In this fifth episode of Series Seven, host Andrew Martin meeting anthropologist and professional genealogist Dai Davies, who specialises in Welsh ancestry. Andrew hears how Dai got hooked on researching family history, the challenges of researching in Welsh records, their First-Name Study, and their thoughts on how the genealogy industry could make steps towards being a more inclusive place.

Listen to the episode

Also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, and others…

The Life Story – David Davies

Dai has chosen their 8x Great Uncle David Davies, born in 1754 in a small parish near Lampeter in West Wales, and was the son of tenant farmers and Wesleyan Methodists.

Dai was excited to discover this person in their tree, as David Davies was a highly influential educator, minister, and political poet in Wales during the 18th Century. He is known to have had a school in Castell Hywel, and was a minister at Llwynrhydowen Chapel.

His work to translate English into Welsh for the newly literate communities, resulted in him even being described as ‘improving into Welsh’ on the popular poem by Thomas Gray – ‘Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard‘., However, sometimes his political thoughts on the rapidly changing world around him, including the French Revolution, would cause controversy.

The Brick Wall – David Thomas

Remaining in Wales, Dai is trying to find our clues to their 7x Great Grandfather David Thomas, the brother-in-law of the above David Davies, and was born circa 1728.

Dai has found 76 records attributed to David Thomas, and knows about his life between 1757 and his death in 1816, Lampeter in Ceredigion, Wales, but Dai has found no trace of David Thomas’ parents or siblings.

• Who were David Thomas’ parents?
• Who were David Thomas’ siblings?
• Where was David Thomas pre-1757?

If you think you can help Dai with a research idea or clue, then you can reach out to them at the Geneal Cymru YouTube channel, or @GenealCymru on Twitter, or via the email address they give in the episode. Alternatively, you can send us a message and we’ll send it straight on.

In the meantime, Dai has concerns about Andrew’s offer of help… will this source be reliable?

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Resources

A list of websites and resources mentioned in this episode;

• Friends, Associates, Neighbors (FAN) by Elizabeth Shown Mills
• Geneal Cymru website
• Geneal Cymru YouTube Channel
• Society of Genealogists
• Welsh Poetry of the French Revolution (2012, Cathryn Charnell-White)

Episode Credits

• Andrew Martin – Host and Producer
• Dai Davies – Guest
• John Spike – Sándor Petőfi