Benjamin Williams b 1817 Llanegwad or Llanwrtyd emigrated to America ca 1834

[*Sandra*]

https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Benjamin_Williams_(64)

[Llanfihangel]

Thank you Sandra.
Ebenenezer of Llanwrtyd continued on as a Calvinistic Methodist Minister in Wales, and he didn't emigrate to America.
I have a marriage in Llanfawr Merionethshire for Thomas Williams and Ann Jones, witnessed by John Williams and Sarah Jones 18 October 1814. It is on FindMyPast. If they intended to emigrate to America, they would have had to wait a while because of the England-America War.
I haven't traced a Benjamin anywhere, but the 1814 marriage was in a Church (not Chapel) and all the signatures indicate high literacy.
Benjamin's date of birth 1818 will precede any date of Baptism, but I searched FindMyPast very carefully, without tracing him . There was a baptism of a Benjamin Williams son of Thomas and Ann Williams 7 August 1824 Aberavon Glamorganshire, but there is a death record for the same Benjamin on the same day.
Anyway, I appreciate your help very much
Llanfi 

[Mabel Bagshawe]

I've seen a couple of newspaper obits for Ebenezer Williams, but none mention his family or early life, which is a bit frustrating

The welsh papers were quite good at keeping up reports on families who had emigrated, but with a fairly common name and no certainty as to where Benjamin went it's difficult to start searching to find any mentions

[Llanfihangel]

Thanks to all of you...!


I started tthis search on the Carmarthen and Breconshire boards with the assumption that Ebenezer was Benjamin's brother, and that his father was David Williams and mother Ann. That was from a werelate family history. I found an Ebenezer son of David Williams and Ann Jones in Llanwrtyd on FindmyPast. later on, I found Ebenezer was in Llanwrtydd as a C.M. Minister in the 1851 Census. I think I have started a real red herring!

Please ignore my original posting:

"Hi,
Any leads on Benjamin Williams b 1817 Llanegwad Carmarthenshire or Llanwrtyd Breconshire? Father David William(s) mother Ann Jones married ca. 1808 at Calvinistic Chapel near Llwynfortune. he had a brother Ebenezer baptised Bethel Llanwrtyd 1810.
The family emigrated to America about 1834.

The Ohio death certificate I received from John clearly shows Benj Williams was born in 1818 and that his parents were Thomas Williams and Ann Jones, from Wales (no specific location).

Llanfi 

[Llanfihangel]

Hello All!

I may have been wrong about stating that the Ebenezer Williams baptised at Llanwrytydd didn't emigrate to America. Maybe there were TWO Ebenezer Williams baptised around that time. The Ebenezer Williams  baptised at  DEVYNNOCK definitely became a C.M. minister, and died in 1880 Wales.

There wouldn't be any further records in Wales if the Llanwrtyd Ebenezer emigrated with Benjamin Williams in 1831.

 Here is my best shot...   

My Comparison of the records for the two Ebenezer Williams baptisms in 1910/11, Breconshire

Ebenezer baptized at Bethel Independent Chapel Llanwrytyd:

Parents: David and Ann Williams Spinster. Maiden name: Ann Jones. Father’s occupation: Taylor. Parents Residence Galltwinne (illegible) might be, Gallt-y-Waen, Gallt-y-Haiarn, or Alltwineu, near Llanwrtyd.  Child Born December 20 1810. Born Llanwrtyd. Baptised January 17 1811 at Bethesda Chapel, Llanwrtyd, by John Evans Minister. Parents were married at Llywnfortune (near Llanwrtyd)
I can’t find any further records for this Ebenezer in Breconshire.

Ebenezer baptized at Brychgoed Independent Chapel Devynnock:

“Ebenezer: son of David Williams Shopkeeper (of Devynnock Village) by Ann his wife was baptized the 30 March 1810”
1841 Census; Ebenezer Williams age 30, born Breconshire, Minister of the Gospel, Town of Llywel, Parish of Triaianmaur, Borough of Brecon, Place Trecastle (near Devynnock)

Marriage solemnised at Devynnock Parish Church 1847, between Ebenezer Williams, Bachelor,  student at Trevecca, residence Trevecca, son of David Williams Shopkeeper and Margaret Davies, Spinster, residence Devynnock, daughter of John Davies, Weaver

1851 Census: Llansawell, Wen Hamlet, Cardiganshire: Ebenezer Williams age 40, Married, C. M. Minister, Visitor, born Llanwrytydd, Breconshire.
(Accompanied by Joseph Thomas, age 30, Married, C. M. Minister, Visitor, born Llanddewi Brefi, Cardiganshire.

1880 Obituary in Newspaper Y Goleuad (in Welsh) Aberhonddu, Breconshire. Ebenezer Williams C.M. Minster, wife Miss Davies of Defynog. Mentions he was educated at Trevecca


But just to complicate things, the 1851 Census of Ebenezer Williams C.M. Minister records his birthplace as Llanwrtyd.

Cheers,

Llanfi 

[Llanfihangel]

I meant Llansawel Carmarthenshire not Cardiganshire in my last post

Cheers.

Llanfi

[SantaT]

I will chime in here as Benjamin Williams was my g-g-grandfather.  His daughter, Mary Olive Williams, married Thomas Wilson Algeo.   An old genealogy, drawn up by some unknown (but probably professional) genealogist for my great-aunt, says that Benjamin was born in 1817 in Brecon, Wales.  It says his parents are David and Ann.   I have seen the death certificate for which his daughter Emily was informant -- she says parents are Thomas and Ann, and born in 1818.  I will quote you what the anonymous genealogist had to say:  David Williams was born in Wales, unknown date.  He married in Wales about 1809 Ann Powell of Aberbrane Wills, So. Wales.  She died at Radnor Ohio July 17, 1848.
"David came to the U.S. in 1832 or 1834.  One date is given in his son Ebenezer's Biography [in?] "History of Delaware Co., O.,1880" [p. 781] and the other in the biography of Thomas Jones in the Delaware "Journal Herald" Feb. 19, 1908.  Date of death unknown but body was reinterred in Greenlawn Cem (L94 in 1863).   Charles M. Jones, his great grandson, tells the story that the Williams were a very wealthy family of millers in Wales and at one year during a crop shortage they cornered most of the available grain crop in a large part of their country.  Then grain was sent in by England the the [sic] corner was broken.  They lost heavily and came to America shortly thereafter - whether because of the loss or because of pressure of public opinion is not known.  ..brought to the U.S. with him, Ebenezer 3/10/1810 - 8/8/96  Benjamin 1817 - 4/3/1906 (s. Phoebe Seeley).....Gwenne married Thomas Jones, Thomas, Leigh and Robert. 

The info in Ebenezer's bio says that his father David died in 1834, in Columbus Ohio. 

I'm not very optimistic about sorting this out.  None of these sources are really primary -- Emily's information is closest, but I myself gave erroneous information on my father's death certificate, so I can't take her information as certain. 
. 

[Llanfihangel]

Hello SantaT

I am very grateful for your reply!... Hopefully we can develop a good account of Benjamin Williams of Breconshire, Wales and Radnor Ohio.

I have an extremely close DNA match with another descendent of Benjamin Williams of Radnor Ohio. My family came from Llanfihangel Nant Bran in Breconshire, very close to Aberbran Mills, and  the two of us have been searching for a couple of years to find Benjamin's birthplace and parents.

There was a David Williams and Ann (Powell?) who lived in Castle Street, Brecon; Their  daughter Gwenllian married a William Jones of Garthbrengy in 1822. They sailed along with Ann, Ebenezer, Benjamin, and Llewellyn Williams on the "John Jay" from Liverpool to New York in 1832.

Please send me a scan of Charles M Jones' account. I am enclosing a record of Benjamin's voyage  to New York.

Cheers,

Llanfi

[SantaT]

I'm having a little trouble sending attachments to you as they are over the 500KB limit.

Perhaps you would like to send me a private message with your email and we can continue to correspond that way.  But absolutely fine if not.

However, I quoted in my previous email everything that was germane, and I don't have any other information.  But if you want a copy, I'll email one to you. 

It may be possible to get Benjamin's naturalization records, and I'll try to do that.

This is the relevant page from the History of Delaware County, O.