Genealogy Chat

Thought I would nudge this up to see if there are any new people out there with connections to the mines in the valleys.

Most of my family lived and worked in the mines in and around Mountain Ash and Penrhiwceiber. I even had one branch of the family move from St Just in Cornwall where they were tin miners to Mountain Ash to become coal miners.

I was born in Ynysybwl and spent my early years there.

Annie

Hi Everyone interested in Welsh Valley Miners!

I am trying to find out more about a great uncle (?) who lived (and worked?) in Tonypandy as a miner possibly from the 1920s until the 1950s. He lived with his sister in Tonypandy and I remember visiting them when I was a child probably in the early 1960s. They lived typically on the mountainside up a steep hill in a terraced house. Their names were Daniel and Jeannie Jones - an almost impossible name to trace in Wales! Does anyone know if there are records of miners and the companies they worked for?

Kathryn,

My Grandfather, Father, Uncles a Cousins all worked in the mines of S.Wales. Sadly some died as a result of their work.

M. Steer

Hi everyone,
There is still a Bracchi's cafe in Ystrad Mynach although its no longer open for business. Local people remember the cafe and the owners with fondness.

My Great-grandad Albion Evans was a miner after moving from Devonin early 1890's

They lived in a place called LLanhilleth and his sons were miners too.

He died in 1936 from the lung disease that you get from working in the mines.

Can't think of the name as yet.

All of my grandfather's side (Price's) were miners from Treorchy/Treherbert area. My mum has also mentioned Pentre, although I've never been there myself. - living over the border these days.
Nearly every male that pops up in my tree was a collier . In fact there are at least three generations of Thomas Price'sand - all colliers!!!

Sorry, that last message was meant for Dorothy

Yvonne Good website for Forest of Dean Genealogy is http:/members(.)iinet(.)net(.)au/~davwat/royalfor/ look on the guestbook, they have lots of surname interests. Have you also tried the Rootsweb mailing list for Gloucestershire / Forest of Dean ? I also come across some good sites by typing Forest of Dean / genealogy / family history in to the search engine. Good luck P.S If the web address doesn't come out on here, email me for further details.

Hi Kathryn: All my male ancestors were miners too, but mainly in the Forest of Dean. They were surprisingly mobile though and turn up mining in the South Wales valleys (Glamorgan, Monmouthshire) and up to Yorkshire, one even in Cumberland. I suppose they went for the work, married and settled there. If you have found any sites to help with this, I should be glad to hear of them, and if there are queries regarding Glos. Forest of Dean, let me know.

My G Grandfather was born in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. The son of a pork butcher. He married my G Grandmother (the daughter of a master shoemaker) in Herefordshire in 1895, and their 3 children were born in Portskewitt, Monmouthshire. In 1901 census he is living at Llanwonno, Glamorgan working as a coal hewer, whilst his wife and children are still living at Portskewitt. In 1909 the family emigrated to Canada, where he homesteaded. Don't think there are many mines on the praries of Saskatchewan! All I have to find out now is how and why he went from a butcher's son to farmer via the mines of Glamorgan. Easy job that! :0) Sue

In my case Kathryn, Dyer family came from Cinderford, Durbins and Bassells from Bristol, Jacksons and Jorys from Cornwall, Belchers, Prewetts and Houses from Blaenavon, Monmouthshire, Rowes from Cornwall. The Belchers originally came from Bristol and Houses originally from Canada. So none of the family started off here in Mid Glamorgan, but all came here for the mines.

Morfydd My ancestors were from Cinderford too. In fact, loads of my ancestors moved from Forest of Dean, Somerset and Hereford for work in the pits. My Coopers came from Cinderford, my Charles family from Yorkley/Oldcroft, Panes from Somerset, Coleman from Stapleton and Hughes from Hereford. This is why the incredibly humourous "Wenglish" language evolved. Talk Tidy Mun!!!!

Lesley, Sian and Sinead, Thanks for your comments about the Bracchis. I will pass these on to my friend. Crista

Hi Kathryn, My husband's Grandfather and great Uncle came down from Cinderford, Gloucestershire to Pontypridd, to work in the colliery. My Dad's families came from Cornwall and Bristol to work in the Deepest mine in Wales, where my father also worked for 42 years, until he retired 20 years ago. My mother's family worked in Collieries in Blaenavon, Monmouthshire and in Merthyr Tydfil, my mother's Dad was nearly killed during the 'sinking' of one of the collieries. So mining has played a big part in my life and my relative's lives for many years.

Hi Katherine, I live in Ferndale and my mother was born and bred in Tonypandy! Braachi's cafe is still on Pandy square now run by Teresa Braachi and family and a super cuppa it is !!! Another Italian name that was local is Collonbotti- they had a cafe on Dunraven St Tonypandy- the son went to Londaon and became a bigwig lawyer!! For my part,Ithink it is a shame that so many of the coal records were destroyed-only the major accident records still exist. Although in Tonypandy you can be quite lucky because you can work out which mine someone worked in by where they lived,as certain streets were built solely for the purpose of housing miners from the colliery which built the properties. Sentimental I know but I think the Rhondda Valleys is the best place on earth!! Sinead

Yes Kathryn, I also come from a miners family in the Rhondda ( Treherbert ) the family name on my Fathers side is Beynon, But my Grand-Parents moved to the Rhondda some-time around 1903-05 from the Mumbles ( Oystermouth )

It's great to see so many replies with Welsh valleys connections. Thanks Jacqui for that website info "price of coal", will look that up, cheers. Thanks also Sian, I'll try your suggestion about the search engine for rhondda bracchi. Isn't the internet a marvellous tool? There's also a book (somewhere) called "they worked us to death" and that has names of coal miners too but I can't remember where I heard about it!!!! Duh! I should write these things down. Never mind...another job for the clever little search engine.

Hi Still can't get the web address to work but if you type Rhonddabracchi into search engine, you can get the page about some of the Italian cafe's in the valleys, a few of these in Hannah Street, Porth where some of my ancestors lived. I'm from pontypridd so nice to see a few mentions on this thread. Live in Derby now so not too far from you Jacqueline. Sian