WHERE DO I START ?

[ScottishLiz]

Can anyone suggest where I can start trying to trace a Williams in Wales when I don't know where in Wales they came from. My gggrandparents were born in Wales according to the census information and must have moved to Glasgow prior to marriage. His name was Owen williams, born around 1850 and her maiden name was also Williams-Winifred Williams, born around 1855. They were both wed in Glasgow on 5th february 1875. However I have hit a brick wall in my efforts to trace further back as I don't know where in Wales they were born, and looking for a Williams in Wales is like trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. Any hints from the more experienced family historians out there?

[Paul J Ballard]

Liz,

I have just done a few searches in the Wales 1871 Census - assuming that they were still there then and found that the problem for Winifred may not be so bad. There are no Winifred Williams in Wales aged 15 years and only one aged 14 years, one aged 16 years and one aged 17 years in that census.

It is a bit more problematic for Owen as their are 21 aged 20 and 11 aged 22.

Have you found Owen & Winifred in the censuses from 1881 to 1901 (assuming they lived long enough)? If not then it might be worth trying them to see if they give you any better clue. There is also always a chance that another relative is resident and this might give you extra information to work on. Their occupations may also give a clue as to which ones they may be in the 1871 Census.

What did Owen do for a living? Did he have the type of job where he might have filled in an application form that may have been preserved?

Paul