Woodward - Tredegar

[tweety]

Hi

I am looking for information on Woodwards from the Tredegar area.

My G Grandfather was William Richard Woodward - Born 1869 in Church Square Tredegar.  He was son of William Woodward (blacksmith) and Mary Janes (Jones)

I believe they were a large family (William Richard certainly had lots of children of his own!).

I'm interested in any records of William Snr and whether there are any more of the clan out there - WR moved to the Rhondda in 1890 ish, but his 2 oldest sons were born in Tredegar.

Tweety

[rhys]

Hello

i think this is William in 1871.
The only William in Bedwelty in 1861 aged about 15
is from Monmouthshire together with the rest of his family.

Rhys
 

1871Bedwellty
RG10 5321  27 10
TREDEGAR
26 CHURCH SQUARE
all WOODWARD
WILLIAM       H  M 25 SMITH   WILTS Bradford Upon Avon
MARY J         W M  23                MON   Tredegar
SARAH          D U    3                                "
WILLIAM        S U    1                                "

[tweety]

Thanks Rhys

That's helpful...didn't know any of  W.R.'s siblings names and now I have a better idea of W senior's age...also didn't know what number Church Square.

All useful starting points...and I shall now start looking at Bradford on Avon records too!

Regards

T

[tweety]

I now know that the family moved to Ebbw Vale sometime between the 1881 and 1901 census..they were (as I expected ) a large family
William Snr & Mary Jane had  12 children that I've found so far;
Sarah Agnes c 1868   Tredegar
William Richard 1869 (my G grandfather) Tredegar
Lucy c.1873  Tredegar
George c.1875  Tredegar
Joseph c. 1877  Tredegar
Charles c. 1879  Tredegar
John Henry c. 1880  Tredegar
Evan v. 1886  (born bizarrely in Middlesbrough)
Margaret c. 1887  Ebbw Vale
Albert c. 1889  Ebbw Vale
Amy c. 1894  Ebbw Vale
Arthur c. 1896  Ebbw Vale

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who thinks they may be connected

[Seashell_54]

Hi Tweety -
I don't   have a connection with you - but did find something of interest in your post.
My Wood family also lived in the Ebbw Vale area at this time - and oddly enough - for some reason my Rees Davies Wood was married in Middlesbrough, and his mother Gwenllian Wood died in Middlesbrough at around the same time  (1883). 
Thought it was interesting that your Evan was born in Middlesbrough.
There must have been some thing to connect the two places. 
Anyway, just thought I'd mention it!
Debbie

[tweety]

Hmm

I wonder what sort of connection there could be?   I know very little about Middlesbrough.

In my research I have come across a cluster of Woodwards who trace back to Bradford on Avon  and end up in the Welsh Valleys but no other Middlesbrough connections.

Except....I remember when we were kids an uncle and his family would turn up every so often in a battered old camper van and they were Geordies (and Woodwards)!

Tweety

[honeybun]

I don't know if this is any use but I have some Woodward connections in Ystradyfodwg, Glamorgan.  His name was Cornelius Woodward and he came from Derbyshire, from a large family of farmers.

Two children I know of are Arthur and Mary Ann, born 1877 and 1881 in Ystradyfodwg.

This might be completely unconnected, but thought I would post just in case.

Honeybun

[Ladkyis]

Theconnection to Middlesborough will be iron and steel making. The industry was beginning to take over the Ebbw valley round about the 1880s and 1890s. A lot of the ironworkers came from the Middlesborough, Northamptonshire and Wolverhampton and a lot of people went from the valleys up to those places for better jobs and came back home when the ironworks were opened in Blaenavon, Ebbw Vale and Merthyr

[tweety]

I guessed it would be industry of some sort...its strange though because my Woodwards definately originate in the West Country and are still settled in the Welsh Valleys - except for one odd branch up North....and I can't imagine why my G G Grandparents had 17 of their kids in Tredegar/Ebbw Vale but one odd one in the middle in Middlesbrough - I can only imagine they were visiting relatives or similar when she was pregnant - it's a mystery I aim to dig deeper on.

Tweety