We have very many visitors to the Heritage Museum and Garden from all over the British Isle as well as overseas. Some just to find out about our history and to pay their respects to our past and there are those whose families originally lived in the Aber Valley during the early 1900’s and they find their way to the Heritage Museum to see if we can help them research their past.
This week we had a visit from Father and Son, Anthony and Nick Williams from Dorset and London respectively trying to trace their family tree. It all started in the early 1900’s with an Senghenydd ancestor, Mary who married firstly a David Davies, then after becoming widowed married a William Williams!! They knew that the sons of Mary, Fred and Morgan, who were stepbrothers, both ran Household Stores, one in Abertridwr and the other in Senghenydd! After explaining all this to us we realised that we actually knew of Fred Williams and the Household Stores in Senghenydd and that his son Peter lived in Abertridwr. We contacted Peter, explained the situation and within the hour he arrived at the Heritage Museum with all his memorabilia which linked the family together. It was a very satisfying visit and the families were reconnected one more. Anthony and Peter were cousins (from three generations ago) and had a lot of family matters to discuss. It was a journey of discovery for them all.
They left the Museum to visit Eglwysilan to search for the grave of Mary, their great great great grandmother and both her husbands. Anthony and Nick had no idea when they visited the Garden and then to the Museum that we could assist them in tracing their ancestors!
Come and visit us at both the Heritage Museum and the Garden of Remembrance.