Round Two

       The second encounter of Tudor Trevor (JC-1) and his wife Angharad (JC-2) that came to my attention was from a most helpful and enjoyable Welsh genealogical text by Nicholas. It consists of two volumes and organized by the counties of Wales. It gives all sorts of historical information about each county. Also, there are many family trees from each county as it stood in 1875. In this text, on page 451 is the account as given. 

      Now, to give a big picture of this context, and content, is a copy of the full text with all my scribblings included. It may be difficult to read but, you will get the gist of my encounter.  You can see the genealogical information. 

      You will note that the heading is "County Families Of  Flintshire" and , by golly this is the same geographic area of my Celtic ancestors the Deceangli. [See post titled "Yet To Be Called" January 3rd. 2023] Not only that, the name Tudor Trevor is found predominately in the two counties of  Denbighshire, pages 365-420, and Flintshire, pages 421-457. Lots of families with the Jones surname are also found among these pages. Just so Nicholas gets all the credit for his tremendous work, here is a copy of the front page of his book volume one.

      There were many, many more rounds yet to come. This was only round two.
 

Tudor Trevor (JC-1)

      The name Tudor Trevor (JC-1) and his wife Anghard (JC-2) have received a great deal of attention among those who do their Welsh genealogy.  His name especially has dotted the pages of many family trees and, occupies a special place among the documents of our family heritage. The first he came to light was tree climbing out my Jones surname branches from Virginia (USA) trying to swim across that great pond to England. Little did I know what windows of history awaited to be opened. 

      A book titled Virginia Heraldica, Being A Registry of Virgina Gentry Entitled to Coat Armor, with Genealogical Notes of The Families, Edited by William Armstrong Crozier, first published 1908, was a major catalyst. Sounds impressive, no?  Several with the surname Jones were listed p.26, p.46 , and p.51. At that time, a couple of individuals were an option for my direct line of descent, one being named Cadwallader Jones of Pewmansend Creek (1673). What a name I thought, could not even imagine how to pronounce it! Be that as it may, believe it or not, a Cadwallader Jones family was listed by Crozier p. 51 and, the arms given was: Per bend sinister ermine and ermines, a lion rampant or a bordure engrailed of the last. Wow, lots to learn here among all these terms. 

      Now Burke had just gotten on my bookshelf, and I wondered if this might help bridge the great pond. Sure enough, on p. 1035 a Tudor Trevor [did not have my coding system yet of course JC-1 was not here] was found with an arms: Per bend sinister erm. and ermines a lion ramp. or.  Close enough to open a few new windows here. A copy of this discovery from Burke p. 1035.follows:

      He is described as "Lord of Hereford, Whittington, and Both Maelors, Founder of the Tribe of the Marches". Well, what about that, and there is much, much more about this discovery.

      P.S. The book by Burke is discussed in a previous post titled "References", April 9, 2023. The book by Crozier was first published 1908. The Southern Book Co. reprinted it 1953, the Genealogical Publishing Co. 1965, and the Clearfield Company, Inc. 2000. Hum..., it has been around a good while all before the computer world.

      Cadwallader Jones of Pewmansend Creek was first noted in Cavaliers and Pioneers, by Nugent, Vol. II, 1666-1695, p. 139. But, as one often says, that's another story. 

An Ancestor's Heritage

       A nation's cultural and historical heritage can be developed by a variety of sources. Many reruns of a 1989 film titled, "Field of Dreams", has been classified as one such source for my American heritage. Its premise was, "If you build it, they will come". 

      For my Welsh ancestor's heritage, one premise might have been, "If you come, they will build it." Such was one of the cultural developments generated during the monistic movement among my Welsh kindred.  One only has to view any present day map or, to examine any gazetteer of Welsh place-names, to understand this premise. This was explained in the post dated November 28, 2022 titled, "Llan". The meaning and wide distribution of this word was examined.  It was noted that the term "Llan" was often attached to the name of the individual who had recognized the value of the monk and his teaching. This elder of the clan would provide an enclosed space and a home base for the monk. Thus, a church was established upon the family's land and, it became known as a church (Llan) upon the donor's name say (Carfan) as "Llancarfan". A classic Welsh text titled An Historical Atlas of Wales From Early To Modern Times by William Rees states on page 22: "The monastery with its revenue became the hereditary property of the family of the founder, one or other member usually exercised the priestly office". 

      The recounting of this information is given to help explain the significance that this cultural heritage had on the ability to complete my own Jones surname genealogy. Many times a brick wall was faced, and understanding this premise helped connect many ancestors to the family tree. Even beginning as far back as Ynyr frych (JC-3), the brother of Tudor Trevor (JC-1), and their mother Rhiengar (JB-2), the labels and descriptors attached to each individual are better understood. For example the word "frych" can be translated "younger" thus, Ynyr frych (JC-3) is most likely the little brother of Tudor Trevor (JC-1) and the son of Ynry (JB-1). He is described as "Abbot of Dore Abbey, in the Golden Valley, Herefordshire" in Dwnn, Vol. II, p. 307, and footnote 3. This helps connect his mother (JB-2) who is described as "Heir" to Hereford. The family connection is better understood recognizing the premise of hereditary property. Many times the question of how did Ynyr frych (JC-3) end up as Abbot in Hereford was asked? This Abbey is some distance south from the Vale of Dee, and how was this connected to the top of my family tree? Anyway, this premise worked for me.

      Now allow me to rerun the top of my Jones surname family tree through the window of my ancestor's heritage.

   P.S. In today's Welsh, Abbey Dore is written Abaty Deur and in the day of Dwnn (1846) it was written Abad Dor. You can now understand the cultural heritage of Ynyr frych (JC-3) is through his mother, Rhiengar (JB-2), and why he ended up at Hereford.

This Day

       A second set of documents that even raised the level of my amazement, were written during the same time frame as the Anglo-Saxion Chronicles described in the last post. Instead of a chronology of events, they were charters that documented land grants, deeds, special agreements, and the like, that were being recorded for all to read and acknowledge. They were called charters, and they contained a description of the agreements that were being witnessed and the location of the event. Well, believe it or not, on the 28th of May, 934 A.D., at Winchester, King Athelstan gave to Aelfwald, minister, 12 hides of land. There were 88 folks who signed this donation with 2 archbishops, 17 "episcopus", 4 "abbas", 12 "dux", and 49 ministers. Four "subregulus" also gave their consent, and "Ego Howael" [Hywel Dda] along with "Ego Teowdor" [Tudor Trevor (JC-1)] were signees. The following is my copy from Anglo-Saxon.net S 425, 10/30/2008. Hywel is outlined in orange and, Tudor Trevor (JC-1) is outlined in blue.

      The text is written in "church" Latin mixed with some vernacular. The spellings certainly differ from the Welsh and, for the longest time it was difficult to identify the person most likely signing this document. One other individual who was a possible fit to "Teowdor", instead of our boy, was named Tewdwr ap Elise who fl 925 A.D. and, was from the district of Brycheiniog [South Wales near Gwent]. Now I had to laugh when Ashley in his book titled British Kings & Queens on page 159 stated that this Tewdwr had stolen funds due to the church. Thus, it seemed highly improbable he would be part of this group of ministers shown below.

      The source of my copy is shown right above this sentence and, the original is given to be in the "Archive Canterbury, Christ Church". Tudor Trevor (JC-1) it is with his father-in-law this day.

Riding The Fence

      Amazement, wonder, and gratitude are things that continue to motivate me as this tree climbing experience opens many windows to past generations. Starting from around 800 A.D., is no small vista. Original documents from the same time period being explored provide assurance that your not climbing out the wrong tree limb. For Tudor Trevor (JC-1), son-in-law to Hywel Dda, documents exist that were recorded during their lifetime. But first, let me give you some context. The following cover is one set of these types of documents.

      The Anglo-Saxons certainly had a bit to say during the lifetime of both of these fellows listed above.  On page 119 of this text, translated and collated by Anne Savage, The date stated is 927 A.D., and it is recorded: "...King Aethelstan received the kingdom of Northumbria, and all the kings on this island were brought under his rule: first Hywel, king of the West Welsh; Constantine, king of the Scots, Uwen, king of the people of Gwent...".

      Under the rule of the Saxons since 927 A.D. is clearly the context for the son-in-law of Hywel Dda, Tudor Trevor (JC-1). The formal word for this rule is suzerainty, meaning overlordship but, it still allowed for each vassal state to have authority over its own internal affairs. It would likely be during this time frame that Tudor (JC-1) married Anghard (JC-2) and began their own family located geographical between the Welsh and Saxons. Welsh Maelor was northwest and, the English Maelor was southeast. Riding the fence even at this early date for my Jones surname family, somehow, was to continue as an exercise for generations yet to be.  

P.S. Mike Ashley in his book British Kings & Queens page 472 states that Athelstan was "King of the English, 17 July 924-27 October 939." [see post dated 20th February, 2022] The book cover shown above is from Savage, A., The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, Crescent Books, N.Y., 1995. 

                       

Place of Birth

       The grandson of Cadforch (JA-1) and, the son of Ynyr (JB-1), is perhaps the most well known and well recognized of all the family members at this top of my Jones family tree. His name is fairly different since he has been called by two names placed together before there are any descriptors listed. He is named from his place of birth, and then any additional labels follow. He is one of the few fellas that follow this pattern among the many different surnames that are connected. His place of birth was Trevor (Vale of Dee) and, his given name was Tudor. Put together, he became known through the pages of history as Tudor Trevor. Using the coding system being followed he would be JC-1. It is the third generation down the branches which is a little surprising since he is usually identified as the founder of the tribe. Much has been written and, still will be written, perhaps because he was married to the daughter of the much more famous and world renowned Hywel Dda. Her name was Anghard (JC-2) and she is usually not listed among the many writers of Hywel Dda's story.

        Rhiengar(JB-2) the mother of Tudor Trevor (JC-1), had a second son named Ynyr Frych Abador (JC-3) who is rarely listed among this generation of folks and, was certainly a surprise when discovered. He carries that ancient Celtic name (Ynyr) from his father, and inherited his future position through his mother Rhiengar (JB-2) a heir to Hereford. You can imagine the number of research notebooks that document this generation. But, let's start at the place of birth, Trevor.

      A good place to start was to ask did this place, Trevor, actually exist? Well, after digging around, this map was found dated 4/24/05:

      The location of Trevor is shown in the middle of this map. there is also listed a Garth Trevor, Trevor Hall, and Trevor Tower noted by the yellow color. Now, the following map helps place this area with a little more geographic information with the river Dee shown outlined in blue.

      The river Dee runs along the southern border of Trevor which indicates the Vale of Dee. Well how about that, right smack in Maelor the homeland of Dad (JB-1) and Grandpa (JA-1).

On Documentation

      Before moving on down the family tree, a few words regarding the documentation seems appropriate. Several genetic genealogist have contacted me wanting to know what evidence there is to prove the assertions being claimed regarding my Jones surname family tree. What an essential question to any genealogist or genetic genealogist. What proof do you have to show the individuals you name actually existed, and belong in your kindred group? This information which was collected during, and following many, many years of tree climbing and, much of this proof and documentation, has been collected, organized and stored in a series of research notebooks. This research as been outlined in a blog. The title of the blog is:

                                        "The Jones Genealogist Research Notebooks"

                                         (https://tjgresearchnotebooks.blogspot.com) 

      This blog was started July 6th, 2012, and gives the content (proof) by subject, topic, surname, and individual/etc. Each notebook generally contains the same information/references on a related topic or surname. The notebooks are numbered and identified as RN# [Research Notebook #] from #1 to #275. The contents that each notebook contains by subject is given. The whole blog can be searched by subject using the search engine found above the right column of each post. The research contained to my Jones surname family tree can be discovered here. Give it a try. The following picture shows the beginning string of notebooks starting RN #1.

P.S. there are 274 total notebooks. A bit of my tree climbing results are here.

Words

       Life's navigation is often assisted by labels. Stop/Go, On/Off, Push/Pull, Fire Escape, Sale, and the many other words that affect the selections we make. During my childhood days in the 1950s, a common emotional self-defense was "Sticks and stones may break my bones but, words will never hurt me". This was often not the case, but you could still vacate the scene with your pride intact. Likewise, one word frequently discussed in my Church going clan was the word Lord. Now this word was not to be used in vain, but respectfully used in songs and sermons. You can certainly imagine what impact the use of this word "Lord of both Maelors, Oswestry, and Whittingham" would have on my Spiritual bones. Say what! My ancestors labeled as Lord? Blasphemy! 

      A few family tree branches were broken as my genealogy hunts expanded. How was this word (Lord) being used so many years in the past? There must be some explanation in the fields of time. Here is what was discovered.

      The word lord is derived from the French half and the Old English hlaford, both meaning loaf. Now my frequently used and, frequently abused Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary p. 674 adds "+ weard keeper". What? another word to understand?  Interestingly, HYWEL DDA THE LAW p. 113 writes:

"A mill and a weir and an orchard are called the three precious things of a kindred, and there is no right to share these or to alienate them, but their fruits are shared to those who are entitled to them."

      Wow, a weir (in Welsh Cored) is a fishing place. My old faithful dictionary p.1319 gives:

                               "a fence or enclosure set in a waterway for taking fish"

      Unbelievable, loaves and fish! Sounds like one of those miracles to me. [book of Matthew 14:15-20] Let's see now. A Lord is the one who is responsible for putting food on the table. Hum...Lord of both Maelors, Oswestry, and Whittington gives a new concept to my spiritual bones. There would be lots of food needed here.

      P.S. A well written and very helpful reference titled "THE ROOTS OF LANGUAGE"--"How modern speech evolved from a single, ancient source" U.S. News & World Report, November 5, 1990. The discussion of the Proto-Indo-European root starts page 60 and goes to page 70. Must be from the maternal side for it is titled "The Mother Tongue".

References

      The genealogical notes to Ynyr(JB-1) and Rhiengar(JB-2) are: 

Dwnn, L. (Ed.) Meyrick, S.R., Heraldic Visitations Of Wales and Part of the Marches Between The Years 1586 and 1613, Longman & Co., London, Vol II, p. 307, first published 1846.

Nicholas, T., Annals and Antiquities of The Counties and County Families Of Wales, London, Vol II, p. 354, first published 1872.

Burke, B., The General Armory Of England, Scotland, Ireland And Wales; Comprising A Registry Of Armorial Bearings From The Earliest To The Present Time., Harrison, London, p. 1035, first published 1884.

      The books are discussed in prior post 20th March, 2023 for Dwnn. For Nicholas and Burke see post of 27th February 2023 and 26th March, 2023. This information is given for the harden genealogist out there who want to see for themselves the documentation. Not sure that many of us still remain above ground.

Foundations

       Roots are a foundation to all trees that help them stand against the many winds that blow across their paths. Likewise, ancestors are the roots of the many generations that helped the family trees survive the winds {some might say hurricanes} of time. For my own Jones surname family tree, these roots begin as geographic locations. As discussed in the last post, these roots were described by labels attached to the names of those identified. [Listed as the second generation (JB)] These labels are shown again in a somewhat different light since understanding the geographic locations are paramount to finding and clarifying many of my Jones surname ancestors. 

      Both Maelors are shown outlined in red. Note that the river Dee (colored blue) divides these locations down the middle with the NW side labeled Welsh and, the SE side tagged English. Also, remember in the last post, Offa's dyke runs north to south forming a distinct boarder between the Welsh and the Saxons. Due south the locations of Whittington and Oswestry are shown in relationship to Maelor. Both locations are east of Offa's dyke which would place them under Saxon influence.  How much more complicated can one get? 

      Now for the big, big, picture...drum roll please...

      This figure reminds everyone the real Celtic roots that Ynyr(JB-1) is given his name. Place the first drawing over the second and, the two Celtic tribes that occupied the Maelors, Whittington and Oswestry are the Deceangli (Welsh Maelor) and the Cornovii (English Maelor). What a deal!

A Descriptor

       At the day of birth, the name given to the next male in line of descent, must have been made with some reasons in mind. Ynyr (JB-2) was certainly an old and perhaps special Celtic name. From this point on down the family tree [down from the top], many individuals discovered have a special label attached to the name. For example; George, "the red head"; Pete, "the very short one"; or Charles, "who was born in Iowa", are given to describe a special characteristic or item of interest to distinguish the individual. For our Ynyr (JB-1) it was "Lord of Both Maelors, Oswestry, and Whittington". For his wife named Rhiengar (JB-2), her label was "Heir to Hereford". Now the Welsh laws are yet to be collected and written, but when written (see post of April 4, 2022) the following is given: "If an owner of land has no other heir than a daughter, the daughter will be heir of all the land". (p. 107) Thus Rhiengar (JB-2) must have been the only remaining child of her family. The tag following our Ynyr (JB-1) names several geographic locations which are shown in the following:

      The locations named are shown in relationship to Offa's Dyke. Most of the sites are east of the dyke and must represent the kindred's family origin. Riding the fence between two distinct cultures (Saxon and Welsh) continues to demonstrate itself down the various branches of my Jones family tree. Many descriptors are yet to come.