autobiographyvolumeone.doc - Dr. Myron Evans

THE PROLEGOMENON: FAMILY HISTORY AND GENEALOGY (Collected Family Charts are found on www.aias.us on my personal
page accessible from the home page by clicking on "Myron Evans").
Appendices are being added gradually with details (see end of this file).
In the direct line, my paternal great great grandfather, Edward
Evans, is recorded in the 1851 Census as having been born in Llanigon in
Powys in 1812. However this is a recorder's error, the correct date from
other records should be about 1802. My cousin Chris Davies kindly provided
his date of death, 1874 in Cleirwy. Llanigon is a small village near Gelli
Gandryll (Hay on Wye), founded perhaps in the sixth century by the British
Celtic St. Eigon. It was a centre of Dissenter learning for leading figures
such as Howell Harris and William Williams Pant y Celyn. The 1841 Census
records a labourer called Edward Evans, aged 40, living at "Great Hendon"
in Llowes, just across the river Wye from Llanigon, and just south of
Cleirwy, with two sons, Richard aged 12 and William aged 11. Also recorded
there is Esther Beavan, aged 60, possibly the mother of his deceased wife.
In the 1851 Census for Cleirwy he is recorded as aged 39 (sic), but from
other records this a recorder's error, and the age should have been 49. At
the time (1851) he was a widower and was recorded as a farm servant working
on a 70 acre farm called "Cwm" owned by 35 year old James Morgan and
situated near Cleirwy. The latter is recorded as employing one labourer,
Edward Evans, and James Morgan originated in Brilley in Hereford, just
across the border and five miles from Cleirwy, now in Powys. Edward Evans
is recorded as a widower, although the entry ("Widr") is very difficult to
read. My great great grandmother Mary Ann Williams Cleirwy was erroneously
recorded as then aged 19, born 1832, and was a house servant in the same
farmhouse. Parish records show that she was baptized on 20th June 1830. In
the 1861 Census Edward Evans is recorded as an agricultural labourer aged
57 (sic), should be 59, married to Mary, aged 29 (consistently recorded
with the 1851 Census when she was 19). They had a daughter Sarah aged 8,
and lived in a cottage recorded as "Dolly Dingle" in Cleirwy, which is a
short distance from Llanigon. This name probably comes from "Do^l y Pant",
meaning "the meadow in the hollow or dingle". Mary Anne Ferris, the mother
of the Labour Party Leader George Lansbury, was born in this same cottage.
My cousin Chris Davies has also researched into the family history and
found that Sarah (born 1853) had at least six younger brothers, Alfred
(baptized 20th May 1855, died 12th May 1856), Edward (baptized 2nd Dec.,
1859, died Dec. 1859), Edward (born 1863, my great grandfather), Richard
(born about 1864), John (born about 1867) and William (born about 1870),
and has also researched into the lineage of their mother Mary Ann Williams
Cleirwy. Chris Davies found that Edward Evans and Mary Ann Williams were
married on 20th Nov. 1852 in the Parish Church of Brilley. In the 1851
Census they were both working for James Morgan of Brilley, Hereford county,
on his farm, "Cwm", near Cleirwy, Powys. Brilley is about five miles east
of Bryn Gwyn, Powys, the village of origin of Mary Ann Williams in one
Census, Bryn Gwyn being just north of Cleirwy. The marriage certificate has
the signatures of both Edward and Mary, who were both literate therefore,
but omits the names of both fathers. This ability to write is unusual for
that era and for the rural poor, both
were therefore educated. Their son Edward, my great grandfather, could not
write, this is known from the birth certificate of my grandfather, William
Evans, which has the mark of his father, Edward. After my great great
grandfather Edward Evans was widowed, he therefore worked in Llowes for a
while then moved to "Cwm" farm near Cleirwy to work for James Morgan. He
had sons called Richard and William from both marriages. Chris Davies has
found that his first wife may have been named Margaret, and that there is a
Richard Evans baptized in
Cleirwy on 2nd Nov., 1828 and William Evans baptized in Cleirwy on 1st
August 1830. They would therefore have been of the ages mentioned in the
1841 Census, and the sons of Edward Evans by his first marriage. Also there
is a Joseph Evans baptized on 13th July 1834 who may also have been a son
of Edward Evans by his first marriage, but not mentioned in the 1841
Census.
My cousin Chris Davies has kindly forwarded some results of
research carried out with Paul Peet and Anthony Powell on Genes Reunited,
the results of which are as follows. My great great grandmother Mary Ann
Williams was born in 1830, baptised 20/06/1830 in Cleirwy. So the Census
records for her are incorrect by two years. This often happens with the
early Census records. Mary Ann Williams was one of at least nine children
born to John Williams and Anne Langford. My great great great grandfather
John Williams was born in 1794 in Eaton Bishop, Hereford county and died in
1874 in Cleirwy, Powys. Anne Langford was born in 1793 In Hereford county
and died in 1835 in Cleirwy. John and Anne were married on 16th March 1820
in Almeley in Hereford county. John became the gardener at the Vicarage in
Cleirwy and is mentioned in Kilvert's diary. The children of the marriage
were as follows. Richard, born 1822, baptized 15/02/1822 in Cleirwy, died
in infancy aged six days. Richard, baptized 20/07/1824 in Cleirwy, died
1874. Married Mary Rogers in 1859 at Llowes near Cleirwy and had at least
four children. Richard followed his father as gardener in the Vicarage at
Cleirwy and is mentioned again in Kilvert's Diary, which gives a valuable
history of the day to day life of Cleirwy. Margaret baptized 28th November
1826 in Cleirwy. Thomas baptized 24th May 1829 in Cleirwy, became a
coachman and innkeeper at the Glynne Arms, Hawarden. My great great
grandmother Mary Ann was baptized on 28th November 1830 in Cleirwy. William
was baptized on the 21st August 1831 in Cleirwy. He became the innkeeper at
the Crown Inn in Mold, about five miles from his brother's Glynne Arms.
Walter was baptized on 11th November 1832 and died on 29th April 1900. He
became the Bailiff on Penwrolod farm, 70 acres owned by his Powell father
in law. He married Margaret Powell (born 1839) in Llangenny on 14th May
1861 and they had at least three children. Stephen was born in 1833 in
Cleirwy and married Margaret Davies (born 1838 in Rhayader) in December
1866. They had at least one child. James was born in 1835 and married
Martha Hall (born 1836 in Llanfilo) in Capel Maes y Berllan, Talach Ddu,
Brecon (Aberhonddu). They had at least five children. My great great great
grandmother Ann Langford (later Williams) died, possibly in childbirth, in
1835. My great great great grandfather John Williams was remarried on 20th
July 1841 to Gwenllian Lewis Defynnog (born 1804, baptized 1st January
1805), whose father was Thomas Lewis born about 1775 in Breconshire, (now
Powys), and a farm labourer. Gwenllian died in 1869 at Cleirwy and John
Williams died in the September quarter of 1874, aged 80. John and Gwenllian
lie in St Michael and All Angels Cleirwy. My great great great grandfather
John Williams was one of at least two sons born to my great great great
great grandfather Walter Williams, born about 1770 in Hereford County, a
farm labourer. He married my great great great great grandmother Mary
Collins (born 1772 in Herefordshire) at Clehonger near the city of Hereford
on 21st June 1792. Mary Collins, later Williams, died on 19th June 1805 in
Eaton Bishop, Hereford county.
It can be seen from the above that in the 1871 Census, Edward
Evans (then aged only 8) was recorded as working for Stephen Davies at
"Penwaelod" farm (sic.), a farm of 66 acres. Walter Williams, brother in
law of Edward Evans Llanigon, became the bailiff at "Penwrolod" farm of 70
acres owned by his Powell father in law. It is probable that this farm was
the well known "Pen y Wyrlod" farm (Genuki site for Llanigon) where a
neolithic long cairn was discovered in 1972 and now maintained by CADW.
"Pen y Wyrlod" means "Top of the Meadow", "gwyrlod" is an old Welsh name
for "meadow". So it seems that Edward Evans Llanigon arranged for his son,
Edward Evans Cleirwy, to start work at Pen y Wyrlod at an early age. The
fact that Walter Williams worked at the same farm suggests that the farm
may have been owned by relatives of the Williams family. This may also
explain why Edward Evans Cleirwy did not have an education and could not
write his name on the birth certificate of his son, William John Evans
Llanilo. Rapid population growth meant that large families had to be
sustained, and eventually this population growth led to emigration into the
industrialized communities of the time.
In the 1871 Census there are two entries of relevance. Edward
Evans Llanigon is recorded as aged 69, living in an entry "Cottage", with
Mary aged 39, a charwoman (i.e. laundress). Living with them were their
sons Richard, aged 7, John aged 4 and William aged 1. The other 1871 Census
entry records their eldest son, my great grandfather Edward Evans Cleirwy,
as being aged 11 (sic), working on a 66 acre farm called "Penwaelod" for
the farmer Stephen Davies. From his marriage certificate and other Census
records it is known that Edward Evans Cleirwy was born in 1863, so his real
age in 1871 was only eight, about one year older than his younger brother
Richard. The latter attended his brother Edward's wedding on 2nd June 1886,
when Edward Evans was recorded as being 23 years old, thus born in 1863.
The eldest child Sarah Evans is not recorded in the 1871 Census, she would
have been 18 at the time and was probably either married or in employment. In the 1881 Census there are again two entries of relevance. My
great great grandmother Mary Evans is recorded as aged 45 (sic), but this