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

I've found William Williams on the 1911 Welsh Census!!!!

I just had to add this to my blog tonight!

I was browsing Findmypast records.

They sent me a Hint for Ellen Roberts, so I checked it out.

While staring at the 1911 Welsh census, trying to figure out if the word "nai" meant "nephew" in English, and what did "pentelue" mean in English, I decided to check them out in a Welsh English dictionary online. My heart nearly stopped beating as it dawned on me that this was indeed, my great uncle William, THE William; and his aunt, Ellen Roberts, the same aunt which the RWF wrote to in the newspaper to inform her of her nephew's death!

The VERY SAME PEOPLE!

(penteulu means head of household)

What helped to clinch it was the fact that Ellen Roberts was living at Dolgarregddu Street in Ffestiniog; the same place the ROBERTS lived at in the 1871 census, and the same place which Ellen lived at when the RWF sent her the letter about William.

The address isn't shown on the handwritten form, but shows on the transcribed form.

The original forms before and after Ellen's form are all listed as living at Dolgarregddu Street.

I was so excited when I realized this that I nearly fell off my chair.

I stared at William's age (18) and realized that he wasn't born in 1898 after all; he was born in 1893.

And he wasn't 19 when he died in 1917; he was 24.

For some reason I was so happy he was 5 years older!

Then I thought; why did I assume he was 19?

It was because my Grandma always said he was 19 when he died, but he wasn't!

And so this 1901 Welsh census I had found a few years ago is correct!

It shows Robert David (age 11) and little Willie (age 8) living as boarders on a farm in Talsarnau, the same area which John Griffith (my grandpa) was also living age 13 as a cattle hand.

(see below)

I also just realized that this 1901 census was filled out by the same person, and the above info on Robert and Willie is on page 4, while the info on John below is on page 14!

This is thrilling so I just had to add it here tonight.

What a day for research!

By Loretta (Williams) Houben

Findmypast 1871 Transcription for ROBERTS family

I am enjoying using Findmypast subscription, however it isn't as easy to use as Ancestry UK!

They have millions of records but when trying to find the ROBERTS family yesterday and add the 1871 census details to their family tree, I couldn't locate John Roberts and his wife Mary in Ffestiniog, until I looked page by page in St. David's Parish, and then lo and behold I couldn't add the census to my tree! I had to start all over again, so I tried looking up Mary Jane and found the family that way! Yikes. It sure took a lot of time.

But here they are, and this is what the transcription looks like.

It's very nice, and if you click on each name, you get that person's transcription.

So I printed a page for each of the ROBERTS family as family names are few and far between for me, and so I treat them like gold! I'm so happy I found them, as I'd never thought to look for them before. Elizabeth ROBERTS married JOSEPH WILLIAMS and so began the WILLIAMS clan, and therefore she is very special indeed.

By Loretta (Williams) Houben

1871 Welsh Census showing Roberts Family in Ffestiniog North Wales

Here is a copy of the 1871 Welsh census showing the Robert's Family living in Ffestiniog North Wales, still on Dolgarregddu Street.

However, the family has two more daughters. 

They are not on the 1881 Welsh census so they may have got married.

They match in all other ways, except the age of the mother, Mary, is the same as her husband, while in the 1881 census she is listed as being two years older.

This is where you have to have really good eyes!

This is the snip from Ancestry, but it states that John Roberts is born in Ireland!

This is utterly false so I left a comment.

The transcriber read the country above John's, and put that down for him.

Oh woe is me!

But I'm thrilled to have found the Robert's family on two different censuses.

By Loretta Williams Houben

1881 Welsh Census showing Roberts Family in Ffestiniog, North Wales

Ancestry UK had the censuses available for free searching today.

So once again I hunted for my elusive ancestors.

I think I finally found Elizabeth ROBERTS living in Ffestiniog, North Wales on Dolgarregddu Street.

On her wedding certificate she is listed as living on Dolgarregddu street which was two years later than this date, and her father is listed as John Roberts, quarryman, and that's his name and occupation on this census, so I think this is a correct guess.

Here is a closer copy of the names:

John Roberts, head, age 54, quarry man, born in Capel Currig, Caernarvonshire. (about 1827)

Mary Roberts, wife, age 56, born in Bala, Merionethsire. (about 1825)

Elizabeth Roberts, daughter, age 24, domestic servant, born in Portmadoc, Caernarvonshire. (about 1857)

John Roberts, son, age 14, quarry man, born in Festiniog, Merionethshire. (about 1867)

A close up of the Roberts family.

I wonder who little Lambert Price was?

Ancestry's print out.

So this is a great feeling of accomplishment!

You never know what you'll find when you methodically search through the records.

I'll add the names of John and Mary to Elizabeth's family tree!

Elizabeth Roberts married my great grandfather, Joseph Williams, on August 3, 1883.

By Loretta Williams Houben