What’s Different About Welsh Family History?

Knowledge of the Differences willSimplify Your Research

1. Common Names, Patronymics & Surnames

2. Nonconformists

3. Language

4. Place names

5. Record Search Order

6. Key records online

7. Strategies for success

COMMON NAMES, PATRONYMICS & SURNAMES

Names

John Mary

David Margaret

Thomas Hannah

Evan Matilda

William Sarah

Edward Elizabeth

Patronymics

• Mab or ab or ap = son of

• Ferch or verch = daughter of

• In South Wales ab or ap was not always used

Examples

• Evan Rees ap John

• William Morgan John

• David William

• David Williams

Pre 1813 burial (1750)

Naming Pattern

• Based on a study of marriages in Wales 1813-1837

• Insight for success

• Guide for answering migration questions

Second edition, Dec 2013

• Chapter four is all new & explains the transition from patronymics

• Shows the drop below 10% of the population using patronymics

One chart is worth the cost of the book

The map on page 56 shows when areas in Wales dropped below 10% of the population using patronymics.

The study is based on information in probate records.

NONCONFORMITY

WELSH LANGUAGE

Records in Welsh

• Nonconformist records

• Chapel histories

• Monumental inscriptions

• Periodicals

What does an American do with this?

PLACE-NAMES

A list of common place name elements

MAPS

Jurisdictions

Diocese & Parish are critical

http://maps.familysearch.org

http://maps.familysearch.org

Find & Use Detailed Maps

KEY RECORDS ONLINE

Basic Records for Starting

• Census

• Civil registration (birth, marriage, death)

• Church records

• Probate

• Cemetery (tombstone transcriptions etc.)

Post 1812 parish register christening

Marriages pre 1754

Post 1836 Parish Register

Post 1813 burial

Tactics for Success

• Kill off your ancestor

• Find your ancestor in every census

• Always search both the PRs and BTs

Tactics for Success

• Use indexes

• Don’t trust indexes

• Watch for patronymics: David Thomas Howell is a clue

Research Strategy

The strategy must adjust for the date range

• Pre 1600

• 1597-1837

• 1837-1901

• 1901 to present

Simple Welsh Strategy

1. Search records with multiple people like census

2. Find a marriage

3. Add more information with other records

4. Kill them off

Locality Page on FamilySearch.org

What’s Different About Welsh Family History?

Findmypast.com

PARISH REGISTERS

Marriages

Marriages

• Marriages are indexed well and serve as a good finding tool

• Get your bearings by using maps

– Map of the country• https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Wales

– Map of the county showing all parishes• The book Atlas and Index of Parish Registers• Order one of the three maps for Wales at

http://www.ihgs.ac.uk/shop/contents/ihgsmaps/ihgsparishmaps/index.html?action=page&id=2

Christenings

Christenings often show:

• child’s given name

• Father’s name

• Mother’s name

Sometimes included:

• Family residence such as the village, street or farm name

• Father’s occupation

CIVIL REGISTRATION

CENSUS RECORDS

PROBATE RECORDS

RECORD SUPPLEMENTS / SUBSTITUTES

What’s so Different About Welsh Genealogy

Basics of Welsh Research

Begin Tracing Your Family History

Gellilwca Fawr Old Farmhouse

Gellilwca Fawr New Farm House

Pre 1858 Wills

Probate Inventory of Thomas Howell

Probate Inventory of Thomas Howell

Local Histories

There was another poet living in the district known as Howell Gellilwca, who was grandfather to Evan Evans, superindendent of police in Neath at this time, but who was born and brought up in Betting Ganol. I remember many of Howell’s sayings…

Indexes First

NBI Coverage for Wales

• Breconshire 5,000

• Cardiganshire 108,000

• Glamorganshire 361,000

• Monmouthshire 9,000

• Montgomeryshire less than 1,000

• Radnorshire 11,000

Something to Remember

• The National Burial Index does not include information from monumental inscriptions

CHURCH RECORDS

Marriage by license

What’s Different About Welsh Family History?