Allen Family History

Sources of Information: 1. Llansannan, Denbigh, Wales Parish Registers, West Glamorgan County Record Office, Swansea 2. Llansannan, Denbigh, Wales Parish Registers, 1667-1812 (FHL #942.93/L1 K29c)

Notes: 1. John and Jonnet were married by banns. He signed, and she made her mark. The witnesses were Charles Wathen and James Price,

ROBERT ALLEN RESEARCH REPORT

[allen102903 / 0346] 6 January 2004

Research on both the Lewis and Davies families were split between Swansea in Glamorgan and the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. The National Library has bonds, licenses, and probates while the local archives have parish registers and other local sources. We started with our search in the West Glamorgan County Record Office at Swansea for the ancestry of William John Lewis. As most records are arranged by locality (parish), we needed to see in what parish Pentre AEstil@ was located. This village is actually spelled APentre Estyll@, and is in the parish of St. John juxta Swansea, in the county of Glamorgan.
The law at the time of John Lewis= marriage to Martha Evans was that all marriages had to take place in the local parish church, either by banns or by license. As most of South Wales were non-conformists (i.e. did not attend the Anglican Church), this is an important source for locating Welsh families. A very important clue for determining an affiliation with a non-conformist church is when we can find the marriage and sometimes the burial, but no christenings for children are found in the parish register. So, we searched for christenings of St. John juxta Swansea for the John Lewis, Margaret John, and Enoch Evans families but did not locate any entries for them in the parish registers. We also did not find the burial dates for any of the pedigree names either. Therefore, they must be non-conformist. We also checked the Probate Index of St. David=s but again could not locate any family members.
While at Swansea we applied for several searches for burial certificates. They did find a death certificate for Martha (Evans) Lewis [document #1]. On the 15th of July 1840 Martha Lewis of Pentre in the parish of St. John died age 50 years, the wife of John Lewis at the Colliery (coal mine) of Pentre. She died of convulsions, and her husband was present at her death.
We checked the Family History Library Catalog to see what was available in Salt Lake City, and there were many other sources there. Therefore we did not pursue these lines further here, since it is more efficient to do research at the Family History Library.
We now turned our attention to the lineage of Jane Davies of Llansannan, Denbigh, Wales. Her family were members of the Church of Wales (Anglican), which is very helpful in our research attempts. We read through the Parish Registers of Llansannan and found the following christening entries: Aug 3, 1817 Catherine, dau of John & Jane Williams of Treflach, farmer, christened Jul 24, 1814 John, son of John & Jane Williams of Pen Trefan, farmer, christened Apr 19, 1812 Elizabeth, dau of John Williams and Jane formerly Jane Hughes of Tir fan, born April 10th, was christened
Feb 25, 1810 Jane, dau of John Williams and Jane formerly Jane Hughes of Ten coed ros, born 22 Feb, was christened May 26, 1808 Mary, dau of John Williams and Jane formerly Jane Hughes of Hendrenenig, born 22 May, was christened Oct 7, 1787 Hugh, sonof David Williams & Elizabeth formerly Elizabeth Davies, of Heskin, born Oct 5th, was christened Mar 26, 1785 John, son of David Williams & Elizabeth his wife formerly Elizabeth Davies of Heskin, born March 26th, was christened Feb 13, 1780 Jane, dau of John Hughes of Heskin and wife Jonnet Mar 9, 1777 John, son of John Hughes of Heskin and wife Jonnet Oct 20, 1751 John, son of David Hughes of Kwyn yGibwr & wife Janae (Joan)

You will note that we have discovered the birth and christening date for John Williams, Jane Hughes, and the probable birth/christening date for John Hughes as well as his parents David Hughes and wife Joan.

We also found the following marriages and burials in the Parish Registers of Llansannan: May 3, 1776 John Hughes & Jonnet Pierce, both of this parish, published banns 14th, 21st, 28th Apr; John signed the register and Jonnet signed with a mark (X). Witnesses: James Price, Rector and Charles Watken Mar 9, 1785 David Williams of this parish bachelor and Elizabeth Davies of this parish spinster married by License (in the banns register!); both signed with a mark (X); witnesses: John Roberts, William Jones Apr 20, 1785 John Roberts bachelor and Margaret Williams spinster both of this parish married by banns, both signed by mark (X); witnesses: David Williams, William Lloyd {these two entries in 1785 were adjacent to each other}

We did not find the license there, but you will note that the name of David Williams wife was given as Elizabeth rather than Catherine, as was listed on the pedigree chart we were given. Margaret Williams appears to be a sister to David Williams or the daughter of David Williams (Sr.) as a person by that name is the witness to her wedding. In addition, we verified the marriage data for John Hughes and Jonnet Pierce.
However, we did not find the marriage of John Williams to Jane Hughes in the parish registers. We then turned to the Burial Register of Llansannan, and found the following: John Williams of Tan y Fron buried 2 January 1846, aged 8 years John Williams of Cefn Treflach buried 25 March 1851 aged 70 years Subsequent research has shown neither one of these entries is ancestral. While at the National Library, we checked the Marriage License and Allegations Database and ordered a record which appeared to theirs. It was in two parts - the license and the bond:
Marriage License of John Williams to Jane Hughes, dated 23 September 1807 (SA/152/45) [document #2]: John Williams of the Parish of Llansannan, Farmer aged 21 years and upwards, batchelor; intends to marry Janes Hughes of the same parish aged twenty-one years, spinster License to solemnize marriage in parish of Llansannan Both were residents of Llansannan for the past 4 weeks. Signed by John Williams witnesses: Robert Davies, farmer, Llansannan & Thomas Davies

Marriage Bond for John Williams of the Parish of Llansannan Farmer (SA/152/45)[document #3]: Bond between John Williams of Llansannan and Robert Davies of the same parish, farmer Bond of ,100 with William, Lord Bishop of St. Asaph Dated 23 September 1807 Signed: John Williams and Robert Davies

We now searched for probate records for the Williams and Hughes families at the National Library. We checked the Probate Index for St. Asaph first for John Williams, and found three potential entries for him: John Williams, SA/1851/116/W John Williams, SA/1851/115/B John Williams, SA/1846/127/WX

We ordered all three, and discovered the 1846 will was indeed for the ancestral John of Rhydidion Bach in Llansannan parish.
There were three different documents in this folder, which are as follows:
1. Request of John Williams of Rhydidion Bach in Llansannan parish 1 May 1846 for Robert Davies to write his will (SA/1846/127). Affidavit signed 25 August 1846. [document #4]:

2. Will of John Williams dated 13 May 1846 (SA/1846/127/W) [document #5]: bequeath to daughter Catherine ,10 bequest to daughter Mary ,10; md ----- Jones, ,3 to her daughter Elizabeth bequest to daughter Elizabeth ,10 bequest to daughter Jane ,10 personal estate to son & daughter Anne and William signed with a mark (X) Executor: William Williams 25 August 1846

3. Inventory document [document #6]

We then turned back to the Probate Index for St. Asaph looking for entries for David Williams and any earlier Williams that may be related. We found several potential entries, and examined each of them: David Williams, SA/1688/130/B John Williams, SA/1725/80/B David Williams, SA/1741/97/W David Williams, SA/1762/140/WI David Williams, SA/1781/117/B

The first entry was not relevant to our search, but we ordered copies of the other four. The first of these was for John Williams, and contained two documents - a bond and an inventory: Bond of Margaret Williams 1725 (SA/1725/80/B)[document #7]: widow and relict of John Williams late of Llansannan in Denbigh She signed with (X) Witnesses: Robert Wynne, John Edwards

Inventory of John Williams 22 October 1724 (SA/1725/80/I)[document #8]: Five Bulloccs and two Heifers ,9 5 pence Four cows ,6 15 pence Fforty Sheep being Ewes, weathers, yearlings, and lambs ,4 15 pence Sold two Bulloccs att ,3 15 pence Three Horses att ,3 15 pence A Sow pigg at 7 shillings Impliments of husbandry being one plow three yoaks draks and appurtanences att 8 pence One Cock and a Hen ? pence Three spades and two pikeforkes and four rakes att 1 shilling Wool and woollen thrid att 10 shillings Sakes and baggs in number six att 9 shillings Two large chests and a small one with a small quantity of Oat meal att ,1 15 shillings Five sheets att 5 shillings Two coverletts att 3 shillings Three Blancketts att 4 shillings One boulter att 5 shillings One Bedstead and one ? 1 shilling Two spinning wheels and one ? 1 shilling One saddle 1 shilling, etc.

The next entry we looked at was that of David Williams of 1741/1742:

Will of David Williams of Pen Cy Y Cwm in Llansannan 27 October 1741/2 (SA/1741/97/W)[document #9]: Bequest to brother Thomas Williams 20 shillings Bequest to sister Ellin Williams 20 shillings Bequest to sister Gwen Williams 20 shillings Bequest to sister Mary Williams 20 shillings Bequest to sister Jane Williams 20 shillings Bequest to nephew William Roberts ,2 Bequest to nephew Robert Jones 20 shillings Bequest to nephew David Williams 20 shillings Bequest to nephew Thomas Roberts 20 shillings All goods and chattells to wife Gwen David, she to be Executrix Witness John Thomas of Chwibren, John Thomas Owen, William Williams

The next entry was for David Williams of Brun Bygad in Llansannan, with a will and inventory: The will of David Williams of Brun Bygad in Llansannan in county of Denbigh dated 6 January 1753 (SA/1762/140/W) [document #10]: bequest to son William Davies ,10 bequest to son Robert Davies ,10 bequest to daughter Mary Davies 5 shillings bequest to daughter Anne Davies 5 shillings residue of personal estates etc. to loveing wife Anne Roberts wife executrix of will will proved 1762

Inventory of personal estate of David Williams of Brynbigad in Llansannan, dated 19 July 1762 (SA/1762/140/I)[document #11]: in the Hall ,5 in the uper chamber ,2 in the butri ,1 in the lowr chamber ,2 in the loft 10 shillings two cart & two Harow and all that belong two them ,5 for seven cows ,15 for twelf small cattall ,18 for four calfs ,1 11 shillings for two Horses ,7 for the sheep ,18 for the goats 9 shillings total sume ,70 3 shillings Appraised by John Parry of Hislford and John Thomas

The final entry for this type of source was that of David Williams, which contained three documents - a bond, two versions of the inventory, and an administration: Probate bond between Mr. David Williams the Elder of Newchurch parish in Radnor Clothier and David Williams the younger of the same place Clothier (BR/1787/51/B)[document #12]: Bond of ,500 with Edward, Lord Bishop of Saint Davids 14 June 1787 To be administrators of Rees Williams late of the said parish of Newchurch

Inventory of Rees Williams of Newchurch dated 6 June 1787 (BR/1787/57/I)[document #13]: Farming apparel ,2 an old horse ,1 one shears 2/6 one hand 3 shillings 6 pence 2 tuns of Timber ,1 3 Remnants of Cloths ,2 A watch, one box, cash ,1 16 shillings Lease of a Mesne Tucking Mill with the appurts(appurtences) in the parish of New church in the said county granted by Richard Owen Cambridge, Esqr to the sd Rees Williams for 500 Years worth about ,30 Total ,57 19 shillings 6 pence

Inventory of Rees Williams Clothier 6 June 1787 (BR/1787/57/I2)[document #14]: Late of the parish of Newchurch Wearing Apparel ,2 An old Horse ,1 One Shears 2/6, one hand saw 1 shilling 6 pence Two Tuns of Timber ,1 Three Remnants of Cloths ,2 A Match, one Box, Cash ,1 16 shillings A Lease of a Messuage and Tucking Mill with the Appurtenances in the Parish of Newchurch in the said county granted by Richard Owen Cambridge Esquire to the said Rees Williams for five hundred years worth about ,500 Total: ,57 19 shillings 6 pence witnesses: James Marshall, David Davies (X)

Administration of Rees Williams of Newchurch 15 June 1787 (BR/1787/5 A)[document #15]: Administration granted to David Williams of Newchurch Tucker his Father Prepares to perform inventory witnesses: James Marshall, David Davies (X)

On the Davies line, we verified the marriage data for William Davies and Elizabeth Williams in the Parish Registers of Gwytherin as 9 August 1834 by banns, with the witnesses as: Harry Davies (X) and Margaret Williams (X).
There were also two marriage bond entries listed in the Marriage Bonds & Allegations Database at Aberystwyth. These entries were as follows:
Robert Thomas of Llanfydd yeoman & Catheirne Jones of the same widdow married 23 May 1720 (SA/7/201) Robert Thomas of Gart garmon yeoman & Catherine Jones of Tir y Abbad in the parish of Llannfydd 16 June 1726

Neither of these appeared to be ancestral. Since the parish registers we needed to search were actually in Denbigh and we had not scheduled time to travel that far north, we stopped our research on that line until returning to Salt Lake City.
Before finalizing this report, we checked a couple of internet sites to see if anyone else had worked on this line. First we checked FamilySearch.org, and specifically examined the Ancestral File entries, but these were the same as what we already had. We then moved to the Ancestry.com website, and found several entries there. We printed out the information from one of these for future reference and study [document #16].
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. _2003 Price & Associates Incorporated JMK/mh

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