Hi Listers,
This is my first time posting here. I'm usually lurking in the Irish mailing
lists :-)
I am helping a 97 year old woman (sharp as a tack!) research her paternal
family. She was 8 years old when her father died circa 1914 in Chicago,
Illinois USA. Her husband was my father's first cousin (paternal) whom he
never met. I found her through my research. She helped me and I'm trying to
help her.
Her father's full name was Robert Lewelyn (Sp?) JONES. He was born in Wales
around 1869. As far as she knew, he was the only one in his family who
immigrated to the USA. She did recall that her mother (born in Germany)
wrote to her father's sister in DENBIGH, North Wales for many years.
I tried looking at the 1881 census on
familysearch.org but JONES is so common
in Wales! I didn't know that.
Does anyone know if Lewelyn (Sp?) is a surname in Wales?
Llywelyn is a Welsh forename of considerable antiquity and, as the
name of several great Welsh princes, it was popular in medieval
times. Llywelyn always presented clerks with problems and the variant
spellings of the patronymic surname which emerged are numerous: in
18th century Pembrokeshire it is found as Lewelin, Lewhellin,
Llewelin, Llewellin, Llewelling, Llewellyn, Llewelyn, Llewheling,
Llewhellin, Llewhelling, etc. These forms rarely take 's', though
there are some examples, for instance, in Brecon Probate. The common
'll' in the middle is misleading, since the sound is English 'l', not
the Welsh 'll' (the unilateral hiss). Frequently, especially in
anglicised areas (where the name is often fairly common, e.g.
Pembrokeshire), the initial 'll' is pronounced 'l'. The stress, of
course, is on the second syllable, which has led to Whellin, Welling,
Wellins, Hillin/g, all with or without a final 's'.
Rather surprisingly (in view of its prominence as a medieval given
name) the surname is totally absent from the whole of north and mid
Wales. It is found generally throughout south Wales often in
significant numbers in Pembrokeshire and Glamorgan.
Here are some more variant names originating from Llywelyn which have
appeared in various manuscripts over the ages. Most have become
extinct but a few have survived as surnames. The initial 'F' and 'Th'
names are due to the English being unable to pronounce the Welsh
'll'. Fluellen appeared in Shakespeare's 'King Henry V'.
Apswellen, Bewellin, Bewlen, Bewlyn, Elilevelin, Ewelyn, Ewlyn,
Ffewellin, Fflellen, Flawelling, Fleuellen, Flewelin, Flewellen,
Flewellin, Flewelling, Flewellyn, Fllewelin, Flueline, Fluellen,
Fluellin, Fluelling, Fluelyn, Flwellin, Fowellen, Fuelling, Lawellen,
Lawellins, Lello, Leoloni, Leuelin, Leulini, Leulyn, Leweilin,
Lewelling, Lewellinge, Lewelyn, Leweni, Lewilin, Lewis, Llallin,
Llelo, Llewelin, Llewellen, Llewellin, Llewelline, Llewen,
Llewhellin, Llewhelyn, Llewillin, Lluellen, Lluellene, Pawelin,
Swellin, Thellen, Thellyn, Thelwelin, Thelwelinus, Thewelling,
Thlewelyn, Weallens, Welings, Wellen, Wellence, Wellens, Wellines,
Welling, Wellings, Wellins, Wellon, Wellynes, Wellynnes, Wellyns,
Wellys, Welyn, Whellen, Yleuelyn, Yleulin
Am I spelling it
correctly?
Probably the commonest spelling of the given name today is Llewelyn,
although it also often spelt incorrectly as Llewellyn (see first
paragraph).
What is the naming pattern of children in Wales? Is the first
son usually named after the paternal grandfather? What about daughters'
names?
Can't help here but one Scottish (possibly general European) tradition was
1st son - father's father
2nd son - mother's father
3rd son - father.
4th son - father's eldest brother.
5th son - father's 2nd oldest brother or mother's oldest brother.
1st daughter - mother's mother
2nd daughter - father's mother
3rd daughter - mother.
4th daughter - mother's eldest sister.
5th daughter - mother's 2nd oldest sister or father's oldest sister
Any suggestions in my search would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Nora FitzGerald
Sources:
'Welsh Surnames' by T. J. Morgan and Prys Morgan
[University of Wales Press 1985]
ISBN 0-7083-0936-4
'The Surnames of Wales' by John & Sheila Rowlands
[Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd 1996]
ISBN 1-86006-025-0
--
Regards
Dick Jones Leigh-on-Sea Essex UK
rcjones(a)rmplc.co.uk