I spent a wonderful week last month down by Newport Sands, a family holiday with research combined. I had wanted to visit the graveyards around Dinas for a while and so when the occasion arose, I took the opportunity to visit the Gronow seafarers of the area, I was not disappointed. From Plas Bach a cottage on the hillside of Moylegrove I travelled to the various local Churchyards & Non-conformist graveyards in the area. Macapela with it’s well kept lawns, by the local villagers a testament to the Master Mariners and ocean going sailors of the area. Gronow graves abound, the children, who are used to searching fruitlessly for Gronow markers, were calling “found one”, “look another” “and another” I have never found so many graves in one place as I did on that morning on the hillside in Dinas.

Just down the road from Macapela towards the sea is Ramah graveyard it’s old iron gates not use to visitors any more, we found more old sailors & their wives. Quite by chance, while out walking the dog one evening on the hills around Moylegrove I came across Bryn Bethel perched high up overlooking the sea. One of the quietest and remote graveyards I’ve had the pleasure to visit. Not had chance yet to index all the pictures, but it was nice to be able to put an image to all the places I had been researching, Newport, Dinas, Cardigan, Nevern & Moylegrove.

Recently aquired certificates:

Births:
William Henry Gronow Dec Qtr. 1863 Pontypridd Vol.11a page 288.
Sarah Jane Gronow Dec Qtr. 1879 Haverfordwest Vol.11a page 851
William Henry Gronow June Qtr. 1882 Bridgend Vol.11a page 583
Ronald G A Edwards March Qtr. 1920 Bedwelty Vol.11a page 229
Marriages:
William Gronow March Qtr. 1858 Cardigan Vol.11b page 5.

I've spent the last week looking at family trees on a well known commercial website, these "Public Member Trees" are something else! So far I have contacted over 12 'owners', the response so far 1 reply, who in all credit to him has corrected the mistakes within his tree. In the vast majority of cases it seems to be a case of reproduction without verification. I even had and old contact of mine get in touch, giving me her research only to find, yet again information from a 'Public member tree' had found its way into her family tree.

There are too many examples to highlight here, but one I think must be taken to task. There are over 40 trees on this site, with a gentleman by the name of HYWELL GRONOW born 18th February 1757, all 40 trees give the same birth date & marriage date & in most cases same death date. In 30 years research I have never come across him! Most trees say he was born, married & died in Coity, Glamorganshire. Well he is nowhere to be seen in the parish registers of St. Mary Coity, nor have I ever come across him in over 50 parish registers that I have indexed.

So if anyone out there has Hywell Gronow in their tree, and would like to give me the source for his baptism, marriage or death I'll be the first to apologise! once it's been checked & verified of course.