Robert Williams Llanaelhaearn 1853 -1920

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Update: I found the grave of Robert and Laura. It was in Llanaelhaearn all along! I missed it because they were buried with their daughter who died young.

Assuming that the gravestone is the most accurate source of a correct age, I’ve narrowed his birth year to between July 1851 and July 1852. His census birth year varied between 1851 and 1854!

This means that the Cerrig Pryfaid candidate is still in the running but I’m still looking for proof, i.e. William Jones written down somewhere as a shoemaker rather than a labourer.

I found a houseful (5 shoemakers) in Brittania terrace in Porthmadog in the 1861 census, but no william jones. Does anyone know if there was a trade directory for Porthmadog similar to Caernarfon? It looks like shoemaking was organised in the town, more-so than the normal master and a single journeyman.

I’ve found it difficult to find shoemaker as an occupation on searches because the title can vary from: Boot & shoemaker> master shoemaker (employing no journeymen)> shoemaker. Wildcards don’t always work unfortunately. Any tips?

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Update: I found trade directories for tremadog, pwllheli and caernarfon for 1859 and 1880.

There’s a William Williams shoemaker in Beddgelert. There’s a baptism record in beddgelert in 1848 for a Robert so this is unlikely to be the right one.

There is a William Jones shoemaker in Caernarfon at Turkey shore. I had previously found this name on the carnarvon traders website and I’ve failed to find a Robert with this family.

No William Jones shoemaker was found at Pwllheli despite an Archive record for one obtaining a lease in 1830. This one would probably too old anyway.

Robert Williams (son of William Jones Shoemaker) died in 1920. His death certificate records that his son Rowland Williams was with him at the time. Rowland is in the 1939 register living in Bryn Mawr Sardis near Cwm Ceiliog with Mary and Robert Lewis Williams and a redacted person. This family is in T. Ceiri Griffith’s book although he hadn’t identified Rowland as the father, the second person is named as John. A different family live there now.

If anyone knows what happened to Robert (Robin) Lewis Williams or John Williams of Bryn Mawr Sardis, please let me know. Their family may have clues.

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Update: I found the family of Robin Lewis Williams of Bryn Mawr Sardis. There were no clues from this avenue. Two tragedies led to the family breaking up. The younger son, John Williams, ending up being looked after by extended family somewhere in Llanaelhaearn. John died this year.

The next avenue is look for other branches.

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This looks interesting. No 5 Common Road, Penmorfa

Jane Williams    49     Nailer's wife (deserted by her husband is crossed out) b Llanystumdwy
Margaret Williams   10    Daughter  b Ynyscynhaian
Robert Roberts    8    Son  b  Llanfihangel y Pennant

Following Jane back, she was married to an Owen Williams, ag lab. There's a marriage between Jane Jones and Owen Williams in Penmorfa in 1834. If Robert wasn't Owen's son, he might use his mother's maiden name? Not sure where Roberts would come from

Update: I went back to look at this avenue. This Robert has been sitting there as a candidate since the start but the surname and occupation of the father (nailer) didn’t match; however, now that I’ve failed to find a stronger candidate, this one merits another look.

The mother, Jane Williams born 1812, Llanystumdwy, I couldn’t find an exact match for, but there’s a Jane Roberts born 1812 living in Ystumcegid in 1851. Here follows a patronymic system leap of faith: this Jane’s father was William Roberts (from T ceiri griffith’s book) so she may’ve called herself Jane Williams.  She appears to have married twice, to a Robert Jones and a William Jones. T Ceiri Griffith’s book says that Jane and william had two sons, a john hughes and william roberts.  I’m not sure where the hughes and Roberts surnames came from, it’s a very confusing picture but it might explain why(if it’s the same family) the jane at cennin road had a son with roberts as a surname.

This jane is at Ystumcegid in the 1851 census with the (apparent) sons and by 1861 has left which makes me think that she’s the same as the cennin road one. These locations are about a mile away from each other. 

 I’ve failed to find, unsurprisingly, the William Jones. T Ceiri Griffith says that he was of ystumcegid and factory Llanystumdwy. Factory was a woollen mill, it might’ve been a former woollen mill even then, it’s a few hundred metres away from ystumcegid but in the adjoining parish. There’s a William Roberts in Factory in 1861, again confusingly, he’s down as William Jones in 1851 at ystumcegid. This is probably not the same william that married Jane, she would be her sister’s son!

This cennin road Robert would make a lot of sense geographically.  Cennin road is a couple of fields away from his 1871 location. Unfortunately, I have no further proof.