soc.culture.welsh FAQsoc.culture.welsh FAQTo follow Genealogy links on the Web, go to Walesnet and follow your nose. NWI (North Wales Internet) has a Family History site which also has links, including some extremely useful advice. You can send messages enquiring about genealogy to them and they are then published here.
The following kind offer was received from M.I. Hughes:
Subject: Llandudno Family Research
Date: 10 Oct 1996 17:02:10 -0400
Reply-To: wirralnet@aol.com (WirralNet)
If I can help anybody with their family research I will.........
M.I.Hughes
Dale (HornCymru) writes:
Go to the Walesnet pages and under genealogy you will find the Cardiff group that does "reverse" genealogy. They sent me a report on one finding and it is amazing how the talk to live people and work backwards. It costs about 75 PS but seems well worth it..
A Welsh genealogy project is being supported by the Mormon church in Salt Lake City, Utah. A large archive already exists there.
7.2.1 What is the meaning of the name ----- ?Most Welsh surnames are patronymics. Sometimes "ap", "ab", "P" or "B" is seen in front of those names (as in Price, Bryce), indicating "son of".
A popular book on this subject is:
Welsh names for Children Heini Gruffudd. Y Lolfa. (ISBN 0 904864 99 5)
7.2.2 Are there books which give a comprehensive list of Welsh Surnames?7.2.3 Anyone know why Jones has a j in it?The starting point was the Latin name Ioannes which came into Old Welsh as Ieuan and later Ifan (anglicized form Evan). It also came into English as John which in turn entered Welsh as Siôn. A later borrowing from the Latin into Welsh just dropped the ending to give Ioan. Siôn was variously pronounced as s plus consonantal i or as English sh. Nowadays we've sussed the j out :)
7.3.1 I am trying to do my family's genealogy, and I need some help.Write to : Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, ( address in next article - DPJ ) and ask them for an application form for a copy of a long-form birth certificate (short-form certificates don't contain much information of genealogical interest) and for details of their charges - I forget how much they charge, but I think it's probably somewhere in the region of 10 pounds/$15.
It depends on how much of the original you are able to read. If you can read the date and place of birth then I suggest you write to:
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys,They send you a form, so don't bother sending the details to them first time round. If there is a search involved, there are a number of people who will do that for a fee. I can let you have some names of researchers if you like.
If the name is not too common the IGI records are a good place to start. Details from Salt Lake City. There is a Family History Society covering the Merthyr area. I'm sure they will help. I will look up the details and Email them to you.