I noticed the name Meredith in you email. I went to school in Merthyr Tydfill in 1976 - to
a school call Ysgol Y Graig. I had a freind there by the name of Shane Meredith - would
love to know if he is any relation. I live in New Zealand now. I was brought up in
Brynmawr.
Jonathan Johannis
-----Original Message-----
From: blaenaugwent-bounces(a)rootsweb.com
[mailto:blaenaugwent-bounces@rootsweb.com]On Behalf Of Jerry White
Sent: Monday, 29 October 2007 07:11
To: BLAENAUGWENT(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: [BLAENAUGWENT] MAT(T)HEWS and WILLIAMS from Llanelly and the
Clydach Ironworks.
I've always known, and been proud of the fact, that I have some Welsh
ancestry. But it's only recently that I've been able to find exactly where
in Wales my origins are. My mother's maiden name was MATHEWS, and she used
to tell me that her grandfather MATHEWS took his family from Wales to "up
north", where they ended up in Stockton-on-Tees, and that he dropped the
second "T" from MATTHEWS as he thought it unnecessary.
My grandfather, Eugene MATHEWS was born in Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, in
1877, where his grandfather, Herbert MATHEWS, worked as a forge foreman. I
have now found that Herbert MATHEWS was born in Blaina, Aberystruth, around
1832, and that he was an iron puddler at the Clydach Ironworks. On the web,
I have found a number of photos of the present day ruins of these ironworks,
but I have not been able to find any contempory drawings showing how they
looked in their heyday. Does anyone know where I might find any such
drawings or photos?
Eugene's father, Sydney MATHEWS, was born in Cheltenham Street at the
Clydach Ironworks on 17/03/1856. I presume that Cheltenham Street would have
been a row of workers' cottages. Once again, does anyone know if there are
any drawings showing where Cheltenham Street would have been located? On
5/12/1857, Sydney's sister, Cinwen, was born, also in Cheltenham Street.
Herbert's wife was Elizabeth WILLIAMS, who he married on the 17/10/1853 at
the Church of St. George inTredegar. From their marriage certificate, I know
that Herbert's father was John MATTHEWS, a moulder, and that Elizabeth's
father was Abraham WILLIAMS, a carrier. Sadly, in between giving birth to
Cinwen in 1857 and the 1861 census, Elizabeth died. In the 1861 census,
Herbert is a widower, and at his mothers house at Ynysy Gath, Llanelly, with
his brothers and sister. Sydney is not there. I found him at the house of
his grandfather, Abraham WILLIAMS, at Penrhiw Las, Abergavenney Road,
Llanelly. His 12 year old cousin, Edmund MEREDITH, is also there. But his
sister Cinwen is not. In fact, I can't find her anywhere in the 1861 census.
I know that she is still alive as she appears in the 1881 census at
Linthorpe with her father and his second wife, Margaret. What happened to
her after 1881 I still have no idea.
I have another puzzle. I know that many Welsh iron and coal workers
emigrated to America, but would they have been able to return if they didn't
like it. I know from the 1881 census that Herbert and his second wife had a
son, John, born about 1869 in Ohio. Their next child, Edith, was born in
Stockton about 1871. As Herbert's second marriage was at Stockton in 1868,
this indicates that Herbert and his children moved moved from LLanelly to
Stockton where he married in 1868, immediately emigrated to Ohio, had son
John in 1869, and then was back in Stockton by 1871. Is this possible, and
what circumstances could have led to all this moving around. I have searched
passenger lists for this period, but have not yet found any sign of my
Herbert MATHEWS. My late mother knew of no American connections with her
MATHEWS line.
If anyone has any connections with my MATHEWS or WILLIAMS line, or could
help me find 3 year old Cinwen MATHEWS in 1861,I would love to hear.
Jerry White
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.487 / Virus Database: 269.15.10/1091 - Release Date: 24/10/2007
14:31
-------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BLAENAUGWENT-request(a)rootsweb.com
with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the
message
This email contains information which may be confidential and subject to copyright. If
you are not the intended recipient you must not use, distribute or copy this email or
attachments. If you have received this email in error please notify us immediately by
return email and delete this email and any attachments.
TelstraClear Limited accepts no responsibility for changes made to this email or to any
attachments after transmission from TelstraClear Limited. It is your responsibility to
check this email and any attachments for viruses.
Emails are not secure. They can be intercepted, amended, lost or destroyed and may
contain viruses. Anyone who communicates with TelstraClear Limited by email is taken to
accept these risks.