My Grandmother's school in South Wales.

This photo was taken in 1969 when my Grandma, Alma May (Palmer) Williams visited Penygraig, Wales.

I never knew where this was when I visited in 2007.

I didn't even know the name of the school!

So back in 2015 I looked up where schools would be on Google map in relation to #15 Wyndham Street where the Palmer family lived at the time. On September 10, 2015 I was looking at old photos in my Dad's stash, and came across the one at the top of this post. I zoomed in on the photos of the schools but nothing looked like my photo.

So I then searched Google images of the two schools and found this one, which is identical!

I knew I'd found the school!

It's Penygraig Infants School at Hendrecafn Road in Penygraig, Tonypandy RCT CF40 1LJ

I thought I'd blogged about this, but I hadn't so it took me some time to wonder if I'd put it on my Williams/Palmer family Facebook page, and lo and behold I had, way back in September 2015! I checked in the photos and then scrolled back 2 years. That was a job!

But here is the information. My Grandma's siblings would have attended this school too. 

By Loretta (Williams) Houben

How to find death certificates in Vancouver BC

DEATH CERTIFICATES

Well, this isn't really exciting, but ever since Family Search web site no longer shows the death certificate images (and I have no idea why) I wish to provide another way of accessing them, which a genealogy group member showed me.
Here is the link:
RoyalbcMuseum/Genealogy

You can also find marriage certificates here.
This is a link to my Grandfather's death certificate:
John Griffith Williams

Easter Memories

Happy Easter!

I created this collage today.

It's a fun thing to do with old photographs.

I confess I don't remember this Easter. It was shortly before Leona was born in May that year.

I loved the dress my Mom bought for me. It was pale blue, with hand embroidered birds.

I assume I was crying in the picture above because I wanted to eat the chocolate bunny.

The professional photo, now faded, was taken in January 1962. I believe the dress was purchased at Helen's Dress Shop on Hastings in Burnaby BC.

It was a beautiful dress. I still have it.

Although I can't remember this Easter, I do have happy memories of other Easter times. It's my favourite season in the whole year.

Enjoy your old photos, and have fun with them!

By Loretta (Williams) Houben

Family tree tip!

A genealogy tip:

For all those of you out there addicted to family tree research, I would highly recommend Ancestry if you can possibly afford it. In August 2015 a relative (cousin of some kind) contacted me because he studied my Roberts family tree on Ancestry and realized we are related. He shared his photos and info with me, and I did likewise. This was highly satisfying I can assure you! He and his wife are visiting Vancouver in August to meet us and other family members in person.

For the past week I've been updating my Cork family tree. Emma Cork (1851-1931) married one of the PALMER family, and they are my great great grandparents, so I was working on her massive side of the family. There is a ton of info on Ancestry for the Corks, but they all had huge families with the same names of course, so it's hard to pin everything down. I used to copy family trees and save the info but that is NOT a good thing to do. I have to find my own documentation and this takes hours and hours.

I noticed that Emma's parents on some family trees seemed to have moved to the USA, along with many of Emma's siblings. So I contacted one of the owners of one of the trees, and she replied to me yesterday, stating that we are indeed related, and she has been researching the Cork/Palmer line for 40 years! She says that yes indeed, Thomas and Hannah Cork (Emma's parents) are my Corks too, so that opens up a whole world of possibilities, as they lived in WI. 

I find this hobby VERY ADDICTIVE.

By Loretta (Williams) Houben

February 22, 1917 to February 22, 2017: Rest in Peace, dear William.

100 years ago on February 22, 1917,

my great uncle, William Joseph Williams

gave his life in WWI, age 24, in Salonika, Greece. 

He fell in a skirmish against the Germans, and was

hit at close range in one of his legs. The newspaper clipping below gives a good description. His leg had to be amputated, and William didn't survive.

William was born in Blaenau Ffestiniog,
North Wales in 1893. I haven't yet sent away for his birth certificate, so I don't know the date of birth.

He joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers in Wrexham, Wales and on Sept 5, 1915 was sent to France.

I only have 2 photos of William, so I did a bit of photo-shopping and added William's head to this lovely Royal Welsh Fusiliers head shot of another soldier!

I had thought maybe this year, 2017, I would visit William's grave but I don't feel like that part of the world is safe at the moment.

William was part of the Machine Gun Corps during the last few months of his life.

The above clipping states William passed away 

"on the 6th day at the Casualty Clearing Hospital", so this means he would have been injured on Feb 17, which was his older brother's birthday.
(my Grandpa John Griffith Williams)
It also states that Miss Ellen Roberts, William's aunt, was the only person that the sender of the news had an address for, although the person knew that
"your nephew used to write to his girl very faithfully".

The clipping is cut off at this point. I'd love to know who wrote the letter, but I haven't yet been able to find it online. That sentence makes me cry every time I read it.

The above is the UK army register of Soldier's Effects, for William Williams. His brother is the one who received them, Robert David Williams, who was on the HMS Violet. 

Henry Hargreaves (should have initial C not E) was the chaplain and wrote this lovely letter.

I recently was given a link to the Welsh newspapers online which shows the above, "Williams, 14842,

W. (Blaenau Festiniog)" under
DIED OF WOUNDS.

No wonder I couldn't locate an obituary without any help! This was found in The North Wales Chronicle.

And this is where William is buried.
His plot is in section D, #828.

I'm so thankful I purchased the photo of his

grave, from the War Graves Photographic

Project online.

William's medal index card, showing his enlistment and his date of death.

I created a collage for my Facebook page, to remember great uncle William.

I've done my best to learn all I could about you, dear William. One day I hope to meet you in Heaven.

By Loretta (Williams) Houben