Recently acquired certificates:

BIRTHS:

Cordilia Maria Gronow June Qtr. 1877 Pontypridd Vol.11a page 347
Maria Gronow June Qtr. 1879 Pontypridd Vol.11a page 354
William Gronow March Qtr. 1881 Pontypridd Vol.11a page 342
Joseph Sydney Gronow June Qtr. 1892 Pontypridd Vol.11a page 599
Leonard Gronow June Qtr. 1892 Pontypridd Vol.11a page 663
Beryl E. Gronow September Qtr. 1925 Pontypridd Vol.11a page 1262

Royal Welsh Ladies Choir

A musical memory of:
Gertrude Martha Gronow

1883-1966

&

Lilian Gronow

1906-1989

"As long as we live, there is never enough singing"

~Martin Luther

Tours of Canada & The United States of America

Royal Welsh Ladies Choir here on Friday.

The Royal Welsh Ladies Choir a chorus of fourteen voices under the leadership of Miss Gertrude Gronow will give a concert at 8 o'clock Friday evening at the Eirat Methodist church under the auspices of the Seneca Men's class of that church. The singers have been appearing in various cities in the State and have been received enthusiastically whefever they have appeared. Among their recent engagements were concerts in Elmitra, Olean, Bradford, Scranton and Youngs-Town.
Miss Gronow assembled the choir and brought it to America from her native home in Wales and she is the conductor of the choir as well as organiser. The singers will appear in costume and will present a varied program including songs in welsh as well as operatic numbers and familiar folk tunes. Solos and duet numbers will feature the program.
The choir met Queen Marie of Roumania on her arrival in Toronto the past year and Miss Gronow was received by the Queen.Among the notables and royalty before whom the choir members have presented their program is the Prince of Wales. Miss Gronow and Miss Jennie Ellis, a soloist in the choir on one of their tours Sang for Charles Evans Hughes in the State House, Albany, during his term as governor of New York state.
[Geneva Daily Times; Wednesday 23rd February 1927]

Welsh Choir to Sing

A musical event of unusual importance is promised in the visit to Cuba of the Royal Welsh Ladies choir, which will sing at the Presbyterian church next week Saturday, Feb. 5th. It is conducted by Miss Gertrude Gronow of Caerphilly, Wales. She has performed under royal patronage, and the Prince of Wales has expressed keen delight in the music rendered by her choir.
As a child Miss Gronow attracted notice in musical festivals and at length was engaged by Madame Hughes Thomas, well known in Canada and the United States, to tour on this side of the Atlantic. During the War she took prominent part in concerts for soldiers and sailors and in hospitals.
Miss Gronow has gathered a combination of voices of rare quality. Those who have heard Welsh choirs will not fail to attend this concert, as the singers of her race are renowned for their quality.
[The Cuba Patriot. N.Y. Friday January 28th 1927]

 

Mme. Gertrude Gronow and her Royal Welsh Ladies Chorus will appear in a concert Monday night Jan 31st at the Binghamton Central High school, under the auspices of the Men's Billy Sunday class of the Boulevard Methodist Episcopal church.
This organisation contains 14 women singers, most of them from the town of Caerphilly, a musical center within a dozen miles of Cardiff, capital of Wales. The group has appeared in all parts of Great Britain and on the continent and have sung by command, before the Prince of Wales and other royal personages. His Royal Highness was so impressed by their singing that he sent a letter of appreciation to Miss Gronow, and the choir received many engagements to appear in exclusive circles. Its initial appearance in the United States is the result of a nationwide appeal from musical communities.
Choral singing by women has become quite the vogue in Great Britian, and the Royal Welsh Ladies include some of the best known women vocalists in Wales and surrounding territory. Among them are: Mme Gronow, conductor; Miss Jennie Ellis, soprano five times a blue ribbon winner. Miss Louise Davis, Welsh soprano twice blue ribbon winner; Miss May John soprano, semi national winner; Miss Annie Flook; Mme Benjamin Thomas; Miss Mary Evans; Miss Gwenno Jones; Miss Gwen Maddox; Miss Ida W. Stevens; Miss Gladys Horgest; Miss Lilian Gronow.
[The Binghamton Press, Friday Evening January 7th 1927]

Again on the 8th October 1927 the choir left Southampton England bound for New York aboard the Cunard RMS Mauritania: The ships log lists the following members of the Royal Welsh Ladies Choir, together with their (ages). Gertrude Gronow, conductor: (44); Catherine Gowe, musician (32); Henrietta Veale, musician (22); Sarah Lewis, musician (37); Annie May John, musician (26); Grace Battinan, musician (21) Phoebe Northall, musician (20); Gwendoline Jenkins, musician (25); Morfydd Davies, musician (23); Eleanor Williams, musician (18); Doris Richards, musician (23); Sarah Williams, musician (31); Lilian Gronow, musician (21); Dorothy Hambly, musician (25)   (Lilian Gronow was the niece of Mme Gertrude Gronow).

John Gronow

in remembrance of:

John Gronow
1942-2014

 
Son of the late Thomas & Gladys Gronow of Ely Cardiff, Glamorganshire.

Peacefully after a short illness John aged 72 years sadly passed away in hospital on May 3, 2014.
John will be greatly missed by all his family and friends.
Resting at R J Larcombe Funeral Directors, 477 Cowbridge Rd West, Ely, until the service to take place in the Church of the Resurrection, Grand Ave at 1.30pm on Thursday May 15, to be followed by a interment in Western Cemetery.

GRO Indexes 1837-2014

GENERAL REGISTRY OFFICE INDEXES

I'm pleased to anounce that the GRO indexes for:

 Births, Marriages & Deaths

 for:

 England, Scotland & Wales

 from July 1837 - 2014 have been completed for the surnames:

GRONOW, GRONNOW & GORONWY

(with thanks to the support of Keith Jackson & Emma Harringway)

The General Registry Office was founded in 1836 by the Births and Deaths Registration Act of 1836.
Every three months, (starting from July 1837) at the end of March, June, September and December, the Superintendent Registrars send a copy of each entry of birth, marriage, and death registered by their office in that quarter, to the Registrar General in London. From these returns the General Register Office produced indexes to its records which are open to public inspection and the indexes can be used to order birth, marriage and death certificates.( Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths  in Scotland began on 1st January 1855. and are held at the General Register Office in Edinburgh).

"........who's danced with the Prince of Wales"

  "I've danced with a man, who's danced with a girl, who's danced with the Prince of Wales" was a song written in 1927 by Herbert Farjeon at the height of the popularity of Edward, Prince of Wales

The death has occurred during the week of a well-known resident of Wotton-under-Edge.It was the proud boast of Mrs Mary Caroline Gronow, whose death occurred at Hugh Parry's Hospital, Wotton-under-Edge, that she once danced with King Edward VII.(when Prince of Wales) at Berkeley Castle. Mrs Gronow was in her 94th year. Her maiden name was Nicholls, the family formerly residing at Symonds Hill Farm.

{First published in 'The Citizen' on Saturday April 19th 1930.}

Mary Caroline Robinson Nickolls married Willianm Rhys Gronow on the 28th September 1869 St Mary the Virgin. Wotton-under-Edge.
[TREE 10]
 

Recently Acquired Certificates:

BIRTHS:

Ernest Joseph Gronow December Qtr. 1894 Hendon Vol.3a page 229.

MARRIAGES:

John Grennow March Qtr. 1873 Newport M. Vol.11a page 196.

DEATHS:

William Gronow December Qtr. 1854 Bridgend Vol.11a page 297.

Moonlight Sketches

Up for bid recently was the Antique 1910 Sheet Music Book or Booklet titled "Moonlight Sketches For Piano-Forte" that was compiled by Esther Gronow. It was published by the Whtie-Smith Music Publishing Co. The selections included are To The Firefly, Nocturne, On The Water, To The Stars and Berceuse. As for condition, the cover is about to come off and the sheet music inside is also on the loose side. Someone wrote their name and a date in 1923 on the cover. The place of original purchase was lightly stamped on the bottom. Aside from being loose, the cover and the pages inside are basically in pretty good condition for being over 100 years old. This booklet measures 9-3/8 inches by12-1/8 inches.

In Remembrance:

Daniel Howard Vaughan Gronow

1925-2013

Daniel Howard Vaughan Gronow, son of William & Gwenfron Gronow died peacefully on 16th September 2013, aged 88. So dearly loved and missed by all his family. The funeral will take place in Tamworth on 27th September.

[First published in The Times 21st September 2013]

Soldiers Wills

Many British soldiers who served on the front lines of World War I carried with them a handwritten last will and testament. Often the soldier’s will was kept in his paybook–a booklet that contained identity papers and notes on what the soldier was owed for his service. Many paybooks and the wills inside them were lost in the chaos of war. But it turns out that more than a quarter of a million of these wills have been stored by Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service. They’ve been digitized and made available online. So far only the years 1914-1921 are searchable online.

So far indexed are three Gronow Wills.
GRONOW Arthur,  10th July 1916  Reg.No. 17053

GRONOW Charles, 12th November 1916  Reg.No. 14164

GRONOW Sydney David, 21st January 1917  Reg.No. 2207

In Remembrance:

Joseph Neville Gronow

1946-2013

Sadly on 6th June 2013 at Ty Olwen, Nev, devoted brother of David and John, dear brother-in-law of Anne and Mary, dearest uncle of Matthew, Emma, Katie and Thomas and a dear friend of Anita. He will be sadly missed by all his family and friends. Funeral Wednesday 19th June, Service at Ebenezer Chapel, Dunvant at 1:15pm followed by Cremation at Llanelli Crematorium, 2:30pm. Family flowers only please, donations in lieu if so desired to Ty Olwen c/o St James Funeral Home, 31 St. James Gardens, Uplands, Swansea SA1 6DT.

(First published in the South Wales Media Group on 12th June 2013)

Recently aquired certificates:

MARRIAGES

Samuel Gronow March Qtr. 1885 Pontypridd Vol.11a page 411.
Daniel Gronow September Qtr. 1919 Neath Vol.8b page 107.
Thomas D. Gronow September Qtr. 1947 Pontypridd Vol.8b page 1487.
William Gronow September Qtr. 1956 Bridgend Vol.8b page 107.

Gronow Windsor Phillips

In remembrance:

Gronow Windsor Phillips

1936-2013

Peacefully on April 10 2013 at the Princess of Wales Hospital, Gronow of Austin Avenue, Porthcawl; beloved husband of Phyllis, beloved uncle to Beverly, Helen and Maureen. Sadly missed by all his family and friends. Resting at David Wilde Chapel of Rest, Mawdlam, North Cornelly until the funeral on Thursday April 18, service at Gilgal Baptist Church, Porthcawl at 10am followed by service and cremation at Coychurch Crematorium at 11am.

(First published in the Media Wales Group on 15th April 2013)

NIL DESPERANDUM.

 An interesting article published in the "Cardigan Observer, and General Advertiser For the Counties of Cardigan, Carmarthen and Pembroke" dated 30th June 1888.

"Some excitement was caused in the town on Saturday last by a marriage somewhat out of the ordinary rut. The bride, Mary Gronnow, of Quarrel, Brynberian, was only eighty-four, and rather dressy for her age, while the foud bride- groom was some twenty-eight years her junior, and the trials, troubles and other amusements of this mundane existence had passed him lightly by. The bride appeared at the Registrar's Office, where the imposing ceremony was performed, in ancient Welsh costume, including a spotted handkerchief round her head, and clogs on her feet; but, in honor of the occasion, she went direct from the office to the tradesmen, and was rigged out in a fashionable hat, a gaudy-coloured shawl, and a pair of little high-heeled boots. Arrayed in her new habiliments she presented quiite a frisky appearance, and she would doubtless look well in the dusk with the light behind her. I do not know how many times previously the bride had gone through a similar ceremony, but under the most favorable circumstances she cannot expect to repeat it more than half-a-dozen times at the outside, and it would therefore be unkind to blame her for investing in a bit of finery to celebrate the event. But little interest seemed to centre in the bridegroom, poor man and the general opinion was that he was wise in marrying someone old enough to take care of him; but, like most young fellows of fifty-six who marry women old enough to be their mothers, he will have to play second fiddle I am afraid.."

Mary Williams was her name, and she had been previously married to Stephen Gronow a Mason of Pantywdyn, Nevern, Pembrokeshire. The widow Mary would it seem, have married one John Bowen, sadly he does not seem to have enjoyed a long marrage. Mary is again a widow in 1891. Her age may have been slightly exaggerated for the story, she was more likely to be about 74 years of age.

Death in Calcutta

Taken from he Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser, dated 16^th December 1853.

“The Death at Calcutta, of liver complaint, aged 27, Mr Joseph Gronnow, of H.C.S.F. Moozuffer, and late of St. David’s Parish, deeply regretted.

Joseph is possibly the son of Joseph & Martha Gronow of  Cylch Mawr, St. Davids. Pembrokeshire.

A bit of background information about the “Moozuffer” can be found from an Auction lot in Christies, London dated 18-19^th June 1996 Lot 5641.

(29 July) 1852 Second Burmese War  letter headed "From Bombr B. Rodgers...On Board the H.C.S.F. Moozuffer", addressed to Sussex and countersigned by the Commanding Officer and showing transit marks including handstruck "2". Rather stained and reinforced internally, interesting contents include.

 "Immediately I reached Bombay from Calcutta, I was sent on Board the Company's Steam Frigate 'Moozuffer', fitting out for the Burmese Empire or the Rangoon War. The fleet left Bombay on 24th February, sailed to Madras, and joining some more shipping continued sailing to Rangoon, which we reached on the 11th April, which was Easter Sunday. As we passed by at the hour of half past nine, the ship I belong to opened fire with her first pivot Sixty-Eight pound gun, and was continued by the Fleet. We fired for better than 2 hours and a half when the word "Cease Fire" was given. There was afterwards a steady firing kept up from the guns of each ship till the next morning, when the troops landed and stormed the fortifications. It lasted then three days, four days from the time we first commenced. There were several small places taken afterwards till we proceeded to a place called Bassein, where we sailed in about three, and the Action commenced, soldiers on one side and sailors on the other. They took the place about eight. There are but two places more to take, Prome and Ava, the principle places."

In Remembrance

Katherine Mary Gronow (nee Knight)

1955-2013

Suddenly on February 16th 2013 at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, Katherine Mary, of Varteg Road, Varteg. Dearly devoted wife and life long friend of David, cherished, loving mam of Simon, beloved sister of John and Colin, sister in law of Sue, Eileen, John, Sandra, Michael and Pat and daughter of Jack and the late Mary and stepmother of Rose and daughter-in-law of Peggy and the late George. Funeral will take place on Tuesday March 12th, family prayers at her home at 11.20am, leaving her home she adored so much for a service and cremation at the Gwent Crematorium where friends are asked to meet at 12 noon. Family flowers only by request, donations if desired for the Heart Foundation. Further enquiries to B.M.Watkins, the funeral home, Varteg, Talywain 772725 / 773883.

Published today in the South Wales Argus.

Recently aquired certificates:

BIRTHS

Islwyn C. Gronow June Qtr. 1923 Pontypridd Vol.11a page 1078

Bronwen Gronow September Qtr.1923 Gloucester Vol.6a page 509.
 
Maldwyn D. Gronow June Qtr. 1929 Poole Vol.5a page 388.


MARRIAGES

William Gronow June Qtr. 1922 Bridgend Vol.11a page 1794

DEATHS

William Gronow December Qtr. 1980 Manchester Vol.38 page 1688 


 

David Lawrence Gronow

Tree 30

In Remembrance:

David Lawrence Gronow

Who died suddenly on Wednesday the 9th of January 2013 in Western Australia. David was the son of Victor David Gronow & Vlada Winifred Herriman. David's Grt. Grandfather emigrated to Williamstown, Victoria Australia in the 1860's.

(First Published in The West Australian on January 11, 2013)

Family Surname Varients

When researching your family history, you might have to look a little bit further for that elusive ancestor. In broad terms a lot of these variants have come about because of the quality of the writers ability to record what they have heard. If the speaker had a regional dialect, or if the scribe was English & the speaker Welsh, then the potential for 'mistakes' became even greater. Fashion also plays it part. Towards the end of the 19th Century some Gronow families changed their surname to Goronwy in a statement of Welsh Nationalism, looking back to the old Welsh spelling.

Over the years the way in which the parish clerk and clergy have recorded the surnames of the parishioners has varied substantially. It was not until the advent of universal literacy that the spelling of surnames became standardised. When the bride and groom could not read, they were not able to insist on a standard spelling of their surnames.

When my Grt.Grt.Grt.Grandfather married the clerk thinking he had misspelled his name crossed it out and re-wrote what he thought it should be.

 However James went on to sign the document in the style he had be brought up to do it & indeed the same way two generations previously had.
Today descendants of those generations still spell their name with 'nn' with virtually all the modern instances belonging to the same family group.

Below you will find a selection of spellings I've come across, during my research, look out for them next time your having trouble locating your ancestor.

Gronnow    Gronowe   Grono Gronew Gronoe Gronou Gronoue Gronos Gronoway Gronnoue Gronous Gronw Groneu Goronow Groan Grohn Grone Gronon Gronus Grounow Grownow Groenow Gronowe Gronons Gronoy Gronwy Gronne Gronnon Gronaw Grona Grony Gronrow Gorono Granow Grenow Gromowa Gronway Grunow Groney Gronna Goronowy Grunnow

DEATH FROM INHALLING SEWER GAS.- William Gronow [sic], an expert drainer, with two other men, commenced to open an old drain, which was supposed to have not been opened for the last forty years, on the premises of Mr George Parker, in the occupation of Messrs. Oaks and Griffiths at Farndon. Starting at the mouth on the 13th of March, where it was shallow, and deepened as they crossed the road to the end of it to twelve feet, W. Gronow [sic] was the principal, and worked at the bottom until the work was finished. He was taken ill on Saturday, March 22nd, and attended by Dr. Parker who pronounced it to be blood poison from sewer gas, until his death which took place on the 26th ult., and he was buried on Sunday.

William Gronnow was born in 1838 in Farndon and buried in St. Chads Church, Farndon Cheshire on the 30th March 1884. William is my 3rd cousin 3x removed.

 It is well known that gases such as ammonia, carbonic oxide, carbonic acid, and sulphuretted hydrogen — which are frequently found in sewer air — are highly poisonous, and have, in consequence, when inhaled, an injurious influence upon health, the degree of which seems to depend on the amount so taken into the system. If the dose is small, then the poisoning is of a mild form ; but if the dose is large, then the poisoning is frequently very acute, and instantaneous death may be the result. It is greatly to be regretted that the statistical information concerning the health of sewermen is generally very incomplete. No proper continuous records appear to have been kept anywhere, and, when required, facts and figures have had to be collected probably years after the dates to which they refer, and that, too, in a somewhat haphazard manner. The results of such enquiries are therefore in most cases- not based upon a proper system of notification, and must be received with a certain amount of caution.

In cases of this kind the death of the workman is frequently instantaneous. He enters the sewer or cesspit and collapses there all at once as if he had been hit by a bullet. Sometimes it has also been observed that the workman has uttered a cry and then had severe convulsive fits, with vomiting and spontaneous secretion of faeces and urine ; foam covered the mouth, and the patient either died at once or remained unconscious for a long time.

John Price Gronow

John Price Gronow was born in 1859 in Jericho, Dinas Pembrokeshire. Wales, the son of John Gronow & Elizabeth Price. born into a seafaring family John was called by the sea from an early age, as Henry Longfellow says "“My soul is full of longing for the secret of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.”

John married Ann Williams on the 21st March 1882 at the Baptist chapel, Pontardawe, Swansea Glamorganshire. He died the 8th May 1935 at Spring Gardens, Dinas. Pembrokeshire. He is interred with his wife in Macapela Cemetery, Spring Hill. Dinas Cross. Pembrokeshire.

Of his life at sea, He rounded Cape Horn 48 times. Served in the copper ore trade in the brig 'Mary Sproat' of Swansea. The 'Inverness-shire' was dismasted in the Australian Bight but they reached Tasmania. In the wooden barque 'Marquis of Worcester' the coal cargo caught fire off the Horn; ship still on fire on arrival at Valparaiso in 1880. The coal caught fire in the 'Lodore' in 1898 on a passage from Barry to Vancouver, but they discharged at Buenos Aires and returned to Cardiff. On the 'Terpsichore' in 1917 the coal caught fire and she was towed into Rio all ablaze, but eventually repaired. Served on the 'Carnedd Llewellyn' just before she was lost. Served 50 years in sailing ships. Died 8 May 1935. Biography in 'S.Breezes' vol 19, 1934, p226].  Suffered greatly from hiraeth, took Welsh cakes with him which he did not eat, but liked to know they were there.

He was survived by 4 daughters, having lost his only son in 1891 & his wife in 1907.