Family Enquiry from New Zealand

Family Enquiry from New Zealand

RDN has received the following enquiry from Lesley Picking who lives in New Zealand.

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“I’m writing from New Zealand in the faint hope you can point me to someone in Resolven who may be able to help me with of the family history of the Jenkins family. For years I’ve been searching via Ancestry websites to locate any of the families of my three Great Uncles. But so far it’s been to no avail so I wondered if some of their descendants might still live locally in Resolven. I thought it might be a good time to contact a local paper to see if they could forward this message to the right person, seeing people aren’t able to get out and about at the moment and may have free time to help me.

Specifically, I am trying to gather information on my Grandmother’s family. Her maiden name was Mary Jenkins (nicknamed Pollie, born 1894) and her siblings were Elizabeth (Lissy born 1898), Evan (born 1887), David (born 1884), and Daniel (born 1886) They lived with their parents Richard and Mary (nee James) first at Pan-tryn cottage in Llantwit Lower and later at 50 Bryn Golwg St in Resolfen. When her father Richard died in Feb 1922 the address given was Brynhenlog, Resolven. After he died Mary Jenkins relocated to Aberystwyth from Resolven to be nearer to her two daughters. Grandma (Pollie) married William Fazakerley in 1916 and my Dad Les was the second of her seven children raised in Penhrynduedreth. My Great Aunt Lissy had a family in Aberystwyth.

But nobody seems to know what became of Grandmas brothers David and Daniel and Evan Jenkins. I found records that indicate that Daniel may have married a Mary and went on to have children Gwyn and Gwendoline Jenkins. I think Evan might have become a teacher. I’m not sure about David at all.

Grandmas mother Mary James was born in June 1859 at 4 Shop Row Lantwit Juxta Neath and her parents were David and Margaret James.  Grandmas father Richard Jenkins was an under-colliery Manager born about 1855 in Lantwit Lower. As a child lived in the school house in Llantwit Lower with his widowed Mother Frances Jenkins and his siblings Anne, David and Thomas. Richard’s father was also a Richard Jenkins and had been a school teacher before he died sometime before 1861.

I would appreciate any advice about where to track down living members of the family, or even newspapers or records about my ancestors. Unfortunately I don’t speak Welsh so I haven’t had much luck with online Welsh records. I don’t know the name of the mine my Great Grandfather was Under-Colliery Manager for, so perhaps there could be leads in local mining records.

Anyway, thanks for your time and I hope you don’t mind the intrusion. I figure this is worth trying – just in case I have living family in Resolven.

All the best,

Lesley”

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If anyone has genuine information about the Jenkins family mentioned in Lesley’s e-mail would you please reply to am@resolvendistrictnews.co.uk   and we will forward your e-mail onto Lesley.

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