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Wales (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Wales => Flintshire => Topic started by: ellenmaggie on Monday 05 May 25 11:26 BST (UK)
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Tracking down a DNA match I have come across a relative William Macdonald, the grandson of my 3rd GGPs William Hughes and Elizabeth Williams. His parents Thomas Macdonald (a miner) and Margaret Hughes married in Gwaenysgor on 28th May 1864. William was baptised on 24th September 1864 in Gwaenysgor.
He does not appear on the 1871 Census with the family, and the DNA matches have led me to the USA. The next reference I have found is the 1900 Aurora, Portage, Ohio census where he is living with his wife and three children. It records he went to the US in 1870 - so when he was 6/7 years old. I have not been able to find a record of his arrival in the US yet, but want to know - did families send their children to the US for a better life - or maybe he travelled with another family member. Can anyone shed any light on how I can go about finding out?
TIA Ellenmaggie
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This is a report of Thomas MacDonald's funeral - no mention of William there. Are you sure it's the same one in the USA?
https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3015588/3015591/33/thomas%2BOR%2Bmacdonald%2BAND%2BGwaenysgor
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Youngest child in 1871 was aged 4
No birth reg for William but all other children's births were registered
As parents & siblings can be found on censuses from 1871 onwards I would find it unlikely that their first born child would emigrate at the age of 6yrs