Looking for the name RELIUS or aurelius

[haddockinthekitchen]

Searching the family name of AURELIUS, based in and around Mynyddislwyn (near Cwmfelinfach, Ynysddu, Pontllanfraith)..and there's a name change around the early 1700's to RELIUS from AURELIUS.
I have a marriage recorded to one HARRY AURELIUS, (which checks out) but the baptisms of his children have him as Harry RELIUS.
He signed the marriage register with a cross, so was not able to write his name (I assume) or his wife.
I wonder if the clerk/ cleric recording the baptisms might have heard Harry Aurelius as Harry Relius?
As the name Harry can "run in" to the surname as it starts with a vowel? If Harry dropped his aitches (as all good Welsh people do on occasion, as do I!) it would have been given as 'Arry (A)urelius...possibly??? If there is anyone out there with the name RELIUS, or similar, please give me a shout. Many thanks
PS - Later Aurelius recorded as living at TERFIL, GELLIGAER as well. It's prior to 1700 that I am now trying to find.

[graf]

Aerelius s/o Wm Harry Morgan was baptized towards the end
of 1685 at Mynyddislwyn - the day and month are unreadable.

Later references to him in Mynyddislwyn are:

Martha d/o Aurelius Wm Hary was baptized 21 July 1715
Mary wife of Aurelius William was buried 21 October 1751

The father of Aerelius may be the William Harry Morgan
who was buried 15 July 1718.

If they continued to use welsh patronymic names, Martha
would have been called Martha Aurelius and it looks as
if the family used Aurelius as a surname thereafter.

The surname also occurs in the neighbouring parish of Risca
as Relious (1771), Relius (1773), Arelious (1780), Arelius (1781),
Aurelius (1785), Urelius (1788) and Aarelius (1796).

[haddockinthekitchen]

Thanks for that.
All my searches are in and around Mynyddislwyn - Given that Risca is just a few miles away - especially if you are on the mountains, then this could well be the lead I am looking for.
Can I ask - Did you use the OPC for this?
I did go on to the Monmouthshire OPC but I struggled to find my way around.
I've been using the Cornwall OPC for my side, and find that site so much easier to use.
Any links much appreciated.
Also, this week Husband (Aurelius) and I taking the Ancestry DNA test, so we hope that this may throw a bit of light on the search too.
This name change really does make life hard - I can deal with 20 versions of the family name (mine) of Flamank, as they are quite a documented Cornish family, but when it's a lesser-known
 family you really do have to throw yourself on the mercy of the OPC, and of course, the kind people
 of Rootschat!
I did actually stumble on the fact that AURELIUS has a Swedish history, and I have looked at a lot of Swedish records but none that would like me to the father of HARRY AU(RELIUS) B. around 1730. I have tracked is son, my husband's direct descendent right down to him (husband) so Harry/ Henry is the last in my trackable line at the moment. I have married to MARY HARRY, and that's it.
The change to RELIUS is very interesting though.
I was born in Cwmfelinfach and I have extensively walked Twmbarlywm in Risca and Mynyddislwyn so having local knowledge of the area has really helped.

[whiteout7]

"The Aurelius family was a powerful Roman dynasty descended from the second-century Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, and archaeology has shown that when the Roman legions departed members of this family remained in Britain"

Maybe there was some relationship with the Roman Family in the mists of time??

http://www.grahamphillips.net/merlin/merlin3.html

[graf]

For Mynyddislwyn I used a transcript done by a cousin, and the Risca
information came from a transcript done by David Woolven which I saw
on Mike John's website called monfamilies. Now closed down the data is
still accessible on the wayback machine and other places.

Nowadays I would use familysearch.org and the images of the original
registers on findmypast.co.uk or a local LDS family history center.
Gwent family history society sells fiche & booklet transcripts.

[whiteout7]

Joining this groups might also help

https://groups.io/g/MonGenes

They have a database once you are a member too

http://www.mongenes.org.uk/Home.html

[haddockinthekitchen]

Thanks for all the info everyone.

Ancestry DNA test kits arrived today, so hoping this will help plot a few paths to investigate also.