William Davies of Abergwessin

[LesDx]

I have found a baptism record (from FindMyPast) which may relate to an ancestor.

Parish of Llanwrtyd, Feb 23rd, 1829.

Willam, son of William and Mary; abode is given as Blaengwess??.  (Looks like Blaengwessol or Blaengwessid.)

Can anyone confirm the actual name of the abode and add any information about the place/farm which might help confirm if this indeed 'my' William Davies.

Also, any information on a marriage of William and Mary about that time would be appreciated.

[osprey]

I think it's Blaengwenol and I may have just spotted a will for someone from there. I'll go have a look.

[osprey]

the 1835 will is for another William Davies as he left his property to his wife Margaret and son David. Perhaps William, father of the infant baptised, worked at the farm?

[osprey]

Blaengwennol, still a farm apparently

http://www.welshmeatonline.co.uk/irfon-valley-lamb/info_7.html

[LesDx]

I see there's another will in 1836 for Margaret too!

There were too many William Ds. around then.  I'm on my third excursion at the moment.  Having more luck finding who's wrong, but no luck finding who's right!

But many thanks for the farm link.  I'll email them and see if they have any history back that far.

My William left the area as a lad and went 'over the hill' to Cardiganshire where he married in 1849.  I'm still looking for a confirmed 1841 Census record.

[osprey]

I had a quick look at 1841, but didn't spot anything obvious. At 12, he could have been a farm servant somewhere and if he's not with family, no way of knowing if you have the right one.

Are the witness names from the marriage any help in finding him before his marriage?

 

[LesDx]

Ah yes, the marriage!

As well as several vitual excursions online, I've made two actual trips to the Cardiganshire and Powys archives.  At Aberystwyth, the lady was amazingly helpful and I traced several useful leads.  BUT, the copier/printer was out of action, so I was only able to take away what I could transcribe.  And with time pressing, I didn't do it well!  Having found the parish record of the marriage, I thought I could find and copy the image from FindMyPast, but it seems they only go up to 1837.  And the GRO indexing for 1849 has been challenging!  But just today, I found it!  William recorded as Willm. and Margaret recorded as Margt!  So the order is in for the Certificate.

What I did note, however, were the groom's and bride's fathers (who may have been the witnesses).  And William senior was listed as a 'labourer' which, coincidentally, is what is shown on the baptism record from Llanwrtyd.  Not proof, I know, but not the usual Ag. Lab. listing.

As for the trip to Powys - they were closed for 'stocktaking'!

Ah the joys of ancestry tracing.

[osprey]

that copier has been out of commission for some time, certainly was last time I asked for copies a few years ago. I think it may just be there as an ornament. If you're going to Aberystwyth, it's worth visiting the NLW. You can apply for a reader's ticket in advance or take a utility bill and your driving licence with you. The ticket is free and you'll have access to all sorts of records and the copiers work.

 

[despair]

This looks a reasonable candidate for the parents marriage:-

Marriage by banns at Llanddewi Abergwesyn,19th Dec 1828
William Davies,Nant y brain,of this parish and,
Mary Davies,Tir y llan,of this parish
Witnesses: Dewi(?)Morgans and David Davies

Regar5ds
Roger