The Diamond Family Tree
Joseph Di-mond
In the 1st quarter of 1871, Joseph and Sarah's
son Joseph Di-mond married Elizabeth Thresher of Bridgewater, Somerset.
They were married at North Petherton Parish Church,
Somerset on
the 23rd March.
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This Census record shows the newlyweds lodging in the Kings Cliff area, North Petherton, Somerset, with Elizabeths mother Mary and brother James.
They were labouring on one of the farms. Looking at the map there were lots in the area.
This is the 1851 Census, when Elizabeth Thresher was 1 year old.
This 1861 Census shows her at 11 and at school.
After Elizabeth and Joseph married, on 8th August 1871, they had a son and named him Joseph. The birth was registered in 1872 by Elizabeth. Probably because of
her accent, the registrar has written Diamond as
DI-MENT!
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When baby Joseph was
about a year old they decided to
leave Somerset and start a new life
in Pontypridd, South Wales. This
was a 80 mile trip, no mean feat
back then! Many flocked from the
west country to the coalfields of
Wales.
As they were used to working the land Joseph and Elizabeth set up a home at Graig Alfa Farm Houses.
Joseph and Elizabeth Diamond moved here No 1. Graig Alfa Farm Houses.
Today they are known as Graig-Yr- Helfa Cottages
2015
No.1
No.3
When visiting the area in 2015, we got talking to the 90yr old lady who lives in No.3.
She said she was born Gwyneth Thomas and her mother was married to one of the Diamonds! She said they had children but died quite young as did her husband! She also said there were Diamonds living down the road at Rockingstone Terrace. (See record near bottom of page)
This is the 1881 Census showing that Joseph and Elizabeth and 4 children were now residing at Graig Alfa Farm Houses. It also shows that Joseph Junior(9) was born in Devon and that Sarah Jane, John and Elizabeth were born locally in Eglwysilan Parish. Interestingly, the Thomas family is also on this census!
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This is a school record for Joseph junior on the 5th June 1882. He was 10 years old.
He went to Coed Pen Maen school in Pontypridd, but it appears he also went to a previous school at Glyn taff.
The record shows that he only attended the school about 4 months. Leaving on 16th October 1882.
It appears that the teacher has made up Joseph's Birth Date as it is written as 5th June 1872. Strangely enough his admission date is 5th June 1882! That would be 10 years to the day! But as can be seen above Joseph was born 8th Aug 1871.
N.B. Note George Fussels son John in the entry above Joseph. Below is the school record for Emma at the girls section of Coedpenmaen.
The old School Rooms at Glyn Taff infront of St Marys Church.
Coed Pen Maen School 1977.
Young Enoch on the above sadly passed away a few years later in 1899 at the age of just 13!
This is a photo of Joseph and Elizabeths daughter Elizabeth(listed above). This has come courtesy of the Staple Family Tree on Ancestry.co.uk. She married Thomas Staple on Christmas day 1903.
They were married at Eglwysilan Church. Its interesting to see Elizabeth could read and write as she has signed the Certificate. The witnessess were her younger sister Mary Ann and older brother Joseph (Dads Grandad!).
Looking toward Pontypridd
Eglwysilan Church
It was here sometime in the late 1960s early 70s, that my Grandad John Diamond took my sister Beryl and Cousin Gareth and showed them a specific grave. They cant remember who, but I visited this church on 4 occassions in 2014/15 but couldnt find any headstones with Diamond/Di-mond on them. So it was not clear whose grave it was.
Finally, on the 1st Aug 2016, I did come across this record of James Diamond buried at this church. Born in 1882, sadly he passed away in the 1st year of life..
And a further breakthrough in 2021, I finally found the burial
records for both my Grandads, Grandad Joseph and his Great
Grandad also Joseph buried here. After speaking to Beryl, she finally
confirmed it was our Grandad's Grandad headstone she saw that day..
But it wasn't all sadness for Joseph and Elisabeth...there were lots of marriages of their children....
As can be seen by the 1919 Electoral Register, James and Beatrice carried on living at Graig yr helfa cottages after his Mom and Dad passed..his brother William Henry lived a few hundred yards down the road at Rockingstone Terrace.
The burial records of James and Beatrice and their children, all buried at Glyn Taff but strangely James is in a different plot! It is very sad to note the tender ages the children lived too......
9 feb 1924
How very sad to see that young Annie May only being a year into marriage before passing away at then end of 1916...
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By 1891 Joseph Senior was 41. Joseph junior who was now 20 had moved out and got married. By that time the family ranks had expanded with more children, the youngest being James age 5 months.
But also present is Joseph's Uncle James (brother of his father Joseph).
Albion Colliery Disaster, 23rd June 1894.
As a sad footnote, Josephs younger brother John (listed above), went to work at the Albion Colliery, Cilfynydd, just north of Pontypridd. In 1894 disaster struck the community when 290 miners including John lost their lives. He was only 18 at the time and was employed as a Doorboy.
This was Wales 2nd worst Colliery Disaster, only eclipsed in numbers by the Universal Colliery Disaster at Senghenydd in 1913, where 440 were lost.
taken at the time of the disaster
Part of the Roll Call showing John Diamond, and his address at Graig-Yr- Helfa Cottages.
John was buried a few days after the disaster at Eglwysilan Church..here is the burial record
Researching the family tree has had some strange twists and turns, probably none more than what follows. My job as a health therapist brings me into contact with lots of people. Over periods of time I feel honoured to get to know their story on a personal level. Carole Parfitt is no exception. After visiting her for about a year and revealing my welsh connection, she revealed her late husband was from the Pontypridd area. She also remembers the family story about one of the Colliery disasters and a
family relation perishing there.
So I did some research and found the family member. He was John Parfitt and he lived at 41 Tram Road. He, like John Diamond above also perished at the Albion Colliery in 1894.
Here is the 1891 Census showing him and his family.
Part of the Death Roll call for the Albion Colliery Disaster showing John Parfitt.
The strange thing is that John Parfitt was living just a few doors down from My Great Grandad Joseph Diamond. Joseph got married in 1891(see next page) and moved in with his 'in-laws' at 58 Tram Road. Being a close knit community back then, everyone would know everyone. That means that Joseph Diamond wouldve known John Parfitt and family!!
When disaster struck, whole communities rallied, but usually families of the deceased had to find other accomodation. Imagine my surprise when looking at my Grandads (John Diamond) Census record of 1901, to also find the Parfitt family on the same record a few doors away!!...
John Parfitts daughter Margaret had married Thomas Jenkins and had moved into no 55 Tram Road, only 3 doors away from my Great Grandads house! She took in her younger brothers and sister. By the next census Thomas and Margaret had moved from Tram Road to Bonvilston Road in Pontypridd. They'd had a number of children by then, but also had some of Margarets Brothers still residing with them!
What are the chances of the Diamond's and Parfitt's knowing each other in the late 1800s. And that each family would lose a relative in the same mine disaster! And that a Diamond and a Parfitt, (from the same families),would meet up 120 years later in Cornwall!!
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This is the 1901 Census when Joseph was 50. He was now working at a Quarry. All but the youngest had now left home.
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By the 1911 Census, each household had their own form to fill in. As can be seen by the name at the bottom. Joseph never filled this in because he wasn't very literate. So it was left to his son William Henry (22) to fill it in.
Even though Joseph was 61 he was still working and underground!
The record also shows the number of children he and Elizabeth had. 11 in total but 3 had already passed!
As can be seen by the record below, William Henry and his wife and daughter were just visiting his parents at the time of the 1911 Census. William had married Alice Maud Howells in 1909 and was living just a few minutes away at Rockingstone Terrace. Rose Elizabeth their daughter was baptised in 1911 but sadly she passed 2 years later...
More sadness for William Henry and Alice as their son Cyril was killed in 1934
The 1939 register for William Henry....
June 30th 1945
Sadly there was only a week between Alice and William's passing!....
15 November 1958 22 November 1958
1911 was to be the last Census for both of them.
Joseph died on the 13th Feb 1913 at the age of 63. He had a Cerebral Hemorrhage.(Bleeding in the Brain)
A few short years later on the 25th Oct 1917, Elizabeth passed away. Her death was the same cause. She was 67.
Both Deaths were registered by their son James Di-mond.
Joseph was buried at Eglwysilan Church on the 18th February 1913..
Strangely Elizabeth is not buried with Joseph at Eglwysilan, but at Glyntaff! Perhaps Eglwysilan was full to capacity or perhaps her children chose Glyntaff as its closer...
