Mark,
I'm sure none of us meant to leave you out there, "hanging in the breeze",
so to speak ;-)
Actually, I have BREEZE ancestry but it's way back in the mid-1700's in Trefeglwys
and probably originated in Llanbrynmair. I know there are other BREEZE researchers --
some are on the Powys list, as well -- but they may not be currently working that line or
aren't currently monitoring the list postings, for whatever reason. Things are a bit
slow at the moment.
I'm sure it's no surprise there were more of them in Newtown by 1851 but they came
from other parishes and there was a very big early concentration of them in Llanbrynmair
originally. I think they fanned out from there. By the 1850's, many people who
previously worked in cottage "woollen manufacturing" were put out of business by
the large flannel manufacturing companies in Newtown and Llanidloes. Perhaps that is what
took your BREEZE family there?
You didn't state the birthplaces of everyone in the family (including the parents) --
this might point you to another parish such as Llandinam, Carno, Trefeglwys, etc.
The surviving records are quite good but the LDS (IGI) coverage for Newtown isn't
particularly good, for some reason. They usually worked from the Bishop's Transcripts
(BT's) held by the PRO but the Newtown BT's appear to be only at the NLW,
Aberystwyth, with microfilm copies at Denbighshire and Flintshire Record Offices.
Powys County Archives has a microfilm of the original Parish Registers (PR's held at
the NLW) and will do lookups, although it's not quite the same as going through the
film yourself. They cover chr./marr./burials for the following years:
Original PR - Newtown
Chr. 1660-75, 1679-1971
Marr. 1660-75, 1679-1958 (incl. Banns 1887-1971)
Bur. 1660-75, 1679-1993
If you haven't already done so, I strongly suggest you join one or both family history
societies for this area -- I belong to both Montgomeryshire Genealogical Society and the
longer-lived Powys FHS -- memberships which have given me the most valuable assistance as
well as put me in touch with other researchers, many who are not (and never will be)
"online" but who have spent decades already researching the same families.
Reply back to the list if you have any questions so others might join in the discussion if
they pick up on this thread.
Regards,
Julie Preston
juliefpreston(a)sbcglobal.net
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Breeze
To: WLS-MONTGOMERYSHIRE-L(a)rootsweb.com
Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2005 5:04 PM
Subject: [WLS-MGY] BREEZE / BREESE in Newtown circa. 1820's
Hello List
Is anyone else researching BREEZE / BREESE in the Newtown area?
It seems that my g g grandfather John BREESE was born there in about 1825.
Courtesy of another researcher and my own deductions of later census (51) he
had siblings: -
Ann b ~ 1822, MGY
Williiam b ~ 1831 RAD
David b ~ 1833 RAD
Thomas b ~ ?? ???
Their mother was Ann and (from Ann's marriage entry) their father Samuel
BREEZE. There is an IGI entry that fits for my John which records his birth
as 11th December 1825, Newtown, Montgomery (which matches his 1861 census
entry).
The spelling varies from BREES, BREESE to BREEZE at various times.
I'd like to hear from anyone with any information or interest in this
family - and anyone who can explain the apparently intense concentration of
BREESE's in the Newtown area! Also, what are records like for this area
circa 1800?
Best Wishes
Mark Breeze in Derbyshire