The REES Family of Rhos Fach Cottage, Meline Parish, Pembrokeshire

Description

Photograph and details provided by Gordon Morgan of Tallahassee, Florida, USA

William REES (1783-1876) and Mary (1783-1865) raised ten children at Rhos Fach cottage in Meline Parish, Pembrokeshire. One of their children was Stephen REES (b. ca. 1818), who married Phoebe (b. ca. 1829) and lived at nearby Felin Uchaf. Stephen and Phoebe had eleven children, including another William REES (b. ca. 1854). This second William married Martha MATHIAS and they had three children, two of whom (Hannah and Stephen) are shown in the photograph below.

Image 1:

Hannah and Stephen Rees, in the doorway of Rhos Fach cottage, circa 1889.

The census entries (below) show various members of the REES family at Rhos Fach and elsewhere on the night of April 3rd, 1881.

Velindre, Whitechurch-by-Cardigan, Pembrokeshire
NAME and Surname of each Person	RELATION to Head of Family	CON- DITION as to Marriage	AGE last Birthday	Rank, Profession, or OCCUPATION	WHERE BORN
Stephen REES	Head	M	62	Farmer and miller	Meline, Pembrokeshire
Phoebe REES	Wife	M	51	Farmer's wife	Mynachlogddu, Pembrokeshire
William REES	Son	U	26	Farmer's son	Whitechurch, Pembrokeshire
Anne REES	Daur	U	17	Farmer's daur	Whitechurch, Pembrokeshire
Evan REES	Son	U	13	Scholar	Meline, Pembrokeshire
Martha REES	Daur		9	Scholar	Whitechurch, Pembrokeshire
Martin REES	Son		6	Scholar	Meline, Pembrokeshire
Ella REES	Daur		3		Whitechurch, Pembrokeshire

Rhos Fach, Meline, Pembrokeshire
NAME and Surname of each Person	RELATION to Head of Family	CON- DITION as to Marriage	AGE last Birthday	Rank, Profession, or OCCUPATION	WHERE BORN
Caleb REES	Head	U	15	Farmer of 14 acres	Whitechurch, Pembrokeshire
Mary REES	Sister	U	21	Farmer's sister	Whitechurch, Pembrokeshire

History of the Photograph

At the time of the 1881 census, Jacob REES, son of Stephen and Pheobe REES, was working as a servant for a PICTON family of Coedcefnlas Uchaf, Whitechurch. In 1883, Jacob's son Caleb REES, was born at Laugharne, Carmarthenshire. Eighty-two years later, in 1965, Caleb sent the Rhos Fach photograph to Gordon's great uncle in Kansas.

Written on the back of the photograph is the inscription: Rhos fach!! Taken many years ago with Hannah and Stephen in doorway - children of my Uncle William (2nd son of my Grand Father Stephen Rees who was born at Rhosfach). Gordon's great great grandfather was also named Caleb REES, a brother of the first Stephen REES, and thus a great-uncle of the two children in the photo. The Stephen shown in the photograph married Mary, and died in 1960. Hannah married Jacob SELBY, and also lived at Rhos Fach. They had children Gwyneth, Mattie, and Meg. These three all married and had children. Mattie and her husband also lived for a time at Rhos Fach. Gwyneth's family lived at Felin Uchaf, the home of her grandfather Stephen REES.

Image 2:

Stephen and Hannah Rees

At least one of the great great grandchildren of the first Stephen REES (through his son Jacob REES) still lives in the vicinity.

You can call up a detailed map showing the location of Rhos Fach by typing its grid reference (SN143354) into the search field of the Streetmaps website at http://www.streetmap.co.uk/. The farm itself is identified by name only on the 1:25,000-scale map.

Acknowledgement

Many thanks to Gordon Morgan for allowing me to use his family photograph. If you want to know more about the REES family of Rhos Fach, Meline, or think you may be connected to them in some way, send Gordon an e-mail.

• http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/walespic/oldwales/rhosfach.htm (link opens in new window)