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Huwcyn,
Thank you very much! I will check that out.

@Huwcyn:
Thank you for your response. I have not yet located Catherine's certificate of death but I will keep trying. In the meantime I did find her obituary (see post above). As I have noted she was usually the person supplying the household information to the census takers and she was consistent in reporting her place of birth as "N. or North Wales". Is there any significance to that? What would it have meant in that era (or today)? The area including Caernarvon or possible Angesley? Or both?

I do see from their marriage record:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-21944-31343-60?cc=1589502
that at the time of their marriage they lived in nearby towns after coming to America, but that would seem to indicate that they and/or their families came over separately. In fact I've found nothing yet to indicate whether either of them came alone or with family.

@Keyboard86:
BTW, it's also interesting to note that in the family you found earlier (see above) the middle name or initial for every one of the seven children (including three daughters) is "H"! Now that I have confirmed that the shire is Caernarvon I would be wondering if the 1891 U.K. census was in error by still showing Owen in the household, but because I have also since found his death certificate indicating different parents I can't even make that leap.

I originally posted this last Novemeber in Wales General:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=701675.0

Since then I have learned from my father's cousin that my great-grandfather was from Caernarvon. So I'm hoping someone here may be able to shed some more light.

I feel like I'm searching for a certain pair of needles in a pile of needles the size of a haystack! lol.

My name is John William Jones and all I know about my father's father's family and ancestry is this:

My father's name is William H Jones, Jr. and he had a brother Owen H and a sister Glenna H.

My grandfather was William H Jones Sr. and he had brothers named John O, Hugh Owen, and Robert, and a sister Elizabeth.

My great grandparents came to the U.S. from Wales between 1883-1887, settled in Parsons, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and were married about 1889. His occupation was Stone Mason.

- Owen JONES, born January 1862-1864 in Wales, both parents born Wales.
- Catherine WILLIAMS, born December 1868 in Wales, both parents born Wales.

It's not clear if Owen and Catherine emigrated together or even if they came from the same area of Wales or knew each other beforehand. On the U.S. Census forms she made a point to say that she was born in "North Wales". What might she have meant by that?

In the other post shellyesq pointed me to Owen's death certificate (1913) in the U.S. where he was still listed as a stone mason and his parents were shown as "Owen Jones" and "Annie Evens" (or Evans).

That's all I know! The usual search methods are pointless and I have no idea where to start or where to turn. Is my quest to find my Welsh roots hopeless?

On the other post Keyboard86 found this potential family in the 1881 UK census:-

Hugh Jones 58 occ Slate Quarry Agent
Mary 48
Robert H 21 occ Slate Quarrier
OWEN H 19 occ Slate Quarrier
Hugh H 16 occ Slate Quarrier
William H 14
Elizabeth H 12
Ann H 9
Ellen H 5
Plus 1 Servant
All born Llandwrog, Caernarvonshire
Residing at 1, Fron Uchaf, Llandwrog, Caernarvonshire
Census Ref RG11/5564/34/23

Which at first glance looks promising because it is the right shire and Owen's age matches, along with his occupation, and many of the children's names match those of Owen's own but the parents don't match his death certificate and most telling is that Keyboard86 later found the same family including Owen in the 1891 U.K. Census. Since we have also found my Owen's and Catherine's marriage certificate dated 1889 in the U.S. it doesn't add up.

Thank you in advance for any advice you might be able to offer.
John W. Jones