Thanks, Gadget, yes, any other documents that might include place names within a parish could be helpful for pinning down family groups. I am trying to sort out several families in Radnorshire with the surname Palfrey or Palphrey. A number of families in different eras have children named Richard, Bryan, Thomas, John, Elizabeth, Ann and Mary. There's the occasional Elinor and Tabitha too. Through the centuries, almost every Richard has a brother Bryan, and almost every Elizabeth has a sister Ann.
In the pre-1813 baptisms, the mother's name is not always given, so it's hard to work out whose children are whose. The families are mostly in Llanbister, but also in Llanbadarn Fawr, Llanddewi Ystradenny and Llangynllo. As it's not a surname that originated in Wales, I imagine they are probably all related. Wills have helped to sort out some of them, especially when testators with no children of their own helpfully named all their nieces and nephews, and explained whose children they were. For a certain period, the tithe maps have helped too.
A slight complication is that in 1738, one John Palfrey married a Hester Palfrey. John and Hester each had a brother Richard, and possibly a brother Bryan, and a sister Elinor and I think a sister Ann. That John is the executor of his mother-in-law Mary Palfrey's will, which mentions her grandson John (son of her late son John. John was also the name of her late husband.) Mary's will also mentions two grandsons, Ezekiel and Joseph Palfrey, but since they are unusual names in her family, she didn't think it necessary to mention whose sons they were. There are a few possibilities, but I haven't pinned them down yet.
The will of John Palfrey [sometimes Phalfrey] left a property to his wife Hester and their son Richard. The property was named a few years later in a legal record when Richard and his new wife mortgaged it. This helped me make the link between one of several Richards and his father John.
Any ideas for other documents that might help to differentiate the people in this group?
Liz
