Howells Placeline

So I think this is the last post of this series, because as you can see, these are getting fainter in knowledge as I go back in time. I have thoughts as to what I might do next, but for now I think I'll go back to one post a week for a bit until I work up some new posts. I hope everyone's enjoyed these, even if just a little.

The Howells line, as I said a few weeks ago, is one I believe is of Huguenot origin, but as of yet, the Howells and Gabriels online have not yet managed to get far enough back to prove or disprove this link.

As always, Bold are Birth, Marriage, and Death locations, and Italics are other locations.

1. Eliza Anne aka Bessie Howells

A. New Westminster, BC, Canada. New Westminster is basically a suburb of Vancouver, and it was here where Bessie lived until her death at the age of 94. I'm so lucky I got to know her for as long as I got--ten years. I still miss my Nain.

B. Vancouver, BC, Canada. I'm not sure exactly when she moved to Vancouver, but it was here she met her husband, and here she made her life with him. All four of their children were born in Vancouver, and she lived here for more than half of her life.

C. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. When the Howell family first came to Canada, they lived for a time with Bessie's uncle Louis, who had a farm in Saskatchewan, but soon moved to Winnipeg, where they lived for several years until the family slowly migrated one by one east because of the milder winters available in Vancouver.

D. Pontypridd, Wales. Pronounced Pant-ee-prith. This is where the family lived before Bessie's father finally decided it would be better for the family to move to Canada. Bessie's two younger siblings were born here.

E. Penrhiwceiber, Wales. Pronounced Pen-ruh-ky-ber. This is a small mining town in southern Wales where the family was living when Bessie was born.

2. Gabriel Howells

A. Vancouver, BC, Canada. In his later years, Gabriel and his wife Selina moved to Vancouver to be close to their children. They celebrated their 50th anniversary here, and lived here together until her death in 1933, and his in 1934, ten years after that anniversary.

B. Winnipeg, Manitoba, BC. After a short time in Canada, remembering why he didn't like farming, Gabriel moved the family to Winnipeg, where Gabriel was able to use his masonry skills to make a good living.

C. Pontypridd, Wales. Gabriel was working with the mines here, using his masonry to help shore up the mines before he realized that not actively doing the mining was no less unhealthy, and thus he decided it was time to find a less unhealthy job. He soon decided that it would be better to move to Canada and start a whole new life.

D. Penrhiwceiber, Wales. This is where the family moved to for a time before moving to Pontypridd, working with the mines to help with masonry there.

E. Dolgelly, Wales. Pronounced Dol-geh-lay. Also spelled Dolgellu, depending on when and where the record is written up. This is where the family lived while Gabriel was young, and it was here he met and married his wife, Selina. They started their family here, losing two children in an influenza epidemic and having four more children before moving south so that Gabriel could make money with his masonry skills, leaving the family farm to his younger brother to run.

F. Tywyn, Wales. This is the place I have always had as my great-great grandfather's birthplace. It is very close to Dolgelly, so it's possible he never lived here, but was just born her for some reason, as the ancestors I have listed for him only have Dolgelly as their place of residence from birth to death.

3. Howell Gabriel

A. Dolgelly, Wales.  This is the only location I have for Howell or the ancestors I have for him, I believe they lived and died here for many generations.

4. Gabriel Howel

A. Dolgelly, Wales. See Howel above. 

5. Howell Gabral

A. Dolgelly, Wales. See Howel above. 

6. Howel Gabriel

A. Dolgelly, Wales. See Howel above. If I am right, I believe this is the place my Huguenot ancestor settled after leaving France, but as of yet, I have no proof of that.

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And that's all the locations for this branch of the family, which gives me another 7 locations.

It's been very interesting looking into where my family lived, and I highly recommend going through your family's locations from time to time. It definitely helps you find things you may have missed before, or correct issues in your tree.