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 >