Hello Listers,
Polly from the MIDMARCH list has been kind in helping me reformat my
question. I didn't really think about people following (or not) threads
of conversation and then not knowing about follow up that has been done
after the fact. Many people have been very helpful with additional info
such as Julie Preston, Mike Hall, Dennis Cleaton, Dick Jones, Polly
Rubery and Gary Hodge, (who sent me about 60 plus CALLEN's from all over
the UK) and let's not leave out John Ball. He is just mindful of keeping
us from becoming "lost little lambs," and I thank him for that.
So here is the reformatted question:
CALLING for CALLEN's
I know that I am probably very much "barking up the wrong tree", but my
little CALLEN tribe just pops up into existence in Llangadwg, Llagynidr
and Beaufort sometime in the very early 1800's. Between the three
patriarchs: Isaac abt. 1777, John abt. 1775 and Charles CALLEN, b. 1809,
I have found nineteen births and baptisms, with almost as many deaths.
But nothing earlier to 1813 from ANY surrounding area so they seemingly
arrive from nowhere. Families that intermarried were FUDGE (from
Sedgley, Staffordshire) and WATKINS. I find CALLEN's in small groups all
over England, Wales, Ireland , Isle of Man, Scotland, etc. I am not
trying to *jump* to the origins of my ancestry, I am trying to step back
one generation and try and determine where they emigrated from. I am
trying to look first under my nose (Llangadwg and surrounding areas of
the Crickhowell District) but to no avail so I am trying to find the next
closest groupings of CALLEN's in hopes of determining migration patterns.
Have searched back in Parish Records for all surrounding areas for the
answer of their origins, including migration patterns, etc. and others
having tried to
help, I'm literally picking up every rock and turning it over. (Including
every "whetstone", a little side joke from my earlier post - I'm even
trying tradesmen's tools and professions and as they may certainly have
come over the boarder from England.)
So I was looking at other possibilities - may seem crazy, but thought
that
possibly they took their surname from the town of Callwen in the parish
of Glytawe, or possibly from a Welsh words such as "calon" (thank you D.
Cleaton) or a forename such as Callwyn, but not much use in trying the
latter due to the Welsh double LL sequencing and sounding nothing like
the final outcome of the name CALLEN (CALLIN).
Later documents show my gg grandfather Charles as a miner in the Beaufort
Iron Works, Isaac as a miner at both the Beaufort Iron works and Ebbw
Vale Pen-y-cae Iron Works, although I never find an occupation for the
elder John. So that leaves me pretty blank as to what profession they
may have had before traveling to the Crickhowell area of Brecon, Monmouth
and Hereford crossovers.
So I am currently looking for other CALLEN's such as in Swansea and
Oystermouth who might have travelled up the valleys to mine in Beaufort.
I am looking at CALLEN's in Pembroke and Narberth and Neath and
Liverpoole and even some in Glouchester, pretty much ALL OVER - yet not
too far away, trying to pick up a cold trail. I guess what I am doing now
is basically a one-name study for ANY CALLEN, CALLIN, CALEN, CALIN in the
surrounding shires and countries. If you run across one in your search,
I would certainly appreciate any forwarding of them to me.
Just shooting from the "free throw line" and as I am currently at a brick
wall. Please don't list BRAINSTORMING as an Internatinal Felony (grin).
Thank you for continued support and guidance.
Dawn Perry-Taft e-mail: slo_taft(a)juno.com
CALLEN/ CALLIN/ COLLEN in Llangattock, BRE &
Beaufort, MON 1810-1865
DAVIES/DAVIS in Ebbw Vale, MON & Eardsley, HFD, 1815-1885
MAGGS in Abergavenny, MON, 1845-1865
DANDO in Wales 1805-1865
MORRIS in Machen, GLA Pre- 1815
SMITH, Thomas descendants Yarkhill, Ledbury, HFD 1851+