The above photos are of Penygraig. There is one that shows the Tonypandy sign, but the two towns sort of melt into each other. We took a bus up the hill a short ways and were in Penygraig! I was so tired of walking though. So even if Robert thought I was nuts, I still wanted to take the bus...
Alas, there's nothing in these two towns, not even one restaurant! There was one fish and chips place but it didn't look appetizing. I was quite disappointed, as I came thousands of miles to see my roots, and I was simply thankful that my great grandparents decided to move to Canada.
It was very sad, but my great grandma, Florence (Bellamy) Palmer, died of a broken heart and TB, at the age of 47. That's my age now. She hated Canada. She hated the prairies. I've never been to the prairies and I can imagine they would be a thousand times worse than Penygraig!
5 comments:
what a sad story Loretta. I think there were a great many solid reasons for our ancestors to immigrate to North America. Even though I wish to move back to my Irish roots--I wouldn't have wanted to be there during the potato famine
I wouldn't want to have been there while Colin and Paul dug in a mine either. But I do love the hills, and the way you can see for a long distance. Maybe she pined for the society back in her bustling home town. Probably the only movement she saw on the prairie was a tumbleweed every afternoon at 4:00.
You all 3 certainly look like adventurers! Amazingly spry.
Dear Loretta,
You are quite right about Pengraig, I am a Penygraig boy, and proud of it, but moved away years ago. Basically there is no option if a young person wants to progess in life. The oportunitoies for those that remain are very limited and a dormitary for Cardiff seems to be the future. My Grandmother had two brothers who emigratred to Canada and I am still in touch with our family there. Penygraig like all other Welsh Valley communities existed for one reason, coal, and when coal mining ended so did the raison d`etre fo those communities. Penygraig was originally a very small hamlet (called Fwrdd Amos) and a few scattered hill farms, one of which Pen-Y-Graig (The head of the rock)gave is name to the community. A boom town until the depression years things again improved after WW2 until the 70`s when the final demise of heavy industry ripped the heart out of the valleys. As a boy in the late 50`s and 60`s Penygraig was a very different place, you could get any service you wished there from cradle to grave. It`s range of shops, which included a "Woolworths" were probably greater than any community of a simmilar size. I have little reason to go there now but am deeply sadness to see what has become of the of my childhood home.
Hi wanted to contact you as we are relatives. Florence Bellamy Palmer was my grandmother. they came to canada,to saskatchewan with my father (sydney) and 5 of his siblings. Dad is still alive as is his sister violet. they lived at 15 wyndholm st.in tonypandy .We live in chilliwack british columbia canada.
Hi Jacqueline! I'm so glad you posted. I'd love to contact you. My email address is:
dragonfly3@telus.net I guess you would be my Dad's cousin and my 2nd cousin. I hope to hear from you! Loretta
Post a Comment