Grave lookup for Maesteg

[Anthony Roberts]

I've been gathering bits and pieces of my family tree for a while (not easy considering my family has a poor memory of anything relating to this), and am fairly confident that I've found my great grandfather's details.

I believe he was one Joseph Roberts, originally born in Mevagissey, Cornwall in 1897. The 1911 census has him residing in St Austell, and if I'm right, he moved to South Wales, Caerau to be more exact, a few years later to begin working in the mines. He married Emily Jones in Bridgend, 1917 and they went on to have at least three children, the last being born in 1939. Which is when Joseph died. Given his relatively young age of 42 when he passed I assume it was accidental but I can't find any details of pit related deaths for Joseph so that's a bit of a tragic mystery.

I guess what I really would like to know is if Joseph is buried in Maesteg. It'd mean a lot to have something tangible, his final resting place. And not only that, but further information about Emily may be found if she was buried with her husband.

[welshjo]

There is a Joseph Roberts age 42 buried in Maesteg Cemetery. Date 5 Oct 1939. Unconsecrated Class B. Sec.C3
No one else appears under the same reference. Sorry.

[Anthony Roberts]

I think it's a pretty safe bet that's who I'm looking for. 

Thank you so much for the help and the quick response. I'll update later if I get any more information.

[Chasing-fireflies]

Have you applied for his death certificate to see if it mentions cause of death? You can get the copy in Bridgend and I think this might be the reference for it:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVHR-L3F6

[Anthony Roberts]

I haven't but that's on the cards, so thank you for that.

The visit to the grave itself didn't turn up anything, I wasn't expecting miracles but it looks like his is regretfully short of details. The majority of graves in his section are well maintained and readable but there are a few that consist of very poor markers, I suspect he's among those.

[Chasing-fireflies]

You can buy registers for Maesteg with monumental inscriptions on, it might be worth looking there. I get mine from the parish chest ( a website) so it might be worth checking if they have a booklet for there.

[Anthony Roberts]

A little more information.

Joseph was indeed a coal hewer (miner), but was also a Private in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 93907, during WW1.

William was born in Wyndham Street, Caerau. Does anyone know where that was? Obviously it's gone now or had its name changed. It's definitely in the Bridgend district, rather than Cardiff, based on William's birth certificate.

I've lived in Caerau my whole life and that's the first I've heard of it.

[halfasheep]

I found a reference to Wyndham Street in 1915. Your best bet is Bridgend reference Library. They have the electoral registers for the area, so you might be able to find it in amongst other street names and narrow it down.

There haven't been a lot of areas in Maesteg, Nanty and Caerau where streets have been pulled down (Treharne Row by Plasnywydd School lost half the houses in the 20th century when they built the housing complex for the elderly), but there have been street name changes over the years - I know the top end of Commercial Street by the Coytrahen Arms was called something else towards the end of the 19th Century and that caused me some confusion!

[Mabel Bagshawe]

welsh newspapers online had a number of references for Wyndham St, Caerau between 1900 & 1920.

Rifling around the schedules for 1911 I can find a Wyndham St which appears to be in Caerau. it comes immediately after the Dunraven Hotel, Dunraven Street and before Blaencaerau Farm and Blaencaerau Road