I imagine our family line is similar to so many others of my generation; started in solid roots in a country where we no longer live. It seems my family hails from South Wales (United Kingdom) from an area around Llanelly (if you've never visited Wales, you'll probably never be able to pronounce it).
My name is Keith Thomas and I decided to try to find out a little more about my roots. My wife, Catherine, is from a very large family in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, and pretty much without the aid of many documents we were able to trace her line back to around the 1400's. The village her family came from had a book of relatives and ancestors, but most of the information has been passed down from generation to generation. For the search of my line I am relying on birth, marriage and census records kept in England and Wales. Fortunately, the Welsh seem to have been quite pedantic about having a census every 30 years or so, pretty much for each generation, so, apart from having a surname which in Wales is like Wong in China - the search was progressing quite well until we hit a snag in the early 1800's - there are just too many William and John Thomas' born around the time.
The group doing the research on our behalf not only provides us with documentary evidence but also with a little story of the life and times woven around the information. It's similar to reading a story in installments - I can't wait for the next episode.
Anyway - enough chatter - I'll work backwards from my generation as I can then add the older stuff to the bottom as the new reports arrive.
Me, Keith Thomas, now married to Catherine for 21 years (this year) and living in Port Vila, Vanuatu (about as far from Wales as we can get on this planet!). I have two children from my previous marriage, Samantha and Karl, who are both married and gave us grandchildren, last year (2003) - Abigail Thomas and Axel Xuereb. I have a sister, Denise, and a brother, Andrew. Both are, also, married for the second time. My parents, Dennis and Iris, are retired and live just outside Sydney, Australia. My father worked for many years in his trade, toolmaker, my mother worked mostly in accounts. We all moved to Australia from the UK in 1965, I was 15 and had lived most of my life until then in London. We used to visit the relatives in Wales about once every year or so. I remember my father's parents quite well, but only have a dim recollection of my Thomas great-grandparents.
My father, Dennis, was born on November 12th 1926 at The Woodlands, Collierswood, Mitchum near Croydon. He was the son of Albert John Thomas a carpenter and Gertrude Rhoda Florence Thomas nee Parven.
Albert and Gertrude were married on October 23rd 1915 at St. Mark's parish church in Portsmouth before witnesses Thomas Parven and Annie Maud Thomas. Albert John Thomas was a 20 year old bachelor described in Navy code as "A.B.R.N" and was the son of William Samuel Thomas a Sapper in the Royal Engineers. Gertrude was a 20 year old spinster, the daughter of Thomas Parven a skilled labourer at H.M. Dockyard. This was of course the middle of the First World War and Albert would no doubt have spent most of his time at sea fighting the German Navy.
Albert John Thomas was born on August 23rd 1895 in London. He was the son of William Samuel Thomas, a telegraphist for the General Post Office. Albert's mother was Annie Maud Thomas, nee Coombe.
William and Annie were married on October 7th 1893 at Marylebone Register Office, London, before witnesses Francis and Henrietta F. Coombe. William Samuel Thomas was a 20 year old bachelor and telegraphist. He was the son of John Thomas, a copper refiner. William's bride was Annie Maud Coombe, a 17 year old spinster, the daughter of Francis Coombe, a cordwainer. A cordwainer was a high-class shoemaker: the name coming from the original use by shoemakers of the very expensive Cordoban Leather.
William Samuel Thomas was born on March 3rd 1875 at Seaside, Llanelly, Carmarthenshire. He was the son of John Thomas, who was working as a blacksmith at a copper works at the time, and Catherine Thomas, late Thomas, formerly Phillips. This means that Catherine had been previously married to a man whose surname was also Thomas, and that her maiden name was Phillips. Catherine signed her name with a cross, indicating illiteracy. Catherine had a daughter from her previous marriage, Mary, who was adopted by John.
John's father, William, was an engineer at a copper works. In the census of 1871, when John was 17, his sister Elizabeth is listed as a widow at the age of 22! The oldest brother, Benjamin, lived with his family in the house next door to his parents on St. David's Street, Llanelly.
William Thomas married Margaret Samuels on April 20th 1832 at Llanelly.