Research Notes for Ann, wife of David Davies

Location: Carmarthenshire, Wales

Summary

This page is devoted to research notes on the study of the identity of Ann, wife of David Davies. David Davies was a tenant farmer at Croeslwyd in the parish of Llanllawddog in Carmarthenshire. Ann's surname is not known and her parents are not known. No records of Ann's birth or marriage have been found.

However, we do know many important facts about Ann. She died of dropsy on 7 February 1841 at the reported age of 52, so she was born about 1789. Baptism records shows that she was the mother of three boys (at least). And we know that she was a resident of Croeslwyd as early as 1825 until her death in 1841. Croeslwyd (located about 5 miles northeast of Carmarthen) was a small farm and her husband David Davies was a tenant farmer occupying that farm. The baptism records of her sons indicate her participation in a local independent Calvinistic Methodist church.

The known records of Ann and her husband, show that they lived in the parish of Llanllawddog, near the parish of Abergwilly. They were part of a church community located in the parish of Abergwilly.

For context, the 1831 census (which generally enumerated populations, but did not name inhabitants), shows the population of the parish of Llanllawddog as 770 persons and the parish of Abergwilly as 2,675. In 1831, 60% of the families of Llanllawddog parish and 55% of the families of Abergwilly parish were chiefly employed in agriculture.

Baptism Records of Ann's Sons

Ann's name appears in the baptism records of three sons: Samuel Davies, Benjamin Davies and Evan Davies. Following are details and transcriptions from those pages:

Samuel the son of David Davies, Groslwyd, and Ann his Wife, of the Parish of [blank] was baptized April 3rd, 1825. By me D. Davis, Pantteg.^[1]

Benjamin the son of David Davies, of Gorslwyd, and Ann his wife, of the Parish of Llanllawthog, was baptized June 24th 1827. By me David Davis, Pantteg.^[2]

Evan the son of David Davies and Ann his wife, of Gros- -lwyd, of the Parish of Llanllawthog, was baptized July 12th [1829] By me D. Davis, Pantteg.^[3]

Civil Death Record

A civil death record shows the death on 7 February 1841 at Croeslwyd, Llanllawddog Parish, of Anne Davies. The record indicates that she died of dropsy at the age of 52 — if correct, she was born about 1789. The record indicates that her husband (unnamed) was a labourer. The witness for the record was John Scurlock.^[4]

Ann's Husband and Possible Daughter

Ann's husband David Davies was probably born about 1789. Census records say he was born in either the parish of Llanllawddog^[5] or Abergwilly.^[6] David was a tenant farmer who inherited the right to occupy Croeslwyd from his father Benjamin David. So, we know that Croeslwyd was not associated with Ann's parents.

David had a daughter named Catherine Davies who was born about 1819, but Catherine's mother is unknown. It is possible that Catherine's mother was Ann, or it is possible that Catherine's mother was an earlier wife of David Davies.

Croeslwyd

In each of the three baptism records and in her death record, Ann's residence is indicated as Groslwyd/Croeslwyd. Croeslwyd's location is in the parish of Llanllawddog, near its border with the parish of Abergwilly, at about 51.9111°, -4.2499°. References to Croeslwyd (which appears with numerous variations of its spelling) have been collected at this WikiTree page.

Waungaled

In the 1842 tithe records, Croeslwyd is labeled on the tithe map (as "Cors Llwyd"), but called "part of Waungaled" in the other tithe records. Waungaled in Llanllawddog was an area of twelve properties owned by Charles Morgan and occupied by three tenant farmers. Ann's husband David Davies occupied four small parts of Waungaled (shown in dark blue in attached map), including Croeslwyd. Thomas James occupied four parts of Waungaled (shown in light blue). William Rees occupied four parts of Waungaled (shown in green).

The places called "Waungaled" owned by Charles Morgan continued into the parish of Abergwili. The 1842 tithe records show that John Scurlock occupied nine parts of Waungaled in Abergwili. The 1851 census says John Scurlock farmed "80 acres and employed 3 labourers."^[7] A probate record for John Scurlock in 1851, shows him being from Waungaled.^[8] The probate record indicates the animals and crops he held at his death: 9 cows, heifers, yearlings, calves, 2 mares, ewes, lambs and 2 pigs; wheat, barley and oats.

This John Scurlock is also significant as the father of the wife of Ann's son Benjamin Davies and he was the witness for Ann's civil death record. John is buried at the cemetery at Horeb Chapel (see below).

Pantteg and Peniel

The three baptism records that include Ann's name are found in a baptismal record book titled "original record book of Baptisms which has been kept for the Chapels or Meeting-houses called Pantteg and Peniel Meeting Houses being of the Independent denomination, situate in the Parish of Abergwilly, in the County of Carmarthen, founded about the year 1814."^[9] The book includes baptisms from 1814 to 1837.

The location of Pantteg (or Pant-têg), according to many sources is approx. 51.9043°, -4.2058°. Peniel is still a small community located at 51.8942°, -4.2749°. Croeslwyd was located just 1.5 miles from Peniel, 1.9 miles from Pantteg.

The minister's surname appears to be spelled Davis in the three baptism records, but he is called David Davies in literature about him. Rev. Davies was minister of the "nonconformist" or "independent" meeting houses at Pantteg and Peniel from 1814 to 1864. Theologically he was a liberal Calvinist.^[10] There is a 60-page biography, published in Welsh in 1867, devoted to him that is available to view online at the National of Library of Wales.^[11] Peniel seems to have been an offshoot of Pantteg.^[12]

There are also records available for Pantteg from about 1690 to about 1813. These records were transcribed and published in 1953 in the Y Cofiadur journal, volume 23. Digital images of that journal are available to view at the National Library of Wales.^[13] Though there is assorted information here, most of the records are baptisms. There seems to be no records related to the Davies family of Croeslwyd.

Horeb Chapel (Rhydargaeau)

Horeb Chapel (Capel Horeb) is located in Rhydargaeau at approx. 51.9133°,-4.2719°. This location is about one mile west of Croeslwyd. This is where John Scurlock (see above) and Ann's grandson (also John Scurlock's grandson) John Davies is buried.

Research Notes

Search for Ann and David's Marriage Record

A marriage record for Ann and David's marriage has not been found. Marriage records in Carmarthenshire in this timeframe typically showed the parish from which the bride and groom came from. David resided in the parish of Llanllawddog and was born in either Llanllawddog or Abergwilly. It is not known where Ann was born. The location of the marriage is also not known. So, Ann and David could have been married in Ann's home parish, which might have been outside the parishes of Llanllawddog or Abergwilly.

A search for records of a marriage that might fit Ann and David Davies produces many couples with the same names in the same area and timeframe. Following are a few marriage records worth mentioning in the timeframe from 1808 to 1825:

Anne William and David David, 1808, Abergwili.^[14]. The bride was from Abergwili but the groom was from Llanegwad — so this cannot be the same couple.

Ann Jones and David Davies, 1809, Llangunner.^[15] The bride was from Llangunner and the groom was from Llanllawddog. The record calls the groom a "yeoman" — a land owner and not a tenant farmer — so this is probably not the same couple.

Anne Thomas and David Davies, 1809, Abergwili.^[16] The bride and the groom were both from the parish of Abergwili — is this a possible match?

Anne Thomas and David Davies, 1812, Abergwili.^[17] The bride and the groom were both from the parish of Abergwili, but this David Davies is called a shoemaker, so this is probably not the same couple.

Anne David and David Davies, 1812, Llanllawdogg.^[18] This David Davies was from the parish of Llanvihangel Ar Arth, so this cannot be the same couple.

Anne Jeremy and David Davies, 1816, Abergwili.^[19] This David Davies is called "dissenting minister." He was the minister who presided over the three baptisms described above. So this is not the same couple.

Possible Locations of Missing Records

There are numerous records related to Ann and her husband that are missing from the parish records of Llanllawddog and Abergwili. Is it possible more records (especially marriage records) are available from Pantteg and Peniel, or that records are available from Horeb Chapel?

Regarding records of nonconformist marriages, Wikipedia (as of October 2022) says this:

Following Hardwick's Marriage Act of 1753, all English and Welsh marriages (except those of Quakers and Jews) had to take place in a Church of England parish church. However, any baptisms and burials (or equivalent ceremonies) from other denominations might take place within their own churches and chapels, and these were often recorded in their own nonconformist registers. Nevertheless, it is worth remembering that there was no legal obligation for them to record any such events. A significant number of early nonconformist chapels never maintained any such registers, or they maintained them only sporadically. . . . Occasionally marriages in places of worship elsewhere might also be recorded (sometimes involving more than one ceremony), although such entries originally had no strict legal status. . . . Registers of baptisms, marriages and burials of many nonconformist churches were collected and validated by the British government in 1837. These may be viewed at the Public Record Office in series RG 4.

Relation to the Scurlock Family

Is it possible that Ann was related to John Scurlock, who was the witness of her death record? Or was he simply a neighbor and close friend of the family.

John Scurlock's father John Scurlock left a will that was probated in 1800. ^[20] The will mentions his children as heirs but does not name them.

Location of Sons in 1841 Census

Where are Ann's sons Samuel and Benjamin in the 1841 census? The 1841 census shows Ann's widow David with Catherine and Evan in the same household at Croeswlyd.^[21] However, Samuel and Benjamin were certainly living in 1841; Samuel was about 16 and Benjamin about 14. (One possibility to consider is that Samuel and Benjamin were living elsewhere with relatives.)

Sons' Housemates

In the 1851 census, Ann's sons Benjamin and Evan appear in their 20s in Merthyr Tydfil living with a young couple from Carmarthenshire.^[22] The young couple was a 28-year-old male, named John Phillips, born in Carmarthen St. Peter and his wife Ann Phillips, 21, born in Llangwnnor (Llangunnor), Carmarthenshire. (One possibility to consider is that the young couple were relatives of Benjamin and Evan, perhaps through their mother Ann's family.)

Genetics

DNA segments inherited from Ann and David are shared by descendants of their sons Benjamin and Evan.

Wills

One research strategy is to find a will (if there is one) written by Ann's father or mother. Wills are available to view at the National Library of Wales. I have reviewed the following wills:

Wills of Llanllawddog from 1825 to 1841 (20 wills)

Wills of Abergwili from 1825 to 1841 (58 wills)

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7Q2-SNB : 11 December 2014), Samuel Davies, 03 Apr 1825, Baptism; citing p. 35, Abergwilly, Carmarthenshire, record group RG4, Public Record Office, London. Available to view at findmypast at https://search.findmypast.com/record/browse?id=tna%2frg4%2f3815%2f0%2f0035
2. ↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FW2D-QL3 : 11 December 2014), Benjamin Davies, 24 Jun 1827, Baptism; citing p. 41, Abergwilly, Carmarthenshire, record group RG4, Public Record Office, London. Available to view at findmypast at https://search.findmypast.com/record/browse?id=tna%2frg4%2f3815%2f0%2f0041
3. ↑ "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F75Z-45Q : 11 December 2014), Evan Davies, 12 Jul 1829, Baptism; citing p. 46, Abergwilly, Carmarthenshire, record group RG4, Public Record Office, London. Available to view at findmypast at https://search.findmypast.com/record/browse?id=tna%2frg4%2f3815%2f0%2f0046
4. ↑ Civil death record. General Register Office. Record accessed August 2023 via https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content
5. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1861," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7Z7-NPF : 13 December 2017), David Davies, Llanllawddog, Carmarthenshire, Wales; from "1861 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 9, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
6. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1851," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGZS-V3Q : 9 November 2017), David Davies, Llanllawddog, Carmarthenshire, Wales; citing Llanllawddog, Carmarthenshire, Wales, p. 7, from "1851 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
7. ↑ 1851 Census. Carmarthenshire, Wales. https://search.findmypast.com/record?id=GBC%2F1851%2F4355266%2F00744&parentid=GBC%2F1851%2F0017258233
8. ↑ National Library of Wales. "John Scurlock : bond, 1851" http://hdl.handle.net/10107/1027556
9. ↑ RG4/3815 Baptism Register. Image 5 of 75. https://search.findmypast.com/record/browse?id=tna%2frg4%2f3815%2f0%2f0005
10. ↑ Dictionary of Welsh Biography (online). https://biography.wales/article/s-DAVI-DAV-1791
11. ↑ Cofiant y Parch. David Davies, diweddar weinidog y Pantteg a Pheniel, Sir Gaerfyrddin, 1867. Author: William James of Swansea. Available to view at the National Library of Wales. http://hdl.handle.net/10107/5559725
12. ↑ Online English translation regarding Peniel: https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/CMN/Hanes9. Original Welsh text is from Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru (History of Welsh Independent Churches), by Thomas Rees and John Thomas, in 4 volumes, published 1871.
13. ↑ Y Cofiadur sef cylchgrawn Cymdeithas Hanes Annibynwyr Cymru, volume 23, 1953. " Copi o lyfr Eglwys Pant-Teg Abergwili," "Records of the Independent Church at Pant-Teg, Abergwili," pages 19–70. National Library of Wales. https://journals.library.wales/view/1085539/1086757/18#?xywh=-1948%2C-205%2C6158%2C4062
14. ↑ https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FM%2F873028557%2F1
15. ↑ https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FM%2FWAL534000%2F1
16. ↑ https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FM%2F873028570%2F1
17. ↑ https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FM%2F873028609%2F1
18. ↑ https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FM%2F873002610%2F2
19. ↑ https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FM%2F872064395%2F2
20. ↑ Will of John Scurlock. National Library of Wales. https://viewer.library.wales/312100
21. ↑ 1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census. Llanllawddog, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, Wales. https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=GBC/1841/0015378148
22. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1851," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SG8N-MCW : 24 October 2017), Benjamen Davies in household of John Phillips, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire, Wales; citing Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire, Wales, p. 51, from "1851 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.