1871 Look-up please: Griffiths

[blodwen]

It is just incredible how helpful you all are.

Gareth, just a very, very  very long shot.

I noticed that you also have Thomas (Bedlinog) in your list of names.  Well I have Thomas (Bedlinog) too. 
John Thomas, b. 1860 (coal miner) d. 1939 married this said Mary Griffiths and they had 11 children.

I know they all had the same names given, but you never know!!

A hopeful Blodwen

[Garethboxing]

My Thomas of Bedlinog was a miner-turned-farmer called Morgan Thomas (1817-1874) who was born at Pantywaun, near Merthyr, but spent most of his life as a farmer and contractor at Coly Isaf, a farm on the hill above Bedlinog (it's still there). He had nine kids (two died in infancy), including Mary, who married an Evan Roberts and in due course gave birth to my grandmother. None of the children was a John, I'm afraid.
  If you enter "Thomas" and "Bedlinog" in the search it will come up with another thread by mickytom which may perhaps have a connection with your family.
  By the way, in 1851 Morgan Griffiths, 27, was a miner, living at Orchard Row, Aberdare, with wife Ann, 25, b Merthyr, and daughter Margaret, 4, and son George, 2, both born Aberdare. So whatever "Greyhound" should have been you can safely assume they were born at Aberdare
  Gareth

[blodwen]

    Oh, what a pity.

Thanks anyway for letting me know.  I knew it was a long shot.  Nevermind.  As they say, try, try, try again!  So I shall.

It is sometimes quite confusing when the birth places vary from census to census.  Most of the names are familiar from conversations within the family,  but your are never quite sure if they were born there, or just lived there a time.

Thanks again for your help.   

Blodwen

[blodwen]

I know we have been here before, but looking at  the 1901 Wales Census Record, I have a John Thomas b. 1860, married to Mary b. 1868 with the names of the children matching those given to me by my Uncle, only he had Mary's birth date as 1861.  If she was b. 1868, then she would be only been 15 when she gave birth to her first child.  I know this is possible, but something doesnot fit in here.

Any ideas anyone?

A slightly mixed-up Blodwen

[Garethboxing]

Where does the 1901 Census have as Mary's birthplace? If it is Llanwonno (which is near Mountain Ash, one of the places you mentioned as likely in your original post), it would seem to tie in with the 1861 Mary discovered by Osprey.
  If it's somewhere else, particularly if it's away from the Cynon Valley, then it's presumably a different woman.
  The enumerator could only go by what he was told - and I've heard (I find it really hard to believe ) that some women occasionally pretend they're younger than they really are....

   Gareth

[blodwen]

Okay Gareth,
you are probably right that some women like to be shy about their age but I thought it is a woman's prerogative!

Still, back to the main topic.

1881 Census: Mary Griffiths, age 14 (therefore b. 1868) in Gelligaer, Dom nurse at Station Hotel, Gelligaer - as told by my Uncle (he wrote Bedlinog). Unless there were two Station Hotels in the area - probably to my grief there were.

1901 Census: Mary Thomas, age 33 (b. 1868)  in Mountain Ash -wife of John Thomas (b. 1860).  Children mentioned all match those names and roughly the dates given to me, especially the unusual name of Wyndham, all born in Bedlinog.  Looking at the map, Mountain Ash and Gelligaer are a little way away from each other so I am still wary.

There is also a Mary Griffiths at Station Hotel aged 19 (1862)  born in Cardigan which would fit the bill for the  date, but not for the 1901 Census. 

Which villae of the above mentioned was in Cardigan at that time??

Diolch, Blodwen

Please don not reply in Welsh, I only know a few words!!!!

[Garethboxing]

Station Hotel would have been in Bedlinog, which was part of the parish of Gelligaer, so your uncle is right. It's not there now, but have a look at the picture below:

http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/Images4-A-H/Bedlinog_Station_1988.JPG

My guess is that the building on the right is Station Hotel.

You say that Mary was a 14-year-old there in 1881 and tie that in with an 1868 birthdate. My maths O-level was a long time ago, but surely if she was 14 at the Census she was born in either late 1866 or early 1867?

If the children in Mountain Ash were all born in Bedlinog, then it must be the same woman (and this time the age does tie in with 1868!)

   Gareth

[blodwen]

Thanks for the picture. 

My maths isn't that bad - I took the 1901 census and subtracted 33 which gives 1868 so I was going from that.  I suppose it depends on which time of year the census was taken in relation to birth dates.

But I shall take the middle and use 1867 as the birth year.

And now I shall have a mooch around the alangeorge website.

 Thanks, Blodwen