Hello Osprey!
Many thanks for your help!
I already had a copy of David Pugh's 1811 will, and have done some research into the Pugh family at Skreen.
Isabella was the daughter of David Pugh and Mary Williams, living in Skreen Farm Radnorshire. Skreen Farm was part of "The Skreen" which consisted of the Manor House where the Williams family lived, and the farm where the Pugh Family lived. David Pugh was a tenant farmer leasing land from the Williams family. He had a lot of livestock and was worth about 200 pounds sterling when he died, quite a lot for those days. Skreen is situated in the village of Llandeilo Graban, Radnorshire, on the River Wye.
It is close to Erwood, which is the next village, about a mile away, and on the border of Radnorshire and Brecknockshire.
There are several records of David Pughs children being Christened at Tredustan United (non-conformist chapel) near Talgarth Breconshire, about ten miles from The Skreen. (see "FreeReg")
David Pugh and Mary Williams were married in 1765 at Llandefalle,
Breconshire, not far from "The Skreen". Mary was the daughter of John Williams of Gelly-Hir Llandevalley, who died in 1779. It is not clear that she had any particular
family relationship with the prosperous Williams family at Skreen. However, I do know that John
Williams of The Skreen acquired an extensive property known as Velinnewydd
in 1754, when his brother Jenkin Williams died. Llandefalle is situated
inside the Velinnewydd estate.
John Williams of Gelly-Hir in the Parish of Llandevalley in the County of Brecon died in 1799 leaving cash of 294 pounds and an estate of house and land. About 150 pounds was bequeathed in sums of 30 pounds each to his son John Williams, living in the Parish of Gwenthaur (called Gwenddwr nowadays), his daughter Mary (married to David Pugh) , his son-in-law Rees Price, (married to his daughter Ann), his daughter Margarett (wife of Thomas Jones) and in trust to his deceased daughter Hannah's grand-children William, John, Samuel, David, Benjamine, and Hannah until they came of age.
David Pugh, Skreen Farm, died in 1811 and left bequests of small annual
payments to his "six children now residing in this Kingdom" and the rest to
his wife Mary. His wife Mary, sons William, John (and John's son David), and
daughter Anne are specified by name in the will. The Talgarth records show three of the other children were Isabella, Esther, and David (the eldest). The will does not mention his son David Pugh who had emigrated to America, and probably leading to the insertion of the phrase "now residing in this kingdom". I found an LDS record of a daughter Mary daughter of David Pugh christened at Talgarth in 1781. So that makes seven children in all, and only David seems to have been abroad.
This David Pugh became an important pioneer in Ohio. His sister Isabella Pugh and husband Williams Williams emigrated in 1820 to Ohio with their five children. The Talgarth records show that William and Isabella resided at Tre-Ricket when they had their son John baptised in . Isabella's sister Esther joined them after their mother died.
There is a US record of David Pugh as follows:
"DAVID PUGH,
father of judge John M. Pugh, of Columbus, and other well known
residents, was born in Radnorshire, South Wales, February 8, 1769.
He emigrated to this country in the spring of 1801, landing in
Baltimore on the fourth of May of that year. Here he engaged himself
profitably, until the spring of 1802, when he came to Ohio, then,
almost without exception, a wilderness, and made a settlement in what
is now Radnor Township, Delaware County, so called by him in memory of
his ancestral home in Wales. He remained there until 1815, when he
removed to Truro Township, Franklin County, where he died, on the
twenty-fourth of October, 1857, at the good old age of eighty-eight
years, eight months and fifteen days. His wife, Mrs. Jane Pugh,
preceeded him but a few months to the grave, dying on the eighth of
March, next previous. They left children as follows: Judge John M.
Pugh, of Columbus; David Pugh, Andrew Pugh, Mrs. May Shield, and
Mrs. Jane Hutson."
(Note that another record of the above David Pugh, stating that he was
born at Skreen Farm Radnorshire).
I would like to know more about the William Williams who married Isabella Pugh. He was known as Deacon Williams in Granville Ohio, and claimed a Coat of Arms with the Williams "Lion Rampant"and a crest with a single Moor-cock. The COA has the phrase "Cognosci Occasionem" and the Motto is "Y FYNO DWY Y FFYDD"
Many thanks to all of you in this search for William Williams ancestors.
llanfi
