Monmouthshire – Our Ancestors, Our Narratives

The Williams / Harris Line, A Narrative — Nine

This is Chapter Nine of twelve, where for a period of time, packet ships dominated travel and immigration between the United Kingdom and America. Once in America, the Harris brothers — Evan and William — make their mark in Tallmadge, Ohio.

We are fortunate in our research when we come across a birth register in which there are many answers for what we are seeking with a family line. Such is the case with the Mynyddyslwyn, Beulah Chapel (Baptist) Registry, in Monmouthshire, Wales.

A Registry for 3 Sons

We meet our ancestor Evan Harris in Monmouthshire when his birth and baptism is recorded, along with those of his brothers William and Henry Jr.. As we learned in the last chapter, their parents are named are Henry Harris and Ann (Unknown). (Observation: In some other records, Harris is sometimes spelled as Harries, when we know we are reading records about the same people).

Registration of both the birth and baptism dates for Evan Harris (at top),
along with his brothers William, and Henry Jr. (following). From the
Mynyddyslwyn, Beulah Chapel (Baptist) Registry, in Monmouthshire, Wales.

In the 1806 baptismal record for Evan Harris, the entry states that he was “October the 5th 1802 and baptized November _?_ 1806”. Throughout his life, it became clear that Evan (and also his wife Hannah) were unclear on their exact ages, because the records vary somewhat. We have seen this with many other family lines, when the ancestors lived in a pre-literate world. (1)

Evan Harris Marries Hannah Morris

It took us a long while to locate his marriage record and make sense of what we found. Does the name Evan Evans sound familiar? (Of course not). We had been looking for our Grandfather who was named Evan Harris. It seems that whoever was writing this record was a bit confused when writing with their quill pens. We know that this is the correct marriage because of the ages of the people involved, their ages, and the parish. We’ll explain further below the marriage record .

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is page-79-marriage-record.1.jpeg — Marriage record for Evan Harris and Hannah Morris in Mynyddyslwyn Parish, Monmouthshire, Wales, on August 16, 1824. Please notes that there are recording errors which we explain below.

When you look at the details, the parish name is misspelled, as Monyddysloin. This name never existed as a real parish, but is certainly a phonetic spelling of the true name Mynyddyslwyn. (Historic records confirm this). Also, it is clear that in a preliterate world, Evan Harris and Hannah (Morris) Harris signed their names with an X, as most of our ancestors did before (circa) the 1880s. They couldn’t verify what was written, but had to rely on the kindness of others for this type of thing.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is rris.1.jpeg

Further, if you look at the actual penmanship for their recorded names, it appears that the last portion, the ‘r-r-i-s’ letters, which both surnames share, look very much the same. as in H-a-r-r-i-s, not E-v-e-r-r-i-s. We don’t know what was going on in the room at the time, put whomever recorded this made a mistake.

Finally, there is a man named Evan Evans living in Monmouthshire at this time, in another parish. In 1824, he is marrying a woman named Rachel Thomas. (Please see the footnotes). (2)

Mysteries Concerning Young Elvira From 1840

We know that Evan and Hannah had at least six children. All of them were born in Mynyddyslwyn Parish, Monmouthshire, Wales.

Henry E. Harris, 1827-1920, Henry carries the family name forward.
Sally [or] Sarah (Harris) Reese Lewis, 1829-1894*
Ann Harris, 1831-Unknown date
Mary (Harris) Morris, 1833-1890
Hannah (Harris) Thomas, 1838-1910
Elvira Harris, 1840-Unknown date
*She was recorded as Sarah on the 1841 Wales Census, but it appears she used the name Sally in America.

There are a couple of mysteries about their youngest daughter Elvira...
We know she was born in Wales and came to America with her family. For that journey she would have been 8 years old, but mysteriously, she is not listed on the manifest. We thought that perhaps she could have come over with Evan’s younger brother William, since his family moved to America in the same time frame. We found no evidence of that. We poured over the 10 page manifest for their ship, the Caleb Grimshaw, but did not see any entry for an E. Harris at 8 years of age. We noticed that in the entire manifest, there is only one additional mark — it is a deliberate checkmark [√] next to the mother Hannah Harris’s name. Could this notation be the only indication that there was a young child being carried in her mother’s arms?

Elvira is listed on the 1841 Wales Census as being one year old, and she is also found on the 1850 Tallmadge, Ohio Census. Therefore, we know that she traveled from Wales to Ohio by some means. Perhaps the record keeper at the immigration point in New York just missed her?

The Harris family listed on the manifest for the ship Caleb Grimshaw,
with the arrival date in New York of May 27, 1848.

We learned from the Find A Grave website [contributor C. E. Tabbert’s notes] that Elvira “was listed on the 1850 Tallmadge Census age 10… as deaf and dumb… [and] the 1860 census does not have her listed… [nor is she listed in the 1868 draft of her father Evan’s Will]. The name in the Tallmadge Cemetery Lot Book is written over and illegible. There is a headstone in that area of the cemetery that has fallen on its face and is also unreadable. I believe that Elvira is buried in Grave 6. Her parents, brother and other family members are buried in this same lot.” (3)

It’s True. Timing Really Is Everything.

We have speculated about why the Harris family came to the decision to immigrate to America. The only thing that has made sense is the idea that they learned through either friends or (perhaps) family that there were riches to be made, and opportunity to be had, in America. An old story, that was new at that time. The point is, they came and prospered.

This family immigrated to America in 1848 on board the packet ship Caleb Grimshaw. It appears from the ships short history that they were likely on the premier voyage (or close to the premier) when the ship left Liverpool for New York. Their timing was a blessing.

Left to right: Sailing notice for the *Caleb Grimshaw* to New York,
from the *Liverpool Mercury*, 1849. Oil painting of the *Caleb Grimshaw* by Samuel W. Walters,
circa 1848. Walters was considered to be Liverpool’s leading marine artist at the time.
(Both images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Here is the history of the Caleb Grimshaw ship…
“When the influx of Irish migrants hit Liverpool [England] with the start of the potato famine in 1845, an estimated 1.5 million desperate people crossed the Irish Sea heading for the city, three quarters of which then boarded ships to New York, Philadelphia, or elsewhere.

Whilst living in New York in 1818, British merchant Jeremiah Thompson had pioneered the concept of the sailing packet which was guaranteed to depart on schedule rather than (the traditional) waiting until its hold was full. Offering a time table, his Black Ball Line revolutionized the transatlantic trade. British and American merchants joined forces to take full advantage of the migration boom. The Liverpool firm of Caleb Grimshaw & Company, specialists in migration traffic, teamed up as agents for Thompson in 1842 to take charge of the Liverpool to New York route.

It is not often that we get to show the beginning and ending points for a journey like this one.
Left to right: The Liverpool port area, showing the Waterloo Dock, where their ship
would have departed England. Then, the *Lower Part of New York City, 1851*, with an arrow indicating the Black Star Line piers, where their ship would have docked.
(Images courtesy of Grimshaw Origins and History).

One of the vessels operated by Grimshaw was the wooden packet ship Caleb Grimshaw (named after the company’s late founder). Built at William Henry Webb’s shipyard in New York and launched in early 1848, she sailed from Liverpool’s Waterloo Dock to New York under command of Captain William Hoxie with a crew of thirty men, carrying a maximum of 427 migrants.

The ship completed a total of five trips before disaster struck on her sixth crossing in November 1849 with 425 migrants aboard. A fire created panic and chaos. A lack of leadership drove some passengers to take matters into their own hands, lowering one of the ship’s boats which crashed into the water. Twelve people were swept away and drowned. Another boat was lowered by the crew, equipped with supplies of food and water for a select number of passengers.

The next morning, with the blaze raging, a boat was reserved for the captain’s wife and daughter who were joined by some of the first-class cabin travelers. Later that day Hoxie himself abandoned ship. The unfortunate migrants in steerage were left behind to fend for themselves, building survival rafts with remaining members of the crew on board.

This engraving shows a similar incident from the same year.
*Fire Consumes The American Packet Ship Ocean Monarch*,
English Wood Engraving by Morel Fatio, 1848. (Image courtesy of Amazon.com).

Help arrived on the fourth day when the trading barque Sarah, sailing from London to Halifax, drew alongside. Her master David Cooke first rescued the passengers on the boats and rafts, leaving more than 250 passengers on board clinging to the burning wreckage. It took a total of ten days to save the last of the survivors and deliver them safely to the port of Flores in the Azores. When the Caleb Grimshaw finally sank, the lives of ninety migrants had been lost.” (New York Almanack) The Caleb Grimshaw only made five voyages, and this disaster was obviously her last trip.

Since our ancestors lived in a community where many immigrants from Wales and Ireland had moved to, it is likely that they eventually learned of this disaster. One wonders what they may have thought? (4)

Enlarged detail from *Ohio*, as originally published in *Morse’s North American Atlas*, 1842.
(Image courtesy of the David Rumsey Map Collection).

The Harris Brothers Make Their Mark

Evan’s brother William H. Harris was living in the area near to Tallmadge township, Ohio in the very early 1840s, so he obviously immigrated to America before his brother’s family. We know this from records in the Tallmadge cemetery which correspond to the larger family circle*. Since William arrived at least seven years before his brother Evan did, he was established and connected to the community in the area.
*Please see the footnotes regarding his 1841 marriage, and the 1842 birth of his oldest son John Harris.

Communication back then took much more time, but when there is work and opportunity, word still travels pretty far. We are sure that both word-of-mouth and Welsh language newspapers carried the news that coal mining was available and would let you transplant your family to the opportunities in America.

Black ink wash on paper *Coal Mining Scene*, by Harry Sternberg.
(Image courtesy of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art).

The following is both derived from and quoted from in several sections: A History of Tallmadge Coal: A Tale of Woodchucks, Welshmen, and a Canal, by Judy Anne Davis. It is one of the few publications which document the life of the Welsh community in Tallmadge.

“Coal was first discovered in the southeast corner of the township, with another discovery attributed to a woodchuck digging on ‘Coal Hill’ around 1810. In 1819 or 1820, Samuel Bronson and Samuel Newton opened a mine in the bluff of Coal Hill. By 1827, Henry Newberry began hauling coal by wagon to Lock 16 on the Ohio Canal to sell in Cleveland, although initial sales were slow. Daniel Upson arrived in 1832, recognized the potential, and secured a charter from the Ohio State Legislature in 1838 for the Tallmadge Coal Company. This company consolidated most of the mining rights in Coal Hill, excluding Newberry’s, ultimately controlling around 500 acres.

[This made us take notice…] By 1852, Upson and another major operator, William H. Harris, were shipping 10 to 20 tons of coal daily. In 1855, the Tallmadge Coal Company produced 23,000 tons of coal. The mines operated heavily through the 1850s, with over 300,000 tons removed from just 60 acres by 1857. The industry largely defined the industrial development of early Tallmadge before fading in the late 19th century.”

*Tallmadge, Ohio 1856 Old Town Map*. This image shows Tracts II and VI where William
and Evan Harris held their coal land dealings, during the period matching their records.
(Image courtesy of Old Maps).

Specifically, this document went into more detail about our ancestors. Evan’s brother William was very successful in this business enterprise. From page 13 of the same document —

“By the early 1840’s another Welshman, William Harris, had arrived in Tallmadge and quickly started operations of his own in a coal bank in Tract 2, east of Long Swamp and northeast of Howe Road. He soon had three mines in operation and employed 50 men. Harris is noted especially for his efforts to not only recruit Welshmen to the community but also to assist them in establishing themselves once they arrived. Many of the men he recruited came directly from Wales; when they arrived, he frequently supplied furnished living quarters for them until they had earned enough to go out on their own. The efforts of Harris undoubtedly drew many additional families from Wales into this area.”

These records are excerpted from the indexes in the *A History of Tallmadge Coal*… document.

“Harris, too, increased his holdings both by purchase and lease. Land transaction records show that he concentrated his efforts in Tracts 2 and 6. Harris is known to have operated three mines in the area; in addition to the two which were served by his rail road and located east of his home in Tract 2, he also had an entry in the high ground of Tract 1 between Northwest Avenue and Howe Road at the northwest six corners.” (A History of Tallmadge Coal…) (5)

The Old Welsh Church in Tallmadge

In chapter 5 we wrote about the famous Congregational church which stands to this day at the center of Tallmadge Township. The Harris family may have attended services there, but they could have preferred services at a chapel which conducted services in their native Welsh language.

“Despite this acceptance on the part of the Congregational Church, many of the Welsh longed for a church of their own where services could be conducted in their native language. This was particularly true of those for whom English was an insurmountable challenge.” In about 1860 the town erected a building.

The Old Welsh Church after it had been abandoned, circa 1920s.
(Image courtesy od Summit Memory).

“Mrs. Martha P. Bierce provides a personal sketch of the church in an article she wrote for the Tallmadge Sesqui-Centennial which was then published in the book, A History of Tallmadge, Ohio. According to her description, the church… ‘was a small frame building with a seating capacity of 75 to 100. Perhaps its only claim to beauty was the unusual fan light (window) centered over the double front door, door, There were nice pews with green cushions, a chandelier for coal-oil lamps, and a coal burning stove. Upon the wall hung an antique clock…

Finally, there came a day when all of the church founders were gone. Their descendants having become thoroughly Americanized, gradually drifted away from the old church and from the mother tongue. For many years the old landmark stood abandoned, clinging helplessly to its foothold on the hill. The land reverted to the farm of which it was originally a part. Grading for a paved road made the position of the building precarious and it was thought best to tear it down.” (A History of Tallmadge Coal…) (6)

Where Was Evan in 1860?

When we see the Tallmadge United States Census for 1850, nothing that unusual stands out. Evan describes himself as a coal digger. The 1860 Census is the similar, where his son Henry describes himself as a miner. There is one thing however on the 1860 Census, — where is Evan? His entire family is listed, but he is not there. We have a record of him paying taxes in Tallmadge in 1861, so likely wasn’t too far away for the rest of the decade. (This 1860 Census mystery is one that we have not yet solved, since he lived until 1869).

Evan Harris died on March 9, 1869 and his Will, which was drafted a year earlier, provides for his wife Hannah and each of his children, as well as some of his grandchildren. Hannah lived on after him for nearly ten years, passing on December 26, 1878 while living in the home of her son, Henry E. Harris, and his family.

It is his family, that of Henry E. Harris and Ann Thomas, which we will be writing about in the next chapter. (7)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

A Registry for 3 Sons

(1) — five records

Evan Harris
in the England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936
Rg4: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths > Monmouthshire > Independent > Piece 1246: Penmain (Independent), 1787-1833
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2972/records/150167990
Digital page: 53/159, Right page.
Note: His baptism record. Three records for sibling births and baptisms are recorded at the same time in this register — Evan 1802, William 1804, Henry 1807.

Evan Harris
in the U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/125051446
and
Evan Harris
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151377723/evan-harris
Note 1: His birth and death dates are, 1801 – March 9, 1869.
Note 2: From the Find A Grave file, Evan was the brother of William H. Harris. Both brothers were from Wales and settled in Tallmadge around 1840.

Hannah Harris
in the U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/125051509
and
Hannah Harris
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151377791/hannah-harris
Note: Her birth and death dates are 1796 – December 26, 1878.

Evan Harris Marries Hannah Morris

(2) — two records

Evan Evans
in the Monmouthshire, Wales, Anglican Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1551-1994
Mynyddislwyn > Marriages and Banns > 1777-1906
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62107/records/548206
Book page: 79, Digital page: 154/933, Right page, top.
Notes: The parish name is misspelled, and Evan Harris’s surname was incorrectly noted when the record was recorded. Observe that they signed their names with an X, so they likely could not read the record to verify it.

(The real Evan Evans…)
Evan Evans
in the Breconshire, Wales, Marriage Index, 1813-1837
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1175/records/4372
Note: See the suggested search items which support that this person is not the husband of Hannah (Morris) Harris.

Mysteries Concerning Young Elvira From 1840

(3) — three records

Henry Harries
in the England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936
Rg4: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths
Monmouthshire > Baptist > Piece 0630: Mynyddyslwyn, Beulah Chapel (Baptist), 1803-1837
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2972/records/45968
Book page: 19 or 21, Digital page: 25/119, Last entry on page.
Notes: His birth record with his parents Evan and Hannah Harries. The Harris surname is misspelled as Harries on the Ancestry file name.

Birth and death dates for their children —
Note: we have compiled and reconciled the birth and death years from various sources for the family from the following link, and other sources.
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/62607448/person/282197451798/facts , and associated links

Evan Harris
in the New York, U.S., Irish Immigrant Arrival Records, 1846-1851
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/5969/?pg=6&f-F000981E=CalebGrimshaw40927May1848
Note: The ship they sailed on from Liverpool was the Caleb Grimshaw, with the arrival date in New York of May 27, 1848.

It’s True. Timing Really Is Everything.

(4) — six records

New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1920
Path: Follow these links to arrive at the Caleb Grimshaw passenger manifest for May 27, 1848:
> https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/image/index?owc=http://platform.prod.us-east-1.prod.fslocal.org/records/collections/1849782/waypoints
>> NARA Roll Number – Content, 0072 – 9 May 1848-31 May 1848
>>> https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-5K6B-8?wc=MX62-DZS:165749401&cc=1849782&cc=1849782&lang=en&i=525
Digital page: 526/838, Film # 004678332,
Note: There are 7 people listed in the middle of the page, by their first initial and then the Harris surname.

New York Almanack
Massacres & Migrants at Sea: Deadly Voyages To New York
by Jaap Harskamp
https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2023/01/migrants-at-sea-deadly-voyages-to-new-york/
Note: For the text.

Caleb Grimshaw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caleb_Grimshaw#:~:text=4%20References-,Construction,May%201848%20and%20August%201849.
Note: For the Liverpool Mercury sailing notice and oil painting portrait of the ship.

Grimshaw Origins and History
Beginnings, History, Emigration Patterns, Prominent Families
The Caleb Grimshaw
http://grimshaworigins.org/prominent-grimshaw-individuals/the-caleb-grimshaw-immigrant-ship/
Note: For the Waterloo and Black Star Line dock maps.

Fire Consumes The American Packet Ship Ocean Monarch
English Wood Engraving
by Morel Fatio, 1848
https://www.amazon.ca/Shipwreck-Accidental-Brazilian-Survivors-Engraving/dp/B07DPGS51D
Note: For the illustration as a parallel 1848 example of what also happened on the Caleb Grinshaw packet ship.

The Harris Brothers Make Their Mark

(5) — eight records

David Rumsey Map Collection
Ohio
by Samuel Breese and Sidney E. Morse, 1842
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~21740~660104
Note: For the map image, as originally published in Morse’s North American Atlas, 1842.

William H. Harris
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10969120/william_h-harris
Note: “Husband of Mary Harris. William was the brother of Evan Harris. William came from Wales and settled in Tallmadge around 1840.”

William Harris
in the Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61378/records/2846284?tid=&pid=&queryId=c4ba7271-7af4-4973-9640-f6a6844396f5&_phsrc=NFU21&_phstart=successSource
Note: For his June 19, 1841 marriage record to Mary Lewis.

John Harris
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/261975898/john-harris
Note: William Harris’s oldest child, with notes from his Find A Grave file —
“was born in Middlebury, East Akron [on March 9, 1842]. He is the son of Will H. Harris (b. Wales) and Mary Lewis (b. England). The informant on his death certificate is Stanley Harris of Akron.”

Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Coal Mining Scene, Black ink wash [drawing] on paper
by Harry Sternberg
https://www.cartermuseum.org/collection/coal-mining-scene-1998121
Note: For the artwork.

Akron-Summit County Public Library
A History of Tallmadge Coal:
A Tale of Woodchucks, Welshmen, and a Canal
by Judy Anne Davis, 2006
https://www.akronlibrary.org/images/SpecCol/TallmadgeCoal_.pdf#:~:text=
Notes: In library reference use only. For the texts about the mining operations, and the Harris brothers.

Old Maps
Tallmadge, Ohio 1856 Old Town Map Custom Print – Summit Co.
https://shop.old-maps.com/ohio/towns/summit-co-oh-1856-town/tallmadge-ohio-1856-old-town-map-custom-print-summit-co/?srsltid=AfmBOoqBXTOqBHIS8GqjhNgXCYqzxlkZKeSGmQogsdpHa8y8cLxklOcH
Note: For the 1856 map image.

The Old Welsh Church in Tallmadge

(6) — two records

Summit Memory
Old Welsh Church (photograph)
by Unknown photographer, circa 1925
https://www.summitmemory.org/digital/collection/tallmadge/id/8/rec/1
Notes: “Located at the Northwest Six Corners, the Welsh Church played an important role in the religious life of Tallmadge. Many people emigrated from Wales to Tallmadge to take advantage of the coal mining industry, at its peak in this area between 1860 and 1870. A religious people, they soon formed a church. The Welsh Congregational Church disbanded by the 1890s, and the building was abandoned. It was demolished about 1925.”

Where Was Evan in 1860?

(7) — seven records

Eran Harris [Evan Harris]
in the 1841 Wales Census
Monmouthshire > Mynyddyslwyn > ALL > District 5
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8979/records/8358140
Book page: 8-9, Digital page: 5-6/9, Right page, bottom.
Note 1: This census covers two pages. It carries over from the bottom of one page, to the top of the following page.
Note: Evan 35, Hannah 40, Henry 14, Sarah [or] Sally 12, Mary 10, Hannah 3, Alvira 1.

Evan Harris
in the 1850 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Summit > Tallmadge
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/records/19601199?tid=62607448&pid=282197451798&ssrc=pt
Digital page: 28/60, Lines 31 through 36.
Note 1: Evan 46, Hannah 58, Henry 23, Mary 16, Hannah, Alvira 10.
Note: Evan is listed as a coal digger (miner).
Note 3: Contributor C. E. Tabbert’s notes on daughter Elvira from the FindaGrave website:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/269329914/elvira-harris

Hannah Harris
in the 1860 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Summit > Tallmadge
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/records/42152554
Digital page: 15/30, Lines 1 through 9.
Note 1: Hannah 58, Henry 53*, Sarah 30, Mary 26, Anna (Hannah) 22, Thomas 3, Daniel 1, Henry Rees 9, Eliza Rees 7
*His age should be listed as 33.
Note 2: Where is the father Evan? Henry is listed working as a miner.
Note 3: Daughter Sally had previously married Solomon Reese (presumably by the 1850 Census, because he is not listed). Her children, Henry (9) and Eliza (7) are living with this family.

Sarah Harris
in the Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
Summit > 1840 – 1861
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61378/records/903330820
Book page: 535, Digital page: 599/667, Right page, 2nd entry.
Note: Sally married first Solomon Rees [Reese] who died in 1855, then she married second Caleb Lewis, in 1857.

Evan Harris
in the Ohio, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998
Summit > Old Original Wills, No 9-5296, 453, 1840-1884
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8801/records/15505944?tid=62607448&pid=282197451798&ssrc=pt
Digital pages: 2,159 – 2,163/5,157
Note: The file information indicates that he drafted his four page Will in 1863.

Hannah Harris
in the 1870 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Summit > Tallmadge
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/40038061
Book page: 7, Digital page:7/32, Lines 10 through 15.
Note 1: Evan Harris has passed away and Hannah is living on the home of her son Henry E. Harris and his family.
Note 2: The notation that Henry’s wife Ann was born in Wales is a mistake by the enumerator. She was born in Palmyra township, Summit County, Ohio.

The Williams / Harris Line, A Narrative — Eight

This is Chapter Eight of twelve. This chapters is also set in Wales, where we learn about more family origins, this time with — the Harris family. From their beginnings here, they eventually make their way to America.

Yes, you are! No, we’re not!

In the past, Monmouthshire was sometimes considered part of England, and sometimes part of Wales. This debate dragged on for several centuries, to the point that sometimes competing maps were published at the same time, putting Wales either here, or there… It always depended upon whom you asked, (and honestly, whether they were speaking English, or Welsh).

Yes! No! The center political cartoon is by JM Staniforth, circa 1899. It was captioned
*“Dame Wales reads through a long list of desired laws and regulations for the benefit of Wales at Parliament.”* The right text translates from Welsh as: *No, I am not English! I am Welsh!*
(Center image courtesy of Picryl).

From Wikipedia, we see that,“the Laws in Wales Act 1535 integrated Wales directly into the English legal system and the ‘Lordships Marchers within the said Country or Dominion of Wales’ were allocated to existing and new shires. Some lordships were annexed to existing counties in England and some were annexed to existing counties in Wales, with the remainder being divided up into new counties, one of which was Monmouthshire.” What this means is, that as a border area with England, people agonized over who was in charge. This went back-and-forth for much, much time and was eventually resolved by laws passed between 1972-74.

The civil parish where our family lived was called Mynyddyslwyn Parish. It may seem like a detail, but the present name is spelled slightly different today, as Mynyddislwyn, where the y at the center has changed to an i. The governance of the area is quite different also from that earlier era, but it’s not really something we need to go into, because it is quite complicated. The local history reads like a child’s game where a big fish keeps swallowing a smaller one, and this behavior just goes on and on… We feel that what is important is this: what were things like back then where our family experienced them?

*Monmouthshire County*, drawn by R. Creighton, and published by S. Lewis, 1844.
(Image courtesy of David Rumsey Map Collection).

“Mynyddyslwyn was one of the largest parishes in old Monmouthshire, covering nearly 16,000 acres of land. On the westerly side, it adjoined the parishes of Bedwellty and Bedwas although in one place it extended right to the border with the county of Glamorgan. From early times, the parish was divided into three hamlets, Clawrplwyf in the south, Penmaen in the north, and Mynyddmaen in the east.

The western parts of Monmouthshire was mostly mountainous, richly forested from early times, with the main routes and trackways running along the tops of the mountains. There was only a small and scattered population. Even as late as 1801, only about 1,500 persons were recorded as living in the whole Parish.

The Parish Church, dedicated to St. Tudor, is situated in a remote position beside the old road, which crosses Mynyddislwyn Mountain on its way to Risca. It stands 1,000 ft above sea level. The original church was one of those granted to Glastonbury Abbey about the year 1102, but later it became a possession of Llantarnam Abbey. The registers started in 1664. The Church was rebuilt in 1820 on the site of the earlier structure.

*St Tudor’s Church, Mynyddislwyn*, by Obediah Hodges, circa 1923. (image courtesy of ArtUK).

The lordship of Mynyddislwyn and Abercarn was granted to William, Earl of Pembroke, about the year 1650, but it was sold by his son about the year 1722. Having been passed on by inheritance, it was sold in 1807 to Richard Crawshay, the ironmaster, who gave it to his daughter on her marriage to Benjamin Hall. Their son, also named Benjamin, was Government Commissioner of Works, and was responsible for beautifying some of London’s parks. The bell in the famous clock tower outside the Houses of Parliament was named after him —Big Ben. He later became Lord Llanover.” (Oakdale Village) (1)

Let’s Meet Henry Harris & His Wife Ann ______

We do not know much more about the parents due to the scarcity of records and their very common names.

Throughout the many family lines we have written narratives about, it was quite common for couples to have many children. Usually, every two to three years, or so. This was a common practice because of the high rates of child mortality — many children died before the age of 5 years. With this family, for whatever reason, surviving records are quite scarce. We have discovered verifiable records for five children: their sons Evan, William, Henry, and Watkin, and their daughter Sara.

All records are from the Mynyddyslwyn, Beulah Chapel (Baptist) Registry, in Monmouthshire, Wales. It appears that the first three, Evan, William, and Henry, were all recorded in this register at the same time, even though they had baptisms on different days. Since we are looking at quill pen writing, some details are illegible.

Evan Harris — born “October the 5th 1802 and baptized November _ 1806”
William Harris — born “November 13th 1804 and baptized November _ 1806”
Henry Harris — born “February 15th 1807 and baptized March (illegible)”

The next child is Sara, and the same warning about quill pen writing applies here too.

Sara Harris – born “April the 1st 1817 and baptized 21 (illegible).”

Registration of both the birth and baptism dates for Sara Harris. From the
Mynyddyslwyn, Beulah Chapel (Baptist) Registry, in Monmouthshire, Wales.

The last child is Watkin, who we do not know much about.

Watkin Harris – born “July 25th 1825 and baptized 14th day of September following”

Registration of both the birth and baptism dates for Watkin Harris. From the
Mynyddyslwyn, Beulah Chapel (Baptist) Registry, in Monmouthshire, Wales.

Of these 5 children, Evan carries the family line forward, but his younger sister Sara also features very prominently in Chapter Eleven. She is fundamentally important for uniting future family lines.

Throughout his life, it became clear that Evan (and also his wife Hannah) were unclear on their exact ages, because the records vary somewhat. We have seen this same phenomena with many other family lines, when the ancestors lived in a pre-literate world. (2)

At left:William the Conqueror, William I of England (circa 1028-1087). First Norman King of England, by Matthew Paris circa 1250-1259. Center: An example of the Harris family Coat-of-Arms. At Right: The Stuarts, King James I (reigned 1603 – 1625). Painting of James VI and I, circa 1605, (after) John de Critz . (See footnotes).

The Origins of the Surname Harris

“Harris is an English and Welsh patronymic [based on the name of the father] surname derived from the personal name Harry (a vernacular form of Henry) and the genitive ending –s. [Genitive indicates possession, or ownership]. The given name Henry itself was introduced to England as Henri by the Normans following the Conquest of 1066, and subsequently became widespread, giving rise to surnames such as Harris and Harrison… Harris is most common surname in South Wales.

Francis Jobson’s *‘Ulster’* (c. 1598) This provided representations of the
Gaelic lordships in Ulster, but also imposed England’s vision
for the creation of a new county system onto the provincial landscape.
(Image courtesy of Trinity College, Dublin)

The name Harris also found in Ireland, largely as a result of the Plantation of Ulster, though it may in some cases represent an anglicized form of the Gaelic name Ó hEarchadha.

The Plantation of Ulster was the organized colonization (‘plantation’) of the Irish province of Ulster by people from Great Britain in the early 17th century, during the reign of King James I. Most of it was on confiscated Irish land.” (Wikipedia, for all text) (3)

In the next chapter, the Harris family leaves the old ways of Europe behind, and heads across the Atlantic Ocean to create a new life in America.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Yes, you are! No, we’re not!

(1) — six records

The Royal Visit, by JM Staniforth,
from https://picryl.com/media/the-royal-visit-jm-staniforth-70301f .

Picryl
Wales Before Parliament (political cartoon)
by JM Staniforth, circa 1899
https://picryl.com/media/wales-before-parliament-jm-staniforth-0b7998
Note: Public domain vintage political cartoon. “Dame Wales reads through a long list of desired laws and regulations for the benefit of Wales at Parliament.”

Monmouthshire (historic)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monmouthshire_(historic)
Note: For the text, and for reference.

David Rumsey Map Collection
Monmouthshire County
Drawn by R. Creighton, and published by S. Lewis
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~337359~90105199:Monmouthshire-County
Note: From the Atlas to the Topographical Dictionaries of England and Wales published by S. Lewis and Co. in 1844.

Oakdale Village
History of Mynyddislwyn — Portrait of a Parish
https://web.archive.org/web/20081121034133/http://www.oakdalevillage.net/history5.html
Note: For the text.

ArtUK
St Tudor’s Church, Mynyddislwyn
by Obediah Hodges, circa 1923
https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/mynyddislwyn-church-153332
Note: For the painting of the church.

Let’s Meet Henry Harris & His Wife Ann ______

(2) — three records

Evan Harris
in the England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936
Rg4: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths > Monmouthshire > Independent > Piece 1246: Penmain (Independent), 1787-1833
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2972/records/150167990
Digital page: 53/159, Right page.
Note 1: Note: For their birth dates and baptism records.
Note 2: Three records for sibling births and baptisms are recorded at the same time in this register — Evan 1802, William 1804, Henry 1807.

Sara Harris
in the England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936
Rg4: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths > Monmouthshire > Independent > Piece 1246: Penmain (Independent), 1787-1833
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2972/records/168121?tid=11298446&pid=182338476831&ssrc=pt
Digital page: 90/159, Left page.
Note: For her 1817 birth date and baptism record.

Watkin Harris
in the England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936
Rg4: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths > Monmouthshire > Independent > Piece 1246: Penmain (Independent), 1787-1833
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2972/records/169025?tid=11298446&pid=182338476830&ssrc=pt
Digital page: 118/159, Left page.
Note: For his 1825 birth date and baptism record.

Origins for the Surname Harris

(3) — seven records

Alamy
William the Conqueror, William I of England (circa 1028-1087). First Norman King of England (1066-1087), holding Battle Abbey, illuminated manuscript portrait painting
by Matthew Paris circa 1250-1259
https://www.alamy.com/william-the-conqueror-william-i-of-england-circa-1028-1087-first-norman-king-of-england-1066-1087-holding-battle-abbey-illuminated-manuscript-portrait-painting-by-matthew-paris-circa-1250-1259-image545386459.html
Note: For the portrait of William the Conqueror.

History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland
by John Burke
https://archive.org/details/bwb_KU-314-176_1/page/558/mode/2up
Book page: 559, Digital page: 590/764
Note: For the Harris of Hayne coat-of-arms.

Painting of James VI and I Wearing the Jewel Called the Three Brothers in His Hat, circa 1605
by (after) John de Critz
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_James_I_of_England_wearing_the_jewel_called_the_Three_Brothers_in_his_hat.jpg
Note: For the portrait of James I.

Harris (surname)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_(surname)
and
Plantation of Ulster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantation_of_Ulster

Trinity College Dublin
New exhibitions spotlight 400 years of Ireland in maps
News & Events
https://www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/2025/the-island-of-ireland-in-maps/
Note: For the actual Ulster map image.
and
History Ireland
Visualising the Plantation: mapping the changing face of Ulster
https://historyireland.com/visualising-the-plantationmapping-the-changing-face-of-ulster/
Note: For the caption under the map image.

The Williams / Harris Line, A Narrative — Seven

This is Chapter Seven of twelve, in which we move across the Bristol Channel from England to Wales. We also meet a new family with a new surname — the Thomas family. By the way, we wish you good luck with pronouncing some of these Welsh words!

Y Seren Orllewinol — What’s That Again?

One of the things that presents a challenge in genealogy research is locating exactly where your ancestors are from, if the records are scarce. This is especially true when dealing with the mysteries of the Welsh language. (We swear, that when deciphering Welsh — one dreams of standing before Vanna White on the Wheel of Fortune game show and saying in a demanding voice: “Vanna! I’d like to buy a vowel.”)

Our research eventually led to the discovery of an unfortunate death…

Martha (Thomas) Jenkins 1847 obituary, as seen in the
*Y Seren Orllewinol — The Western Star*, from October 1847.
(Image courtesy of Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru — The National Library of Wales).

Without getting too far ahead of ourselves with this history, the oldest child in this family line died of tuberculosis as a young adult. Her obituary fortunately stated exactly where in Wales her family had lived. So this confirmed other records we had located, but it was the linchpin we needed to honor this family’s origins. (Please see the footnotes for the English translation of her obituary).

The family pedigree flow chart, for the Thomas and the Harris families.

In the following chapters seven through ten, we are learning some of the history of the Thomas and the Harris families. We begin in Ceredigion, Wales, which used to be called Cardiganshire. (1)

*Map of the Principality of Wales and Bordering Districts*,
[Engraved for Nicholson’s Cambrian Guide], by S.J. Neele, circa 1813.
Notice the locations of the Bristol Channel above Somerset, England in th closer right,
and the Liverpool seaport in northern England, in the upper right.
(Image courtesy of B.B. Williams Antique Maps & Prints).

Welsh Place Names Are Tongue Twisters!

The three locations in Wales that feature in this chapter, are discussed below as follows — OK. Now say those names three times fast! We dare you.

The same map as shown above, just enlarged for clarity on locations.

With so many little parishes, in a not very big country, trying to understand what the various points-of-view were for the different communities required due diligence. We found records that match up with our family in the Horeb Independent Chapel in Llandysul, Cardiganshire. Not much was recorded about the actual building, except for this —“Horeb Independent Chapel was built in 1784, enlarged in 1826 and 1832. The chapel was rebuilt again in 1879 in the Classical style of the gable entry type and with a large arch in the facade.” (Coflein)

What did it mean to be Independent?
In the 1830s in Wales, having a chapel or church recognized as independent (often referred to as Annibynwyr), signified that the congregation was a self-governing, democratic body that operated outside the structure of the Anglican Established Church. This status represented a significant shift toward local democracy, theological autonomy, and a Welsh-speaking cultural identity, separate from the Anglican church and state in England. (Google)

Baptismal record for the children of George Thomas, found in the Llandysul, Cardiganshire, Wales Horeb (Independent) Register of Births, 1797-1837.

Despite the very difficult-to-decipher page photograph above, (the original source was likely semi-transparent vellum paper), we determined that the patriarch of the family is George Thomas. (Mrs. Thomas is not recorded). Below are the baptismal records for his seven children from the Horeb Welsh Independent Chapel. The most important person for our family line is listed second, John Thomas.

Mary Thomas, baptism: March 1797
John Thomas, baptism February 1799, John carries the family line forward.
Hanna Thomas, baptism March 1800
Ann Thomas, baptism May 1803
Sarah Thomas, baptism August 1805
Rachel Thomas, baptism January 1807
George Thomas Jr., baptism, November 1809

As sometimes happens with research work like this, we do not know much about George Thomas’s life. This is because his name was just too common for credible records. So we move on from there to his oldest son, John Thomas*, who surfaces in nearby Carmarthenshire about twenty years later.
* John Thomas also seems like a very common name, but in his case, we had other evidence with which to locate him. (2)

John Thomas Weds Hannah Rees

On February 16, 1821, John Thomas wed Hannah Rees in Betws*, Carmarthenshire, Wales. With this marriage, her Rees surname gave way to the Thomas surname. We believe that they married in this location because this is where her family was from. When you peruse the registry in which this record was found, there are many families recorded with the Rees family surname.
*That is not a typo. Betws is an old Welsh word which means Chapel.

John Thomas and Hannah Rees 1821 Betws, Carmarthenshire, Wales marriage record.

As we already know, John was baptized in 1799 at Llandysul, Cardiganshire. His marriage record cites that his parish is Llangyfelach Parish, which is in present day Swansea, Wales, on the Gower Peninsula. We do not know how long he was part of that parish, but we know that after they married, they moved back up to Llandysul Parish, Cardiganshire. The distance from Llandysul and Betws is about 34 miles (54.7 km), and they were connected by a major road.

Hannah Rees was born in 1798. However, her community of Betws was at one point separated from Swansea, and then became part of Carmarthenshire.

We know that John Thomas was a blacksmith and that he brought those skills to America. He continues to cite this as his profession through the 1850 US Census. (3)

Their Voyage to America On A Liverpool Packet

In the 18th century, transatlantic travel changed much due to so many people immigrating to countries outside of the European kingdoms. In researching how this family left Wales and journeyed to America, we had to learn about packet ships. From the New York Times, “Before steamships started crossing the North Atlantic, the best way to travel between Europe and America was by the sailing ships called packets. Built and run mainly by Americans, the packet lines introduced new concepts and comfort levels for ocean voyages. They dominated the transatlantic traffic for decades, setting key precedents for the steamships that eventually replaced them. Along with their more famous contemporaries, the whaling and clipper ships, they comprised the golden age of American sail. Of these three types, the packets lasted the longest and made the most voyages and money for their owners and crews.”

At left, a Fish, Grinell & Co. advertisement for the Silas Mariner packet ship. A typical 3-masted packet ship example, the *Patrick Henry*. (See footnotes).

“Fish, Grinnell, & Co. began the Swallowtail Line, known as the ‘Fourth Line of Packets for New York,’ their first ships being the Silas Richards, Napoleon, George, and York, which soon moved to bi-weekly service. By 1825, vessels were advertised as leaving New York on the 8th and leaving Liverpool on the 24th of every month. Their actual schedules eventually varied, sometimes wildly, due to weather and other conditions.” (Wikipedia)

It is quite likely that our ancestors were on a ship that was transporting mail, because this is what all packet ships were known for. “Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed mainly for domestic mail and freight transport in European countries and in North American rivers and canals. Eventually including basic passenger accommodation, they were used extensively during the 18th and 19th centuries, and had regularly scheduled services.” (Wikipedia)

Our ancestors sailed on the Silas Richards, which had departed from Liverpool England. They arrived in New York on May 25, 1835. Note that John Thomas is recorded on the manifest below, as being a blacksmith.

The John Thomas family as shown on the passenger manifest
for the ship *Silas Mariner*, on May 25, 1835 in New York harbor. (See footnotes).

A very interesting account of travel between Great Britain and Ohio is found within the article Emigration Voyages, which features the account by a man named Thomas Tear who immigrated with his extensive family from the Isle of Man to Leroy Townhip, Geauga County, Ohio. “The account left by Thomas Tear is probably much more typical of the type of conditions encountered by the the ‘middle class’ Manx emigrants of the 1820s and 1830s.”

Cultural and location explanations as follows:

Manx refers to anything from the Isle of Man.
The Isle of Man is a large island located in the Irish Sea between Ireland and Great Britain.
Leroy Township, Geauga County, Ohio became part of Lake County, Ohio in 1840.

Thomas Tear was an educated man, who kept a journal and wrote letters about being an immigrant to the state of Ohio. His records about sailing on a packet ship, and the odyssey of traveling from New York harbor to Ohio in that era, are likely similar to the experiences our ancestors also faced. Here is what he had to say:

“We were finally put on board a small brig, if I remember rightly, of 200 tons, but seems wrong, to me, as she had on 200 passengers, mostly Irish which limited passengers 2 per 5 ton burthen. Her name was Amelia of Liverpool, at the helm was, Captain Tagert. They had no such accommodations, as they advertised. We occupied what was called the second cabin, with some English people, and a few better class Irish, on the opposite side of the cabin. But It was not separated from the steerage, as I think it was called, by any door, which was on the same deck, and just forward of us, and was filled with Irish. It was separated from the cabin by a rough board partition, with cracks that the children could peek through.

The passenger quarters had three rows of berths all around, and there were two low benches, which was all the furniture there was in our part. There were two hatches over the passengers, affording all the light and ventilation that passengers had, and if It was rough, these were partly closed. There was a coal fire, in a grate on deck for the passengers to cook by. One man died on the passage, but to me, the wonder, is that half of them were not dead. The scent down there in that dirty, ill-ventilated hole, was anything but sweet. Mother was sick all the way, also Mrs. Gawne, but the rest, stood it well. The burden of cooking fell on my oldest sister, but she seemed to benefit by it. The passengers carried and cooked their own provisions, and as the fire would not accommodate them all at once. This made considerable dissatisfaction, eating was done, without setting of tables, and just as you could catch it.”

Tear’s initial voyage from England took some 40 days, a few days longer than the average by the faster packets for that time of year.

*A Connected View of The Whole Internal Navigation of the United States…*
by Henry S. Tanner, 1830. (Image courtesy of the David Rumsey Map Collection).
— — —
Their journey from Liverpool England, to Ohio charted.
The dashed lines represents the 3043 mile segment from Liverpool, England to New York harbor.
From there they traveled by boat up the Hudson River to Albany, New York. Then, via the Erie Canal to Buffalo, New York, and lastly by lake steamer ship to Cleveland, Ohio.

Thomas Tear’s accounts continue, “I will mention here, before reaching Liverpool, they [his parents] expected to take passage to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Then travel by wagon, across the country to Jefferson County, Ohio. Two families were there, who had left the Island some 4 years before. At Liverpool, they were informed of the recent completion, of the Erie Canal, enabling them to reach Ohio by way of New York, by water, which was far more preferable. So they went to New York.”

“We were in New York only a few hours, before starting for Albany, on the river. We were on some kind of boat, that was fastened to the side of a steamer, and drawn along, or towed. The boat was open and there were two boats on one side and one on the other side of the steamer. Thus we went up the Hudson River to Albany, in not over 24 hours.

*View on the Erie Canal* (1830-32) by John William Hill
via The New York Public Library.

We had gotten to Albany and while waiting on the dock, for a canal boat, on which to take passage, there was a great strife among the boats for the passengers. We finally got aboard a boat, and reached Buffalo in a week.

At Buffalo, we were put aboard a schooner called,‘The Lady of the Lake’; because of foul wind, the flat bottom of the vessel, and the unskillfulness of the seamen, we were two weeks in reaching Fairport, 160 miles. We landed early in the morning, before sunrise, on the 5th of July, 1826. A boat came from shore to take us in, the schooner was not able to enter the harbor, because of a [sand] bar.” (4)

After the Thomas family made their way westward from New York, they settled in the northeast section of Ohio.

The Censuses and Their Family

John and Anna settled with their family in Palmyra township, Portage County, Ohio. This community 52 miles (84 km) southeast of the city of Cleveland, where they arrived via a lake steamer ship. As we learned in the previous chapter, there were many immigrants from Wales already living in the area. So it was certainly an area with many familiar cultural touch points.

They appear on US Censuses for the years 1840, 1850, and 1860. (See footnotes). John continues to identify his occupation as blacksmith through 1850, but by 1860, he identifies it as a farmer. We do not know if he actually owned farming property in Palmyra township, or if they rented rather than owned, since he had maintained his blacksmithing profession for many years. The 1874 Palmyra township map below, is intriguing for the number of Thomas-named families scattered throughout, but nothing is labeled simply as John Thomas. (And, he had passed on five years before this map was created… we do not know if one of his children, married or otherwise, inherited any property).

His wife Hannah, by 1860, had started to refer to herself as Anna, which we observed in that census. (This is the name was also used on her grave marker). There are a couple of plausible reasons why she dropped the two h’s and simplified her name. It is likely that people just called her Anna as a nick name, or perhaps it was over the death of her daughter, who was also named Hannah. (See below).

Frontispiece and Portage County map from the
*Combination Atlas Map of Portage County, Ohio*, by L.H. Everts, 1874.
(Image courtesy of David Rumsey Map Collection).

Page 126, *Palmyra Township, Portage County, Ohio,*
by L.H. Everts, 1874. (Image courtesy of David Rumsey Map Collection).

John and Anna had ten children. The first five were born in Llwynrhydowen, Llandysul, Ceredigion (Cardiganshire), Wales:

Martha (Thomas) Jenkins, 1823 – 1847
Anne Thomas, 1827 – 1836
Sarah (Thomas) Williams, 1827 – 1899
Rees J. Thomas, 1831 – 1905
Mary (Thomas) Jones, 1834 – 1854

The next five children were born in Palmyra Township, Portage County, Ohio:

Ann (Thomas) Harris, 1836-1890, Ann carries the family line forward.
Margaret Evelyn (Thomas) Hughes, 1838 – 1915
Hannah Thomas, after the 1840 Census – 1843
David J. Thomas, 1841 – 1916
John O. Thomas Jr., 1845 – 1863

The mother of the family, Anna (Rees) Thomas passed away first, on February 16, 1867. The father John Thomas Sr., soon followed her, passing away on November 27, 1869. Their daughter Ann Thomas is the ancestor who carries the family line forward with her marriage in Chapter Nine. (5)

We will also learn why Monmouthshire is sometimes included in English maps and not Wales maps, and then sometimes included in Wales maps, but not English maps. This seesaw effect was rather confusing to figure out what people were then thinking, but we figured it out.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

*Wheel of Fortune* screen capture form the Today show, via: https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/vanna-white-recalls-wheel-fortune-mistake-left-mortified-rcna13056

Y Seren Orllewinol — What’s That Again?

(1) — one record

Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru
(The National Library of Wales)
Y Seren Orllewinol (The Western Star)
Hydref 1847 (October 1847)
Martha (Thomas) Jenkins 1847 obituary
https://viewer.library.wales/2726714#?xywh=-2424,0,6958,3511&cv=19
Book page: 246/250, Left column, upper portion.
Note: Her place of origin is recorded in this obituary.

A translation from Welsh to English of the most relevant section states:
“Glyn Wylofain August 18, 1847. Pilgrim.
In Palmyra, Portage county, Ohio, August 14, 1847, Mrs. Martha Jenkins, wife of David Jenkins, who joined in a matrimonial bond about three years ago. Martha was the daughter of John and Hannah Thomas, a blacksmith, formerly Llwynrhydowen, Llandysul, Ceredigion [Cardiganshire]; her disease from tuberculosis, her age about 24 years. She left a husband and one girl, aged eighteen months, to mourn her…”

Welsh Place Names Are Tongue Twisters!

(2) — five records

B.B. Williams Antique Maps & Prints
Map of the Principality of Wales and Bordering Districts
[Engraved for Nicholson’s Cambrian Guide]
by S J Neele, circa 1813
https://www.antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/Map-of-the-Principality-of-Wales-and-Bordering-Districts-Engraved-for-Nicholsons-Cambrian-Guide-by-S-J-Neele–8984182.html
Note: For the locations of their baptisms and marriage.

Geo Thomas
in the England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936
Rg4: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths > Cardiganshire > Independent > Piece 1684: Llandysul, Horeb (Independent), 1797-1837
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2972/records/15287637
Note: Baptismal record for George Thomas’s children and when they were baptized —

Mary Thomas, baptism: March 1797
John Thomas, baptism February 1799
Hanna Thomas, baptism March 1800
Ann Thomas, baptism May 1803
Sarah Thomas, baptism August 1805
Rachel Thomas, baptism January 1807
George Thomas Jr., baptism, November 1809

Coflein
Site Record for the Horeb Welsh Independent Chapel, Horeb
https://coflein.gov.uk/en/sites/7283
Note: For the text.

Llangyfelach
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llangyfelach#:~:text=Llangyfelach%20is%20a%20village%20and,to%20combine%20them%20for%20Llangyfelach.
and
Llangyfelach Parish Church
https://parishofllangyfelachwithclase.org.uk/#:~:text=The%20religious%20site%20at%20Llangyfelach,in%20a%20converted%20Tithe%20Barn.
Note: For the data.

John Thomas Weds Hannah Rees

(3) — seven records

John Thomas
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/28467460
and
John Thomas
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43726665/john-thomas
Note: His dates are birth, 1799; death, November 27, 1869, in Palmyra, Portage County.

Anna Thomas
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/28467276?tid=62607448&pid=282197285918&ssrc=pt
and
Anna Rees Thomas
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43726451/anna-thomas
Note: Her dates are, birth, 1798 in Wales; death, February 16, 1867, in Palmyra, Portage County.

Hannah Rees
in the Carmarthenshire, Wales, Anglican Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1560-1994
Betws > Marriages > 1813-1837
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62102/records/286341?tid=&pid=&queryId=7de970db-a16a-4204-b2f1-5661d20f32e2&_phsrc=Ffd7&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 14, Digital page: 9/23, Entry No. 42, on the left page bottom.
Note: Their marriage date is February 16, 1821.

Betws, Carmarthenshire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betws,_Carmarthenshire
Note: For the data.

TuckDB Postcards
The Village Blacksmith
https://www.tuckdbpostcards.org/items/16508-the-village-blacksmith
Note: For the postcard image.

Their Voyage to America On A Liverpool Packet

(4) — seven records

New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1920
NARA Roll Number – Content > 026 – 26 Mar 1835-22 Jun 1835
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-5T27-1?wc=MX62-2NL:165726301&cc=1849782&cc=1849782&lang=en&i=444
Digital Images: 445, 446, and 448/702
Note: The Silas Richards was a Clipper Packet Ship.
Note: The childrens’ ages are an admixture —some are exactly correct, others are close, but technically not correct.

The Silas Richards 1835 manifest	Age	Occupation
John Thomas	36	Blacksmith
Hannah	37
Martha	10
Ann	8
Sarah	6
Rees	3
Mary	1
Jane	28
Margaret James	20
Mary Jenkins	28

Packet boat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_boat
Note: For the text, and the Chesterton and Baltimore packet-boat image.

Patrick Henry (packet)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Henry_%28packet%29
Note: For the ship image.

Manx, Isle of Man
History of Manx People Who Came to America
by Mildred Steed, and published by
The Lake County Genealogical Society
https://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/famhist/genealgy/miom1991.htm
Note: Manx refers to anything from the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man is a large island located in the Irish Sea between Ireland and Great Britain.
and
The above link then leads to this derived article:
Emigration Voyages
https://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/famhist/genealgy/voyages.htm
Note: See the References from this article for the original sources.

David Rumsey Map Collection
A Connected View of The Whole Internal Navigation of the United States…
by Henry S. Tanner, 1830
https://www.davidrumsey.com/maps1781.html
Note: For the map. The websitemap provides a link, which makes it zoomable for definition and clarity.

CBS News
All Hail The Erie Canal
View on the Erie Canal (1830-32)
by John William Hill
via The New York Public Library
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/all-hail-the-erie-canal-200th-anniversary/
Note: For the Erie Canal landscape painting.

The Censuses and Their Family

(5) — nineteen records

David Rumsey Map Collection
Palmyra Township, Portage County, Ohio
from the Combination Atlas Map of Portage County, Ohio
by L.H. Everts, 1874
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~230086~5508390:Palmyra-Township%2C-Portage-County%2C-O?sort=pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date%2Cpub_list_no%2Cseries_no&mi=3&trs=7&qvq=q:Palmyra%20Township;sort:pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date%2Cpub_list_no%2Cseries_no;lc:RUMSEY~8~1
Book page: 126, Digital page: Follow the link above.
Note: For the 1874 Palmyra township map, the Atlas frontispiece, and the Portage County map.

John Thomas
in the 1840 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Portage > Palmyra
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8057/records/3328150?tid=&pid=&queryId=4bd43007-e83a-4cf4-aaa7-eb12c53c13c7&_phsrc=oNB1&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 4, Digital page: 3/18, Center of page, entry 18.
Note: This early census does not list who actually lived in the home, other than John.
Note: This census reconciles to John 41, Hannah, 42, Martha 15, Mary 6, Rees 9, Ann 5, Margaret 2. (Based upon the Silas Richards 1835 ship manifest).

Between censuses, after 1840 > 1843
There is a daughter who was born and died between censuses:
Hannah Thomas
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/116259443/hannah-thomas
Note: This daughter’s birth is after the 1840 census, and she not on the 1835 manifest for the Silas Richards ship. She is also buried in a Palmyra Welsh Cemetery, separate from the other family members.

John Thomas
in the 1850 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Portage > Palmyra
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/records/19581411?tid=&pid=&queryId=0fe2cd28-3dcb-4a92-8ee1-6bb342ad3af9&_phsrc=oNB4&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 207(?) , Digital page: 8/26, Lines 28 through 35.
Note: John 51 [He is a blacksmith], Hannah 52, Rees 19, Ann 15, Margaret 12, David 9, John 6, Anna Jenkins 4.

John Thomas
in the 1860 United States Federal Census
Ohio > Portage > Palmyra
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/records/41939242?tid=&pid=&queryId=e72e20be-db5b-4ab7-bc1b-b17f22592b6a&_phsrc=oNB7&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 66-67, Digital page: 8-9/26, Lines 39, 40, 1 through 5.
Note: This census carries over two pages. The parents are on lines of page 66; the rest follow on page 67.
Note 1: John 61 [He is a farmer], Anna 62, Rees 19, Ann 24, Margaret 22, David 19, John1 6, Anna Jenkins 14.
Note 2: Hannah now records herself as Anna.

Martha (Thomas) Jenkins
1823 – 1847
Martha Thomas
in the Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61378/records/902850028
and
Martha Jenkins
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43726679/martha-jenkins
Note 1: Marriage and then an early death. This is the daughter whose obituary was published in the October 1847 issue of Y Seren Orllewinol — The Western Star.
Note 2: This surname explains who Mary Jenkins is on the Silas Richards manifest: a relation to David Jenkins, and the girl Anna Jenkins who is listed on the 1850 and 1860 censuses.

Anne Thomas
1827 – 1836
Anne Thomas
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/226240808/anne-thomas
Note: Died on June 14, 1836. Her younger sister was born June 5, 1836, and was likely named Ann in remembrance of her.

Sarah (Thomas) Williams
c. 1827 – 1899
Sarah Thomas
in the Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61378/records/902845084
and
Sarah Williams
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/117162899/sarah-williams
Note: There is an extensive biographic memorial.

Rees Thomas 1905 obituary from the Findagrave.com website.

Rees J Thomas
1831 – 1905
Rees J Thomas
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18990337/rees_j-thomas
Note: His newspaper obituary included above. Observe that marked numeral ‘1’ in a couple of places, so there may be errors in the obituary.

Mary Jones Thomas
1834 – 1854
Note: Although not clearly on the 1850 Census, she is reconciled to the 1840 census; also on the Silas Richards manifest at the age of one.
and
Mary Jones Thomas
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/226240878/mary-thomas
Note: ‘Mary, daughter , died at Pittsburg, PA July 29, 1854 age 20 yrs buried with John’.

Margaret Evelyn (Thomas) Hughes
1838 – 1915
Margaret Evelyn Hughes
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/109127874
and
Margaret Evelyn Thomas Hughes
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/132158422/margaret-evelyn-hughes

Portrait from the Findagrave.com website.

David J Thomas
1841 – 1916
David J Thomas
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/85955222
and
David J. Thomas
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18990432/david-j-thomas

Hannah Thomas
After the 1840 census – 1843
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/116259443/hannah-thomas
Note: This daughter’s birth is after the 1840 census, and she is not on the 1835 manifest for the Silas Richards ship. She is also buried in a Palmyra Welsh Cemetery, separate from the other family members.

He was a Civil War soldier who died at a military hospital in Tennessee,
and is buried in the national cemetery in the same location.

John O. Thomas Jr.
1845 – 1863
John O Thomas
Death – Find a Grave Index
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKX-RKFT?lang=en
and
PVT John O Thomas
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43457214/john-o-thomas
Note: He died young as a Civil War soldier.