Any Welsh Copper Smelter Workers in Your Family Tree?

• Posted by mona everett on January 10, 2011 at 12:30pm in Genealogy
• Back to Genealogy Discussions

Hi,

Just curious if any of the folks on Americymru trace their Welsh roots back to any copper smelter workers in South Wales? Particularly any that came to the US in the 1840s-50s to smelt copper in Baltimore, MD? My DAVIES/DAVIS and REESE/REES families lived in Llanelli (Seaside and Wern), Pontardulais (Llwyn Adam Farm), and Swansea (Cnap Coch) at least, before coming to the US.

I have not been able to find any living relatives in Wales and think it is a shame, as it is not that long ago that these people left for America.

Thanks!

Mona

See photos and read more: http://americymrunet.jamroomhosting.com/mona-everett/blog/892/any-welsh-copper-smelter-workers-in-your-family-tree

Replies to This Discussion

  Reply by thistle on January 10, 2011 at 1:04pm

Hi Mona --

I too have ancestors who came from Llanelli (Wern as well!) but mine ended up in the Pittsburgh/southwestern PA area. I noticed on your profile that you are researching the Rees surname...any chance that you have a Jane Rees (b. 1791, d. 3 January 1863) somewhere in your tree? I also noticed from your profile that you have Lewis ancestors - any chance that they were from Wern too? I'm trying to track down any info on my Lewis family who lived on Tunnel Road in Wern.

Nice to see someone else with Wern ties!!

  Reply by mona everett on January 10, 2011 at 1:12pm

Hi,
Here is my Davies/Davis info. Margaret REES/E married into this bunch (second generation). My LEWIS people were here in the US (Virginia and Tennessee--before 1776 and I have no idea where they came from before that--may not even have been Wales!

Will look for more REES/e info:


Descendants of David W. Davis b. abt. 1800 and brother Daniel
-------------------------------------------------------------
1-Unknown
+Unknown
|--2-David W. Davis b. Abt 1800, Wales, d. 13 Jan 1854, Baltimore, MD, bur.
| Baltimore Cemetery, Baltimore, MD, superintendent at Copperworks
| +Mary b. Abt 1800, Wales, d. 29 Apr 1881, Baltimore , MD
| |--3-Thomas D. Davis b. Abt 1822, Wales, d. 25 Apr 1890, Baltimore, MD, bur.
| | 28 Apr 1890, Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Baltimore, MD, superintendent at Copperworks
| | +Unknown in Wales (likely GLA)
| | |--4-David W. Davis b. Abt 1842, (likely GLA) Wales, d. 2 Jan 1881, Bernalillo, NM,
| | | bur. Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | |--4-William Davis b. Abt 1844, (likely GLA) Wales, d. 17 Aug 1886, Baltimore, MD,
| | | bur. 19 Aug 1886, Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Baltimore, MD, copper smelter
| | +Margaret Reese b. Wales, d. Baltimore, Maryland (after the 1860 census), bur. Mt. Carmel
| | Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | |--4-Mary Davis b. 12 Sep 1851, Baltimore, Maryland, d. 1 Jan 1926,
| | | Baltimore, Maryland, bur. Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | | +Jacob Crone b. Abt 1847, d. 1 Jan 1926, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | |--5-Mary Lillian Crone d. 16 Jun 1973, Baltimore, Maryland, bur. 19
| | | | Jun 1973, Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | | |--5-Margaret Crone b. Abt 1870, d. 15 Feb 1872, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | |--5-Harry D. Crone b. Abt 1873, d. 1911
| | | |--5-Thomas D. Crone b. Abt 1878, Baltimore, Maryland, d. 7 May 1947,
| | | | Baltimore, Maryland, bur. Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | |--4-John L. Davis b. 16 Oct 1853, Baltimore, Maryland, d. 1 Sep 1938,
| | | Baltimore, MD, bur. 3 Sep 1938, Oak Lawn Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | | +Maria A. Kelly b. Abt 1857, Maryland, d. 2 Apr 1909, East Chicago,
| | | IL, bur. 7 Apr 1909, Oak Lawn Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | | |--5-Cora V. Davis b. Baltimore, Maryland, d. 8 Feb 1910, Mt. Hope
| | | | Retreat, Baltimore County, MD, bur. Oak Lawn Cemetery, Baltimore,
| | | | MD
| | | |--5-James Edgar Davis b. Baltimore , MD, d. 1938, Baltimore , MD
| | | |--5-Thomas Edwin Davis b. Abt Jun 1879, Baltimore, Maryland, d. 19
| | | | Jul 1880, Baltimore, MD, bur. 21 Jul 1880, Baltimore Cemetery,
| | | | Baltimore, MD
| | | |--5-Estella Davis b. 6 Jul 1875, Baltimore, Maryland, d. 17 Dec 1920,
| | | | Baltimore, MD, bur. 21 Dec 1920, Oak Lawn Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | | |--5-Nattie May Davis b. Abt Jan 1878, Baltimore County, MD, d. 28 May
| | | | 1878, Baltimore, MD, bur. 30 May 1878, Mt. Carmel Cemetery,
| | | | Baltimore, MD
| | | |--5-Harry Benjamin Davis b. 31 Aug 1885, Baltimore, Maryland, d. 3
| | | | Nov 1944, New York, NY
| | | |--5-John Thomas Davis b. 6 Sep 1892, Baltimore, MD, d. 10 Sep 1973,
| | | | Tucson, AZ, bur. 13 Sep 1973, Southlawn, Tucson, AZ
| | |--4-Rosanna Davis b. Abt 1857
| | |--4-Thomas E. Davis b. Abt 1858, d. Abt 11 Jan 1930, Baltimore , MD,
| | | bur. 11 Jan 1930, Druid Ridge Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | +Henrietta T. d. Abt 2 Aug 1939, bur. 2 Aug 1939, Druid Ridge
| | Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | |--5-Henrietta Davis b. MD, d. Abt 21 Oct 1948, Colorado
| | +Catherine Rourke d. Baltimore, MD, bur. Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Baltimore,
| | MD
| | |--4-Estella Davis b. 23 Sep 1861, Baltimore, MD, d. 17 Feb 1949,
| | | Baltimore, MD, bur. Feb 1949, Druid Ridge Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | | +Louis H. Fehsenfeld b. MD, bur. Druid Ridge Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | | |--5-Theo Fehsenfeld
| | | |--5-Matilda Fehsenfeld d. 3 Mar 1946, Baltimore, MD, bur. 5 Mar 1946,
| | | | Loudon Park Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | |--4-Harry Bryant Davis b. 1 Jun 1866, Baltimore, MD, d. 10 May 1943,
| | | Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, MD, bur. 12 May 1943, Druid
| | | Ridge Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | | +Jessie Patrick b. Herkimer, NY, d. 30 Jun 1920, Baltimore, MD, bur.
| | | Druid Ridge Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | | |--5-H. Braithwaite Davis b. Abt 1907
| | | +Edith Mann Stoughton bur. Druid Ridge Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| | |--4-Marion Davis b. Abt 1868
| | +Robert Earl
| |--3-John Davis b. Wales
| |--3-Sarah Davis b. Abt 1830, Wales, d. 13 Oct 1891
| +Thomas James b. Abt 1825, Wales, d. 12 Apr 1887, copper smelter
| |--4-Mary James b. Abt 1861, Baltimore , MD
|--2-Daniel Davis b. Abt 1813, Wales, d. 2 Feb 1866, Baltimore, MD, bur.
| Baltimore, MD (lived for awhile at Llwyn Adam, near Pontarddulais, GLA, Wales), superintendent of Copperworks
+Mary A. \\ b. Abt 1814, Wales
|--3-Sarah Davis b. Abt 1830, Wales
| +John Williams b. Abt 1829
|--3-Ann Davis b. Abt 1832, Wales
|--3-Elizabeth Davis b. Abt 1835, Wales
|--3-John Davis b. Abt 1837, Wales
|--3-Hannah Davis b. Abt 1840, Wales, d. 28 Jul 1912, Baltimore, MD, bur. 31
| Jul 1912, Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Baltimore, MD
| +David Davis
|--3-Daniel Davis b. Abt 1846
-------------------------------------------------------------

  Reply by mona everett on January 10, 2011 at 1:32pm

The REESE I am most interested in is:

John T. REESE, b. abt. 1822, Wales; married Elizabeth (maiden name MAY have been BEVAN, but not sure) in Wales; some of their children were baptized in Llanelli in the ealry 1830s, then they moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where he worked as a copper smelterman. They lived in Connecticut briefly, then went to Butte, Montana, where he continued to smelt copper. They both died in Butte, but are both buried in Baltimore. John REESE also lived for a short time on Llwyn Adam farm in Pontarddulais.

I also think John REESE had a brother Thomas (also a smelter) and Margaret REESE who married into my DAVIES line might have been their sister.

I cannot locate all the children's names that were baptized in Wales--will keep looking--haven't had time for this in over a year!

The key to my family is that copper smelter workers were close-knit!

Thanks,

Mona

  Reply by thistle on January 10, 2011 at 2:27pm

Hi Mona -

Here's an interesting thing...I also have one of the lines in my family that went from Llanelli to Connecticut! They seem to have gone back to Llanelli though! I wish that I could say that their surname was BEVAN, but it's BOWEN.

I've been trying to piece together bits of info on my Jane Rees (I just got a copy of her will a few weeks ago) and I learned a bit from that, but sadly, nothing about the rest of her line!

Have you been over to Llanelli? I've managed to visit a few times and I absolutely LOVE it. I'm hoping to go again sometime this Spring, so if you want me to check in to anything for you, just let me know!

  Reply by mona everett on January 10, 2011 at 2:35pm

Yes--I've been to Llanelli a couple of times and did some research there--but really wish I could go more often and stay longer! I found the parish registers with the baptisms at the National Library in Aberystwyth--also some place I need a lot more time! I don't know when I will get another chance to go for research--I was in Cardiff for 3 weeks this past summer, but only spent one day in Swansea and never made it anywhere else. There is always so much to do (and friends to see) that time flies. Any info about the copper works or what Wern was like pre-1841 would be great, but only if you stumble upon it! Were your BOWENs copper workers? When were they in CT? Have you had any luck finding living relatives in Wales?

  Reply by Rea Williams on January 10, 2011 at 7:04pm

Mona,

Google -- "Copper smelting: its history and processes / by Henry Hussey Vivian"
to see:
The Baltimore Copper Works
Page 84
Mr. Davis, chief smelter

Gunpowder Copper Works was operated by Levi Hollingsworth from 1811 to 1838
http://www.bcplonline.org/info/history/hist_pe_gunpowder.html
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=21523

The Hafod Copperworks - Swansea 1810-1924
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southwest/sites/swansea/pages/hafod_copp...

google -- "CG Hussey copper" to see:
A Genealogical and Biographical History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
The folks on these links listed abouve are all related to me, my roots are in Wales. I have Hussey, Reese (rees), Davis (davies), Bevan and Bowen in my families at http://rea-williams.com

Rea Williams

  Reply by mona everett on January 10, 2011 at 9:22pm

Rea--Have you sen the book, Hanes Cynry America? Check out pages 153-155 here:
http://ohio.llgc.org.uk/syllwr/arddangos_mets.php?xmlfile=HCA00001&...

The Davies and Reese people are mine!

I will go look at your webpage--we likely have relatives in common!

Mona

  Reply by mona everett on January 10, 2011 at 9:30pm

Hi, I don't see a connection on your webpage--maybe I am missing something. The ones at Gunpowder Falls in the mid-late 1800s and the ones in Canton, Baltimore, and I think the ones with the Hafod Works (or at least at Cnap Coch) are mine.

Help me out with the connection. Which of the people at Gunpowder Falls are yours? I was out there and saw the historic marker and the remaining buildings.

Thanks!

Mona