PRICE, JENKINS, THOMAS in LLANFAIR AR Y BRYN

[Ninian]

Many thanks Morgan.  It's good to know that you've come across quite a few errors on certifs.  I must have been lucky in the past as all my certifs seem to have been accurate (or p'haps they haven't and I haven't even realised!).

That Evan James/Anne Price certif must I'm sure be the right Anne but with the incorrect maiden name.  That certif didn't give an occupation for Anne but I have found Anne Price at the Post Office in 1890 (when she was a widow of David Price and not yet married to Evan James) and you found Anne James at the Post Office in 1895 (she married Evan James in Jan 1895) - so, surely it has to be the same woman.

Why couldn't I find those Jenkins/Davies marriages!?!  The 1st one definately seems likely to be the correct one as their eldest child seems to have been born in early in 1860 or late 1859 (she was 1 on the 1860 census), so a marriage in early 1895 seems very likely.

I've just posted another letter to the registrars, with cheque enclosed.  I've asked for the Price Davies marriage certif but only if the certif says "Anne Davies, formerly Jenkins", so if it does that will confirm that she was born Jenkins and did marry Thomas Davies, and also I think I can safely assume that she also married Evan James despite what the certificate says.

The Registrars took quite a long time to get back to me last time but they were really helpful so I'm sure they won't issue the certif if all its details aren't right.  I shall keep my fingers crossed.  Many, many thanks, I'll let you know the outcome. 

Ninian

[Morganllan]

Ninian

Carmarthen registrars are very helpful and very busy! They will get back to you but there is currently a wait of about a month.

I agree that Anne Price and Anne James at the Post Office are very probably the same person because we have seen the census records (ages and location match) plus the marriage to Evan James. It's not that big a deal to leave out the Jenkins surname - I wonder what happens when someone married more than 3 times! There's not that much space on the certificate 

[Ninian]

Yes the Carm Registrars couldn't have been more helpful and I think they took about a month or so to get back to me on the Price/James marriage.  I was just beginning to wonder if they weren't going to respond, other registrars manage to, when they phoned.  And what's a month when a hundred years have gone by without anyone showing any interest!

I'm going to be gutted if Anne isn't a Jenkins.  I'll let you know in a month .........

Ninian

[Ninian]

Hello Morgan

The Carm Registrars were very quick responding this time and the David Price and Anne Davies marriage certif confirms she was born Jenkins then married a Davies.  So you were quite right, the details of her names given on Anne's later marriage to Evan James must have been incorrect.  But we've established that she certainly did marry Evan and the censuses therefore show she was still alive in 1911.  The Price/Davies marriage certif shows they married in Salem Chapel, Llandovery so that's something I can check out too. 

It's all coming together very well.  I am hoping I might be able to get to the Carm Archives to follow some of these leads up further - many thanks for all your help, I wouldn't have sorted it out without you.

Regards, Ninian   

[Morganllan]

Ninian,

That's great news 

If you plan to visit the archives, make sure you avoid the stocktaking time, and I think you have to pre-book as they restrict the number of readers.

http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/english/education/archives/pages/home.aspx

Have you tried the Post Office Archives I mentioned earlier?

http://postalheritage.org.uk/collections/archive/familyhistory/

Best wishes
Morgan

[Morganllan]

Picture of Salem Chapel, Llandovery on Dyfed FHS (SN769345):

http://www.dyfedfhs.org.uk/cmn/cmnldgds.htm

[Ninian]

Hello Morgan

Thanks for the pic of Salem.  It looks like a modern photo, so I imagine the chapel is still there so when I'm over in Carmarthen I'll look it up.  It doesn't look as if there is a graveyard attached, so I wonder where the Prices etc might be buried?  I know that they have connections with another Annibynwyr Pentregwyn (or is it Pentretygwyn) Chapel which according to Genuki does have a graveyard, so that might be worth a trip too.

I have spent quite a bit of time looking through the Post Office site, but I couldn't seem to find any actual data on individuals online, I assume that you have to go to the Post Office Archives to get at the 'raw' data, which is a bit of a trek as it's in London.  I have it on my 'things to do' list, though I can't think I'll get around to that very quickly.

Regards,   Ninian

[Morganllan]

Ninian

From the Post Office Archives site:

"We cannot undertake academic research, but we do offer a Family History Research Service for those researching former Post Office employees. For a charge of £30 per ancestor, our researcher will search the Pensions & Gratuities records and the Appointment records."

Would save the time and travel costs to London.

Would also be worth contacting Carmarthen to see whether they have the records you want, e.g. they probably won't have fairly recent records for the Chapel.

Morgan

[Ninian]

Hmmm - 30 quid, I could get 3 certifs for that!  Even so it sounds quite a bargain compared to what the National Archives charge, so I'm not dismissing it. It would certainly be a lot cheaper than a trip to London.   I shall 'do' the Carmarthen Record Office first though, I'm doing my homework on that at the moment, so I know exactly what to ask for.  I'm away next week up in North Wales but when I get back I shall phone them up and see what they've got and arrange a visit ..... or two ..... or three!

Regards, Ninian