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CONTENTS

 

Site Map/Search Site

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Contents

 

Abbreviations

Beginners start here

Census dates  

Crime and Punishment

 

GENUKI

Graveyard & History Book Welsh

History books  

Indexing Project

IGI

Lookup Exchanges

Names

Not everyone knows this......

Occupations

Pot Pourri

Research Books

Timeline

Welsh Counties, then and now

Welsh language

Welsh nationality

Welsh proverbs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginners start here

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Advice sites on how to start/carry out your research

Professional researchers.

Lookup Exchange

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Here is the gateway page to the Wales Lookup Exchange which has separate sections for;

 

Census Dates

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To prevent  double counting, people were listed  at the addresses where they were on census night, or to which they intended to return the following day after a night's work or travel. It is simplest to refer to the separate censuses by the dates either side of the midnight of census night.

 

 

Welsh Counties, then and now

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The boundaries and names of many counties in England and Wales changed both in 1974 and again in 1996. This can make it difficult to locate parishes and records.

This is an outline summary of the boundary and name changes in Wales in 1974 and 1996. In 1996 some new County Boroughs were also formed in some urban areas. However be aware that those counties which reverted to their pre-1974 name in 1996 may not have reverted to exactly the same geographical boundaries.

The changes may also be seen in map format by clicking the  links below  

                                                        PRE 1974                                                                  1974-1996                                                                  1996

Anglesey / Ynys Mon

Gwynedd

Anglesey

Breconshire/Brecknock

Powys

Powys

Caernarfonshire

Gwynedd

Gwynedd

Cardiganshire

Dyfed

Ceredigion

Carmarthenshire

Dyfed

Carmarthenshire

Denbighshire

Clwyd

Denbighshire

Wrexham County Borough

Flintshire

Clwyd

Flintshire

Conwy County Borough

Glamorgan

South Glamorgan

Mid Glamorgan

West Glamorgan

Bridgend

Caerphilly

Cardiff

Merthyr Tydfil

Neath Port Talbot

Rhondda Cynon Taff

Vale of Glamorgan

County of Swansea

Merionethshire/Merionydd

Gwynedd

Gwynedd

Monmouthshire

Gwent (included a small part of Glamorgan)

Monmouthshire, Newport, Blaenau Gwent,Torfaen

Montgomeryshire

Powys

Powys

Pembrokeshire

Dyfed

Pembrokeshire

Radnorshire

Powys

Powys

The recent changes in the county boundaries and names mean that some records have also been moved causing problems for Family Historians, therefore recommended reading for anyone researching in Wales is:

" RESEARCHING FAMILY HISTORY IN WALES" by Jean Istance and E.E.Cann., Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd. 1996. ISBN 1-86006-030-7.

This book provides the following information:

 

Research books

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These are mainly books I have personally, there are many others available.

Listed in no particular order

The following have been recommended by other researchers;

 

 

Genuki, a route map

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What is Genuki ?

The aim of Genuki is to serve as a large virtual reference library of genealogical information that is of particular relevance to the UK and Ireland. It is a free service using computer resources that are kindly provided by various universities and individuals.

Its front page can be accessed at Genuki with an useful Frequently Asked Questions page on FAQ.  
Or go direct to the Wales page .
There are separate county Surname Lists reached via Welsh genealogy, these are for you to post your own interests, and check out the names other people are researching.

David Hawgood has written a book on Genuki and it is also available online in its entirety on http://www.hawgood.co.uk/

See also  Getting certificates [GRO]

See also  Registration Districts

IGI

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The International Genealogical Index is a database containing well over 100 million names , mainly baptismal entries from parish and non-parochial registers all over England & Wales, together with a smaller number of marriages. Neither deaths or burials are included.
The Index has been compiled and computerised by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
It is arranged under counties, the entries are listed in alphabetical order of surnames grouped under spelling variations as decided on by the compilers.
The surnames themselves are arranged in alpha order of forenames and then chronologically.
Marriages are indexed under the names of both parties.
The coverage of any given parish is not necessarily complete.
In Wales the LDS has not been allowed to microfilm or index the parish registers so the Welsh IGI contains only a small number of entire registers. But this is less serious than it seems as they have been able to use the BTs instead.

The IGI can be a most useful resource but should be used as a finding aid only, indexed entries should be checked to the actual register etc.
There is a problem peculiar to Welsh research in that the method adopted to cope with the patronymic system,when registers pre 1813 also contained no surname column , assumed incorrectly  that in all cases a son took his father's christian name as his surname.
For example, a 1783 bapt for William son of John Thomas would be indexed under John, not Thomas in the Surname Index.
It gets worse, if there are more than 2 father's names, the rest are discarded completely, so the actual surname may not appear at all never mind in the wrong place.
There is also a Given Name index, where, for example, all the Williams are grouped together.

The IGI is available on fiche  for searching at many Records Offices, and some FHS centres, as well as the LDS FHCs where name extracts  are increasingly downloadable to CD for taking away with you.  [see also Patronymic)

 

  Welsh language

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Some sites with links to many other Welsh language sites;

http://www.anoeth.demon.co.uk/cyfall.html#CADG  "Cymraeg, a Dysgu'r Gymraeg" (Welsh, and learning Welsh)

http://www.gwybodiadur.co.uk/   "These pages are designed to help you find books, tapes, CD-ROMs and online resources to do with the Welsh language, focusing particularly on Welsh dictionaries. They are aimed mainly at Welsh learners and therefore written in English. You won't find much here about Welsh literature, music, history, politics, genealogy, tourism, mythology, recipes, Celtic jewellery or whatever, although some of the links will still be useful to you........."

http://pcfcij.dbs.aber.ac.uk/cymraeg/welsh.html  Twll - the Welsh Learners' Links

Welsh/English and English /Welsh online dictionary (Univ of Wales, Lampeter)

 http://www.cymraeg.org.uk/   "apertium-cy, the first free automatic translator for Welsh"