My Welsh Family Tree (Part II) The Sources

The first reference to draw me into the world of Welsh genealogy was Nicholas and his "Annals and Antiquities of The Counties and County Families of Wales".  It was first published London, 1872 and in the preface states:

"The present work may be considered in the light of a New Visitation of Wales, conducted, not under the auspices or authority of the College of Arms, but in obedience to a frequently expressed desire that a more complete and faithful account than existed should be provided of the great families of the Principality, combining as far as possible ancient with modern times."

Ancient with modern times...my kind of fellow I though.

The text also provided a detailed account of the various counties of Wales.  It gives the chief physical features, its ancient history, and medieval accounts.  A list of "High Sheriffs" for each county is also given, and many times the members of Parliament for that county.  Many family histories are also given.

It was among these pages that I explored the origin of the JONES surname among the Welsh.  My own JONES family tree was hidden among these pages.

It is published in two volumes. First printing: London, 1872, and second printing 1875.  It has been reprinted by the Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1991.

My Welsh Family Tree (Part I): The Sources

Documentation is the foundation of genealogy.  They are the sources you have researched and reviewed to provide the information you are using to define your family tree. The "proof is in the pudding", and the "devil is in the details" as some are apt to say.

There are many sources which can be used to document the facts regarding a particular family tree.  This becomes more important as you travel back in time to search for those ancestors.  The above figure shows the front page of one major source for Welsh family tree.  "Dwnn", as it is most commonly referenced, is a primary source (document) for those doing Welsh genealogy.  His "Visitations of Wales" dating between 1586 and 1613, records the many, many families who claimed a lineage under the "Deputy Herald At Arms". Transcribed from the original manuscripts, this source records the families in Wales during this period of history.  These records were then edited and numerous explanatory notes (including errors and corrections) were added by Samuel Meyrick and published in 1846.  This becomes the standard reference for those doing Welsh genealogy.

 A second source is shown to the right.  It is most often referred to as "Burke's Armory".  It is titled as an record of "Armorial Bearings" from the earliest time to the present.  Of course, the present was 1884.  This document contains families from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales who record "Armorial Bearings".  Many folks in the academic world seem to disregard Burke as full of errors and mistakes.  These errors are certainly not clearly identified, but for many, this is a valuable source for the genealogist.

 Finding a reliable source for genealogical research is necessary as one goes out the branches of any family tree.  These two I have necessary for Welsh genealogy.  More to come.

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Jerry E. Jones, MD, MS, The Jones Genealogist, Library of Congress No. 6192-01064476.

A Swinging Door

An impressive site, this Norman built fortification.  Yet before the Normans, the Romans had already occupied the site some 1000 years earlier.  The Silures [those Britons who occupied the area before the Romans arrived] had beat up the Second Legion... which was to make those Romans pretty mad.  Defeating the Silures, the Romans built an eight-acre fort on the banks of the river Taff taking advantage of this strategic military site.  Thus, it became one of the key military strongholds for the occupation and control of this southern area of what was to become Wales.  A "front door" so to speak.

Of course the Normans who could quickly grasp any military advantage, saw the importance of this location, and under Robert FitzHamon [Robert fitz Hamo] built a castle on the site of the prior Roman occupation.  Here, a "borough" was established by 1100 AD making those French speaking folks king of the mountain.  All sorts of "settlers" were invited to this area, and it became one of the first "swinging doors" of Norman, to Saxon, to English occupation.

Glamogran it was to become. [Robert fitz Hamo became know as "conqueror of Glamorgan"]  Divided into three ; West Glamorgan (Swansea), Mid Glamorgan (Rhondda), and South Glamorgan (Cardiff), it is shown geographically in the figure above.  It is here that the first JONES surname appears in Wales 1496.  I suspect this fact reflects the long history of this "swinging door".

[The photo above was taken by me in 1998.  I am sure the area has changed since then, but the impact will remain the same...:-).]

Tiny Town of Trefor

The small town (village) of Trefor (Trevor) is located about 1.5 miles east of the hill fort Dinas Bran.  It is nestled in Vale of the Dee, on the north side, just down river from Llangollen. [See p. 112, A Gazetteer of Welsh Place-Names, #33/2642.]  It is here that Welsh genealogist identify the location of the birth of the "Founder of The Tribe of The Marches", Tudor... thus, Tudor of Trefor, or Tudor Trevor (Tydyr Trefor).  It is a fairly uncommon Welsh naming that identifies a child with his place of birth. There must have been some significance to this location, since its identity is forever attached to this individual.

The figure to the right tries to place the River Dee in relationship to both Maelors, since in Burke, Tudor Trevor is identified as "Lord of Both Maelors".  The Dee seems to split this area, with what was to become "Welsh Maelor" to the northwest, and "English Maelor" to the southeast.  The town of Wrexham becomes central to the Welsh side, and the town of Overton to the English side.

The second drawing shows the approximate location of the village of Trefor.  The Viking raids had begun along the north coast of Wales, and it is possible that these "Black Gentiles" had caused the small village of Trefor to become a hideout.  The geographic relationship to Oswestry, Hanmer, Bangor, Chirk, Bersham, and Llanfair, are also shown. In time, these additional towns and villages will all become part of the "Tribe of The Marches"...starting from the tiny town of Trefor!

Limestone Caves and Tums

Limestone caves and Tums...hum...what do they have in common?  Growing up in Kentucky, there were certainly a number of limestone caves to learn from.

My first experience with total darkness was given in Mammoth Cave some 105 feet under ground.  The lights were turned off, and suddenly there was darkness... darkness like no other.  I even poked myself in the eye trying to see my fingers in front of my face.  Wow, darkness like I had ever seen before. [Or not seen in before.]  How could someone live in this sort of environment? 

Limestone caves were indeed one of the earliest environments that human life experienced.  The darkness was broken when that fire came under control.  It must have seemed pretty bright at the time since I remember seeing a cigarette glowing in the darkness of Mammoth Cave that day... a flood light in the blackness.

Water and limestone must have been part of the secret.  Being a sedimentary rock, it is composed of 95% calcium carbonate.  Water, melting and freezing, would leave its trail along the way.  Lime water would result, and would give a source of water in a milky looking aqueous solution.  You could soak hides and skins in this "milk of lime" causing them to swell.  This would help the removal of hair and such from these skins making a much better style of cloths.  Lime putty could be made and ultimately lime mortar [ a mixture of hydrated lime, sand, and water].  You could then start putting things together.

In Wales, human existence started in these limestone caves.  Certainly after eating all that meat to get to those skins, you would have to digest a great deal of things.  The diet must have been pretty rough.  When that late night "heart burn" would start, you would only have to take a little extra sip of that lime water [calcium carbonate], the Tums of our day!  Seems like very little has changed.

"Tums" Ultra Strength 1000 = Calcium carbonate USP 1000mg...Antacid!

Transhumance

The geography of the land will often help define the cultures that have settled upon it.  Hills, valleys, rivers, low lands and uplands will allow certain activities that give advantage to some, and a disadvantage to others. Understanding these factors will give an insight to the realities of life of the ancestors.   The drawing to the right is an outline of my families homeland.  The head waters of the rivers (Dee and the Severn) are shown, allowing a land bridge to form from the highlands to the low lands.  Cattle, sheep, goats, and those animals necessary to life would find their way along this land bridge to the summer grazing.  The seasonal movement of livestock between mountains and lowland pastures would of course be accompanied by herders or their owners who made this activity a part of life.  From the east to the west, and back again, would be the direction of this pattern.   Pathways are roughly shown on the drawing, giving an idea of  how this might have worked.  The hillforts are shown along the ridges of the high ground.   A summer home, a winter home is the idea.   Transhumance it is called. It would work reasonably well until someone put up a fence. [Shown in red.]   Perhaps this was the primary reason for such a fence...to change the culture you wished to conquer.  That Offa did not completely get his way.