Author Topic: Morgans of Talybont  (Read 2136 times)

Offline olwenfls

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Morgans of Talybont
« on: Sunday 16 July 17 16:56 BST (UK) »
Hi. My great grandfather was Lewis Morgan born 1859, shoemaker. I know he had brothers Richard b1854(well known author of Welsh language Nat Hist books for children back in the late 19th C and for many years schoolmaster at Llanarmon, Mold), John, 1862, Evan Lewis (1864). I believe their parents were Thomas, born 1827 and Anne 1821 and that Thomas started his working life as some sort of miner (?lead or copper) before becoming a shoemaker himself. I'm fairly certain that Thomas' parents were Richard and Winifred.
In the 1871 census Lewis is living in Talybont, where he was born, with his family. In the 1891 census there is a Thomas Morgan, widower, lead miner aged 65, living in the village with his spinster daughter Catherine, 34. By 1911 a Thomas-shoemaker, now 83, is living with his son John aged 49. It says that Thomas had been married for 48 years- so he probably isn't the one who was widowed in 1891 (if accurate would mean he was married around 1843!). BUT it also says that he had '5 children, 4 living'. The possibility of a daughter who grew up but died in her 30s/40s would make sense of of family stories... Lewis and HIS wife and children are living in a separate household, also in Talybont in 1891 & 1901.
ALSO- would like to know if there are any descendants of John or Evan out there. Think it is possible that Evan became a butcher, or kept a shop of some sort- perhaps eventually in Llandyrnog.

Offline davierj

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Re: Morgans of Talybont
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 16 July 17 17:35 BST (UK) »
Hi, welcome to RootsChat and Cardiganshire.   Your ancestor would have been a lead miner.   There were many living in Talybont at the time, working in the mines inland.   I have a number of them in my family.   Coincidently my great grandfather also lived and worked in Talybont and Taliesin, as did his son.   He was a tailor name of Jonathan Jones, his son was Richard Jones.
Best of luck with your researches.
Dave
Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk   Research:   Clements, Jenkins, Jones, Williams, Davies, Renfrey in Cardiganshire.   Trow, Jones, Clayton in Montgomeryshire.  Renfrey, Datsun, May, Stephens in Cornwall.   Foster in Liverpoo.l   Milliner, Fry, in Gloucestershire.  Mawby, Popple in Rutland.   Kent, Fry, Robinson, Nott, Griffiths in Somerset.   Willis in Oxfordshire.   Fishlock, Snell, Fry, in Wiltshire

Offline hanes teulu

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Re: Morgans of Talybont
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 16 July 17 17:49 BST (UK) »
Just confirming - it's the 1911 census not 1901, giving marriage year 1863?

Offline hanes teulu

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Re: Morgans of Talybont
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 16 July 17 18:35 BST (UK) »
There are Aberystwyth Registration District birth registrations on the GRO for Richard (Dec 1853), Lewis (Dec 1858), John (Dec 1861) and Evan Lewis (Mar 1864) - mother's maiden name Lewis.

This tallies very much with years of birth on the 1871 Census (family at Talybont, Ceulan Maesmawr)


Offline olwenfls

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Re: Morgans of Talybont
« Reply #4 on: Monday 17 July 17 10:16 BST (UK) »
Yes- careless of me, I was trying to do it quickly !!- Thomas at 83 and John 49 are on the 1911 census not the 1901 which makes sense of their ages in relation to known birth dates and also of his being married for 48 years. I have quite a lot of family papers/info as far back as Thomas and Anne- My Great Aunt, their grand daughter always said that Thomas died just before WW1 broke out-I think in March 1914-while his wife died, I think, in 1899.
 I qualified my comments about Thomas' mining exploits as, although I know that there was a lot of lead mining around Talybont, my own grandfather said that he thought Thomas had lived somewhere else for a time, and mentioned copper mining-though I don't remember him being specific as to where- Parys Mountain springs to mind, although I think it was also mined closer to Talybont/Aberystwyth. I have always thought that if the stories were true Thomas was very wise to take up shoemaking instead, and wondered if he might have done this relatively early in his life.
My mother knew & remembered Lewis (her grandpa) and Uncle Richard very well, but John, Evan and (possibly) Catherine are more difficult to find in later life. I think that Evan married and had children....
I have quite a few photos of known family members- Lewis, Richard, even Thomas, but frustratingly have an old fashioned Victorian family album with lots of pics of people but with absolutely no info about exactly who they are !

Offline davierj

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Re: Morgans of Talybont
« Reply #5 on: Monday 17 July 17 13:57 BST (UK) »
My gg grandfather, Joseph Renfrey, was a tin/copper miner from Cornwall.  He moved to Montgomeryshire, married and then moved to Aberystwyth to work in the lead mines.  I'd be interested to discover if indeed there was copper mining carried out in north Cardiganshire.   I thought that it was confined to lead, silver and zinc
Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk   Research:   Clements, Jenkins, Jones, Williams, Davies, Renfrey in Cardiganshire.   Trow, Jones, Clayton in Montgomeryshire.  Renfrey, Datsun, May, Stephens in Cornwall.   Foster in Liverpoo.l   Milliner, Fry, in Gloucestershire.  Mawby, Popple in Rutland.   Kent, Fry, Robinson, Nott, Griffiths in Somerset.   Willis in Oxfordshire.   Fishlock, Snell, Fry, in Wiltshire

Offline olwenfls

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Re: Morgans of Talybont
« Reply #6 on: Monday 17 July 17 16:00 BST (UK) »
Have had a quick look online and there was a bit of copper mining but mostly earlier that our dates- further over see Dolaucothi, which I think was only Roman? But some sites went on being worked into the 1850s and 60s and intermittently even later, and it looks as though copper and lead were sometimes (often ?) both mined in one place- For instance Esgair Hir & Esgair Fraith, near Talybont/Nantymoch reservoir:-
 ' About 1850 the mine was reopened and although 1353 tons of lead ore was produced for no profit, it closed again in 1857. The mine was back at work the following year, which lasted untill 1868 and produced 700 tons of copper ore and 72 tons of lead ore. The mine was to be worked on at least 6 more occasions, which finally ended in 1904.' (See www.mindat.org). It seems that most of the copper came out of Esgair Fraith. I know nothing about metallurgy, but thought this site looked quite helpful, with a couple of photos of mine ruins, and useful straightforward bit about the local geology. Surprisingly interesting for a scientific idiot like me. :)

Offline davierj

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Re: Morgans of Talybont
« Reply #7 on: Monday 17 July 17 16:19 BST (UK) »
There were a number of Roman workings in the area, some I believe towards Goginan.   There must be a lot of minerals in the rocks but in small quantities and not commercially viable.  I must ask my son for more information.   His thesis was on the subject of mineral pollution of the waterways in Cardiganshire, but I believe with emphasis of the river Ystwyth and associated streams.
I currently live in Spain near to an area of similar mineral exploitation.   The results of uncontrolled mining are horrendous and a whole area has become polluted with heavy metals such as lead, zinc, cadmium etc.   See information on Portman Bay and La Union mining in Murcia province.   I dread to imagine such damage in Cardigan Bay
Dave
Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk   Research:   Clements, Jenkins, Jones, Williams, Davies, Renfrey in Cardiganshire.   Trow, Jones, Clayton in Montgomeryshire.  Renfrey, Datsun, May, Stephens in Cornwall.   Foster in Liverpoo.l   Milliner, Fry, in Gloucestershire.  Mawby, Popple in Rutland.   Kent, Fry, Robinson, Nott, Griffiths in Somerset.   Willis in Oxfordshire.   Fishlock, Snell, Fry, in Wiltshire

Offline olwenfls

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Re: Morgans of Talybont
« Reply #8 on: Monday 17 July 17 18:04 BST (UK) »
Yes- I believe that there was some fairly dreadful pollution- I know a little more about the effects of it in part of the Swansea area, where 30 or 40 years ago it was 'suggested' that it might be as well not to grow vegetables/salad crops for human consumption in your garden.
I suspect that lead mining in particular was an unhealthy occupation.