Dear Doris, The Welsh Newspapers are available freely online. http://www.llgc.org.uk/digitisation Some of them are in Welsh, but you will be able to get over this if you do not know the language as even Google translation will give you the gist of what is meant. Other newspapers are available such as The British Library Newspaper Library are to be found http://www.britishpapers.co.uk/ paid subscription or on ancestry or/FMP Cannot check at present. Jill -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 21 September 2013 18:32 To: Jill Muir Cc: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: Re: [GLA] Records of employment in South Wales collieries - Rhondda and Aberdare Valleys Jill, Where can those newspapers be accessed? Thanks, doris > Dear Huw, > I learnt a lot from your message, thank you. > > One thing you could have added to the list 1905-58 was the Monumental > Inscriptions of those churches and chapels not forgetting the > cemeteries, that have been transcribed and published. Newspaper > accounts, in particular when there was a large accident and the men > who died are named. Obituaries in plenty, and loads of incidents > regarding wife and husband abuse, marriages etc., The Obituaries are > wonderful, because usually they name so many people, relatives and > friends and the Rhondda, Merthyr and Rhymney papers are full of these, > and I am pretty sure that the other areas report in the same way. > > Although men did, as you say Huw, walk many miles to a pit, I thought > about my own mining ancestors in the Rhondda, and all from some of > their arrival to the area because of the coal industry in the Rhondda > down to my father and his brother, worked in pits which were close to > their home. > > Jill > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] > On Behalf Of Huw Daniel > Sent: 21 September 2013 10:49 > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [GLA] Records of employment in South Wales collieries - > Rhondda and Aberdare Valleys > > Hi Ray, > There is no on-line or indeed any particular off-line > resource of employment records of South Wales Collieries and apologies > if this is going to sound like me building a series of brick walls in > your quest to find your ancestors record of employment:-) > > The main reason would be the systematic destruction of records prior > to vesting day in 1947, but also the natural demise of many collieries > before that date saw the destruction of their records, not that we > have come across any formal "employment" records as we would probably > recognise them today from a modern company. > > There is, as always, some hope but lies mainly with a great deal of > luck as to what records have survived and those that have are still > very much piecemeal. > > One of your main hurdles may well be establishing just what colliery > or more likely collieries your ancestor would have worked, it wasn`t > unusual for miners to walk many miles to and from work, including over > the surrounding mountains to neighbouring valleys, for many reasons, > but better paid work and being black-listed in their own valley > collieries probably the most common. > > Then throw into the pot the fact that within a small geographic region > he would have had the "choice" of several collieries and the task does > sometimes seem insurmountable! > > However to finish on a positive note, there is hope, particularly with > local history societies if your ancestors area is covered by one. > > In our small area, the 2 mile long Ogmore Valley, between 1865 and > 1983 we have seen 14 collieries come and go.......The records that > have survived that we have possession of and which would have been > available for many collieries dependant on the time they were > operating and of course whether they have survived..... > > 1905 - Contracts Book (every worker signed daily) Ocean Western > Colliery > 1907 to 1918 - Wyndham Colliery Supplementary Relief Fund > 1913 to 1916 Medical Aid society subscriotions, 2nd Rhondda Main Colliery. > 1934 to 1939 Ocean Colliery Company Magazine (Full set in British > Library) > 1938 to 1939 - Banksman`s dispute, Wyndham Colliery. > 1958 - Accident book, Ocean Western Colliery > > Not a lot for 118 years worth of coal mining involving many thousands > of men and boys, and there are other records where you "may" glean > some information which include but is not limited to: > > > School Admission Records - depends on the diligence of the head and > whether > they have survived. > Parish Records - again depends on the didligence of the incumbent. > Ian Winstanley`s Mining Death CDs - They are some non fatal records > included. > Chapel histories. > Local Undertakers records. > trade Directories (for managers and under managers) Local press - > Particularly around the dates of any disputes in the collieries, of which > there were many! > > Regards, > > Huw > Secretary, OVLH&HS > www.ovlhs.co.uk > http://moodle.bridgend.gov.uk/ydderwen/course/view.php?id=210 > http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003187444024 > @YDderwenPTA > > > -- > > To send to the list send to [email protected] > GLAMORGAN Family History Mailing List archives etc. are at > http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/WLS/GLAMORGAN.html > - > This site has been prepared to help you use the Glamorgan List > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~glamorgan/ > - > A large amount of information, and a wide variety of useful links, may be > found at http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/GLA/ > > - > The South/West Wales Lookup Exchange and Gareth's Help Pages > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~walesle/wal/AW.html and > http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ukwales2/hicks.html > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >