Mary Jane Owens of Brithdir

[Moiralou]

Hello - my great grandmother was Mary Jane Owens. She married a German immigrant, Hermann Hanning, and they had three daughters, Rosine, Jennie and Hermine.

My grandmother, Jane/Jennie, was born in Brithdir in 1909. According to the 1901 census, Mary Jane, her mother and brothers lived at 14 Victoria Street.

Mary Jane and the girls emigrated to Canada in 1914 and crossed the border into the US in 1916. The border crossing record shows their previous address as (I think - it's hard to read) 15 Victoria St, Pontlottyn.

Have been unable to locate Victoria St on maps of Brithdir - can anyone tell me if it has been renamed? Also if anyone has info to share regarding this particular Owens family, the history of Brithdir, or why a 16 year old German teenager might end up there (he was a miner, of course) - I would be most grateful.

[KGarrad]

Victoria Street is in the village of Pontlottyn.
Brithdir was another village nearby!

This is from a 1911 Glamorganshire directory:
Gelligaer
"A village on the east border of the county 14 miles north of Cardiff overlooking the Rhymney valley. It was once a Roman military station, and considerable remains of the fortifications have recently been unearthed. In the neighbourhood are the populous colliery villages of Brithdir, Bargoed, Hengoed, and Pontlottyn. It forms part of the hundred of Caerphilly."

[Morganllan]

Hello Moiralou 

Welcome to Rootschat! Do you have these records:

World War I Draft Registration Cards 1917-1918
Herman Hanning of Cochise County, Arizona
Born 6th Nov 1884
Occupation - Miner
Next of kin - Mary Jane
Short & Medium Build with blue eyes and dark brown hair

1920 United States Federal Census - Bisbee Ward 3, Cochise, Arizona (rented property)
Herman Hanning, age 35,  born Hanover, Germany, ca 1885, able to read & write
Also Mary J Hanning age 38, Rasine Hanning age 15, Hermine Hanning age 13, and Jane Hanning age 11

1930 United States Federal Census - Heard, Maricopa, Arizona
Herman H Hanning, age 45, Farmer
Mary J Hanning

Do you know when Herman arrived in Wales? Presumably he came to work in the coal mines?

Kind Regards
Morgan

[Moiralou]

Thank you Morgan and KGarrad for you replies.

Yes I do have those records for Herman - but thanks for looking them up for me. I don't know when he went to Wales, but he is in the 1901 Census as a 16 year old miner in Pontlottyn, so he must have immigrated shortly before then. 

I am still confused as to where my grandmother lived. I pulled out her birth certificate to have another look - under "when and where born" it states 14 New Houses, Brithdir. And the 1901 census is for the hamlet of Brithdir, though it does show Ecclesiastical Parish as St Tyfaelog, Pontlottyn.

[osprey]

there's a local expert on Brithdir on the board. I've sent him a pm about your query. He hasn't been online for a few days,  but, fingers crossed, he'll get the message soon.



 

[Moiralou]

Thank you, Osprey!

[Dannemois]

Hi Moiralou
I have just returned from a weeks break in Pembrokeshire which is why I have not made contact sooner.  This is to let you know I have read your query regarding Brithdir and I am on the case.  I will have a look through my records etc and get back to you later this evening. 

Roy

[Moiralou]

Thank you very much Roy. Just to clarify things, I have been doing some add'l research since my original post.

-have found the Hannings in the 1911 census - in Ystrad Mynach
-by grandmother's birth cert shows her place of birth and mother's residence as 14 New Houses, Brithdir (my grandmother was born in January of 1909)
-the 1911 census shows my grandmother's sister born in Monmouth New Tredegar in 1907, and her eldest sister born in Pontlottyn in 1904
-the 1901 census lists my great grandmother Mary Jane Owens, her mother and brothers at 15 Victoria St in Brithdir
-the 1891 census lists great grandmother Mary Jane Owen (no s), her father, mother and brothers at 15 Victoria St in Pontlottyn.

15 Victoria must not be in Brithdir, as KGarrad says. Not sure why the 1901 census page would show Hamlet of Brithdir in the upper right corner though?

Sorry to blind you with details but a family member is in Ireland now and thinking of hopping over to Wales to visit the old ancestral home, so to speak ...and now not sure where to go!

[Dannemois]

I've had a busy few hours updating my Norton Anti Virus and I am just about to set about looking at your query.  In the meantime I wonder if you could send me a copy of your grandmother's birth certificate so I can view it for first hand, you can send it to me at ^(*).  New Houses is an address in Brithdir village itself and Brithdir was also the name of the Hamlet which covered a wide area which I will explain in detail.

Regards Roy

(*) Moderator Comment: e-mail removed in accordance with RootsChat policy,
to avoid spamming and other abuses.
Please use the Personal Message (PM) system for exchanging personal data.