Surname Saturday: Williams from Wales

Well here's my second go at Surname Saturday, a blogging prompt brought to us by GeneaBloggers and their Daily Blogging Prompts. This week I'm jumping into Mom's father's folks, the Williams family from Wales and one of our really really big brick walls: they disappear once they get to America! I'd give just about anything in fair trade to find GGF Daniel William's siblings after they presumably immigrated. It's a mystery that's stumped my betters, and that's Mom and Aunt Betty.

So here we go on a surname romp back along the line that is all Wales! I'll share what we know and what we'd love to find out.

1. Diane Kelly Weintraub

2. Francis Patrick Kelly (1916 - 2007)
3. Virginia Williams, living and loving it!

6. Cambria Williams (1897 - 1960)
7. Emma Susan Whetstone (1897 - 1956)
They had 5 children in all:
Virginia, that's Mom
Dorothy Williams Conrad (1920 - 2007)
Evelyn Williams (1921 - 1924)
Margaret Williams (1926 - 1926)
Cambria Williams Jr. (1925 - 1997)

12. Daniel Williams (1852 - 1920)
13. Jane Price (1862 - 1939)
Daniel was born in Strata Florida, Cardigsnshire, Wales. He worked as a collier or coal miner, as his father had, in Wales, immigrated, then moved to the George's Creek Coal Mine Field in Western Maryland, one of the richest veins of coal at the time. Jane was born in Mount Savage, Allegany County, Maryland, just over the hill from where Daniel worked, but her family came from Wales as well.
Neither Mom nor Aunt Betty, both grandchildren of this pair, remember Welsh being spoken at home or at church.
Daniel was a supervisor at the mines and well respected and elected to the school board.
They had 8 children:
James Henry Williams 1882 - 1936)
William Williams (1884 - 1964)
Benjamin Williams (1896 - 1896)
Thomas Williams (1890 - 1951)
Dianna Williams (1892 - 1893)
Joseph Williams (1895 - 1948)
Cambria Williams (1897 - 1960), that's Mom's Dad
Charles Williams (1899 - 1979), that's Aunt Betty's Dad

24. Thomas Williams (about 1815 - 1868?)
25. Jane James (about 1815 - ?)
Both Thomas and Jane were born in Strata Florida, Cardigsnshire, Wales. Thomas was a collier or coal miner as were a number of his sons. It is presumed that Thomas died about 1868, possibly in Lampiter, Cardiganshire, Wales. The death record is inconclusive as to confirming identity.
Jane is found in the 1870 Wales Census in Llangattock, Breckenshire, Wales. Interestingly, she's living next to a woman, a widow, by the name of Dianah James, a green grocer.
We have that mystery photo of Jane James Williams with her adult children taken by a photographer in Troy, New York... however, neither Mom nor Aunt Betty or silly me have been able to find a lick of a track of them in New York state! That's our brick wall.
They had 7 children:

Elizabeth Williams (24 Oct 1841-?)

David Williams (22 May 1844-?)

Jane Williams (4 Oct 1846-?)
Thomas Williams (25 Mar 1851-?)
Daniel Williams (1852 - 1920)

John Williams (Nov 1853-?)

William Williams (23 Jan 1865-?)

48. David Williams (?- 1838)
49. Rachel Edwards (dates not known to us)
Again, this family was born and died in Strata Florida, Cardigsnshire, Wales.
They had 6 children:
Thomas Williams (about 1815 - 1868?)
David Williams (1811 - ?)
Edward Williams (1814 - ?)
Elizabeth Williams (1816 - ?)
Catherine Williams (1819 - 1823)
Catherine Williams (1824 - ?)

Mom visited Wales and the Archive at the National Library of Wales in the 1980s but unfortunatly ran out of time. So this is the end of the line for this branch of the tree, and there's no more to tell right now. Perhaps later.

Here are some photos for your amusement, and especially because this Surname Saturday is short.

This is that Mystery Photo taken by Towne Studio, Troy NY, 37 Fourth St.
There's Daniel Williams seated on the right next to his mother Jane James Williams, also seated.

Here are GGF Daniel's siblings and their birth dates as follows,

The Girls:

Elizabeth (24 Oct 1841-?) she's the oldest girl so is that her on the right?

Jane (4 Oct 1846-?) is that her on the left in the fancy dress?

The Boys:
David (22 May 1844-?)

Thomas (25 MAR 1851-?)

John (Nov 1853-?)

William (23 Jan 1865-?)



 

Daniel Williams eventually purchased two mines: a coal mine in Mt. Savage, Allegany County, Maryland, and a tin mine in West Virginia. His plan was to work the mines with his sons. The tin mine was lost for back taxes in the 1930s. The land and farm from the Mt. Savage property is still in the family and owned by a Williams descendant.

Mom with her parents,

Cambria Williams and Emma Susan Whetstone, about 1920.

Cute, huh?!

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