Reverend Thomas Gray - Welsh Calvinist Methodist Minister

[jenfair]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone has any information (or knows where I can find it) on my Great Great Great grandfather the Reverend Thomas Gray. He was a Welsh Calvinist Methodist Minister.

I know from census info that he was born in Bangor, Wales in about 1841. However, I have not been able to trace his line any further back. I understand from family history notes passed down to me that he changed his surname to Gray, probably from Williams, as he thought it was too common. I think Gray may have been has middle name but am not sure. As there are so many Williams' in Wales, I don't know where to start tracing his parents.

Thomas's family moved around for his work - I know he was minister in various churches including ones in Birkenhead and Heywood Street, Cheetham Manchester. His daughter Dora (my Great Great Grandmother) was born in Welshpool, and another of his children was born in Rhyl. He married a Jane born in Penmachno- I would also like to know her maiden name and who her parents were.

[t mo]

hi jenfair
found his thomas grey or rees  bpt 27 sept 1841 llansamlet glamorgan
father thomas rees
mother mary grey

trevor

[jorose]

I think Dora and her older brother David are indexed at freebmd.rootsweb.com as "Grey" (she as "Dorothy Ann").
A birth certificate would give you Jane's maiden name.

http://www.archive.org/stream/collectionshist01clubgoog/collectionshist01clubgoog_djvu.txt
 - this suggests Thomas Gray was at Welshpool from 1864, so you might expect his marriage to be in the same area, but I'm not having much luck finding it. If you had Jane's details from one of their children's birth certificates you might be able to track them down.

I note that in 1861 he is aged 22 b. Bangor and living in Ismynydd along with David Williams, 25, both of them with the occupation "Calvinistic Preacher".

http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html
does show a Thomas Williams and Anne Gray having some children christened at a Calvinist church in Bangor in the 1830s, a possiblity for his parents perhaps? I'm not having much luck finding them in the censuses so far - locating his marriage would help.

Just for interest, I guess this is him having travelled to South Africa?
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=OW18990928.2.112.1

[jenfair]

Thanks both for your help.

Jorose - I purchased Dorothy Ann's (this is Dora) certificate, her mum's maiden name was Davies. I managed to find Thomas Gray (on his marriage certificate his surname is Grey Williams) and Jane Davies' marriage - according to the certificate they married in 1867 in Barmouth, Dolgelly. Thomas's father is listed as Thomas Williams so it seems like Thomas Williams and Anne Gray may well be his parents. However, I have been unable to find a record of his birth or of the family on censuses online either. According to the marriage certificate Jane's father was also a calvinistic preacher - Rev. David Davies.

Thanks for posting the link to the newspaper article, we hadn't realised he had travelled to South Africa so this was really interesting.

[Rol]

… I note that in 1861 he is aged 22 b. Bangor and living in Ismynydd along with David Williams, 25, both of them with the occupation "Calvinistic Preacher".
http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html
does show a Thomas Williams and Anne Gray having some children christened at a Calvinist church in Bangor in the 1830s, a possiblity for his parents perhaps? I'm not having much luck finding them in the censuses so far - locating his marriage would help.

The LDS are continuing to load "collection" indexes onto their new FamilySearch platform. 

Welsh Marriages, 1541-1900:

Thomas Williams and Anne Gray,  24 June 1831 -- married at the parish church, Llandegfan,  Anglesey.

For the record,  here are fuller details of the (three?) Bangor christenings mentioned by Jorose last September -- all at the Tabernacl CM chapel there,  with parents listed as Thomas Williams and Anne [née] Gray:

1.  Catharine, bn. 30 Mar. & bapt. 14 Apr. 1833

2.  Edward,  bn. 15 & bapt. 20 Feb. 1835

3.  William,  bn. 16 Oct. & bapt. 6 Nov. 1836

If desired,  images of the actual entries ought to be accessible online here -- pay-per-view site with free index.  Might show address and father's occupation at that time.  It seems likely that these baptisms were extracted from the non-conformist registers called in by the Registrar General at the start of civil registration in 1837,  thus explaining why post-1837 christenings (such as Thomas Gray's) do not feature in the index.

For the period 1838 to 1840 there are three or four Thomas Williams births per year showing up in the local registrar's index for Bangor sub-district (via NorthWalesBMD).  If one supplied the registrar's staff with the candidate references plus the likely address and father's profession on an informal basis,  e.g. by telephone,  they would probably be able to pre-identify the future Thomas Gray's entry without any great difficulty,  and so avoid too much risk of expensive failed applications.


Rol




ADDED NOTE:  There is further information about this family to be found in a recently-started thread on the Wales (General) board -- primarily devoted to David Davies of Barmouth,  the CM minister mentioned by Jenfair in her post immediately preceding this one.

[nejj]

to Jenfair
Hello
 I have information about Dora Anne Gray and who she married, as I am related to that family I have some news, she is the daughter of Thomas Gray.Up until now I have struck a brick wall , however you have supplied me with more members for my tree.
Thanks Nejj

[charlotteCH]

It could be worth contacting Dr Williams Library in London that holds records of non-confromist clergy.  Also  The University of Manchester library has a similar section.

charlotte

[charlotteCH]

Forgot to say tyat it is the John Rylands Library at the University of Manchester you'd ask.

Good hunting.

charlotte

[jenfair]

Thanks Rol and Charlotte for your informative posts. Rol - I will contact the local registrar for Bangor as you suggest.

Nejj - Glad these posts have been useful for your research. I also have quite a bit of info on Dora's husband (assuming we are talking about the same family) - Hugh Lloyd-Williams as I am related to him through his son (also Hugh Lloyd-Williams) through family history stories which have been passed down and a family tree which I believe was copied from a family bible. I have census info as well. I would be happy to share what info I have.