The Thomas and Bishop Family History

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John's Family

        My Family Tree                            THOMAS TREE

        My Ancestors                   DAVID            JONES (Carmarthenshire )         JONES (Glamorgan) 

                               KNIGHT         LEWIS     PRI(T)CHARD        ROBERTS   

                                            THOMAS (Glamorgan)                THOMAS  (Monmouthshire)        

John's Family

My THOMAS family appear to have lived around the border between Glamorgan and Monmouthshire before gradually moving deeper into Glamorgan during the mid to late 1800's, following the employment on offer in the newly developing Coal Mines required to fuel the Industrial Revolution, my Grandfather moved from Caerphilly to Rhondda Valley at Porth then Ynyshir and in 1919 Maerdy where he took up the position of Manager of the Maerdy Colliery he and the family settled at 66 Richard Street, Maerdy for the remainder of their lives. Grandad passed away in December 1949 and Grandma in March 1970.

The LEWIS'S are long term Glamorgan residents, Farmers and Butchers from the Vale of Glamorgan around Bridgend and Coychurch. The first reference I have of them is living in Coychurch, by 1881 they were in Penarth where my Great Grand Father worked as a dock labourer, by 1891 they were in the Rhondda Valley at Wattstown where he established a business as a Butcher and Grocer.

On my mother's side John JONES came from Carmarthenshire and I have no other knowledge of his early life, John married Ann JOHN in Swansea, Glamorgan on the 23rd June 1860, in the 1861 Census they were in Aberdare, Glamorgan, with a son, in 1871 they are still living in Aberdare, however, by 1881 they had also moved to the Rhondda Valley living in Blaenllechau for the remainder of their lives, John passing away in 1896 at age 58 and Ann in 1909 at 72 years.

Griffith ROBERTS a Stone Mason was born in Holyhead, Anglesey about 1849, I have again unable to determine anything about his early life, Griffith married Elizabeth PRICHARD from Llandwrog, Caernarvonshire about 1867, haven't found that marriage record as yet. From Census data Griffith and Elizabeth were wanderers the family have been located in 1871 at Llanllyfni Caernarvonshire, 1881 at Blaenllechau in the Rhondda Valley, Glamorgan, by 1891 they had moved to Llansamlet, Glamorgan and by 1901 they were back in the Rhondda at Tylorstown. This was their last move as Griffith passed away in 1913 and Elizabeth in 1915 they are buried in Llanwonno Cemetery.

My father was born in the Rhondda Valley at Ynyshir in 1900 and commenced working in Coal Mines when he was 12 years old, he continued in the mines until immigrating to Western Australia in April 1928. His father, was a Colliery Manager at the Maerdy Colliery and when I moved to the Rhondda in 1953 I worked with a chap (Bob Marsh) who had worked with and had been a good friend of my father's.

Dad was the eldest of some eleven children, he spent most of his early life in Ynyshir before the family moved to Maerdy, Rhondda Valley, in 1919. I know some of the names of my uncles and aunts, however, nothing of my Thomas cousins, and have lost any contact that had existed with that family. My father died when I was fourteen and unfortunately I had not yet reached the age of asking questions and taking an interest in the family. I do not know why Dad left Wales to come to Australia, however, suspect the major Coal Strike in 1927 may have something to do with it and also Australia is the land of opportunity.

 Dad arrived in the land of Oz at Fremantle, Western Australia aboard the "Beltana" on the 8th April 1828 just in time for the Great Depression. Dad, like many others, during this time carried his swag from farm to farm throughout the wheat belt looking for work in exchange for a meal and a bed for the night. In early 1935 with the worst of the depression over and settled in to regular farming employment, Dad felt the need to contact the girl that he had been courting when he left Wales, his letter arrived at a fortunate time, as the women (my mother) had just lost her mother whom she had nursed for some years. After exchanging correspondence over a period of some months Mum arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia on the 17th February 1936 aboard the "Bendigo"; Mum and Dad were married in Perth, nine days later.

A week after the wedding they were in Benjaberring, a isolated small community to the north east of Perth, our Capital City, where Dad was employed as a Teamster, horses at that time were still the mainstay of farming, you could imagine the culture shock for a girl from the green Welsh Valleys to the dry harsh outback of Australia, Mum settled in very well.

Mum was born in Blaenllechau, Rhondda Valley, (next door to Ferndale) Glamorgan, in 1907, her parents were Thomas JONES and Jane nee ROBERTS. Mums father passed away at age 40 when Mum was 2 years old, sometime later Jane remarried a James JENKINS, who was born in Solva, Pembrokeshire, Wales in 1863 and passed away in October 1941. Jane passed away in May 1935.

Mum was an accomplished classical singer well know throughout the Valleys of Glamorgan, and in Western Australia where during the war years in particular she sang regularly on local radio stations and at Concerts in Kalgoorlie and Perth.

Mum at one time trained under Dame Clara Novello Davies well known in Wales as a singer and teacher, and mother of Ivor Novello.

Mum was one of seven children that were born to Jane, five to Thomas JONES and two to James JENKINS. Mums siblings were William John (1895-1958), Llyfnwy (1897-196?), Phillip (1900-1926), Blodwen (REYNOLDS) (1905- 1986), Ann Elizabeth (THOMAS) my mother (1907- 1979), Griffith Benjamin (Gitto) (1915-1983) and Letty (PETKOVIC) (1916-1999) With the exception of my mother, the other siblings lived all their lives in Blaenllechau and Ferndale.

As time goes by we will be updating the history of our parents.

What ever information that we have on my Family names are detailed under the above Links, please have a look.

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 Updated 28/04/2008