Author: merthyr.history@gmail.com

Consecrating the Jewish Cemetery

The article transcribed below appeared in the Merthyr Express 85 years ago today – 2 November 1935.

Consecration of New Cemetery at Cefn

The new extension of the Hebrew Cemetery at Cefn Coed was formally consecrated and declared open on Sunday in the presence of a large gathering.  The new section adjoins the old portion of the cemetery, which has been in existence upwards of 70 years or so, and the ground has been prepared and greatly improved by the inclusion of concrete paths and terraces overlooking the main road to Brecon. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. E. Bloom, the minister of the local Hebrew Congregation, who referred to the fulfilment of a very necessary want in the acquisition of the plot of land which was converted into the new portion of the cemetery.  He paid a tribute to the work of the committee, and especially to Mrs. Raina Grwsener (formerly of Treharris) who had handsomely subscribed towards the project and had thus helped them to realise their ambition.

Mrs. Grwsener, in declaring the place open, said she hoped the ground would not be used for many years. It was her pleasure to render this service to the community. Mr. Sol. Freedman presented Mrs. Grwsener with a silver trowel, suitably, inscribed, on behalf of the members of Merthyr Hebrew Congregation. A reception and tea followed at the Lesser Drill Hall. Mr. Sol. Freedman, who presided, was supported by the Rev. E. Bloom, Mr. Isaac Hamilton, Mr. E. M. Cohen, Mr. A. Moscovitch, Mr. B. Shelower, Mr. Harris Schwartz, and others. The Chairman made touching reference to the recent passing away of Mr. Hermann Gittlesohn, their honourable member and one of the founders of the congregation, whose demise they all greatly deplored.  The speaker called upon the audience to stand in memory of their departed friend and co-religionist. Mr. Freedman then paid a tribute to all those who had worked so well for the noble cause, and especially  mentioned Mr. A. Moscovitch, the president of the burial society, who had devoted a considerable amount  of his time towards the supervision of the work connected with the renovation of the new cemetery.

In responding to the toast of the visitors, Mr. Elkan, Pontypridd, said the Merthyr Congregation was, without doubt, the finest in South Wales.  They had an admirable leader in the Rev. E. Bloom, who had served them so faithfully for the past 35 years.  He hoped they would all continue to prosper. Responding, Mr Isaac Hamilton (treasurer) said they had an ideal congregation and felt proud of its members.  Mrs Grwsener had done the right thing in making her gifts during her lifetime, a matter which afforded gratification to the giver when one saw the fruits of one’s endeavours.

Mr. Harris Schwartz said that as one of the promoters of the new cemetery he felt delighted to witness the completion of their efforts.  Mr. Moscovitch and others also spoke.  Mr. G. A. Swallow proposed the vote of thanks to the ladies’ committee, who had worked so ably for the cause.

A Ghostly Tale

by Thomas Bray

Seeing that it’s Hallowe’en (‘tis the season to be spooky, etc), I have written this extract of a ghost story regarding Bethesda Chapel.  It concerns a ghostly funeral in 1879, not seen but heard. Here is a description from a witness, a certain gentleman of the name of Wilkins:

My wife was ill, and her sister and myself were sitting with her. We had left her in bed for a little while, and had gone downstairs, and were sitting by the fireside. It was midnight. The house was one of a long row. Not a hundred yards from our was an old chapel with a graveyard in the rear, and access to the yard was by means of an iron gate leading from the road. Well, we were sitting by the fire, I was resting my head in my hand, when all at once there came a sound of distant singing, as at a funeral. At first it was faint, but gradually it increased in volume, and the steps of a great number of persons could be distinctly heard, with the rustle such as you would hear when many are passing.

I looked at my sister-in-law, and she as intently as me, and we both arose,
went to the door, opened it, and looked out upon the street. Still we heard the singing and the rustle of a large crowd, but not a soul to be seen. The moonlight shone upon the street. The tramp continued up to the gate of the chapel of Bethesda, and then it ceased. That night my wife died, and a few days after that the funeral procession passed from the house to the graveyard of Bethesda.

It is here that I bid you all a very good night. Oh, and happy Hallowe’en!

Explosion at Dowlais

The article transcribed below appeared in the Western Mail 150 years ago today (28 October 1870).

THE EXPLOSION OF THE “KINGFISHER” LOCOMOTIVE AT DOWLAIS

INQUEST ON THE BODY OF JOAN THOMAS

The adjourned inquest on the body of Joan Thomas, aged 18, the woman who was scalded to death by the explosion of the locomotive known as the “Kingfisher” the property of the Dowlais Company, on the 1st instant, was resumed on Thursday by Mr. Overton, the coroner.

The nature of the accident may be best gathered from the evidence of David Price, the driver of the engine. He said: About half past eight on the morning in question, my engine was standing on a siding by the Bargoed pit, waiting for another engine to shunt trucks. I went to talk with the driver of another engine within twenty yards; and, within a few minutes of my leaving my engine, I saw the steam issuing from the fire-box. As I was passing from one engine to another, I met the deceased going towards my engine. She was employed by her uncle, who was the contractor for oiling the trams, and fetching nails and other things from Dowlais to the collieries, and was in the habit of travelling every day from Cae Harris Dowlais, where she resided, to the collieries, a distance of six miles, and returning in the evening. She was constantly in the habit of going backwards and forwards from the collieries to Dowlais for different things required at the works. I do not allow any persons to ride on the engine, unless they are engaged on the business of the company.

When I got back to my own engine, I found the deceased lying on the rails behind the engine. Mr. Matthew Truran came up at the time, and ordered the driver of the other engine to take her to Dowlais. She was scalded all over, and very bad. My two firemen were also scalded, but not severely. I then examined what was the cause of the accident, and found that one of the plates of the fire-box had burst, and caused the steam and water to escape. The locomotive was the Kingfisher,  a tank engine, built by Sharpe and Co., of the Atlas Works, Manchester, and it had been at work four years and a half. We had taken in a supply of water half an hour before. It had been leaking a little below the part that burst, and we intended sending it to be repaired that night. There is no regular inspection of the engines unless we suspect there is something amiss, when they are sent in and examined by the fitters. My engine was examined by David Edwards, the fitter, a fortnight before, and he never complained. The young woman died that night.

David Edwards, fitter, said: I examined the engine after the explosion, and found that there was a hole of about six by four inches on the left side of the fire-box, two of the stay heads broken off, and the smoke end of the boiler blown open. I believe the explosion occurred from the weakness of the copper fire-box, which was so thin as to be unequal to bear the pressure. The fire-box has not been renewed since the engine came, four and a half years ago. I cannot undertake to say whether the plate was weakened by some cause or was originally too slight. I think the fire-boxes ought to last nine years.

Mr, Samuel Truran, the mechanical engineer of the company, confirmed the evidence of Edwards.

Mr. Wales, the Government inspector, gave the following evidence:- I have made an examination of the locomotive in question. I found that the copper of which the fire-box was made was originally 7-16ths of an inch thick, but from some cause that thickness was, at the time of the explosion, reduced to the thickness of a sixpenny piece. This rendered the copper at that point unable to longer resist the pressure of steam, which was 1201bs. per square inch, and hence the explosion. It is difficult to arrive at an average length of time copper fire-boxes last, so much depends upon the quantity of coal or coke consumed, and the work done by the locomotive; but I fancy from twelve to fourteen years might be taken as a fair average in this I case. Of course repairs are required during that time. It appears that the fire-box in question had only been used between four and five years. The pressure of steam at which locomotives are worked varies from 90lbs. up to 150lbs. per square inch, and it appears that the pressure in this case was 105lbs. per square inch. I am therefore of opinion that the copper was not reduced in thickness by the pressure of steam, but by the action of the fire, which would be greatly increased if the coal used contained much sulphur. The only safeguard against such danger which suggests itself to my mind is, that the copper fire-boxes should be regularly and frequently examined by an experienced boiler-maker, and when any doubt exists after the usual tests, then holes should be bored to ascertain the thickness of the copper, and if it is found that the thickness has been slightly reduced, the pressure of steam should also be reduced; but if found reduced to any considerable extent the fire-box should be removed altogether.

Mr. Samuel Davis, of the Atlas Works, Manchester, said: I have attended this inquiry by the direction or Messrs. Sharpe and Co. They were the manufacturers of the Kingfisher locomotive. There were two pieces of copper sent to us by the Dowlais Company. They were described as part of the copper box of this engine. They are reduced to a very thin state – to about 1-30th of an inch. The thickness originally was 7-16th. We do not use any test to each plate separately, but our men would easily discover if there was any deficiency in the thickness. I feel satisfied that the plates of this box were originally 7-16th thick. From the appearance of the plates, I should say the fire was the cause of the reduction in thickness. There was no incrustation arising from the water, I cannot perceive any indication of any operating causes to explain the explosion beyond the wear and tear by use. It is usual on all railways to have the boilers periodically tested with water pressure, but I do not know what is done in iron works and collieries and I consider that it should be made imperative. I quite concur in the major part of Mr. Wales’s evidence.

The Coroner having summed up, the Jury returned the following verdict:-  “Accidental death from an explosion of a locomotive engine; and we recommend that in future a competent boiler maker be employed to make a regular inspection of the engines and boilers.”

I remember that…..

by Eira Hopkins

The before – Graig Houses. I knew, loved and lived in these houses
Graig Houses in 1968. Photo courtesy of Clive Thomas.
  1. I remember the after, before they were torn down in the mid to late 1970s supposedly because of subsidence, only to have 4 new Bungalows built on the same land.
Old Graig Chapel and Chapel House. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm

2. I remember only the house remaining where the Pritchard family lived and playing in the cemetery hide and seek, and also with no disrespect at the time being a child. Swinging on the chains around one of the graves. No damage or vandalism was done just childhood fun.

3. Like you Stephen and many others from Graig Houses and Pond Row I too remember the slag tips covered by grass and the times I played hide and seek. Even sliding down, the deeper ones when snow came.

Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm
Afon Taf School. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm

4. I remember the day I went to Afon Taf High School and was scared out of my mind. From Abercanaid Infants and Juniors with a total amount of pupils maybe 100 to a school of 1500 and no preparation for the transfer, unlike pupils of today. I recognise people in the picture besides Mr Powell Headmaster, does anyone else?

Gwaelodygarth House. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm

5. I remember the day I started my nursing career at Gwaelodygarth House Merthyr Tydfil, myself and my soon to be friend Susan Payne started in April 1974 where we were among the 30 who started that day. That was a very important day for us all, we learned how to do the nursing procedures from basic and how the body and its anatomy worked. The Matron would check that you were doing your assignments correctly and if not, boy didn’t you and everyone else in your group know, no softly, softly, approaches then, unlike today.

The Changing View of Irish Immigration to the Welsh Valleys

by Roger Evans

Below is a poster from 1849, when starvation and unemployment in Ireland forced Irish workers to foreign fields.

50 years later however, at the peak of the Boer War, when Iron and Steel was in demand and labour in short supply:-

“It would appear that the stream of Irish immigrants flowing into the Merthyr and Dowlais district is destined, like the Tennysonian book, to go on forever. During the past few weeks some hundreds of big, braw, hearty sons of the Emerald Isle have left their native shores to fill up the much depleted ranks of the employed at the Cyfarthfa and Dowlais Iron Works.

Another contingent of 60 labourers came from Cork by the boat service to Newport on Tuesday night at a late hour after a journey occupying 36 hours. There was some difficulty in finding accommodation for them, but eventually this was accomplished, and Wednesday morning the men were sent on to Dowlais where they arrived about mid-day. They are all of the labouring class, and have been distributed about the works. It is rumoured that a further influx is expected before the week is out.The working staff has been so very much reduced by departures for the front, the Reservists and the Militia forces.It is certain that the fresh arrivals will be very acceptable at the present juncture and in view of the healthy and prosperous state of the iron and steel market.”

Transcribed from the Western Mail 25 May 1900.

Another new book

Here’s another recently published book which gives a very detailed account of Merthyr Tydfil Corporations Omnibus operations including the operation of trams and buses run in Merthyr before Merthyr’s omnibus operation was set up.

Michael Yelton completes his study of Welsh Municipal operators with his seventh book, this time on Merthyr Tydfil. Unlike other smaller South Wales municipalities, explored in previous volumes, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council started running buses while there were still trams in the town which were owned and operated by an outside private company. The trams already ran on the two most lucrative routes when the Council began running buses and it took 15 years before the local authority was able to purchase the tramway undertaking and to replace the trams with buses. This 154 page book includes a full fleet list and is well illustrated throughout with both black & white and colour photographs and maps to help bring this story to life.
To order the book, please click on the following link:

The West Family Version of the 17 Miracles – part 2

Miracle number four occurred throughout the following year as Terry continued to do research for our family and discovered many more links in the family chain but culminated with a discovery of John Thomas, a direct descendant of Margaret Rowland and Morgan Thomas. John currently lives on Penrhiw farm which has been in the family since 1724 and he and his wife Celia were willing to meet with us. He sent us a lineage chart of all the siblings of Job who remained in Wales adding much needed information to connect our family to those who had died.

This discovery came about through another miracle, (number five), that of Terry meeting Father Powell at St. Catwg’s Episcopal Church.While looking for Edward Rowland and Ann Miles he mentioned John as a possible Thomas still living on the farm.

Miracle number six: cheap tickets to Wales even though it was at the time of the royal wedding. The window for these tickets was short and directly after we booked them the price doubled.

Miracle number seven again involved Terry Jones who had looked for one year for the marriage of Edward Rowland and Ann Miles (Job and Margaret’s grandparents). Three weeks before we arrived, he found them. When we arrived in Merthyr in 2018, the scene had already been set by those who had been directing our lives for the past year.  It felt as though we were in a giant genealogical chess game over which we had no control. Terry was beginning to feel the same forces in action as well.  Every morning he would present us with a list of places we would visit that day. One day he showed us his list which had two sides. He said that he created one list the night before and then this morning, for some unknown reason, he changed it and added a new place: Gadford Elm Chapel –  the first Mormon church ever built. He said he didn’t know why he added it but thought it would be interesting for us to see. Of course, we acquiesced.

Miracle number eight: As we got to the church building we discovered the reason. The first ownership of the chapel was given to Wilford Woodruff by the United Brotherhood but it rested on or near a Brother Benbow’s farm.  Most of the early members were baptized in Benbow’s pond. Benbow was Terry’s wife’s maiden name. Terry was stunned. He kept saying he had no idea why he had changed the itinery for the day but we all knew why.

The next day we visited St. Catwg’s church and we were met by Father Powell and his lay reader Carolynn Corbin who showed us around this very impressive 2000-year-old building. While chatting Richard discovered miracle number nine: that Carolynn was a Parry and quite likely a very close cousin of ours. We exchanged emails and discovered that we did indeed have a common ancestor. This led to a wonderful afternoon tea and the uniting of another branch of Welsh and American lines. After just a few minutes with this family we knew we had met before.

Miracle number ten. We discovered the fact that we were not in charge in other ways as we went to Terry’s home for juice and to collect a book of remembrance that he had found when cleaning out the Engine House which had been recently closed. He showed Sharon a photo of a family reunion taken in 2004 (he had been doing research for the person who sent it to him) and she recognized someone. She immediately texted that person and as a result the connection was made between that photo and the book of remembrance that Terry had asked them to take back to Logan to find its owner.

Are you searching for your ancestors?
1. Check the local opening times of council offices.
2. Bring as much information as possible…full names, dates, addresses.
It does pay also if you can have a person who knows the area.
This article will hopefully help you to show that you can have a successful visit.

The West Family Version of the 17 Miracles – part 1

The following article, contributed by Maryellen West, is a fine example of the excellent job done by local Family History experts.

In 2017 my goal for visiting Wales was to discover Margaret Rowland, the sister of Job Rowland, my great-great grandfather who immigrated to the United States in 1849. I had records that indicated that her husband, Morgan Thomas, had been buried in Pant Cemetery in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales but nothing about her and I was determined to suss out her information.

In March of 2017, my friend Sandra, my two brothers and their wives and I set out for a journey that would take us across the south of England, thru Scotland and straight into our family’s history in Wales.

The day we arrived in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, we went to the Glamorgan history center, and spent a couple of confusing hours trying to determine how to begin our search. At a loss, we decided to pick up a few pamphlets and to go to the Pant cemetery where we were sure we could find the grave of Morgan Thomas, the husband of Margaret Rowland, or at least find someone who could guide us to the grave.

When we arrived, we were stunned having been used to our western American cemeteries of limited size. Pant was huge! Hill upon hill of ancient gravestones in every conceivable condition of disrepair. We all stood in disbelief as we stared at the task before us. We ultimately decided just to walk around a bit as we prayed to be guided in the right direction. After about 30 minutes of wandering we met and determined that this would be a hopeless endeavor and somewhat discouraged we left for dinner.

The next morning, we went to the Ynysfach Engine House (a genealogical repository and information center) in Merthyr to begin our research. It is there where the miracles began as we entered the Engine House and met miracle number one: Terry Jones.

Richard, Joe, Eileen, and I were downstairs learning about the history of the iron industry in town when Sharon and Sandy went upstairs to wander and look for restrooms. There they encountered a gentleman working on a computer and began a conversation with him about our quest. When they mentioned trying to find one grave amongst the 10,000 in Pant Cemetery he realized that we really did need some help. He arranged for us to meet him at the cemetery office across the street where he introduced us to Deb, the keeper of records. Here we not only found Margaret’s grave site number but others who were related and resided next to her. We were able to arrange with her husband, the caretaker of the cemetery, to meet later that day to see the graves.

Miracle number two occurred when we returned to the cemetery and realized that all six of us had previously stood very near the actual site of the graves at some point as we wandered the cemetery. The reason we didn’t see the graves was they were covered entirely by a huge tree that had completely swallowed them. We had photographed the tree because it was so immense and imposing but for no other reason. We returned later to cut away some of the lower branches so that Sharon could crawl inside and read the writing on the headstones and we discovered that we had many more relatives buried in this plot than we realized.

Miracle number three came with a visit to the Colly Ishaf farm upon which Margaret and Morgan Thomas farmed.  It is no longer in the Thomas family, but the current owners allowed us to visit and photograph the place where our family lived. We discovered the name of the farm listed on the back of a photograph found Aunt Mary Miller’s material.

To be continued……