Williams, Roderick - new research

Roderick Williams alias Powell,

Elinor Jeffreys

and

Elizabeth Evans

      Roderick Williams alias Powell was my fourth great grandfather. He married Elinor Jeffreys in 1753 and Elizabeth Evans in 1778. Because he was sometimes called Roderick Powell and sometimes Roderick Williams, genealogists have never before, to my knowledge, pulled all the records together and recognized that they were the same person. I made the exciting discovery at 8:30 p.m. on March 31, 2009. The key to the discovery was Cefn-gwyn farm, mentioned in two wills of Llandeilo’r-fân. Here, for the first time, is the record of Roderick Williams alias Powell and his two wives:

Elinor Jeffreys

      Jeffrey Bevan was a yeoman of Cefn-gwyn farm, Llandeilo’r-fân parish, Breconshire.[1] He was a Church Warden of St. Teilo’s Church in 1719.[2] He had a wife, Ann Jeffreys,[3] and at least five children:[4]

·        Evan Jeffreys was christened 26 Jun 1720 Llandeilo’r-fân. He died young and was buried 18 Feb 1731/2 Llandeilo’r-fân.[5]

·        Joan Jeffreys was christened 8 Apr 1722 Llandeilo’r-fân. She was buried 11 Oct 1756 Llandeilo’r-fân.

·        David Jeffreys was christened 30 Aug 1724 Llandeilo’r-fân. He was married 1 Mar 1754 Llandeilo’r-fân to Ann William.

·        Margaret Jeffreys was christened 22 Jul 1726 Llandeilo’r-fân. She was buried 18 Mar 1741/2 Llandeilo’r-fân.

·        Elinor Jeffreys Does not appear to have been christened in Llandeilo’r-fân parish, but her father’s will proves that she belonged to this family.

      In his will, dated 10 Sep 1745, Jeffrey Bevan gave “all this tenement and lands where now I live upon … commonly called and known by the [name] of tir Ceven Gwynn to my beloved Wife Ann Jeffreys during her naturall life, and after her disease I doe give and bequeath the aforesaid tenement and lands between my two daughters Elinor Jeffreys and Joan Jeffreys.…” Jeffrey Bevan died before 1 May 1747, the date of his inventory. His widow proved his will on 9 May 1747.[6]

      Joan Jeffreys was buried 11 Oct 1756 Llandeilo’r-fân.[7] Therefore, when Ann Jeffreys died, and was buried on 30 Jun 1759 Llandeilo’r-fân,[8] Elinor Jeffreys became the sole heir of Cefn-gwyn farm. At the time of her mother’s death, Elinor Jeffreys had been for five and a half years the wife of Roderick Williams alias Powell.

Roderick Williams alias Powell

      A quick lesson in Welsh names may explain how Roderick Williams can be the same person as Roderick Powell. In a style common to periods earlier than the 18^th Century, a patronymic name like Rhydderch ap Gwilym ap Hywel would indicate that Rhydderch was a son of Gwilym, and that Gwilym was a son of Hywel.[9] Over time, especially during the 18^th century, the ap was gradually dropped[10] and the names were gradually anglicized, so Rhydderch ap Gwilym ap Hywel became Roderick William Howell. Still, the name was patronymic: Roderick was the son of William, and William was the son of Howell.

      However, the ap was not always eliminated. Sometimes the p in ap became part of the name. For example, ap Howell contracted to Powell, and ap Rees contracted to Prees, which became Price.[11] Sometimes a final s was added to a name so that William’s (meaning William’s son, for example, or William’s wife) became Williams.[12]

      Gradually, and especially during the 18^th century, the patronymic system gave way to fixed surnames. A person patronymically named Roderick William Howell might acquire the fixed surname William, Williams, Howell or Powell. He might have some children with the surname William or Williams, some with the surname Howell or Powell, and even some reverting to patronymics with the surname Roderick or Prytherch. During the transition period, “fixed” surnames were not always settled. They were sometimes used inconsistently, and the same Roderick William Howell might be alternately referred to as Roderick Williams or Roderick Powell.[13]

      The husband of Elinor Jeffreys was sometimes called Roderick Williams and sometimes Roderick Powell. Therefore, it seems very likely that his father’s name was either William Powell or Howell Williams. An appropriate Howell Williams does not occur in the Bishop’s Transcripts of Llandeilo’r-fân.[14] However, there is a William Powell who might have been Roderick’s father:[15]

             4 Jun 1733      Howell, son of William Powell, was christened.

           9 Nov 1734      Elinor, daughter of William Howell, was christened.

            9 Apr 1737      Morgan, son of William Powell, was christened.

          22 Aug 1742      William Powell was buried.

This William Powell is a likely candidate for Roderick’s father, but further research is required. If he is the father, he probably moved to Llandeilo’r-fân after the birth of Roderick and before 1733 when Howell was christened.[16]

      The earliest record I have of Roderick Williams alias Powell is his bond for marriage to Elinor Jeffreys, dated 3 Dec 1753 Llandeilo’r-fân. In the bond, both “Roderick Williams,” yeoman, and Elinor Jeffreys are said to be of Llandeilo’r-fân.[17] The Bishop’s Transcripts of Llandeilo’r-fân show that the marriage of “Roderick Powel” and Elinor Jeffreys was performed on 21 Dec 1753.[18] Twenty-one being the “full age” for marriage,[19] it is likely that both Roderick and Elinor were born sometime before 21 Dec 1732.

      Roderick and Elinor had at least two children. Ann, daughter of “Roderick Powel,” was christened 29 Sep 1754 Llandeilo’r-fân, and Elizabeth, daughter of “Roderick Powel,” was christened 27 Jun 1760 Llandeilo’r-fân.[20] Although I will write reports on Ann and Elizabeth in the future, I will take this opportunity to record an interesting note about Elizabeth Powell, also known as Elizabeth Williams.[21] She married Roger Price on 29 Jul 1785.[22] Their son Evan Price was the father of John Evan Price, the Mormon missionary who married Ruth Williams. Ruth Williams was a daughter of Daniel Williams, who was a son of Roderick Williams alias Powell and Elizabeth Evans.[23]

      Roderick Williams alias Powell attended St. Teilo’s Church in Llandeilo’r-fân. The Bishop’s Transcripts show that “Roderick Powel and David Powel” were the Church Wardens in 1760. In 1761 the same Church Wardens were recorded as “David Powel & Roderick William.” In 1762 the same Church Wardens appear to be recorded as “Roderick William & David Bowel.”[24]

      The will of Thomas Evan Bowen of Llandeilo’r-fân parish, signed on 17 December 1763, is the next record of Roderick Williams alias Powell:[25]

… I Give and bequeath unto Mary Bowen my Beloved wife forty Pounds, thirty Pounds being due to me from Roderike William of Ceven Gwynne and ten Pounds being due unto me from David Jones mercer of Builth, and one Cow and be[d]stead and bed cloath….

The fact that “Roderike William” lived at Cefn-gwyn farm in 1763 proves that he is the same Roderick Williams, alias Roderick Powell, who ten years earlier married the heiress of Cefn-gwyn, Elinor Jeffreys.

      Elinor “Powel” was buried 17 Aug 1776 Llandeilo’r-fân.[26] One and a half years later her widower married Elizabeth Evans.

Elizabeth Evans

      Elizabeth Evans, born about 1739, was at least seven years younger than Roderick Williams alias Powell.[27]  She was previously married, and her children – Rees Davies, William Walter and Rees Walter – were born somewhere in Breconshire.[28] She moved to Llandeilo’r-fân sometime before her wedding to Roderick, which is recorded in the 1778 Bishop’s Transcripts of Llandeilo’r-fân:[29]

Rodk. Willms. & Eliza Evans married Febry. 28th.

      William, son of “Rodrik Wms,” was christened on 21 Mar 1779 Llandeilo’r-fân.[30] Roderick and Elizabeth also had a daughter named Margaret Williams,[31] and another son, Daniel Williams, born 23 Aug 1783 Llandeilo’r-fân.[32] Daniel Williams was my third great grandfather.

      “Rodrick Williams” was buried 11 Jan 1805 Llandeilo’r-fân.[33] Twenty-seven years later his widow, Elizabeth Williams, was living at Drain-duon farm in Llandeilo’r-fân parish. She died, age 93, and was buried 28 Aug 1832 Llandeilo’r-fân.[34]

      Both sons of Roderick Williams alias Powell and Elizabeth Evans had several children. Most descendants of William Williams remain in Wales. Most descendants of Daniel Williams live in the United States of America. Their stories are told elsewhere.

Conclusion

      Roderick’s name appears eleven times in original documents, seven times as Williams and four times as Powell:

·        1753    Marriage Bond Roderick Williams

·        1753    BT Marriage                 Roderick Powel

·        1754    BT Christening  Roderick Powel

·        1760    BT Christening  Roderick Powel

·        1760    BT Church Warden      Roderick Powel

·        1761    BT Church Warden      Roderick William

·        1762    BT Church Warden      Roderick William

·        1763    Will                              Roderike William

·        1778    BT Marriage                 Rodk. Willms.

·        1779    BT Christening  Rodrik Wms.

·        1805    BT Burial                      Rodrick Williams

      The evidence in this report firmly establishes that Roderick Powell and Roderick Williams were one and the same person. This discovery marks a new frontier for family research. Ideally, the Bishop’s Transcripts of a parish near Llandeilo’r-fân will contain the christening of a Roderick, son of William Powell, within a few years of 1730. Even if there is no such christening record, it may be fruitful to examine the records of parishes near Llandeilo’r-fân. It was only while revisiting and carefully combing through records of Llandeilo’r-fân that I noticed two references to Cefn-gwyn, leading to this amazing and exciting discovery.

April 7, 2009

Kyle D Williams

215 W. High St.

Woodbury, TN 37190

(615) 464-7558

liberty@hotcom.net