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No Elena.
Still checking out all the references and suggestions from this site. Perhaps John wasn't born in 1838 like we all think. My Mum's cousin told me once that he came to Australia with a friend (male) about 1850's on a ship named "Black Swan".  I found the ship mentioned but not in that time frame and no John Howell as passenger.  .     
Hopefully one day the "brick Wall" will fall down!!!
Judy

Hi Judy,
There are a lot of mistakes in his daughter's Jane Howell husband's William Clinch death certificate, they could be also in John Howell's Death certificate, who knows...

I looked through passenger records ...I believe (it does not mean that it is true) that John might come to Australia on Sandalha in 1855

John Howell
Estimated Birth Year:   abt 1839
Age:   17
Arrival Date:   18 Sep 1856
Arrival Port:   Melbourne, Australia
Departure Port:   Liverpool
Ship:   Saldanha
Nationality:   English...

That is the only John Howell I found that arrived 30 years before 1885, as stated in his death certificate... His nationality though was English, not Welsh...

Trade people began to move between places in 19th century and if John Howell  junior can go to Australia his father can move his family from England to Wales and back, following job opportunities...

When I looked at Black Swan movements in 1855-1856, I noticed that it was sailing along Australian mainland's coast and  from Australian mainland to  Tasmania and back...It did not go to UK...Could it be that John Howell and his friend changed ships to go to a particular place in Australia or Tasmania?   

 I place a note a few months ago on Howells' tree that "in 1855 only a few ships arrived from UK from which passengers were taken by Black Swan: Ben Nevis, Champion of the Seas, James Baines, Marco Polo, Solway  .  There were no John Howell among them... Black Swan was a local Australian ship, sailing from Brisbane, to Sydney, Lancestorn, etc". I have not checked records for Black Swan  for 1856 ...do not remember why now , sorry, maybe I did not find them???

Saldalha arrived in Melbourne, they might wanted to go to SA or NSW  ot some other place they have heard of or to some friends or relatives they knew (a guess again) . It is pretty brave to arrive to another country on the other side of the globe without having anyone here...Something or somebody could had tempted them to get here...

Ann Waters married John Howell/s in 1831, there should be older siblings of the same marriage born between 1832-1837 that may had stayed in UK

I found a family of Howells, the wheelwrights from Pendelton, Lancashire;  17 Sept  1837 George Howell, the wheelwright, widower, married Elizabeth Ogden, widow , St Mary the Virgin, Eccles, Lancashire; his father is mentioned as John Howell, the wheelwright from Pendelton, Salford, Lancashire...He is the only "early" John Howell, the wheelwright that is mentioned in available to me documents...Bride's father was John Sheldon...

There may be some documents we do not have access to yet... that will have John Howell, the wheelwright, living closer to Swansea in 1831-1838.

Hope we will find them 

Elena

Hello Judy,

I've read your messages on Rootchat.

Sorry, have you managed to get a Birth Certificate to John Howell, born Oct-Dec 1838?

John Howell/s  is very difficult to find, there were no wheelwrights by the name of John Howell/s , or Howell in Swansea in 1828 and  1858 ( according to Slaters Directory 1858-1859 http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/GLA/Swansea/slaters-swansea.html and 1822-1823 Pigott's directory http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/GLA/Swansea/pigot.1822.html) .

I saw a photocopy of John's and Ann's marriage record, at least we know that they were literate and lived at that moment in Swansea , but that is all...

 There was one John Howells , wheelwright, timber merchant and coach builder later in 1880s in Cardiff, but that is the closest wheelwright by the name of John Howells I can find in Glamorgan. I hope he was a relative of John Howell/Howells from Swansea...

None of the 1841, 1851 census papers show  John Howell/s  as a wheelwright in Swansea or anywhere else in Glamorgan or even Wales for that matter... Though John Howells, the wheelwright is mentioned as a father of a groom in the marriage record for George Howell , also a wheelwright, 17 Sept 1837, St Mary the Virgin, Eccles,  Pendelton Lancashire England to Elizabeth Ogden...But it is too far away from Wales...
Have you found more information about Howells' since your last post?
Thank you
Elena