Help: Conway Archive & Missionaries

[Boongie Pam]

I've got a confused and baffled need for help.  This is spawned from poor information and a family disagreement.

Background

I have a Great Aunt, Emily HUGHES, our last recorded sighting is on the 1901 Llandudno census aged 25 with her family.  Family lore has it that she volunteered as an overseas missionary.  This is where beliefs start to diverge...

It could have been a Baptist mission or a Methodist mission.
It could have been to India or Africa.

We think she died whilst abroad but my Great Grandmother, her youngest sister, said that there was a statue to her in which ever village she died in.  The extra bit that may or may not be true is that she was killed during "tribal" war/troubles.

She was always an admired person based on such little info I would love to find out more.

Questions

The specific questions then are...

Is the North Wales Pioneer newspaper indexed?
Has anyone tried to trace Missionaries - where would you start?

Found this on Archon...

1862-1939: minute books, schedule books, circuit steward's account books, overseas missions account books, register of funds collected, sunday schools schedule books
Repository: Conwy Archive Service
Record Reference CD27 
NRA catalogue reference NRA 30677
Colwyn Methodists 

Does anyone know if it would be indexed?

Thanks in advance,
Pam
 

[D ap D]

Hi Pam,
have you tried asking at Llandudno Archives? They've helped me with all sorts of stuff.
email in case you haven't already got it:
archifau.archives@conwy.gov.uk

I wouldn't think the Pioneer has been indexed. It is a free newspaper delivered weekly to all households. It does have extracts of news (mostly from the North Wales Weekly News, as it belongs to the same group), but is mostly adverts. I think it only started in the late 80s.

The North Wales Weekly News will be the one you want. They should have it archived at Llandudno, but failing that you could also try the National Library in Aber:
holi@llgc.org.uk

Whether Baptist or Methodist, the non-conformist records are not usually published or available. You'd have to get in touch with the relevant circuit. I can dig out the address for the Seilo/Rehoboth/Hyfrydle circuit, but there are so many methodist chapels in Llandudno, its difficult to know where to start.

Another option would be "cytun" . This is an ecumenical association of all denominations within Wales:
http://www.cytun.freeserve.co.uk/

for the Llandudno Parish:
http://www.llandudnochurches.org.uk/

Let me know how you get on - my best man is a presbyterian minister in Llandudno, so if all else fails, I'll get him to make enquiries.

D ap D

[Boongie Pam]

Cheers D, the Pioneer according to this site http://www.conwy.gov.uk/doc.asp?cat=785&doc=1098 started in 1898 but I know what kind of paper you mean so I probably wouldn't find anything there.  The problem I have is that I don't know when she died.  So without indexes it would be tough.

I'll definitely email the archive, I posted here first so I didn't sound too much of a numpty or time waster to the archive peeps 

Thanks and I'll let you know how I get on.

P

PS Thanks for the links that'll help hugely with my Anglsey Baptists!