''Marks'' family Cilrhedyn & Llanelli

[Zeppelin31]

Hi,
My Great grandad is John marks of Cilrhedyn and my great great grandad is Thomas marks who was married to Charlotte.
Great to find people with the same family.
Regards

[scottphillips94]

Hey, would be great to get some info on the family, I’ve done a fair bit of research on them and have lots of names in my family tree but would love to compare and fill some gaps if possible

could you drop me a message with any info or some photos of your family tree so I can compare ?

[rjmarcs]

Hi Zeppelin 321,
Thanks for your message. Yes we share the same great great grandparents. My great grandfather was William, born 1835 about a year before his brother John who was your great grandfather. The note in my father's papers says that John left home to work on the railways and lived at Penllain, Croesyceiliog. After marrying he lived at Bryngors Farm, then Gelligeirios (1881) and finally bought Abercyfor, Cwmffrwd, Carmarthenshire. I seem to remember my grandmother Margaret mentioning Gelligeirios occasionally. Was John's wife called Anne or Margaret?
I assume that we are both in the dark when it comes to tracing the parents of Thomas Marks (circa 1799-1880)?
Good to hear from you.
RM

[Zeppelin31]

Yes all those locations are correct. My grandad gave up the farm at Abercyfor and left his sisters with it. He moved with his wife to Llanelli to run a milk business. I’ve not had any joy trying to find Thomas’s parents. My mum has her DNA tested 80% welsh but was 10% Spain’s/Portuguese Italian. My mum is quite dark skinned and we think there maybe some link with the marks side to this but haven’t found it yet. Also someone else posted about in the past the Marks family being jewellers in Hatton gardens in London. Again I have found no evidence of this yet. So still searching. So you know anything about this? I’ve found a David Marks from Cilrhedyn that was a musician and wrote the hymns ‘Manchester’  and ‘Cannon Street’ I find this intriguing too. How are we related ? Great to know I’ve find more family!

[Zeppelin31]

Sorry just seen we are related through William Marks.

[rjmarcs]

Thanks again Zeppelin 321. That is, you are related through William (1888-1963) who married Elizabeth of Croesyceiliog Farm and became a milk vendor in Llanelli.
I haven't done any DNA testing but my first cousin did this and some Middle Eastern ancestry was disclosed. But 80 is a high percentage Welsh.
I thought I would be able to trace a link to David Marks (Ffynnon Ddrain) the mason / musician but I can't. During his time there was also a David Marks of Perthgygwenyn, Cilrhedyn but I can't work out his ancestry either. Clearly they all had common ancestors in the 1700's. There was a John Marks of Penygribyn, Cilrhedyn who owned land and made a will and who dates from well back into the 1700's -  he probably had brothers as most families were large.
They say the Marks name was common in the West Country well back into the 1500's so that could have been the source. There were (and presumably still are) identifiably Jewish Marks families in South East Wales but no such indications for the Carmarthenshire clan which mainly consisted of small subsistence farmers. (I have been able to get copies of the hymn tunes "Cannon St' and "Manchester" but haven't got around to working out how they go.)

[icklerocker]

hello all,

David Marks, Son of Thomas and Charlotte, moved down to Llanelli with his brother James (?) for work, and that's where he chose to stay and start his own family .

that's my line 

I appear to be related to half of you heh !. 

[Tinnuche66]

Hi im a Marks from llanelli.my grandfather was dennis marks dad anthony marks.My grandfather's dad is Mervyn marks