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Messages - GeralltCymro

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Cardiganshire / Re: Sir John Rhys and David Rees?
« on: Tuesday 28 December 10 22:35 GMT (UK)  »
I'm currently trying to find the link in my wife's familiy to Sir John Rhys (formerly Rees). In the early 1900s, her grandmother, Mary Jane Jenkins, was told by the chapel minister that she was related to Sir John. Mary Jane's mother was Elisabeth Rees (1876 - 1960) & her father was Thomas Rees (1821 - 1899).
I know that Thomas's father was Hugh Rees, who died at Sgybor y Coed in 1861, but as yet I cannot find the link with Sir John's family. although they were clearly part of the same Rees family of the Fwrnais, Talybont, Nant y Moch, Ponterwyd area.

Sir John had an elder sister, margaret, who was ~9 years old when Sir John was born. In the 1841 census, the family is incorrectly transcribed onto the Ancestry.com search engine as "Rus": Hugh Rus, Jane Rus, Margaret Rus & John Rus.

John's parents, Hugh Rees & Jane Mazon were married in 1837. We have the marriage certificate showing that Hugh was born ~1809 & his father is recorded as David Rees, farmer.  We also have birth certificates of John & his siblings, showing that Hugh was an agricultural labourer, a farmer & at one point a lead-miner.


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Cardiganshire / Re: Sir John Rhys and David Rees?
« on: Monday 27 December 10 21:55 GMT (UK)  »
It wasn't about "Rhys" being more "posh" than "Rees".
Rees is an anglicised version of the surname. Sir John Rhys changed his name to return it to it's original form with a Welsh language spelling.

Hi Ron,

There is a bit of a biography about Sir John Rhys (a distinguished rellie!) at the link below, which gives some good clues.

http://www.rhwydwaitharchifaucymru.info/cgi-bin/anw/fulldesc_nofr?inst_id=42&coll_id=10013&expand=

You'll be able to find him on the 1881 census (look up Myfanwy Rhys), though this gives his wife as Eliza, not the Elspeth mentioned in the biography.

In 1871 he is a visitor at the home of the Rev. Robert Jones in Rotherhithe, Surrey.

I was puzzled that he didn't appear in any census records before that, and it occurred to me that as a young scholar with pretensions he may have decided that 'Rhys' was somehow posher that 'Rees' and changed his name accordingly ... Unfortunately, there are no stand-out candidates for that name either!

I'm afraid looking for a David Rees or a Hugh Rees is fairly hopeless without some place names etc. Also I'm a bit confused as to how Evan Rees (1894) fits into the picture?

There is a marriage between David Rees and Jane Jones in Dec q 1900 Aberystwth (11b/109). Can't promise it is the right one, of course ...

Cheers.

Ros



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