Looking for info on Thomas Gower b Pembrey c1838 died Texas 1910. In 1871 Census wife Elizabeth is living with 5 children in Ty'n y Wern,(near to Charles Row and River Row) with note "husband in Russia". I am sure Thomas was one of the 100 or so Welsh miners and ironworkers sailed with John Hughes in 1870 to found iron/steel/coal centre of Hughesovska (now Donetsk) in the Ukraine. He returned 3 years later. I have spent years investigating but have never been able to find a trace of him in any records. Any info gratefully received. Also featured on the design is a tunnel arch for the railway station and the line that used to run through the mountain exiting in the Afan Valley. Through the tunnel you can see the wonderful surrounding mountains and forestry with the future of wind turbines. looking for anyone related to the James family especiall Lily .... she haf two children Sylvia and roy. would like to know anything about their fsther who is my great grandfather . They were all born in maesteg and were a large family some of the siblings being david t,elizabeth ann,william j,oswald j,howell,matilda,gwendoline and lowarth. all born between 1896 to 1905. any help would be warmly receivef.. thank you Lots of local footpaths to get out into the natural spaces have also been left to get overgrown and we can't use them which is a shame because the countryside here is really important.

Maesteg has a tradition of music and theatre, including a rich tradition of singing. At present, there are three male voice choirs – Cor Meibion Maesteg A'r Cylch (Maesteg and District Male Voice Choir), Cor Meibion Glerwyr Maesteg Gleemen Male Voice Choir, and Cor yr Hen Blwyf (the Old Parish Choir) – the largest of which is Cor Meibion Maesteg. There are also two women's choirs: Cor Merched Cwm Llynfi (Llynfi Valley Ladies Choir) and Harmony Ladies Choir. There are two mixed groups, Noteworthy Choir and Take Note contemporary vocal group. Between 1890 and 1925, the valley gained a worldwide reputation as a producer of Admiralty-grade steam coal, high quality coking coal and what was regarded as the best house coal in South Wales. Due to the quality of the steam coal, North's Imperial Navigation coal was included on the prestigious Admiralty List of the twenty–six best Welsh steam coals. In 1908, the Cunard liner Mauretania was entirely fired by Llynfi coal when the ship established a new record for crossing the Atlantic. By the early 1920s there were over 7,000 miners at work in the valley. However, as the area depended to such a large extent on the coal export trade, it was seriously affected by the trade depression of 1928–38. [13] During that period of acute poverty and large-scale unemployment, the population of the Llynfi Valley decreased by almost a third as many left the district to seek employment in the new light industries growing up in areas such as West London and the English Midlands. Maesteg Secondary School records " .......... comprising of letter books of clerk to governors, 1913-1923" The Welsh national anthem " Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" was first performed in Maesteg, in the vestry of the original Capel Tabor which is now Maesteg Workingmen's Club. Maesteg had to survive a 20-minute battering by Neath but held on to carve their niche in rugby history.Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p.531. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6. Before the development of industry in the 1820s, the Llynfi Valley was a sparsely populated area of scattered farms. The nearest settlement was the village of Llangynwyd, located on the hillside about two miles south of the present-day town centre of Maesteg. Close to Llangynwyd is an extensive earthwork known as Y Bwlwarcau ("the bulwarks"), an Iron Age enclosure that is probably a remnant of the earliest settlement in the Llynfi district. Hi. I am researching my maternal grandmother's (Olwen Llewelyn) family tree. Her paternal grandparents were Isaac Llewellyn b c1851 Sth Wales and Elizabeth Howells b c1851 in Masteg. They were married in Llangynwyd Parish Church in 1870. In the 1871 census, they were living in Masteg with Elizabeth's parents - Benjamin Howells and Rachel ??Hughes (maiden), and Elizabeth's 6 other siblings. Isaac and Elizabeth sailed to Australia in 1872 and had 12 children, one of which was my great grandfather, William Francis Llewelyn. Any information would be greatly appreciated. There's so much history up here and no-one gets to see it. But with everything that's gone on like wildfires and all the works as well, the only way I think people will be able to learn the history is by basically using the internet." Hi, I'm looking for Owen Lloyd Jones, born c1913 in Maesteg. He married Edith Churchill. His parents were Daffydd Jones and Elizabeth unknown.

In 1911 my great great uncle Ioan (John) Joseph (1872-1925) lived in 33 West Street and was described as a chipped potato dealer. His sister Elizabeth Ann Joseph (1868-1935) married David John Llewellyn (1865-1917). In 1911 they lived at 15 West Street and he was described as a fish frier. My mother remembered visiting Aunty Nanny at her chip shop as a small girl, probably in the late 1920s. I've looked in trade directories but can't find any descriptions of these food outlets. Does anybody have any info, memories etc. please? I would like to know about Ioan Emlyn Joseph, born Alma Road, Maesteg 1896 a miner who joined the Welsh Regiment , saw service with RAMC in the Dardanelles, Egypt and Palestine and was killed in a mining accident in Llanelly in 1926. Thanks Trying to find a William John Hughes born (probably) circa 1881. Later married a Elizabeth Evans around 1900ish. Had a few sons - William, Hopkin, Victor, Kenneth, and a daughter Rose.All the kids were born between 1900 and 1910 in Maesteg - I have no idea where William John came from - any help?

Looking for information on Theophilus Scourfield born 1823 in Tenby, married @ St. Cynwyds Church Llangynwyd in 1849 to Ann Stephens. I believe he died in 1886 Bridgend and would like to know if he is buried @ St. Cynwyds? Thanks for any help. Welsh Government funding is also supporting the phased roll out of Flying Start provision across the county borough, with Caerau being one of the areas that will be targeted by the initiative.