grandad

[derien]

Hi ,
     Dont know if anyone can help me but i found out recently that my grandad used to be a bit of a drinker and used to be"agressive " when drinking, especially to my grandmother , when he went to war in ww1 he wrote her a letter saying that he was "sorry" and things would change when he came home , he didnt come home he died at ypres , i am having a bit of a problem finding him before 1900, when he married my gran , my gran remarried two years later , when she left her own house there was a photo of my grandad but unfortunately she left it , she said tho she didnt hate him she didnt want his photo , i wondered, if he was a bit of a rogue when drinking if it would be reported in the local newspapers ? they lived in merthyr in dowlais , then treharris , then moved onto wattstown , how would i find out and what were the names of the local newspapers at that time ? he died in 1916 and at that time lived in wattstown , any help would be welcome

[cardiff]

Hi
What was your grandmothers name and who did she marry? to help maybe to find him before 1900 if we find his marriage to your grandmother that will help maybe to trail him. in his earlier years. What info do you have on him?
cheers cardiff

[derien]

hi cardiff,
              on the marriage certificate my grandmothers name was Mary Williams she was from Bethesda north wales she was 21 i think , my grandads name was George Thomas and he was 25 that was in 1900 , it says he came from caernarvon town , there are too many with his name to find him , also i noticed that he seemed to put where he came from (lived before ) as his birthplace on some documents , their children were KATHERINE, JANE, MARTHA, GEORGE, JOHN, PRISCILLA another GEORGE and EDWIN, jane martha and george died within a couple of years of each other , and were very young , martha died at 3 years old ,  both mary and georges fathers were called JOHN and both had died bedfore the marriage , i know marys family had moved to merthyr but i know nothing at all of georges family , i know at one time he lived in Penrhyndeudraeth in north wales but dont know when , i have been searching for him for about 7 yrs and found nothing , i thought that the loss of his children and hardship of life might of been a factor in why he got in trouble with his drinking and maybe a report somewhere might reveal where he came from ,

[cardiff]

Hi
 What was his job on the marriage certificate? and was there address fo for either of them not just a place? You say you think mary was 21 why do you question that is there no age given on marriage certificate? So when you say George came from Caernavon town is this place given on his marriage certificate? or do you have other references to his place of birth?
How do you know georges family lived in Penrhyndeuth?
 I see where you are coming from on his drinking  but i think it would be hard to track him down on newspaper cuttings.
Sorry to sound negative but if you can answer the questions it may help us look for him?
cheers cardiff

[derien]

hi cardiff,
               To answer some of your questions it was an elderly cousin that told me that my gran said he had been in penrhyndeudraeth , she looked after my gran in the last years of her life , i had the marriage certificate but have mislaid it , they got married in 1900 , and their ages on the 1901 census were 22 gran and 26 george , he was a miner , at the time of him going to war they lived in school street , wattstown ,
                                            my gran told my cousin that her happiest days were when she lived in wind street merthyr ,i know that their first child catherine was born by 1900 , i also know or remember that my gran married from wind street and my grandad i think from pond street but im not too sure on that as its from memory ,george was in lodgings if i recall ,  and i seem to recall they lived with another family the year they were married but cant remember the address , 3 children they lost were buried in pant cemetery , i do remeember georges father on the wedding certificate was a slate miner , but thats all i know , his age on the ww1 check i did was 40 he died at ypres in 1916, the thing is when you could check on the internet at first i saw a document that said he signed up in porth and said he came from merthyr but ive never seen that document since , no matter how many searches i did , and that realy is all i know , anyway thank you for helping me any help is really appreciated 

[cardiff]

HI
 cannot help you for a couple of days but lets hope someone in the mean time can help you out
cheers cardiff

[osprey]

possible in 1901

8 Cross St, Merthyr Tydfil RG13/5026 folio 98 pg 17
George Thomas head mar 26 coal miner b. Caernarvon town
Mary wife 22 b. Caernarvon, Tregarth
Cath J dau 9 months b. Merthyr Vale

and so 1891

16 Catholic Row, High St, Dowlais RG12/4439 folio 21 pg 5
John Williams head mar 38 labourer in coal pit b. Caernarfon, Llanbedr
Catherine wife 49 b. Caernarfon, Tregarth
Catherine J dau 17 charring b. Bethesda, Llanllechid
Mary dau 11 b. Bethesada, Llanllechid
John R son 8 b. Tregarth, Llanllechid

1881 13 Lockup Street, Bethesda, Llanllechid, Caernarvonshire RG11/ 5578 folio68 pg 26
John Williams head mar 29 quarryman labourer b. Llanbedr
Catherine wife 37 b, Llandegai
Thomas son 12 b. Llandegai
Catherine J dau b. Bethesda
Mary dau 2 b. Bethesda

[derien]

Thank you cardiff and Thank you osprey ,  the info about my gran is great and where my gran and grandad lived in 1901 , i found a george thomas living in merthyr in  lodgings which said he came from north wales , also there was a thomas thomas and william fletcher as well , this was in 1891 , it said thomas thomas was a relative , it seems a coincidence but i dont know if it is him? i just remembered this yesterday , but again cant remember the address, unfortunately i havent found any info about them before that date if it is them , thanks for all your help cardiff and osprey 

[osprey]

this could be the census entry you remember

1891 7 Ynis Fach Row, Gellideg RG12/4433 folio 92 pg 27
Elizabeth Pearce head widow 74 b. Merthyr
Rachel Mathias grand dau 16 dressmaker b. Redwick
George Thomas boarder 18 collier b. Nth Wales
Thomas Hale (?) boarder 20 collier b. Nth Wales
William Fletcher boarder 26 labourer b. Nth Wales

The only George Thomas I can see of around the right age in Caernarvonshire does have a father John, but his birth place is different. What occupation is given for John on George's marriage cert ?

1881 8 Badnant Lane, Llanbeblig RG11/5569 folio 64 pg 18
John Thomas head mar 32 hawker b. Montgomeryshire, Kerry
Jane wife 32 b. Carnarvon
Price son 16 months b. Carnarvon
George son 6 b. Lancs, Liverpool
William son 5 b. Liverpool

same family in 1891, no George and William's birth place has changed

62 Mountain St, Llanbeblig RG12/4661 folio 11 pg 21
John Thomas head mar 43 clogmaker b. Kerry
Jane wife 43 b. Carnarvon
William son 15 hawker b. Wolverhampton
Price son 11 b. Carnarvon
Edwin son 9 b. Carnarvon
Liza J dau 3 b. Carnarvon

can only see Price & William in 1901, both now married.