Dinner, Driving and Discovery

After our visit to Dinas Powys, we braved the roads and returned to Cardiff  - mind you, not by the route that we had intended to take. We never seemed to take the same road twice - driving on the opposite side of the road completely turned around my sense of direction and orientation. After a few missed turns and exits, we made a hasty retreat to our hotel to change and to meet another set of my cousins and their mother for dinner in Cardiff Bay.

Luckily, we chose to walk - so my map skills were back on track.  It was a lovely, warm and sunny evening, perfect for a walk and another adventure. When we reached the forecourt of the Millenium Centre, we stood for a moment scanning the crowd milling about.

Wales Millenium Centre - Cardiff Bay

Much to my delight, I saw my cousin waving to us. We had been found! After hugs and introductions, we walked over to a  wonderful Italian restaurant  and ate dinner on a balcony overlooking Cardiff Bay. We talked like old friends and it really felt like being 'at home' again. The meal, like the company and conversation, was perfect. To this day, my husband still talks about the spaghetti carbonara that he had that night. After a drink at a nearby pub, we said our good-byes and headed back to the hotel.

Originally, we had planned on driving to South Molton and Filleigh to visit the home of my Ball ancestors in Devon as a day trip. I soon realized that there was so much to see in Wales and decided to go to the Gower for the day to explore the area where my great-grandfather had been born.  The day started out rainy and wet, but after a stop in Mumbles, the sky started to clear. I loved the windy narrow roads, but always jumped when we rounded a corner and passed vehicles going in the opposite direction. We landed at Rhossili just after lunch as the sun was coming out.

The area was, in a word, breathtaking. The view of the bay and Worm's Head was spectacular. It truly is an "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty".

Worm's Head, Rhossili

We walked along the promontory taking it all in - we even got to some sheep grazing on the cliffs and hills in the park.

On the way home, we stopped in Scurlage, the birthplace of Thomas, my great-grandfather (1875-1941) and I had a quick walk around, trying to imagine what life would have been like in the late 19th century Gower.

Scurlage

We also passed the road to Reynoldston, the home of William James Ball (1858-1922), the eldest son of William Huxtable (1837-1927), whose life had a tragic end in the Brigend Asylum.  Every bend in the road told a story and the place names seemed all very familiar.

As we neared Swansea, we managed to get lost in rush-hour traffic, but eventually made it back to Penarth. We dropped by the home of my cousin (with whom we had dinner the night before) and he gave us a fascinating tour of the town where our family lived. The clouds had rolled in again, lending a perfect sombre backdrop to St. Augustine's Church where my 2x great-grandparents, William and Charlotte Ball are buried.

St. Augustine's Church, Penarth

We walked along the beautiful Penarth pier (which was still under renovation) and saw many more sight where family lived, worked and played. Knowing my fascination with the BBC series, Gavin & Stacey, my cousin happily pointed out several exteriors and landmarks which appeared in the show, including a church hall in which his mother's aunt had been married. Our evening ended with a quick visit with my cousin and his family and yet another unknown route back to Cardiff.

Penarth Pier

All in all, another perfect day.

Cheers, K.

Meeting Family and History

Cardiff Castle - 29 July 2013

The sun was shining as our train pulled into Cardiff on July 29th.  Shortly after arriving, I received welcome emails and texts from my cousins - which were delightful and made me feel at home. One of them sent a list of pubs near our hotel that we could try - knowing my husband wanted to sample UK lagers and ales and I was on a bit of quest for the perfect pint of cider.

As we explored Cardiff and the Castle, I kept thinking about what the city would have looked like to Thomas before he left in the late 1890s. Why had he been the only one of six siblings to have left Wales? It's still a mystery, but I think that he must not have left willingly - Wales is such a  beautiful place.

We had been invited to Penarth for dinner on the day of our arrival. My cousin arranged to meet us in the lobby of our hotel that evening. As I stepped out the elevator, I instantly recognized him - the first thing I noticed was his blue eyes - a trait common to my siblings and myself. He drove us to his home, where we met his family and father.  We had a lovely meal and shared many stories of our upbringings, ancestors and life in general.  When it was discovered that my husband was originally a Nottingham lad, they forgave him for being English (actually, he's more Canadian than English as he grew up here). I have to say that it felt like family.  I brought copies of my current research and photos to share - and learned many new stories and some possible clues to mysteries yet unsolved. It was a lovely evening, made all the more special by our hosts.

A perfect first day to our Welsh adventure.

Cheers, Karen

Anticipation

After a very long break, I'm back. Work has been crazy busy - we moved the Local History collection twice and have now finally settled into our final location.  I have also launched a large WW1 volunteer project, a blog Historically Speaking and entered the Twitterverse .

Despite the busy-ness, I really missed working on my own family history and have decided to carve out time to pursue this once again. As summer rolls around again, memories of our trip to South Wales have flooded back and I'd like to share those with you.

As we landed at Gatwick on July 27th last year, the anticipation of meeting my Welsh cousins and seeing the hometowns of my great-grandfather, Thomas Huxtable Ball, was sweet.  My husband and daughter were eager to see all the sights, but for me, Cardiff was going to be the highlight of my trip.

After the overnight flight to the UK and the train ride to Oxford, we tried to soak in as much of this wonderous university town as much as we could before crashing for the night. The next day, we made the pilgrimage to the Bodleian Library and wandered through the hallowed laneways and courtyards of the University.  I even managed to have my first pint of real cider on tap - a luxury not often found at home.  However, all through the day, I could not help but wonder what it would be like rolling into Cardiff and meeting up with my third cousin Matthew and his family for dinner.

The next morning, we made the long walk with suitcases in tow to the train station and boarded the first of two trains, headed in the direction of Cardiff. We changed trains at Didcot Parkway, just outside of Oxford.  I didn't let the ominous skies dampen my excitement.

As our train pulled into Cardiff, I felt like it was a bit of a homecoming.

Stay tuned!

Cheers, K.

Travel plans, genealogy and compromises

Once we decided to include a visit to Wales and Devon in our UK itinerary, I had great plans to spend time doing research and further work on my genealogy.  In my mind, I was drawing up lists of questions to be answered and directories to be consulted. I wanted answers to those questions that kept me up at night... like when and why did my great-grandfather, Thomas Huxtable Ball, leave South Wales for Leeds, and what may have pushed or pulled him to Yorkshire?  I really could have spent the whole of the four days allotted for Cardiff trolling through local library and archives resources.

Our initials plans also included a day trip to Filleigh, Devon to see where my 3x great-grandfather, John Ball, had his tailor shop. My North American sense of 'drive anywhere' and straight line travel took a beating once we rented a car in Cardiff.   My husband did admirably driving a right hand stick shift, but we spent a couple of hours lost in various places - albeit in the lovely Welsh countryside. We decided to enjoy the journey rather than race about keeping to a timetable. The 3+ hour trek (each way) to Filleigh went by the wayside in favour of exploring more of Cardiff and nearby Caerphilly.

In the end, I realized that making this a research trip would not be fair to my husband and daughter, who don't share my fervent interest in genealogy and ancestor hunting. After all, this was their summer vacation too. Instead, we decided to make this trip about connecting - with family, with the land of my ancestors and the beautiful country that is Wales. 

In retrospect, the research trip is a journey for another day and my mother would be the ideal travel companion - now that has me thinking...

Elizabeth Ann Ball - Obituary 3 Jul 1956

The announcement of Elizabeth Edwards' death appeared in the South Wales Echo in early July 1956. The headline of the news story read "FATAL BURNS Woman's Nightdress on Fire." According to the article, Elizabeth was found in the early hours of one morning by her son-in-law, Arthur Fear, with her nightdress in flames. Her death was ruled "accidental" by the coroner, Mr. Gerald Tudor. Arthur is quoted in the article as saying that his mother-in-law generally used a night light, but on this particular night, there was no night light in the room, only a box of matches. The article finished by stating that Mrs. Edwards died of shock due to extensive burns.

A later notice in the newspaper noted that Elizabeth died in hospital on 30 June 1956. She was the "beloved wife of the late Robert Edwards" and "dearly-loved mother of all her children and grandchildren".

Cheers, K.

Elizabeth Ann (Ball) Edwards - A Tragic End

After the changes to the Edwards household as shown in the 1911 census, I do not know what became of the family as a unit. I do know that Robert Edward's death was registered in the second quarter of 1939 in Cardiff.

Elizabeth Ann (nee Ball) Edwards died tragically on 30 June 1956. She had been living with her daughter Elsie and son-in-law Arthur Fear in their home at 50 Llantarnam Road, Cardiff. This is a map of where their home was located:



View Larger Map

Her death certificate stated that she died at Royal Cardiff Infirmary of "shock due to extensive burns accidentally sustained through her nightdress being set on fire by a lit match". It also indicated that no post-mortem was conducted. Elizabeth, noted as the widow of retired electrician Robert Edward Edwards, was age 90 at the time of her death. The death was registered by certificate from Gerald Tudor, Coroner for Cardiff, by J.W. Hill, Deputy. The inquest into her death was held on 3 July 1956.

Such a sad ending.

Take care, K.

Elizabeth Ball and Robert Edwards - 1911 and Separate Lives

The 1911 census revealed some very dramatic changes in the Edwards household. Robert was living with son Leonard, age 22, occupation "tram conductor", daughter Elsie, age 18, single, no occupation given, and son Harold, age 14, no occupation listed. Robert and the children were living at 19 Meteor Street, Cardiff:


View Larger Map

This is a street-view of their neighbourhood:


View Larger Map

Notably absent is Elizabeth from the family home. Curious as to her whereabouts, I searched for her in the 1911 census returns, thinking that she could have been visiting with family on the day the census was taken. Much to my surprise, I found her living as a boarder at 11 Newport Road, Cardiff:


View Larger Map

This is a street view of the area mapped by Google as 11 Newport Road, Cardiff. The area has obviously been redeveloped in the years since 1911:


View Larger Map

The rather telling detail on the census return is that Elizabeth was living with May Thomas, widow, age 40, whose occupation was given as "Head of British Womans [sic] Temperance Assn", and Elsie Williams, single, age 26, no occupation given. May and Elsie are shown as the head of household. The rest of the boarders are single women, ranging in age from 16 to 24, whose occupation is given as "general servant". There is one widow, May Sullivan, age 39. Elizabeth was listed as age 44, dressmaker, born in Gower. While the address is not in Cardiff's "Temperance Town", the presence of May Thomas and Elizabeth's status as a boarder raises the question 'Was there a problem with alcohol in the Edwards household?" Did Elizabeth leave the family home as a result of Robert's drinking? Was her departure from the family home more of a manifestation of her devotion to the temperance cause rather than an indication of a drink problem in the home? I don't have the answers and perhaps it will never be known.

I have tried doing some online research on May Thomas, but have not found any information on her. I will keep looking and will post if anything is found.

Many more questions to ponder...

Cheers, K.