Hi List I need some help on my family name of NEKREWS, to solve once and for all the origins of the name. We know the name first appears In the late 1700's although the first NEKREWS probably arrived a little earlier. Does any one know the countries that traded In Swansea at the time? And the most likely cargo, I know coal will feature strongly. An accepted theory In the family Is that he was probably a Greek sailor,but researching around the name with slight variations suggests a Baltic country. The one remaining problem Is would a sailor from abroad have named all his children with what were at the time English names William, Thomas etc.. I don't know If I should cook Kleftico or Goulash.. Any suggestions welcome... Carol --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.323 / Virus Database: 180 - Release Date: 2/8/02
The answer is probably pitwood. The deep mining industry needed lots of cheap softwood for pitprops, and of course building the houses for a rapidly-expanding population all over the mining valleys and the coal ports also needed timber. Norway and Sweden were important suppliers - hence the Norwegian churches in Cardiff and Swansea docks - but other Baltic countries may have been involved, and of course sailors can join a ship in one port, not necessarily their home, and leave it in another. Swansea has a lot of names of Scandinavian origin - Olsen, Nielsen, Pedersen, Knutsen and so on, and among the Norwegians in Cardiff were Roald Dahl's family. Swansea also had a metal-extracting industry in the Swansea valley which meant specialist German workers came in to install and run Siemens and other processes, so there are German names that go back over a hundred years too. It looks as if my great-great-grandfather collected a new crew member for his coasting vessel in Cornwall in the 1860s and discharged him in Swansea, who went on to establish a dynasty still in Swansea now. As it is someone else's family I won't give a name, but the ship's crew list said he was from Malta, whereas in later years he said he was from Sicily. Jeff ----- Original Message ----- From: mlamb <mlamb@blueyonder.co.uk> To: <WLS-SWANSEA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, February 15, 2002 3:18 AM Subject: [Swansea] Greek or Russian......NEKREWS > Hi List > I need some help on my family name of NEKREWS, to solve once and for all the origins of the name. > We know the name first appears In the late 1700's although the first NEKREWS probably arrived a little earlier. > Does any one know the countries that traded In Swansea at the time? > And the most likely cargo, I know coal will feature strongly. > An accepted theory In the family Is that he was probably a Greek sailor,but researching around the name with slight variations suggests a Baltic country. > The one remaining problem Is would a sailor from abroad have named all his children with what were at the time English names William, Thomas etc.. > I don't know If I should cook Kleftico or Goulash.. > Any suggestions welcome... > Carol > > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.323 / Virus Database: 180 - Release Date: 2/8/02 >