Presented at the 5th Welsh Heritage Festival at Wymore Nebraska on 5 October 2013. A few things make tracing Welsh family history a challenge. Knowing about the challenges and a few solutions will make your family history journey successful and much more enjoyable.

1. What’s so Different About Welsh
Genealogy

2. Similarities
1. Talk to relatives
2. Work back in time
3. Kill off your ancestors
4. Keep track of searches
5. More than one piece of evidence
6. Record what you learn
7. Share the stories
8. Use indexes
9. Don’t trust indexes
10.Same key records

3. Differences
1. Common names
2. Patronymics
3. Nonconformists
4. Language
5. Place names
6. Key records online

4. COMMON NAMES

5. • Based on a study of
marriages in Wales
1813-1837
• Insight for success

6. Names
John
David
Thomas
Evan
William
Edward
Mary
Margaret
Hannah
Matilda
Sarah
Elizabeth

12. PATRONYMICS

13. Patronymics
• Mab or ab or ap = son of
• Ferch or verch = daughter of
• In South Wales ab or ap was not always used

14. Examples
• Jenkin Morgan
• David William Gibbs
• William Morgan John
• Evan Rees ap John
• David Williams

15. Pre 1813 burial (1750)

17. Naming Pattern

18. PLACE-NAMES

26. Jurisdictions
Diocese & Parish are critical

29. Find & Use Detailed Maps

31. WELSH LANGUAGE

32. What does an American do with this?

33. Records in Welsh
• Nonconformist records
• Chapel histories
• Monumental inscriptions
• Periodicals

35. NONCONFORMITY

40. KEY RECORDS ONLINE

41. Findmypast.com

44. Basic Records for Starting
• Census
• Civil registration (birth, marriage, death)
• Church records
• Probate
• Cemetery (tombstone transcriptions etc.)

45. Top Websites
• FamilySearch.org: more than 1 billion free records
• Findmypast: best online Welsh collection
• National Library of Wales: the nation’s archive
• FamilySearch Wiki: help & how to research info
• Vision of Britain: maps

48. PARISH REGISTERS

50. Pre 1813 burial (1750)

51. Post 1813 burial

53. Marriages

54. Marriages
• Marriages are indexed well and serve as a good
finding tool
• Get your bearings by using maps
– Map of the country
• https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Wales
– Map of the county showing all parishes
• The book Atlas and Index of Parish Registers
• Order one of the three maps for Wales at
http://www.ihgs.ac.uk/shop/contents/ihgsmaps/ihgsparis
hmaps/index.html?action=page&id=2

56. Start with a marriage index
• FindMyPast has many Welsh parish registers at
https://www.findmypast.com/ or use FindMyPast
for free at a FamilySearch Center
• A list of county based indexes is at
https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Wal
es_Marriage_Indexes_Before_1837

58. Marriages pre 1754

59. Details to watch for 1754-1837

60. Post 1836 Parish Register

61. Some details are the same as before 1837

62. Some details are new

63. Christenings
Christenings often show:
• child’s given name
• Father’s name
• Mother’s name
Sometimes included:
• Family residence such
as the village, street or
farm name
• Father’s occupation

64. Post 1812 parish register christening

65. Bishop’s Transcript

68. CIVIL REGISTRATION

69. David Thomas Howell Death Notice
On the 11th inst., aged 75 years, Mr.
David Thomas Howell, landlord of the
Star Public house, Llanguicke. He was
for many years a consistent member of
the Independents, and was highly
esteemed and beloved by all who
knew him.

78. CENSUS RECORDS

82. PROBATE RECORDS

93. RECORD SUPPLEMENTS /
SUBSTITUTES

94. Monumental Inscriptions
Supplement other records

95. Strategies for Success
• Kill off your ancestor
• Find your ancestor in every census
• Always search both the Parish
Registers and Bishop’s Transcripts

96. Strategies for Success
• Use indexes
• Don’t trust indexes
• Watch for patronymics:
David Thomas Howell is a clue

97. What’s so Different About Welsh
Genealogy

99. Basics of Welsh Research

101. Begin Tracing Your Family History

102. Gellilwca Fawr Old Farmhouse

103. Gellilwca Fawr New Farm House

104. Pre 1858 Wills

120. Probate Inventory of Thomas Howell

121. Probate Inventory of Thomas Howell

122. Local Histories
There was another poet living in the
district known as Howell Gellilwca, who
was grandfather to Evan Evans,
superindendent of police in Neath at this
time, but who was born and brought up
in Betting Ganol. I remember many of
Howell’s sayings…

123. Indexes First

124. NBI Coverage for Wales
• Breconshire
5,000
• Cardiganshire
108,000
• Glamorganshire
361,000
• Monmouthshire
9,000
• Montgomeryshire
less than 1,000
• Radnorshire
11,000

125. Something to Remember
• The National Burial Index
does not include
information from
monumental inscriptions

126. CHURCH RECORDS

129. Death Certificate

130. Death Certificate

131. Records in Welsh

136. Pay close attention to all names

137. Typical 1754-1837 marriage register

138. Marriage by license

140. Strategies for Success
• Kill off your ancestor
• Find your ancestor in every census
• Always search both the PRs and BTs

141. Strategies for Success
• Use indexes
• Don’t trust indexes
• Watch for patronymics:
David Thomas Howell is a clue