Allen Family History

Sources of information: 1. Yspyty Ifan, Denbighshire, Wales Parish Registers, read at County Records Office, Ruthin

Notes:ROBERT ALLEN RESEARCH REPORT

[davies081104 / 0346] 31 August 2004

Introduction The objective of this research project was to verify the pedigree charts of William and Elizabeth (Williams) Davies, as outlined in the database Ancestral File. The pedigree charts identify fourteen of William Davies=s ancestors and eight of Elizabeth (Williams) Davies=s ancestors. In order to verify these pedigree charts compiled by members of the LDS Church, we searched records of baptisms for the dead at the Endowment House, and parish, probate, and marriage license records in Denbighshire, Wales. We found many flaws in the pedigree as submitted. Some of the lines Abark up the wrong tree,@ or in other words, trace incorrect lineages. We corrected the mistakes. However, many of the records needed to verify these pedigrees are only available in the British Isles. A list of records needing to be requested in order to verify these lineages appears at the end of this report. Ancestry of Elizabeth (Williams) Davies Elizabeth provided the key to her pedigree when she went into the Endowment House in Salt Lake City on 4 September 1872 and performed ordinances for her ancestors and relatives [document #1]. Her daughter, Jane (Davies) Lewis, and grandson, William Davies Lewis, helped in acting as proxies for their ancestors. The information listed in this source is probably reliable, because the informant was the convert, Elizabeth (Williams) Davies, who would have known many of these people personally. She did not know as much about her husband=s lines, but knew the names of her father- and mother-in-law and her late husband=s paternal grandfather. We prepared corrected pedigree charts based on this information. John Williams Family We located the will of John Williams in the probate records of the Diocese of St. Asaph: SA/1846/127 Will of John Williams of Rhydidion Bach, Llansannan Parish, Denbigh. 30 May 1846. Pr. 25 Aug 1846. Daughter: Catherine ,10 Daughter: Mary ,10 Daughter: Elizabeth ,10 Daughter: Jane ,8 Niece: Elizabeth Jones ,3, Daughter to my Daughter Mary All Personal Estate to my Son and Daughter Anne and William Witnesses: Robert Davies, Farmer, Llansannan; Thomas Davies, Rhydidion ganol [?], Llansannan.

The children match the names listed on the family group record for the family of John Williams. Additionally, note Robert Davies, Farmer, of Llansannan, witnessed the will. He may have been related to the ancestral Davies family. The marriage record of John Williams to Jane Hughes at Llansannan Parish simply states both bride and groom currently resided within the parish. Following this piece of evidence, we conducted searches to identify all of the children christened between 1775 and 1790 at Llansannan Parish who could have been known as John Williams as adults, and between 1775 and 1795 who could have been known as Jane Hughes in maturity. Frustratingly, sixteen possibilities exist for young John Williams and six for Jane [document #2]. However, Elizabeth (Williams) Davies, in 1872, stated John Williams was the son of David and Catherine (Davies) Williams and Jane (Hughes) Williams was the daughter of John and Janet (Pierce) Hughes. This agrees with the information listed in Ancestral File, with the exception of the proposed ancestral David Williams who was listed as the husband of Elizabeth not Catherine Davies. This contradiction will require additional research to determine if researchers have identified the correct David Williams family. David Williams did not leave a will in the Diocese of St. Asaph as a resident of Llansannan Parish. John Hughes, proposed father of Jane (Hughes) Williams, did not leave a will as a resident of Llansannan Parish. John and Jane=s burial records, which are probably recorded in Llansannan Parish Registers, have not been microfilmed. They should be acquired in order to determine the correct ages of John and Jane, to narrow down the possible christenings pertaining to them as infants. It makes sense for John Williams to be the son of David and Elizabeth (Davies) Williams. David and Elizabeth were married by license on 9 March 1785 at Llansannan. This assumes the correct christening record for the ancestral John Williams has been found, which still needs to be confirmed. One reason to marry by license, as opposed to the normal procedure by banns, was if the bride was pregnant and the couple wished to rush the marriage in order to legitimize their child. If the couple were married before the child=s birth, the baby was considered legitimate. Note John Williams was christened on 26 March 1785, a little over two weeks following the couple=s marriage by license. Ancestry of William Davies William Davies did not marry at Gwytherin, but at the neighboring parish of Llansannan. This marriage record has not been microfilmed. In order to view its contents, it will have to be requested by correspondence. We obtained a photocopy of the christening record of William Davies, as cited in Ancestral File [document #3]. The parental information listed in the baptismal record matches that supplied by Elizabeth (Williams) Davies, when she went to the Endowment House in Salt Lake City to conduct baptisms for the dead on 4 September 1872. It appears descendants who have attempted to trace William=s ancestry further have made many mistakes. Robert Davies The burial record of Robert Davies, as referenced in Ancestral File, states: Robert Davies, Pandybudr, Apr 3, 1835, age 62 years This record calculates an approximate birth year of 1772/1773. It is currently uncertain if this burial record represents the ancestral Robert Davies. According to Ancestral File, Robert was the boy of that name christened at Llangernyw Parish in 1771. We have not been able to verify this and would need to see if Robert=s marriage record said he came from Llangernyw parish in order to confirm if this is the correct christening. There were probably a dozen boys christened Robert Davies in that time frame in the surrounding area. We could not locate the marriage of Robert Davies to Eleanor Owens. We searched for the couple=s marriage in 1798 in the following parishes, as abstracted in Hayes Computerised Indexes, Parish Church Marriages in the New County of Clwyd [Denbighshire]: Llanrwst, Gwytherin, Pentre Foelas, Nantglyn, Llansannan, Henllan, Denbigh, Llannefydd, Llanfair Talhaern, and Llangerniew [document #4]. We would suggest searching for this marriage by correspondence. It will be necessary to acquire this record in order to determine the residences of both bride and groom. It will also be necessary to have this information before we are able to determine if Robert was actually the son of Robert and Dorothy (Roberts ap Thomas) Davies. Robert Sr. did not leave a will in St. Asaph=s Diocese. We located his marriage license to Dorothy [document #6].

Eleanor (Owens) Davies According to Ancestral File, William Davies=s mother, AGaenor (Eleanor) Owens,@ was born and baptized on 14 April 1781 at Gwytherin, Denbighshire, and died on 20 December 1810 in the same parish. Ancestral File further states this lady was married on 30 May 1798 at Gwytherin to Robert Davies. William and Jane (Davies) Owens were listed as Gaenor=s parents. There were a few obvious errors regarding this lady apparent after reviewing her family group record. First, her youngest child, Harry Davies, was christened on 8 November 1811, nearly one year following Gaenor=s date of burial. The christening record does not state his mother was dead. This signifies the burial date is incorrect. We searched in Gwytherin parish for other possible burial entries; however, between 1810 and 1835, no burial record for an Eleanor Davies appears. The filmed records available at the Family History Library terminate in 1835, so it is possible a search in more recent records available in Wales would disclose her burial. If she lived past 1837, she also falls within the range of individuals for whom the government generated a death record. The will of William Owen(s) of Pant y Fotty, Gwetherin Parish, Denbighshire, the father of Gaenor Owen(s), reveals Gaenor did not marry Robert Davies, and was still single in 1824. The following is an abstract of William=s will [document #7]: SA/1826/45 Will of William Owen of Pant y Fotty, Gwetherin Parish, Denbigh, Yeoman B 27 Jan 1824, Pr. 26 Jan 1826. Wife: Elizabeth, executrix Son: Thomas Owen Daughter: Gaynor Owen (unmarried), given Pen ucha (estate) Real Estate: Fryth y cefn Son: David Owen Grandson: William Owen (the son of the said David Owen) Children: Owen Owens, Thomas Owens, William Owens, Robert Owen, Gaynor Owen, and Elizabeth the wife of Owen Thomas. Witnesses: Jno. Griffeth, Henry Griffith, Ely[?] Griffith, sons of the said John Griffith

This William is the man identified as the father-in-law of Robert Davies in Ancestral File. Comparison of the list of children in this will with the Ancestral File list shows this is the same family. The address APant y Fotty@ matches the burial record=s listing APantyfotty.@ It would appear William remarried a woman named Elizabeth, or his wife=s full name was Jane Elizabeth or vice versa. William was buried 17 December 1825, according to the Bishop=s Transcript, opposed to 17 December 1835, as listed in Ancestral File. All of this means the previously researched lineage is incorrect. This man was not the father of Eleanor (Owens) Davies, as Eleanor was married by 1824, while William=s daughter, Gaynor, was unmarried in 1824. It appears previous researchers incorrectly attempted to merge the lives of two distinct women named Eleanor Owens and Gaynor Owens. Next, we began to search for the true parentage of Eleanor (Owens) Davies. Her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth (Williams) Davies, in 1872 stated Eleanor also went by AEllen.@ Elizabeth also states Ellen had a sister named Catherine. We are currently uncertain where these sisters originated, as Eleanor=s marriage to Robert Davies, and burial place have failed to turn up in the parishes Ancestral File and the International Genealogical Index state they occurred. Eleanor was not christened in the Church of Wales=s Gwytherin Parish [document #3]. We will need to examine the marriage record of Robert Davies to Eleanor Owens, which we have requested by correspondence, prior to proceeding on Eleanor=s line. None of William and Elizabeth=s ancestors, as identified in Ancestral File, left wills in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in London (which held superior jurisdiction). Conclusion Much of the pedigrees of William and Elizabeth (Williams) Davies listed in Ancestral File could not be verified in records available at the Family History Library. It will be necessary to obtain documentation by correspondence in order to determine how much of these pedigrees are accurate. We eliminated William Owens as the father of Eleanor (Owens) Davies. Future Research The following future research is needed in order to verify the pedigrees of William and Elizabeth (Williams) Davies. It will all have to be ordered by correspondence. Order marriage record of William Davies to Elizabeth Williams, 9 August 1834, at Llansannan Parish, Denbighshire, Wales. The Family History Library collection stops in 1832.

Search Temple Index Bureau to see if endowments have been performed for Elizabeth, Dolly, and Jane Davies, children of Robert and Eleanor (Owens) Davies. This does not appear on the International Genealogical Index, but neither did their baptisms, as listed in the Baptisms for the Dead Register of the Endowment House.

Search Family History Library records for a couple named David and Catherine (Davies) Williams who had a son named John Williams christened at Denbighshire in 1780s. Also search for David and Catherine=s marriage.

Order civil registration death certificate of John Williams, 1846, Llansannan, Denbighshire, Wales.

Order burial record of Jane (Hughes) Williams, died after 1832, probably at Llansannan, Denbighshire, Wales. The Family History Library collection stops in 1832.

Order burial record of Eleanor (Owens) Davies, probably died after 1835 in Gwytherin, Denbighshire, Wales. The Family History Library collection stops in 1835.

Order civil registration death certificate of Eleanor (Owens) Davies, probably died after 1835 at Gwytherin, Denbighshire, Wales.

Search Denbighshire Marriage Index by correspondence for marriage record of Robert Davies to Eleanor Owens, supposedly married at Denbighshire on 30 May 1798.

Follow up on information received by correspondence to continue to extend the pedigree back further in time.

It has been a pleasure to assist you in researching and documenting your family history. We look forward to continuing research according to your instructions. _2004 Price & Associates Incorporated NWM/mh