Robert Williams Llanaelhaearn 1853 -1920

[collwyn ap tangno]

Helo, I’m looking for Robert Williams (born 1853) in the 1861 census but no luck so far.  He married Laura Rowlands of cwm cilio (cwm ceiliog) in 1878 and he’s put down william Jones ( shoemaker) as his father on the marriage certificate. This means that he could be down as Robert Jones in 1861. I’ve found him on all other censuses and he’s got Llanfihangel P.(as written), Llanfihangel-y-Pennant and in the 1911 census Portmadog as place of birth. Although T. Ceiri Griffith does show his wife, he’s not included. At the time of his marriage he lived at tyddyn mawr, this is the next farm to cwm cilio.  Llanfihangel-y-pennant is a complicated parish, the core is in cwm pennant but there are isolated sections at mynydd cennin and prenteg near porthmadog. I’ve also failed, so far, to find his and Laura’s graves. Please help!

[HistoricalGenealogy]

His Marriage in 1879 lists his father as William Williams. Also, in the 1891 UK Census, it tells us that he was born in Llanfihangel in 1853.

With that information, we can locate his birth Certificate

[osprey]

parish marriage entry 29 Oct 1879 shows Robert's father as William Jones as per op.

1861 Laura & family at Cwm Ceiliog Bach
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M72W-8XH

Thomas family at Tyddyn Hir in that year.

[collwyn ap tangno]

Thanks, yes apologies, marriage was at Llanaelhaearn in 1879. William Jones (shoemaker) is the father. Tyddyn Mawr(not hir) the address at time of marriage. Tyddyn mawr is in T ceiri griffith’s book, Robert Williams is not related to this family, as far as I can see, although confusingly William Jones happens to be the name of the head and one of the sons. Even more confusion in Robert’s home in the 1871 census, a farm called Coed Cae Du approximately 2km south east of Tyddyn Mawr, which also has a head called William Jones. These two farms could be linked and rented by the same family but T. Ceiri Griffith has not made this connection, they appear in his book as seperate Jones’s. It appears, at least as far as I can ascertain, that Robert is not related to any of these farms. 

[collwyn ap tangno]

In my search of 1861 censuses I’ve found a Robert Jones of the right age at various nearby areas with a William Jones as a father. One is in Tŷ newydd Treflys (which is near Porthmadog) and the other is in Llanfihangel y Traethau (which is across the estuary from Porthmadog). Unfortunately the occupation of shoemaker does not match. William Jones of Llanfihangel y Traethau was born in Llanaelhaearn which is a possible link to why Robert went to work there. The search continues.

[collwyn ap tangno]

I ordered a birth certificate for a Robert Williams born 1853 in Penmorfa on the basis that this might fit the portmadog(stet) 1911 census birthplace.  This named the father as Owen Williams so this can be discounted. I’m now ordering copies of Robert Jones birth certificates. There are a number of candidates in the Festiniog registration district, which llanfihangel y pennant falls under but I’ve discounted the one in the parish of Treflys (morfa bychan) and the one in llanfihangel y treathau (talsarnau) because both of these are still at their respective homes at the age of 18 in the 1871 census. I’ve also worked through the entire 1861 census returns for Llanfihangel y pennant at Archifdy Caernarfon and I only found one Robert of the right age living in Cennin Road. This one was Robert Roberts, oddly with a mother called Jane Williams with ‘Deserted by her Husband’ written next to her name. This may be my Robert but the surname makes no sense.

[collwyn ap tangno]

Update: GRO searches have drawn a blank so far and I’ve submitted a search request for the following:  father’s name of William Jones (from marriage certificate), place of birth ( from censuses) as Llanfihangel y pennant (possibly nearer to Porthmadog) , year of birth of 1852 or early 1853.  Does anyone have baptism records for Llanfihangel y pennant please?

[osprey]

only 1 Robert baptised in that parish in 1852 & 1853, 22 May 1853 Robert son of William Roberts, yeoman, & Margaret.

[collwyn ap tangno]

Thank you, I guess he wasn’t baptised there. This is probably why I can’t find him in the 1861 census.