PRITCHARD, Gaynor - Birth Record - BANGOR

[Mysterious Lady]

Just picked up my brick wall hobby again !!! ... Researching my PRITCHARD line from Bangor.

"GAINEY PRITCHARD" was born in Bangor, Wales 08-14-1866. Father was HENRY PRITCHARD b. abt 1829 and mother was ELIZABETH JONES b. abt 1839. 

GAINEY had a sister ELIZABETH PRITCHARD born abt. 1870 in Bangor and also a brother, JOHN H. PRITCHARD born in Bangor abt 1872. GAINEY's father, HENRY PRITCHARD was a widower when he married ELIZABETH JONES in 1864 so I don't know if there may have been any half-siblings or not.

GAINEY moved to the US (Pennsylvania) just before 1879, I found her on an 1880 Pennsylvania census with her name spelled "GAINEY". Relatives also remember calling her "GAINEY" - However, I cannot find that name spelled like that anywhere so I am now looking at GAYNOR. 

I found a "GAYNOR PRITCHARD" in the FreeBMD born in BANGOR, JULY-AUG-SEPT 1866 - Volume 11b Page 520. 

Is this my "Gainey"?

I would appreciate any help! I'm sure I have some PRITCHARDS and JONES'S and MORGAN'S over there. I'd like to find them before I come for a visit!

[Annette7]

My gut instrinct tells me the birth you found is the correct one.

Tried to find the family on the 1871 Census and the only possibility I can find is:

1871 Census - Ffestiniog, Merionethshire

Henry Pritchards     40    Quarryman     b. Bwmares, Anghyshire ??
                                                      this is the transcription - original hard to read

[Annette7]

Sorry - touched the wrong button!    Would imagine his birthplace is probably in Anglesey ?
continues:
E Pritchards    31           born Bangor
C. (?) Pritchards   dau.   4          born Bangor
E. J. Pritchards     dau.    1         born Bangor

Births show 2 Elizabeth Janes born Bangor - Sept.1869 and Sept. 1870.

I wonder whether the 'C' should be a 'G' - there are no plain C Pritchard's born Bangor in time period although there are some Catherine's with a second initial.   However, since other daughter's census entry shows 2 initials one would think that if the elder dau. had 2 initials it would have been shown.

There appears to be around 10 years difference in ages for the parents.

Anyway, thought it worth a mention.

Annette

[titch]

I think you are right to look for 'Gaynor'. I have an ancestor who was always called Gainey or Ginny by the family but was baptised as Gaynor, the reverend gentleman not being Welsh, otherwise she would have been Gaenor.

Titch

[Mysterious Lady]

Annette7 - I would assume the hard to read Bwmares, Anghyshire ?? is probably Beaumaris, Anglesey.  In my research, though I've found nothing concrete yet, I have consistently been lead to Beaumaris through little clues, yet my family has always remembered only "Bangor".  But I think this may be something ... I appreciate your help!

I also know that HENRY PRITCHARD'S father's name was JOHN PRITCHARD, who was also a quarryman.  I have HENRY PRITCHARD's marriage certificate from 1864 to ELIZABETH JONES (at the Bangor Cathedral) and it shows both JOHN PRITCHARD and HENRY PRITCHARD as quarrymen.  Was the Penhryn Estate the only quarry around?  I assume they probably worked there if that is the case.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help.  It is so frustrating that the only resource I have here is my computer which hasn't been of too much help so far except in communicating with others.

To Titch - thanks for the Gaynor reply.  Maybe you figured that out sooner than I did - it actually took me about eight years!  Maybe I'm my own brick wall ... 

[Mysterious Lady]

Another thought - was it common to move around so much back then? Because in looking at it, if HENRY PRITCHARD was born in ANGLESEY, then he moved to BANGOR, where his children were born, then he moved to FFESTINIOG, MERIONETHSHIRE.   

I guess I've always tended to think that people worked, lived and died in the town where they were born back then since travel would not have been so easy.

[titch]

He could have worked in the Penrhyn slate quarry in Bethesda just outside Bangor, but under the Bangor registration district and then to Ffestioniog to the quarries there. Quarrymen did move around a lot, to follow where the work was. My quarrymen worked Penrhyn, several quarries in Ffestiniog and Penmachno and lead mines above Llanrwst. That is why a lot of quarries had barracks for the men to live in during the week, some barracks housed families.

Titch

[titch]

It is amazing how much people travelled back then and even more amazing to realise that they walked. A 20 mile walk was nothing to them. We tend to measure journeys by road distance but our ancestors in these parts walked as the crow flies, over the mountains!  My 3xgt grandfather and his sons walked from Llanrwst to Ffestiniog over the hills on a Sunday evening to stay in the barracks until Saturday lunchtime when their shift at the quarry finished and would then walk back home for what was left of the weekend.
Although very rough and ready and sometimes flea ridden the spirit of the barracks was good. Some barracks even had their own little choir, the men spending their short free time entertaining each other.

I also had another ancestor who walked over the mountains to go to the first teacher training college in North Wales at Bangor and then he walked back home for the weekend.

They certainly didn't need health Clubs to keep fit in those days!
Just thought this snippet may be of interest!

Titch

[Mysterious Lady]

What is the best way to verify the GAYNOR PRITCHARD birthdate from the FreeBMD?  Since it only shows JULY-AUG-SEPT 1866 in Volume 11b Page 520, it does not give me the exact date.  How could I find this out? Would that specific information even be available?

I am looking to see if it is the 08/14/1866 'GAINEY' PRITCHARD in my line. 

For titch - thanks for your family's story on travel. It helps me to see that I have to think a little bigger here and not focus so much on Bangor. 

MODIFIED:  Nevermind - I just looked it up on the FreeBMD page and it says quite clearly: So you have found the record in the index ... the next step is to order your certificate.   I'll order it and let everyone know how it turned out!  Thanks!