Wales Feed

We've found 'Twylia'

2012-10-31T10:23:11+00:00

Back in July 2012 I launched a search for Twylia Worlund.

She was the best friend and bridesmaid of Kathy Mackay while they lived and worked in Singapore in the 1950s. They lost touch when Kathy returned to the UK and Twylia to her home in the USA.

Kathy told her story on BBC Radio Wales’ Jamie and Louise programme in July and I posted lots of lovely photos of the young friends taken at Kathy’s 21st in Changi on my blog.

Elaine, Twyla, Kathy and Stuart

We have finally located Twylia.

Part of the reason I couldn’t find her is that her name is actually spelled Twyla but that confusion didn’t stop Bryany Bennett from London spending some time looking for her. With the help of an American friend and after searching various databases they managed to locate Twyla in South Carolina.

I am truly amazed at the generosity of people offering their spare time to help others and the way in which once an unsolved puzzle is laid open to the public, people are keen to see it resolved no matter what it takes.

So, a huge thank you is due to Bryany even if Kathy’s phone bill has now rocketed!

Riding on the crest of that success story I thought I would announce yet another puzzle.

Identifying Ethel Maud Walters

Jeanne Butcher in Bassaleg has asked me to help trace the details of her maternal grandmother’s Canadian experience.

Ethel Maud Walters was born in Cardiff on 9 April 1895. The family had always believed that she travelled to Canada as a young woman while working as a nanny, before returning to Wales to marry Watkin Williams in 1918.

Jeanne sent me a beautiful photograph of a young Ethel standing in the snow while looking after her two small charges.

Ethel Maud Walters

I have scanned the passenger lists in both directions and there are a number of possible Ethel Walters/Walter/Waters born around the right time.

At first it seems that most likely match is Ethel Walters aged 19 from England who sailed on the Royal Edward from Avonmouth to Quebec arriving on 23 October 1912.

But then there is also Ethel Walters aged 19 from England. She, rather confusingly, also sailed on board the Royal Edward arriving from Bristol into Montreal on 28 August 1912 before heading onto Winnipeg. Although it does add helpfully that she was Church of England.

A year later on 27 September 1913 there is an entry on the Royal George passenger list for an Ethel Walters, a domestic aged 20 returning from Montreal. This is probably one of the above, but which one is our Ethel?

And then to confuse things further if you look at the border crossings from Canada to the USA for April 1913 there is an entry for an Ethel Walters aged 17.

The details are even more informative stating that she was a single, literate servant from Wales, who was last in Winnipeg and came from Cardiff. Surely this must be her.

I sent off Ethel’s picture to various archives and libraries in Canada and also to Alison Toplis who specialises in dating photographs from the clothes worn by the subjects.

Alison was thankfully swift with her reply but unfortunately she added to the puzzle as she believed the photo could have been taken between 1917 and 1918.

Alison explained the reasons for the possible confusion:

“The first was the rising hemline which by 1918 had settled above the ankle, as shown by the coat, before hemlines fell again into the 1920s.

"Secondly the wide brimmed hat. There was a fashion for broad brimmed hats with a round shallow crown between 1917-19. Although you can't see the crown on Ethel's photo, it appears to be similar to this - the fact you can't see it suggests it was shallow.”

A message from Winnipeg

Then another email arrived and a different piece of the jigsaw fell into place thanks to David Cuthbert, an archivist at the Regional Archival Program in Winnipeg.

His email and the detail within it are truly incredible. He deserves a round of applause. David wrote:

“We can’t confirm it absolutely, but we think there is a strong chance that the photograph of Ethel Maud Walters was taken in Winnipeg.

"I suspect that the dome in the background belongs to a building that was known at the time as the Winnipeg Maternity Hospital, later as Misericordia Hospital, and currently the Misericordia Health Centre. The Winnipeg Maternity Hospital was founded in 1898 by the Sisters of Misericordia, and the initial building was completed in 1900.”

To confirm it he sent a photograph which was taken in 1910 and can be found on the Manitoba Historical Society website.

Misericordia Hospital in Winnipeg, Canada

I can see that the dome is the same, which means that even if I can’t be certain (yet) of the dates when Ethel travelled to and from Canada, we do at least know that she spent time in Winnipeg.

You can listen to Kathy and Jeanne tell their stories on Wednesday 31 October between 2 and 3pm on BBC Radio Wales with me and Louise Elliott.

Census errors: common pitfalls

2012-09-14T09:45:57+00:00

During my recent appearance on BBC Radio Wales’ Jamie & Louise programme I received an email from William Davies about his great great grandfather Daniel Davies. After locating his details on various census returns William was genuinely perplexed because Daniel Davies appears to regularly move house, change profession, and frequently alter his place of birth.

Daniel Davies was born in 1820. This is a long time before civil registration commenced in 1837 and there is no definitive birth certificate to clarify these details.

He lived until the ripe old age of 90 dying rather unhelpfully in 1910 just before the 1911 census.

1911 census
Although the 1911 census is the most recent census we can access, and contains more valuable details than previous census returns, the information provided is still dependent upon the honesty of the person completing the form. In addition it is essentially dependent upon the head of the house having a full comprehension of the questions, which might in turn be dependent on their level of education.

Anglicisation of names and places
Earlier census returns were completed by an enumerator with scrawling spidery handwriting. Often these were English speaking, even in areas of Wales where only Welsh was spoken. Therefore names and places are often Anglicised and can vary dramatically from one census to the next.

Ages were even more approximate with older peoples’ ages altering by more or less than the 10 year period between census returns. In my experience, the younger the person the more accurate the age and the more simple their personal details the less likely it is that errors creep into the system.

Use wild cards
When searching for an adult, I usually set the age range to +/- five years allowing them some discretion. And when searching for a person with a long or more complex name always use a wild card or * after the first three characters.

Don’t forget that when extracting your family history information from the census returns that there are a number of people involved before you scribble down the details. Each one of those might have made a small mistake that could alter a branch of your family tree.

On Ancestry.co.uk and other similar websites if you spot a mistake please make sure that you post a comment to amend the error which alerts others to the fact that there might be a problem with the details.

Enumerators
In answer to William Davies’ query it seems possible that his great great grandfather may have simply not known his age or where he was born. It is also possible that he was unable to communicate these details easily to the enumerator maybe due to a problem with his speech, a particularly strong Welsh accent, a lack of education or even a love of beer, all of which could all have influenced the way in which the information he provided was noted down by the enumerator.

Tracing Daniel Davies
It appears that Daniel Davies was born around 1820 since he appears on the 1851 census aged 30. He lived at Cyfn Bralle Ucha, near Ystradgynlais, and worked as a coal miner born in Cardiganshire. He lived with his 27-year-old wife Sarah from Monmouthshire.

By 1861 he is living next door at Cefn Bryn Isaf Farm in Coelbren but is listed as a miner born in Llanboidy in Carmarthenshire.

Ten years later in 1871 he is listed as living nearby at Cefn yr Erw Farm but as a farmer born in Breconshire. In 1881 his birth place is Caio, by 1891 it’s Llangrannong and by the time of his last census in 1901 his birth place has altered again to Llanywni!

I can’t spot him easily on the 1841 census as there are eight men of that name and age born in Cardiganshire... or should that be Carmarthenshire? Don’t forget that on the 1841 census it only confirms whether or not the person was born in the same county as they were living when the census took place. If William has a copy of Daniel’s marriage certificate then he can always try to cross reference his father’s name and this should enable him to establish the correct entry.

This in turn could help confirm the names of Daniel’s siblings and even lead to locating an entry in a baptism register once the parish can be narrowed down.

Rebecca Riots
William has his own explanation, one which I cannot confirm or deny obviously but it does seem plausible. Daniel Davies was reputed to have been born in the part of Wales responsible for the Rebecca Riots it is possible that he was one of the men burning down the toll gates, dressed as a women. Ultimately this could have resulted in him fleeing from the law and goes someway to explaining the inconsistencies in his details on the census returns.

But it is exactly these type of issues which make family history so fascinating and addictive. Quite simply, if it was easy then it wouldn’t be so rewarding.