birth and death registrations, newspaper articles and much more, which are available on ancestry, made the task much easier. Perhaps the most useful tools were the national censuses conducted every 10 years since 1841. Another facility which I found invaluable was the ability to look at the data collected by other ancestry researchers who were looking into the same individuals as me. These other researchers were in fact distant relatives looking at the same family tree from a different angle.

Going back before 1800 proved to be much more of a task. Other researchers were perhaps much more enthusiastic and meticulous than me and using their data was a rewarding and exciting avenue. In one branch of the Davies tree I have been able to go back to 1490 when intriguing facts emerged that some ancient relatives originated in Scandinavia and Germany. I also found it interesting that ancient (well, 1800s) relatives from the Davies and Evans families originated in Devon and Cornwall and when I told Isobel's cousin Ted Gamage that his family originated in Northamptonshire, he was flabbergasted.

Isobel's Family Tree back to 1800

To see older and very old pictures of Isobel's's side of the family CLICK HERE

				David Evans B. 1811 D. 1873
			Wm Evans B. Oct 1858 D. Sep 1937	Phoebe Evans B. 1821 D. 2 Apr 1900
			Catherine Evans B. Aug 1859 D. Feb 1915	Titus Evans B. 1810 D. 29 Feb 1864
		William P Evans B. May 1889		Rachel Jeremy B. 22 Apr 1822
	Vernon Wesley Evans B. Jun 1717 D. Nov 2000			John Evans B. 1836 D. --
		Annie M Evans B. 1889 D. 1949	William Evans B. 1863 D. Jul 1939	Mary Anne Evans B. 1835 D. 1907
			Mary Anne Griffiths B. 1861 D. Jan 1933	David Griffiths B. 1796 D. --
				Anne Llewellyn B.1799 D. Oct 1891
Isobel Mgt Evans B. Oct 1946
				Geo Ben Lucas B. 1822 D. Dec 1885
			Robert Woon Lucas B. Dec 1852 d. Apr 1901	Mary Anne Woon B. 1824
		Robert Wm Lucas B. Dec 1885 D. Jan 1949	Mary Polly Gamage B. Jun 1854 D. Jun 1920	Thos Gamage B. 1821 D. Jan 1892
	Mabel Mgt Lucas B. Feb 1920 D. Feb 1997			Dinah Butler B. 1837 D. Jul 1912
				Thos Ungoed B. 1811 D. Jan 1892
		Mabel Win Ungoed B. Apr 1886 D. Nov 1967	John Ungoed B. Apr 1853 D. Dec 1932	Elizabeth Thomas B. 1820 D. 1906
			Elizabeth Jones B. Oct 1858 D. May 1940	Titus Jones B. Feb 1828 D. Apr 1899
				Mgt James B. Feb 1829 D. Jan 1913

One of the more annoying bits of the ancestry programme was that if you wanted to go further in your research, then you had to dip back into your pocket for such things as foreign research tools and military data. One branch of Isobel's family emigrated in the 1930s. Tales from the family hinted that they had gone to Patagonia in South America and indeed, when Isobel and I did a repatriation exercise to Ushuaia in Southern Argentina we looked up the telephone directory and found lots of Evans listed! Not so however, my research found that one of Isobel's great uncles had emigrated to Colorado in the 1920s. I was able to do some sneaky research into this family branch and all I can tell you is that they were like rabbits in an ultra productive concept - more on this in a minute.

Sad findings also came to light which we knew nothing about before hand. One of my relatives married a member of the clergy back in the 1840s. Well, that member of the clergy literally took - 'go forth and multiply' - literally and managed to produce some 11 children over some 20 years although around half of them died at early ages. However, the multiplication must have taken its toll on him because he died in his 50s and I'm not sure what happened after that but I know that his poor wife died in a poor house in Swansea in 1900.

To see older and very old pictures of Barrie's side of the family CLICK HERE

				Rev Evan Davies B. May 1830 D. Mar 1877
			Francis Davies B. Apr 1872 D. Mar 1937	Elinor Davies B. 1828 D. May 1904
		David John Davies B. Dec 1893	Florence Beynon B. Aug 1873 D. Jul 1934	Thomas G Beynon B. Jan 1846 D. Jan 1924
				Ellen Morgans B. Jun 1846 D. Nov 1912
	Douglas Davies B. May 1920 D. Apr 1981			William Rice B. 1840 D. Apr 1919
		Florence May Rice B. Oct 1896	Samuel Rice B. Jul 1866 D. May 1934	Carrie Jones B. Dec1839 D. Jan 1902
			Elizabeth Rattenbury B. Feb 1869 D. Mar 1950	Wm Rattenbury B. 1847 D. Jul 1922
				Betsy Rees B. Apr 1848 D. Jan 1910
Barrie Davies B. 1944
				Walter Wm Jones B. Jan 1840 D. Apr 1902
			Joseph Jones B. Feb 1868	Mary Jones B. 1840 D.Jan 1912
		David Walter Jones B. Apr 1895	Jennet Jones B. Dec 1863 D. 1943	Enoch Jones B. 1845 D. Apr 1919
	Tydfil Doreen Jones B. Jun 1923 D. Aug 2003			Ann Jones B. !847 D. 1900
				Thomas Davies B> Jul 1835 D. Jan 1905
		Evelyn Davies B. Jan 1894 D. 1960	John Davies B. 1865 D. Apr 1952	Mary Jones B. 1836 D. Jan 1903
			Eliz Mardo Cole B. 1871 D. Feb 1930	John Wm Cole B. 1834 D. Nov 1899
				Ann Guy B. 1845 D. Jan 1927

Using the ancestry programme also directed to various newspaper articles - some of which were simple records of births, marriages and deaths but some were absolutely hilarious. Just sit back and read the following article from a Carmarthen newspaper in 1855

Click here to go to the top of the page

The Titus Jones trial

This was Titus Jones statement accusing a John Jones of stealing a pair of stockings!!

" I am a shopkeeper living at Cwmfelin in the Parish of Llanelly in this county. I know the prisoner John Jones, he has been lodging with me from the 2nd of this month up to last Wednesday when he left between 11 and 12 at night. I missed a pair of stockings that night. I last saw them hanging on the line in the house about a week or fortnight before. As soon as I found where he was on Saturday night last I went after him. I saw him at Marble Hall Road where he was lodging. I took hold of his leg and found that he was wearing my stockings - I told him he was a wicked man and I would give him a charge. He told me he had bought the stockings for 2/6d. I gave him in charge of Sergeant Davies on Saturday night. He told me he bought the stockings off my wife. The stockings produced are my property. They are very like mine. I have a mark on them. I believe I can swear they are my stockings They are my stockings. Titus Jones."

And this defendant John Davies, upon oath, saith I am Sergeant of police stationed at Llanelly. The last witness came to me on Saturday night last and informed me that he had lost a pair of stockings. I went with last witness to Marble Hall to the house of one John Rees where the prisoner lodged. As soon as we got in the prosecutor said to the prisoner "You have stole my stockings" and asked him to show what stockings he had on The prisoner showed him the stockings when complainant said they were his, the prisoner replied they were yours once but I bought them off your wife for 2/6d. The stockings produced are the stockings the prisoner wearing and which the last witness identified as his property.

And this defendant Margaret Jones upon her oath saith "I am the wife of Titus Jones Cwmfelin Llanelly, shopkeeper - the stockings produced I believe are my husbands I believe I can swear they are his - I never sold any stockings to John Jones the prisoner. I lent him a pair of stockings when he was lodging at my husbands house. I lent them to him one night when he went to the works. The next morning I found the stockings in his room where he had been sleeping I took them and put them in a drawer in a dresser in the little kitchen.

I believe the children brought some of your clothes down but I can't say about every night - I did not see you wearing the stockings by the fire. He had some sort of stockings of his own but none like those produced . I did not know of his taking the stockings after the first night I lent them to him. The prisoner when he left did not tell me he was going. I did not know he was going. He left a canvas jacket and moleskin trousers behind him. He did not say anything about his leaving. The stockings produced are the ones I lent to the prisoner He has left the lodgings in debt. He owes for his victuals and lodgings and a shirt he had out of the shop. I heard nothing of him from the time he left til last Saturday night when John Rees came for the prisoners clothes. I did not give John Rees the clothes the prisoner left behind. The clothes may be ........about". (I couldn't make out one word)

The outcome of all this was that John Jones was found guilty and spent 14 days hard labour at the house of correction in Carmarthen and paid 4/- costs!! I think because it was not possible to prosecute for not paying his board and lodgings, Titus and Margaret decided to go ahead with the charge of taking the stockings.

Going back to the rabbits in the USA. A couple of years ago an ancestry company in Cheshire contacted Isobel to ask her relationships within the Evans family. Cutting a long story short, it seemed that a great uncle had died intestate and they were trying to build a family tree. It seemed that Isobel's grand uncle had some 9 siblings of which just 3 had descendants - one of these was the Evans who emigrated to Colorado. The estate was therefore divided into 3 parts and Isobel was entitled to half of one part - not a small fortune but very nice anyway. One of the other parts went to the descendants of the emigree in Colorado and there were so many of them that they were due to receive 1/256 each of the estate!! My ancestry research was able to help the ancestry company determine who was due what - an exciting exercise!

That will do for the moment - when I find anything else that may interest you I will let you know.