March 13 2016- Sunday Message - Curses and blessings at the Cross
Blessings and curses of tracing welsh ancestry
-
Upload
darris-williams -
Category
Education
-
view
141 -
download
1
Transcript of Blessings and curses of tracing welsh ancestry
Blessings• More records online
• Nonconformity
• National Library of Wales
• Wales probate abstracts
• Patronymics
Curses• Common names
• Must use more records
• More search time
• Nonconformity
• Patronymics
• Welsh language
KEY RECORDS ONLINE
Basic Records for Starting
• Census
• Civil registration (birth, marriage, death)
• Church records
• Probate
• Cemetery (tombstone transcriptions)
Census
1841-1911 indexed
• FamilySearch• Findmypast• Ancestry• MyHeritage
Monumental Inscriptions
• Search on Findmypast
• Search the topic “Cemeteries” on FamilySearch
• Look for pre-1900 transcripts
Church & Chapel Records
• Records start 1538
• Separate book for marriages 1754
• Copies sent to the Bishop from 1597
• New forms 1812
Post 1812 parish register christening
The most complete single source for details on the availability of christening, marriage and burial records of the Church of England
Parish Registers of Wales
NONCONFORMITY
Civil Registration
• Indexes at https://www.freebmd.org.uk/
• Some indexes, certificate orders at https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/Login.asp
Probate
• Pre-1858
• 1858-Present
• Probate Abstracts
Which do you start with?
Simple Welsh Strategy
1. Search records with multiple people:
2. Find a marriage
3. Add more information with other records
4. Kill them off
Set Strategy by Date Range
• Pre 1600
• 1597-1837
• 1837-1901
• 1901 to present
Record Search Order
1. Census
2. Monumental inscriptions
3. Church & chapel records
4. Civil registration
5. Probate
Findmypast Key Records
• Wales parish registers (unique to
Findmypast)
• Census 1841-1911
• Non-conformist records before 1837
• National Burial Index (unique to Findmypast)
• 1939 Register (unique to Findmypast)
Global Search is a Last Resort
Wales Parish Registers Online
56 parishes excluded
Parts of other parishes missed
FamilySearch Key Records
• Wales parish register indexes 1538-
• Census 1841-1911
• Wales Probate Abstracts 1544-1858
• Non-Conformist Record Indexes 1588-1977
• Wales Births and Baptisms, 1541-1907
• Wales Marriages, 1541-1900
• Wales, Court and Miscellaneous Records, 1542-1911
Locality Page on FamilySearch.org
Click the map for the region then Wales
Scroll down to the “Browse” collections
More from FamilySearch
• Family History Library Catalog
• FamilySearch Books
• FamilySearch Wiki
• FamilySearch Genealogies
• England & Wales Jurisdictions 1851
http://maps.familysearch.org
http://maps.familysearch.org
COMMON NAMES, PATRONYMICS & SURNAMES
Given Names
John Mary
David Margaret
Thomas Hannah
Evan Matilda
William Sarah
Edward Elizabeth
Top Ten Welsh Surnames
1. Jones2. Williams3. Davies4. Evans5. Thomas
6. Roberts7. Lewis8. Hughes9. Morgan10.Griffiths
Patronymics
• Mab or ab or ap = son of
• Ferch or verch = daughter of
• In South Wales ab or ap was not always used
Examples of Patronymics
• Evan Rees ap John
• Margaret ferch Thomas
• William Morgan John
• David William
• David Williams
Parish Register Burials (1750)
Naming Pattern
Second edition, Dec 2013
• Chapter four is all new & explains the transition from patronymics
• Shows the drop below 10% of the population using patronymics
Decay of Patronymics
Dates when areas dropped below 10% of the population using patronymics.
Based on pre-1858 probate records.
WELSH LANGUAGE
Records in Welsh
• Nonconformist records
• Chapel histories
• Monumental inscriptions
• Periodicals
What does an American do with this?
PLACE-NAMES
Record Keeping Jurisdictions
Country
Diocese
Archdeaconry
County
Registration district
Parish
Hamlet
Tactics for Success• Find your ancestor in every census
• Always search both the PRs & BTs
• Kill off your ancestor
Tactics for Success
• Use indexes
• Don’t trust indexes
• Watch for patronymics: David Thomas Howell is a clue