I don't think I can help with the discrepancies, but there is a definition of an iron
puddler in the list of Old Occupations
at
http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/i-k.html
From that it seems likely that a blacksmith would have the right
skills. I have seen other examples of people moving from a rural background to an
industrial one and putting appropriate skills to use, e.g. a farmer becoming an ostler in
a colliery etc.
Good luck with the mystery!
Shirley
________________________________
From: powys-bounces(a)rootsweb.com on behalf of Norma Whitaker
Sent: Tue 27/07/2010 00:55
To: powys(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: [POWYS] Certificate mystery
Hello list!
I wonder if anybody has any insights or ideas about some possible
discrepancies on a marriage certificate I've just
received. When I contacted the Crickhowells registry office, I
asked them to look for the marriage of
Elizabeth Powell and John Davies, and told them that Elizabeth's
father's name was William. Before I sent them
payment, they assured me they had verified all the information.
The certificate came in today's mail, and I'm not completely
convinced it is for the right marriage.
It shows her father's name as John Powell! All the information I have
indicates her father was William Powell, not John.
It shows both of them living in Beaufort at the time of the marriage,
and that the marriage was in the parish church at
Llangatock.
William Powell is interred in the same (Pennsylvania) cemetery plot
with Elizabeth and John. I have always
believed him to be her father, but this makes me wonder if he was
perhaps a brother or some other relation.
I don't have a full grasp of 19th century Welsh naming conventions,
but know that children were often named
for direct ancestors. The first two children of John/Elizabeth were
named John & David. The certificate says
John's father was named David Davies, which could explain the name of
their second son.
I have thought that son John was named for his own father, but maybe
Elizabeth's father really was John, and
not William, and this son was named for his grandfather, rather than
his father.
The other puzzle is that the Welsh census records I have list John
(husband of Elizabeth) as a Puddler (in the
Clydach Iron Works.) This marriage certificate lists his occupation
as "smith." If that is along the lines of a
blacksmith, maybe he became a puddler after working for a time as a
smith. Was smith to puddler a likely career progression?
If anybody has any insights or experience with these issues, I'd love
to hear from you. I'm not sure how much re-thinking
I should do about previous information I've thought to be accurate!
Thanks very much.
Norma Whitaker
Colorado, USA
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