Tuesday 19 August 2008

Welsh Ancestors

I'm going to visit a friend in Swansea at the weekend and then am going on to Aberystwyth, where I went to university. As you can imagine, I'm looking forward to it, although hoping that the weather will improve!

I'm also a little excited as I might finally get to do some real digging into my Welsh ancestors. Names make this far trickier than nearly all of my English lines, so I don't know if I'll manage to get any further, but at least I can try.

I'm not going to drag my poor friend around cemeteries again (at least, I'm not planning to!) but I will visit the new Swansea central library and archive and try looking things up in the newspaper archives there.

I might get to have another look around the cemetery in Glais and Pontardawe before I travel on to Aber on the Weds or maybe meet my long-lost relatives (living ones). If it's not tipping it down like today.

When in Aber, I'm going to the National Library of Wales. I haven't been since 2000 and this is the first time for family history. I've registered online and looking forward to it. But this will finally give me a chance to explore parish records and some other sources for the Welsh side. I don't know whether or not I'll get any answers, though.

Another friend is meeting me there (she wants to go to the library, too, so that's all right) and I also hope to see another sunset from Consti to see me through my exile. Maybe we'll drive down the coast to Aberaeron? As long as we include some bookshop hunting and go to St Mikes, we'll both be happy anyway.

I might finally have some actual pretty pictures to post here.

Tuesday 12 August 2008

Little Family Reunion

I've just read my last entry and laughed. Yes, well, I did disappear elsewhere and waffle about other things. Whaddyaknow?

However, I've also had a little family reunion (and not just because my parents came to visit) as my Dad and I managed to meet up with his cousin. They hadn't seen each other for over 20 years.

Anyway, it was fun; we had a lovely time and Dad might even see them again in the West Country next year.

And it mostly came about because his cousin and I discovered we were both doing the family tree and got in touch that way. So family history has its uses!