Lionel: Although you may be correct in your assumption that YOUR family came from Wales, that is not necessarily so for ALL Thomas families. We can trace Thomas family origins to England, Scotland, Spain, Germany, France, etc., etc. Almost every country has a Thomas family, but the name may be spelled a little different according to the country of origin. I have a theory, that when last names were becoming the norm, many families adopted the name of Thomas because of the Saint by that name, which is almost like taking the name of their trade as a last name, i.e., carpenter, carter, baker, etc. >From the names you posted, Griffiths, Owen, DAvid, Megwyn, Gwynneth and Evan, are all strong Welsh names early, like 1500s, 1600s. But by the years you have given, those same names could well be used in other places. The new technology of DNA testing is fast becoming a very good tool and is throwing many of our basic beliefs of origin out of kilter. I recommend either reading the book, or viewing the video of "The Journey of Man", as a very good means of understanding just a little of this new technology. Although my husband's family tradition is that the original U. S. immigrant came from Wales, we can find nothing about this in records, (nor very little about him, period) but my husband's DNA matches perfectly with a man who can trace his tree back to Robert the Bruce of Scotland. Close you say, in proximity of the country! Perhaps, but look to the above mentioned book/video to see where the people who settled England REALLY came from. Very interesting. Daisy Thomas