Hi Jacqui
There was a big 'patent fuel' works on the east side of the River Tawe, near
St Thomas.
Patent Fuel was made by compressing anthracite or coal dust, quite possibly
with a low proportion of tar. It may be familiar from the 'briquettes' which
used to be made at the Phurnacite plant in the Cynon Valley post WW2. The
Swansea Patent Fuel industry seems to have had main markets in northern
France where the fuel was used in heating furnaces.
It sounds as if he acted as engineer on a small local ship employed as a
mine sweeper in the Bristol Channel, possibly as well as continuing to work
at the solid fuel plant. There are records at PRO of qualified engineers in
the Royal Naval Reserve, but if he just kept the engine running in a small
converted fishing boat he might not be listed.
I am completely mystified by the very old Swansea St Thomas records that
appear on IGI. I suspect that the source may not be either in West Glamorgan
Archives or the National Library of Wales, but I stand to be corrected.
Perhaps someone local to NLW might enquire.
The area of St Thomas was so called, and part of Swansea, for many centuries
before it became a separate parish.
There were various nonconformist chapels in St Thomas in late 19th and early
20th century. Inkerman Street is not that far from Fabian's Bay
Congregational Chapel, for example.
I suggest that you try to find Frederick SMITH in Glamorgan on the 1901
census, and also look for William SMITH.
Better still, see if anyone can find you the 1891, for example on Ancestry
if they have a subscription.
A Licensed Victualler, as you probably know, was a pub landlord. Lists of
pubs with their landlords commonly occur in local trade directories. However
there was quite a rapid turnover of landlords in some pubs. The best-known
pub in St Thomas may be the Cape Horner, rebuilt in the last 30 years, I
think on the same site, but there were others.
Have you looked for Frederick Smith on the Commonwealth War Graves site in
case he was a WW1 casualty?
Do you want a photo of the suburb of St Thomas, with prominent Church spire,
taken from the top of a multi-storey car park? If so, let me know. Try the
Old-maps site for the layout of the area in the 1880s.
St Thomas is famous as the birthplace of the late comedian and TV presenter
Harry Secombe.
Jeff
Swansea
----- Original Message -----
From: <JacquiMWhite(a)aol.com>
To: <WLS-SWANSEA-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 10:42 AM
Subject: [Swansea] A DIFFERENT WAY AROUND THE PROBLEM
Hello, I need some local input. Some knowledge of local history might
help.
I am looking for a William Smith Licensed Victualler who had a son
Frederick
Smith born about 1888.
On the marriage certificate of the son, Frederick Smith to Polly Moss in
1914
in Swansea, St Thomas, it gave the Father again as William Smith
Licensed
Victualler and the groom Frederick Smith as an Engineer Shipper Fuel Works
Mine
Sweeper.
Question one. What was the Shipper Fuel Works?
Was the Engineer shipper fuel works likely to be a pre 1914/ 18 war
occupation and the Mine Sweeper part a war time occupation?
Other family members were given as Labourers Shipper Fuel works. One
living
in Fuel Row.
Second question. The families of the bride and groom all seemed to live
around Inkerman St, St Thomas. Would there be a list of Swansea Licensed
Victuallers at that time.
Third Question. In Genuki It says Swansea, St Thomas was Swansea St Mary
until 1888.
I have looked at the Hugh Wallis IGI site and there appears to have been a
Swansea St Thomas before 1888.
I was worried about looking for Smith in England a common name. However
there
were not so many Smith Christenings as I thought. My problem being
that
the
IGI films only go as far as 1875 for Swansea St Mary that became
Swansea
St
Thomas.
I am looking for a Christening of Frederick Smith about 1888 the son of
William Smith.
Frederick Smith is my sister in laws natural Grandfather. He disappeared
when
my Sister in laws Mother, Eunice Sarah Smith's brother John Smith
known as
Jack was born. Again about 1914/1918/ Eunice Sarah Smith was born in 1916.
The more local history I can learn of at that time might help me find the
illusive Frederick Smith.
Any help from anyone is very welcome.
sincerely, Jacqui White
==== WLS-SWANSEA Mailing List ====
Check out the list's website for rules, guidelines, links, how to post to
the
list, view archives, unsubscribe, change from L to D or D to L: