Looking William Henry Hughes and family from Llanrwst or Llanrhychwyn

[eapiwan]

Looking for William Henry Hughes born circa 1858 and family from Llanrwst or Llanrhychwyn

Hi! My name is Eduardo, I am Argentinian, and I am 3rd generation from Welsh settlers that came to Patagonia. I have been researching my family history for about a year, and find it fascinating. Sadly, my father didn’t teach me welsh (I am trying to learn it by my own), so I have many limitations when I have to read documents and newspapers but I manage myself. Now I am a bit stucked with my great grandfather William Henry Hughes and tought I might ask for help here, as I’ve seen there are many members of this forum that know a lot about the subject and are very helpful.
I know for a fact that he came to Argentina alone in 1881, and that at that time he was living in Llandwrog, Cesarea. He worked at the quarrys at the area, and he was already a poet. He was known as Glan Caeron, with that artistic name in Argentina he won 7 Eisteddfod. But first, when he arrived at the Cesarea area, he was known as Will Llanrwst (I found a couple of Welsh newspapers that said so).
He died in 1926 and his gravestone says he was 66 years old when he died, which means he was born around 1860, but I think this is not very accurate, and suspect he was born a couple of years earlier.
I know that he had a brother named David who stayed in Wales, and lived and died in Cesarea, and that his father name was Hugh Hughes. My family thought his mother name was Angharad, but I found no Angharad at all, in the censuses, or any kind of record.
I found a family in the censuses that is the best match of the information I know:
Census 1861 – Llanrwst
Hugh Hughes – head – 32  years – Carnarvon, Llanrochywn
Jane – wife – 34 years - Holywell, Flintshire
David – son – 8 years - Llanrwst, Denbighshire
William – son – 6 years - Llanrhychwyn, Caernarvonshire
Margareth – daughter – 3 years - Llanrwst, Denbighshire

Census 1871 – Llandwrog
Hugh Hughes – head – 43 years - Llanrhychwyn, Caernarvonshire
David – 18 - Llanrwst, Denbighshire
William – 15 - Llanrhychwyn, Caernarvonshire
Mary – 9 - Llanrwst, Denbighshire

My guess is that his mother died between both censuses, because I found that Hugh married later with a woman called Mary, and had 3 more children Dorothy, Robert and Edith. My family knew Glan Caeron had half brothers and sisters.
What I would really like is to find the birth or Baptist records for William Henry Hughes, and his brothers so I can be surer that I found the right family. Is there a way to see the Llanrhycwyn parrish records and Llanrwst records? Is there other information I could get? I would really appreciate any advice.
Thanks in advance for your time and help.

[Glynm]

Hello Eduardo
I found a report of a meeting held at Caesera Chapel, Llandwrog for William on his departure to the settlement in Argentina. http://newspapers.library.wales/view/4296580/4296587/36/ This was dated 2nd May 1881. This would mean that William should appear in the April 1881 Census.
I hope I am not confusing matters but in the April 1881 Census there is a William Henry Hughes, of the right age 22, living in Llandwrog with his sister Alice and her husband John Jones and William's father Henry Jones. The only trouble is that in the censuses back to 1861 this William has no brothers.
In fact his mother Elizabeth died between the 1861 and 1871 Censuses.
 Glyn

[Mair]

Hello Eduardo

I sense you like looking and seeking for him - so if you put William's bardic name "Glan Caeron" into Google the hits returned are really fruitful - pictures, papers and letters

Good hunting

M

[Tall Al]

Hi,

I don't know if this family may be of interest?

1861 - Ty Isaf, Gwydir

Hugh Hughes 39 - Farmer of 160 acres
Ann  age 31
Griffith age 7
Hugh age 7
David age 5
William age 2
Ann age 1 month

1871 - Wyddfyd, Gwydyr, Denbighshire
Hugh Hughes age 50 -Farmer 80 acres
Ann age 40
Griffith age 17
Hugh age 17
David age 15
William age 12
Ann age 10
Owen age 3

1881 - Wyddfyd, Llanwrst, Bettys y Coed, Denbighshire
Anne (Widow) age 48- Farmer 60 acres
Hugh age 28
Griffith age 28
David age 25
William age 23 - occupation shown as Miner (Slate Quarries)
Owen age 13

Have you any thoughts?

Alan

[Tall Al]

Hi,

Scratch my earlier note as Hugh died pre 1881 so cannot be the right family.

Alan

[eapiwan]

Hello Everyone, thank you for your help.

Glynm: I found that report too, and came to the same conclusion, he was still in Wales in the 1881 Census. I have a candidate, that I haven't said before because it's just a guess at this point. I think he was at the family Parry's home. This is the census:

Evan Parry - 39 farmer & grocer
Jane Parry - 38 wife
Henry R Parry -  17 farmer & grocers son
Richard O Pritchard 24 - boarder - slate quarrier
William H Hughes - 25 - boarder - slate quarrier
William Davies - servant

In the meeting that you found, there is a Henry R. Parry participating. Coincidence?


Mair: you are right, I really like seeking for him and his story. As he liked writing a lot (he worked in the local newspaper called "Y Drafod") and he liked keeping in touch with his family and his welsh roots, he wrote and published many letters, here in Patagonia, but many were published in Welsh journals too. Those letters gave me little pieces of the puzzle to discover his family.


Tall Al: thanks for the search but you are right, that is not his family.


I can tell you all that I am pretty sure about who his family was, or at least there is not another family in the censuses that fits better. As i said, the newspapers and letters gave me many clues:

Sister Mary - I know he had a little sister called Mary because there is a letter he wrote worried about her health. http://newspapers.library.wales/view/3775781/3775785/25/ In the newspaper "Y Drych" in October 1914. We know from that, that Mary married Elias H Jones and went to live to New York.
Mary dies, and in her obituary it speaks of the family she left. This is published in "Y Dinesydd Cymreig" in september 1914 (clearly his brothers worried letter was published too late) http://newspapers.library.wales/view/4014824/4014827/22/.
The list of family includes William Henry, his brother David. 2 half brothers: it only mentions Robert Hughes, 2 half sisters: Mrs William H. Hughes (we think this is Dorothy) and Miss Edith Hughes.

Sister Margareth: I think she married Ellis Ellis Jones in 1877 and died in 1888, that's why she is not listed in Mary's obituary.

To make the long story short (well at least not that long) I know for sure he had a brother called David. I have already found some descendants still living in Caernarvonshire that knew David had a brother William Henry that came to live to Argentina.


What I can't find is any baptism or any record at all from the births of William, David, Margareth or Mary. My guess is the church where they were baptised are not digitalized yet or I am looking in the wrong places.

 
Does anyone know if there are records from the St. Rhychwyn church/chapel? Or if there are records from the Peniel Chapel of Trefriw after 1837? (it seems there are no digitalized further that year).

Thank you,
Eduardo

[Glynm]

Hello Eduardo
The parish records for Llanrhychwyn are on Findmypast, however, I have checked the 1850's and there are only two William Hughes recorded in 1854 and 1856. The parents for both were Robert and Maria Hughes, therefore not your William Henry.
Trefriw Parish records can be bought from Gwynedd FHS http://www.gwyneddfhs.co.uk/publications.pdf
or if someone lives near the Gwynedd Archives in Caernarfon they can be checked there.
My guess he will not be found there and that in all probability he was baptised in a non-conformist chapel and as you say these records after 1837 are scarce on line.

Glyn

[Derwydd1916]

Hi Eduardo, I have just joined RootsChat and saw your message from 2018. I do believe that we are related. I am just putting the finishing touches to my family tree and William Henry HUGHES
Slate Quarrier • Born 1855, Llanrwst, Denbighshire, Wales • Died 1926, Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina is my great great grandfathers nephew. I would love to hear from you. Mike