WELCOME TO THE DAVIES FAMILY HISTORY WEBSITE

Ron Davies

The basis of this website is a family history database containing information on over 16,000 individuals. Although this started as a family tree of my direct ancestors, it has expanded to include the descendants of their brothers and sisters, and, in many cases, the ancestors of those who married them. So every individual appearing in the database is connected, but that connection is often as the result of marriage rather than by bloodline. Strictly speaking, then, this is more than one family tree - the reason for the plural title.

The principle families appearing in the database - our main ancestral family lines - had their roots in several different parts of Great Britain. See Geographical Origins under "The Ancestors" in the menu bar above to find out more about the family origins in these different regions.

From the nineteenth century onwards emigration from Britain occurred in most of these families, with the result that living descendants are now to be found all around the world. I have been greatly helped in my research into the family history by first-, second-, and more distant cousins, around the world, who have provided me with photographs, documents and, where they, too, are engaged in genealogical research, the results of their own research efforts. All this has now been incorporated into the database and I am most grateful to all those who have contributed over the years. Some cousins have their own websites and I provide links to them where appropriate. See 'Other Closely Connected Websites' on this page.

The website uses kiwitrees, a derivative of the leading open-source genealogical software package webtrees, to provide access to the Family History Database. Using kiwitrees, you may access this data in a variety of ways, and produce lists, charts and reports, and members of the extended family who have user accounts may also download information in GEDCOM or other formats for inclusion in their own Family History files. Access to information on the living is restricted to members of the extended family, who may request a user account.

WHAT'S NEW

Several of us decided to devote some of the extra time at home that 'lockdown' imposed to Family History activity, and some of the results of this are now included on the website. For my part, I found myself working through the many parish register images that have been added recently by Find My Past, and as a result adding over 500 new baptism, marriage and burial register images to the records of individuals on the database. Too many to list but check your direct line if you haven't done so recently and you may find some of the additions.  Others have used the time to document the results of their research and offered the resulting 'stories' to me for inclusion on the website. The What's New? section has details of those added in the last twelve months. The latest of these comes from Beth Edwards, a descendant of Elizabeth POWELL and William PREES of Coed Iarll in Cadoxton-Neath, whose article 'Unpacking a Family Story' is now included in the narrative material provided under the main menu item 'The Ancestors'. Thank-you Beth! This type of material adds so much to the BMD 'bare bones' of family history and helps to 'bring the ancestors to life' so please let me have your stories and family accounts and I shall include them. Also just added, for the benefit of registered users of this website, when logged-in, a super account of the life and times of a branch of the DAVIES Family in the USA - the family of cousin Clifford Davies, following their emigration to the USA in 1955. This thanks to one of Clifford's sons, Phillip - many thanks Phil! I have also just added another account relating to the DAVIES Family in the USA. This time the subject is Joyce Hilda Davies, produced by her son Evan Flaschen, who has also provided Flaschen Family History details which I have included as a 'story' on the individual page for his father Steward Samuel Flaschen. Many thanks Evan!

Please note that although I am aiming to expand and improve the amount of narrative information that supports and supplements the database content,  I am no longer actively researching the family history and have effectively frozen the database in the state that you now find it. That said, please let me know if you spot any errors or believe there are 'gaps' which should be filled, and I shall be happy to react accordingly.

Thank you for visiting the site. I hope you will find it useful and informative. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please don't hesitate to contact me using the 'contact us' link which appears at the bottom of every page.

OTHER CLOSELY CONNECTED WEBSITES

There are a number of other Family History websites using similar software to this site (kiwitrees, webtrees or PhpGedView), and having links to our extended family tree:

GLAMORGAN LOVELUCK WEBSITE

The LOVELUCK family of Glamorgan is linked to our DAVIES and POWELL families through a number of different marriages. The Glamorgan LOVELUCKs have been extensively researched by James Loveluck of Meylan in France, and he has made them the subject of a very impressive website. James now also uses kiwitrees for his database section, so you may SEARCH THE GLAMORGAN LOVELUCK FAMILY DATABASE in just the same way as you can search the database on this site. James and I are attempting to coordinate our efforts and at many points in this website you will find direct links to individuals and families on James' website for whom he holds more comprehensive data than I do; similarly, on James' site you will find links to individuals and families on mine.

HARVEY FAMILY HISTORY WEBSITE

The HARVEY family of Wivenhoe in Essex, were a family of shipbuilders, some of whom emigrated to Melbourne, Australia. Our CHESSELL cousins' great grandfather Charles Bartholomew CHESSELL was also a shipbuilder who emigrated to Melbourne, Australia. Not surprising then that Charles' eldest son Charles married a HARVEY - Mary Ann HARVEY. Their son David Lawford CHESSELL married my father's sister Annie DAVIES. It was in checking out this connection a few years ago that I discovered the website of Ray HARVEY, the database section of which used PhpGedView, and subsequently webtrees. Sadly, Ray died in 2008, but his grandson Leigh, although not a geanealogist, has tried to keep Ray's site, with it's 21,000 individual database, up and running in memory of his father. You can  SEARCH THE HARVEY FAMILY DATABASE here. 

CUMBERLAND GRAHAM WEBSITE

The GRAHAM family who were the ancestors of Joan Dunmore, originally of Hexham, Northumberland, have several links to our Cumberland BROUGH family, in particular via the SPARK family of Edderside, Holme Cultram. Joan's Graham Family Genealogy Website also uses Webtrees so you may SEARCH THE GRAHAM FAMILY DATABASE in just the same way as you can search the database on this site.