[Following message was received by and posted to six other Welch
Lists and I have a couple of List administrators to thank. The message
seems not to have been posted to the Lists here named because of an
error on my part. IF any of these lists finds the message dual posted
to it, please accept my apologies. Some would say that I had a
`Senior's moment'. I say simply that I made a stupid mistake.
Ron Davies]
****************
Hello all
Will those who subscribe to several Welsh lists please forgive me if you
get this message more than once. I'm becoming desperate to find where
my GGrandfather Thomas William Davies was born [1824 I understand]
and who arrived in Canada in time to be married in Wallaceburg, ON [then
Canada West] in September of 1852. I then don't pick him up 'til I find the
birth of my Grandfather, the eldest son of TW and his wife Alice Blackburn
of Kent, she from a United Empire Loyalist family of Irish descent by way
of Pennsylvania.
I have speculated much about how TW came to be in Canada - from being
taken by a press gang as a young boy, to serving with the British military
[in the early 50s, there was a large military encampment and permanent
barracks just outside Chatham, ON also in Kent County]; to arriving with
other members of his family [no such kin found to date]; to immigrating
by himself and as a young adult ready to start a new life.
Perhaps he was a simple tailor. In this regard, the Tamerlane sailing out of
Wales in 1847 to Quebec, listed among its 400-plus passengers, 17 tailors.
This I thought significant as I find TW listed in later census records as a
`tailor' and in '70 and '75, I find him listed in business directories
along with
his eldest son Albert John and both as tailors in Dresden, ON. 1851 census
records for Kent and Dresden are no longer in existence.
Passenger lists for ships arriving in Canada are virtually unavailable before
1865. The information is sparse on the US Ships List, also for that time
period. This said, some may recall this item I found on the National
Library of Wales site:
"By 1842, emigrants were leaving Cardiganshire in sufficient numbers to
fill ships sailing directly from Aberystwyth to New York and Quebec.
"In May 1847, the "Anne Jenkins", sailed from Aberystwyth for New York
with upwards of 80 emigrants.
"In the same year , the "Tamerlane" left Aberystwyth with 462 passengers
and crew. The passengers were mainly from the parts of east
Cardiganshire, such as Lledrod, Mynyddbach, and Taihirionyrhos" (Taihirion,
near Blaenpennal). The brig was bound for Quebec.
"The newspaper, The Welshman, identified the male passengers as 75
farmers, 65 labourers, 13 carpenters, 17 tailors, 6 blacksmiths, 5 hatters,
and 10 miners, the latter probably came from the lead mining district north
east of Mynydd Bach.
"A broadside advertising passage on the brig "Credo" from Aberystwyth to
Quebec in 1848 listed passage rates at 3 pounds per adult and 1pound 10s
for each child, plus head money of 5s and 2s 6d, respectively. Passage
to New York was more expensive."
Unquote.
A brief reference to the Tamerlane's July '47 arrival also is found in the
Canadian Ships lists.
There's also this note: "National Library of Wales are held Records of
Sailings from Aberystwyth 1842-1851, [Aberystwyth Borough Records
F11(a)"
I cannot help but feel that my Thomas William Davies was one of those
17 tailors. The name `William' might well have been added after TW
arrived in Canada as there were other Thomas Davies and Thomas Davis
folk already here. None of these appear to be my TWD.
I plan to write to your National Library [I think I have done so in the past
but I can turn up no such message]. Meanwhile, perhaps there's some
researcher on this list who knows of the Tamerlane and knows where
one can see a passenger list. I'd be most appreciative hearing from
anybody.
To the others, I reiterate my apologies for intruding upon your space.
Thanks all.
Ron Davies
Surrey, BC
Canada