At about the same time as Cheryl Young and Nancy Peralta were writing in I
was contacting the tourist information office in Llandrindod Wells in order
to obtain details of holiday accommodation in the area. During the
conversation my pronunciation of Fynydd caused more merriment than was
probably seemly in one charged with encouraging tourism in the area but she
did attempt to give the correct pronunciation which many outside Wales may
find of use! It is apparently pronounced VUNITH although I accept that a
dozen or more alternatives/corrections will now be forthcoming!
As far as spelling is concerned we now have another version. Thanks to
Margaret Harvey we know that it is spelt Llanbadarnfynydd in the 1881
census. Modern maps spell it Llanbadarn Fynydd and Mrs Jones (see below)
uses Llanbadarn-Fynydd.
I contacted the owner (Mrs Jones) of the only holiday cottage listed in LF
asking about accommodation as I want to visit the area in the autumn
following my retirement. I also described the location of a farm where
descendants of my GGGF Lewes¹s family now live and asked if she could
identify and name it for me so that I could write to them. This she could
do and she also gave me the names of two other people (Messrs LEWIS and
PRICE) who may be able to help further.
The farm¹s name is TWYLLYD. This must surely be the same as the TYLLWYD in
Cheryl¹s letter and the TYNLLWYD occupied by a James PUGH in 1881.
I will be writing to TWYLLDD at some time to try to clarify things. When I
visit the village I will also contact the other two people whose names I was
given. I can¹t promise when this will be as I am in the process of selling
my house and moving to Hampshire. Also on Monday 13th I will begin a month
of hard graft processing A Level (University Entrance) results and deciding,
for the last time, which young hopefuls to admit. Consequently I don¹t
expect to have much spare time especially as I hope to move early in
October. However, I will keep you up to date.
I am incorporating the text of Cheryl¹s letter from James Jones for
reference. What a wonderful artefact. There is so much detail that I suspect
we will have to wait until some issues are, hopefully, clarified, either by
another correspondent or during my visit before knowing who is related to
whom. However, here are some random thoughts.
I do know that my LEWIS¹s are related to PRICE in some way and, as I said,
the farm name is significant.
The reference to Radnorshire, England is interesting. It is obviously not
in England and, I¹m sure, never was. I note he was writing in 1925. I seem
to remember from my history lessons or such that as a consequence of some
medieval treaties (voluntarily entered into by the Welsh, I¹m sure!) a
small portion of Welsh land was ceded to England each year. In practice the
transfer only took place when a whole administrative area had been nominally
ceded. I seem to remember being told that such a transfer took place in the
nineteen twenties when Monmouthshire became administered as an English
county and it is possible that James Jones was confused as to what was
happening back home¹. This transfer was clearly ridiculous and when I
returned from overseas in 1977, after twenty years abroad, Monmouth was
administratively back in Wales. If this story is true (or more or less so)
it may have some bearing on why the relevant disc of the 1881 census is for
the Wales and Monmouth Region¹. Perhaps someone could give us all the
correct story or deny it completely.
I note that both Cheryl and Nancy have an interest in STEPHENS.
It does occur to me that someone out there may know all about the LEWIS,
JONES and PRICE families of LF.
James Jones¹ letter now follows.
Ted Wildey
NORWICH, England
From: "Cheryl Young" <cayoung(a)ados.com>
Reply-To: WLS-RADNORSHIRE-L(a)rootsweb.com
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 00:13:10 -0700
To: WLS-RADNORSHIRE-L(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: Llanbadarnfynydd-Jones, Lewis, Price, Stephens
Resent-From: WLS-RADNORSHIRE-L(a)rootsweb.com
Resent-Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 01:11:37 -0600
Full text of letter dated 6 Apr 1925 from James JONES (in British Columbia,
Canada) to a daughter in Oregon (USA) mentioned in an earlier e-mail ...
hoping it sheds more light on family or friends, and possibly someone can make
it less confusing for me (copied exactly as he wrote it):
"I do not know who you may mean My half step sister that is a word as I do not
remember used abought where I did live in Wales. Some calls a half sister,
sisterinlaw, or a nurse a step sister. There was three half sisters to me. One
was Jones, two was Farmer the one Jones married a Farmer. Them three was dead
before your mother was there I think there were two nieces to me abought ouer
place when your Mother was at the Haigh. Eliza and Elizabeth Farmer. Elizabeth
went to Missuri, U.S. married one Stephens I think. Eliza married one called
Brick. Them went to live in Shropshire. I have not heard of them for maney
years. Lizzie - Elizabeth Mantle - was short and stout her was a nice good
girl, her did live with your Mother for some month. Her Mother was a cousin to
me. Your Mother stayed for a time with a young woman a used to work with her
at Haighs. Her name after marriage was Mrs. James Joseph. Her mother was
stepdaughter to my aunt, Mrs. James Price.
Another of my aunts step daughters married a Jones them was the Father and
Mother of James Jones, the blacksmith at Llanbadarn about the time as Mabel
was there I think. My one half sister married a Blacksmith, called Farmer, he
was in Perth Upper Canada before I could remember. I think his sons all got to
be Dr or Preachers. One was Baptist Minister at Salem, Oregon. I remember
seeing the about his marriage at the Prespitarian Church not long before I was
to your place. My half sister died when her was young. Farmer married soon
again. I think the one as was in Salem was no relation to me except I may call
him a step newphew. An older one is called Jones Farmer he is a LL. D. and a
Baptist Minister I think if he is alive.
Dec. 1st, 1924, I received a letter from my sister Martha Jones and from Miss
F. G. Lewis of Tyllwyd, Llanbadarn, Fynydd, near Penybout, Radnorshire,
England. Miss Lewises widdow sister was at Tyllwyd also. The Misses Lewis did
live at the flour mills at Llanbadarn. The one as did write said Mabel was to
their place at the mill. Their Father and their Mother is dead. Their Brother
married. They have no home. Miss Lewis said James Price died rather sudden. He
had willed most as he had to his Brother some small sums to a few. 10
shillings a week to my sister.
The farm was sold and bought by Miss Lewis Cousin Robert Lewis. His father had
the postoffice when I did leave home. The present Robert was a Baby then. I
remember the boy Robert Lewis, his father Robert Lewis, his grandfather Robert
Lewis his great grandfather Robert Lewis. His great grand father's father died
not long before I was born. I was 84 my last birthday, March 16th, 1925.
I do not know can you read my writing or not I have wrote it with the help of
spectacles but I cannot read it only at times without a magnifying glass with
a spectacles.
You may send this to Mabel.
J. Jones"
(Off of another small sheet):
4th page
I think the way as he was called Glendwer, his estate was in a Valley of that
name, in English I think it would be "Water Valley. Yours &c James Jones.
Miss F. G. Lewis onst of Abergwenlas Mill Lanbadarn Fynydd, now at Tyllwyd,
also Miss Lewis' Sister a widow and my sister Martha. James Price is dead a
good many years ago. Her mother died about two years ago. Her uncle and aunty
at the postoffice is dead many years ago. Miss Lewis said her cousin Robert
Lewis who did live at the postoffice has bought Tyllwyd. Her did not say has
he a family or not. Miss Lewis said her hoped my daughter was well. She came
to visit us one afternoon when was staying at Tyllwyyd.
"Think Young"
Cheryl A. Young
cayoung(a)ados.com