Family Trees

Thursday 4 September 2008

Wigley

New information always seems to come as a surprise, in this case a totally unexpected name - Harriet Wigley - appeared on my screen when I was looking at some photographs taken by Lee Weston at Coedpoeth cemetery. (Harriet Wigley was the wife of John Wigley and mother of Eleanor and Theophilus Wigley).

My grandmother - the young lady of my profile picture - was Edith Davies Williams who was born in Minera, Denbighshire. Edith's mother was Selina Mottershead who was born in Prestbury, Cheshire. Selina's mother was Maria Flint who was christened at Ashover, Derby. Now, this is where the family connection stretches a bit thin; Maria's mother was Sarah Austin of Newington, Surrey and her first husband was Joseph Flint (who she married in 1813 at Newington, Surrey), but her second husband was John Wigley, who she married at Bonsall, Derbyshire, in 1827.

So, is it likely that the family of Coedpoeth - who were Welsh speakers - could be related to my grandmother's family? Early indications, as they say on the lottery, are that this family was living at Pantymwyn, Mold in 1881 and both children had been born in the Holywell registration district (Harriet 1871 and Theophilus 1880) and that they were a lead mining family - plenty of possibilities there for a link with Derbyshire as so many of the Derbyshire miners moved to the Halkyn/Flint/Mold area before moving on to the Llandegla/Bwlchgwyn/Minera mines. Certainly some of the children's christian names are in common with the older generations.

This is where the blog will be useful to me. I have notes of tonight's research on my computer, of course, but I can pick up this research another day at another computer - perhaps at work, perhaps elsewhere - and I have sufficient information to continue where I left off.

Nos da!