Baptist Minister Samuel Davey Thomas

[tsumi]

My grt grandfather was a baptist minister circa 1870-1930,and I believe he studied at Pontypool University .Has anyone any ideas how I could find out more about his life and studies while there ,he was born 1843 in Swansea ,but moved to Cardiff 1850,s .I don,t live anywhere near so travel would be a factor .
Many thanks for your time .
Tsumi

[Arranroots]

Hi Tsumi

Not very helpful of me, but there definitely wasn't a Pontypool university! 

There was certainly a lot of Nonconformity in that area, however and I have no idea how you "train" to be a Baptist minister - I wonder if it could be done "on the job"?

Do you have him on censuses - that would be a start?

kind regards, Arranroots 

[Arranroots]

This site looks as though it accepts enquiries by mail:

http://www.walesontheweb.org/cayw/collections/en/699771

Welsh Baptist Union Collection


The Library of the Welsh Baptist Union is located at the Union's Headquarters at Mansel Street, Swansea. There are over 1,000 books in the Library including Bibles, hymn books, sermons, ministers' biographies and the history of the Baptist Church. There are also programmes of services celebrating Baptist chapel and church centenaries, memorial volumes, reports of Baptist Unions, and council programmes from the end of the eighteenth century onwards. There are complete sets of the periodicals 'Seren Gomer: Cylchgrawn Undeb Bedyddwyr Cymru' (1814-1983) and 'Seren Cymru', and some runs of other Welsh religious periodicals. Although some recent materials are kept, the collection is mainly a historical one reflecting the development of the Welsh Baptist Union.

A 

[Arranroots]

There are references here to a Baptist training college in Pontypool - sounds promising!

http://www.rootschat.com/links/0lg/

A 

[tsumi]

Many thanks you have given me a lot to go on ,plenty of reading and writing,
Cheers Tsumi

[Arranroots]

It might be worth putting a question on the Occupations board.

Link to this thread by pasting the URL at the top to save typing!

Let us know what you find out, please - very interesting!

kind regards, Arranroots 

[tsumi]

Thank you very muchFor all your help and knowledge , I have done what you suggest, and will put a posting if and when I find out more
Cheers Tsumi

[alwyn21]

The Pontypool Seminary/Training College, was the Baptist Training College for Wales until about 1891 when it moved to Cardiff, where it still is, at
54-58 Richmond Rd
Cardiff, CF24 3UR, Wales, United Kingdom
+44 29 20256066 www.swbc.org.uk .
If you contact them, they have a full list of the yearbooks, and should be able to find Samuel Davey Thomas and also the churches where he subsequently was a minister. The college is in fact  department of the Unversity of Cardiff, with whom it shares lecturers and staff

[tsumi]

Have sent them an email,fingers crossed.
Thank you so much for your time.
Tsumi