Village Life - Aberkenfig and Sheilagh's Thoughts...

This is a place for stray thoughts and musings on and from my home village after thirty-odd yearsaway.

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Location: Bridgend, Wales, United Kingdom

I have recently moved back to Aberkenfig, my home village and have decided to write about it. I have a mixed Welsh, English and Maltese heritage and have spent some time (decades!)in Cardiff. I gave up fulltime work to go part-time and write. I am a mediator, trainer, facilitator, advocate and consultant and also do regular work with adults with learning disabilities - and love doing so. What else? I'm a very contented feminist living a pleasant life back in the village...

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Family History: My father's family

Several years ago I asked my Auntie Gladys (Dad's sister) about her family and wrote this based on what she said and bits I knew. The stuff about my grandparents is based on what my Gran told Gladys:

 
Alice Maud Llewellyn and Hubert Gunston were my paternal grandparents

Hubert was from Gloucester and ran away when he was 13. He went to sea and lied about his age. He had brother Ernie who was a postman.
Hubert was known as ‘Fiery Bert’ and was small but fierce.

Bert took lodgings with May Pullman in Llanelli.

Alice Llewellyn was from Llanelli and told her daughter Gladys that she dreamt of a man with brass buttons and a twirly moustache and it seemed that that is what she got!

Alice had brother Will who was a blacksmith. Brother Dai was lay preacher and sister Emmy was tailoress.

Bert  was possibly a wagon repair man. He was with Steelworks and may have been an inspector. Bert quarrelled a lot.

Bert and Alice moved on to Swansea, then Aberkenfig.
Lived at no. 31 or 21 the moved to 11 Dunraven Street.
Their children were:
Florence May
Harold William
Ernest Reginald (my father)
Gladys Elizabeth

Florrie’s children were Shirley, Rita and Jeanette:
Shirley married Ken and their children were Julie, Steve and David
Rita married Cliff and had Wakely, Guy and Victoria
Jeanette married Ian and their children were  Graham, Richard and Stuart

Harold and Gladys never married nor had children.

Ernest (my father) married Daria Molinari and had three children: Diane, Sheilagh and Irene.

The top picture is my maternal Grandmother with Harold as a baby. Harold was (we thought) the eldest, but apparently not. Because I've been writing  about Aberkenfig and came across the 1911 census website I decided to check out the family presence in 1911
I knew my Grandparents were living here and found them as expected - but also what would have been my uncle - named Bert after his father -  born in 1910! He didn't survive to overlap with my father and known siblings as far as I am aware - but what a surprise. Of couse child mortality was high in those days. I know that my Molinari grandparents lost a little girl - Emily - but didn't know about a lost Gunston...


This is the link for census: 

 The second picture is my father (sat on the right)  looking amazingly cool when having your photo taken was an event!
  



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