I have looked at the index to marriages at St John's Aberdare published by Glamorgan Family History Society. The date of the marriage is given as 21 November 1818, so it should be in one of the new-style marriage registers brought in in 1813. The Glamorgan FHS index shows that they were recorded as 'both of this parish'. It is likely that the two witnesses will be listed. The register would appear to be held at Glamorgan Archives, Cardiff but there may be a copy at Aberdare Library. If you are not a member of Glamorgan FHS you may wish to join to get access to research help. the Cynon Valley branch covering Aberdare has quite a lot of records not all of which are widely available. I expect you already know that a large proportion of Aberdare records are on the excellent FREE web site FreeReg www.freereg.org.uk including this marriage. However the witnesses are not listed in this case. It shows that he was a bachelor and she a spinster. If you do a search on FreeReg for all ARNOLD baptisms in Glamorgan you will find a surprising number, back to the 1600s, mainly in lowland agricultural parishes in the south and west of the County. FreeReg baptisms for Arnold include a number of baptisms of your couple's children at Trecynon-Hen Dy Cwrdd, Aberdare, which indicates that they were nonconformists who presumably married in the parish church only because the law required them to. Sometimes Jennet is recorded as Shoned, maybe nearer to the Welsh pronunciation. Nonconformists (Dissenters) were unlikely to have baptised their children in parish churches, but you might find 1790s baptisms in the nonconformist registers deposited at the GRO in 1837. As for Llanwonno, the earliest ARNOLD baptism was William, son of William ARNOLD on 30th August 1801. There are also burials at Llanwonno of William aged 76 on 25 April 1833 and Ann age 66 on 3 November 1833, who might perhaps be the parents of the child mentioned above ( and possibly of other ARNOLDs born in Llanwonno) Both were buried from the 'Upper Workhouse' so workhouse or parish vestry records, if surviving, might tell you more. [Maybe not the same, as William ARNOLD married Anne WILLIAM at Llanwonno 11May 1805. He was a bachelor, she a spinster. That might have been a younger man.] William age 76 in 1833 would seem to have been born around 1756. There is a baptism of a William on 21 Apr 1754 in St. Donat's, father David ARNOLD. [not clear which of the two St Donat's parishes this is.] Also buried at Llanwonno was William son of William Thomas ARNOLD, age 25, on 30th May 1817, who might perhaps be the child baptised in 1801. You may have to think laterally and search all occurrences of a surname in the right time and place, and work on the possibility that William son of David may then have named his son David, even if you don't have solid evidence. Why should there be migration from fertile lowland parishes to hill-farming upland parishes like Llanwonno and Aberdare. Better pay as coal miners or iron workers than as agricultural labourers, I suspect. Best of luck with your search. Jeff ----- Original Message ----- From: "Colete Morlock via" <glamorgan@rootsweb.com> To: <glamorgan@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2015 6:30 PM Subject: [GLA] Two Questions > 1. Can anyone tell me what information would have been shown on the > Marriage Records? David Arnold/Jennet Jenkin show up on the "Glamorgan > Marriage Index, pre 1837" on Find My Past. > > 2. Also, since we can't find the birth record for David Arnold ( abt 1793 > in Llanwonno, Glamorgan, Wales), did it ever occur that a birth would not > have been recorded until years later? The only way I know the approximate > birth year is from the 1851 and 1861 Census. > > Thanks! > > Colete