Martin & Zelda Capehart Genealogy Website

Wales, part of the United Kingdom and located on a peninsula in central-west Great Britain, is about the same size as Masschusetts and about 1/4 the size of Scotland. It is bordered by England to its east and by the Mô Hafren (Bristo Channel) to the south, St. George's Channel to the west and the Irish Sea to the north. Its total coastline is 750 miles.

The main population and industrial areas are found in the cities of Cardiff (Caerdydd), Swansea (Abertawe) and Newport (Casnewydd) and the surrounding areas in South Wales. Another significant population area is in the north-east around Wrexham (Wrescasm)

Much of Wales is mountainous, especially in the north and central regions. These mountains were shaped from the Devensian glaciation during the last ice age. The highest mountains include the highest peak in Snowdonia, Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) at 3,560 ft; 14 or 15 Welsh mountains over 3,000 feet high known collectively as the Welsh 3,000's in the north-west; the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) at 2,907 ft. high in the south and the Cambrian Mountains in Mid Wales.

Due to Wales poor quality of soil, much of it is not suitable for crop growing and the vast majority of it is in permanent grass pasture or rough grazing for livestock such as sheep and cows. Wales is best known for its sheep farming, although both beef and dairy cattle are raised widely, especially in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.

Since the 18th century and the early Industrial Revolution, parts of Wales has been heavily industralized with slate

being quarried and coal, copper, iron, silver, lead and gold being mined. However, by the second half of the 19th century, the Welsh economy was dominated by mining and metallurgy (the science of separating metals from their ore and preparing them for use by smelting, refining, etc.) thus transforming the landscape and society in the industralized districts of south and north-east Wales. The mining and export of coal was a major part of the economy from the middle of the 19th century until the mid 1980's. From the early 1970's Wales was faced with massive restructuring and large numbers of jobs in traditional heavy industry disappeared and were replaced eventually with new ones in light industry and services. Much of the new industry was of a 'branch factory' nature which is often routine assembly employing low skilled workers.

Wales does not have a large metropolitan area and most of the country except for south-east Wales is sparsely populated. The 2001 Census showed the population of Wales to be 2,903,085. This had risen to 2,958,876 accroding to 2005 estimates. If it was a sovereign state it would make Wales the 136th largest country. The capital Cardiff (Welsh: Caerdydd) is the larges city of Wales with 317,500 popultion. It was the biggest coal port in the world and before WWI handled a greater tonnage of cargo than either London or Liverpool.

English is spoken by almost everyone in Wales, making it the de facto main language, however, there are many areas in northern and western Wales where Welsh is still spokem as a first language and English as the second language.

The English name "Wales" originated from the Germanic word Walh or Waelisc and refers to foreigners who had been "Romanised" and Waelisc provides the source of the English word Welsh. The Welsh called their country Cymru in the Welsh language which probably meant "compatriots" in Old Welsh. This name competed for a long time in Welsh literature with that of an older name Brythoniaid (Brythons).

The first documented history of the area that would become Wales was in 48AD. Following attacks by the Silues of southeast Wales in 47AD & 48AD the governor of the new Roman province of Britannia received the submission of the Deceangli in northeastWales. A string of Roman forts were established across what is now the South Wales Region and extending as far West as Carmarten. They also built the Roman legionary fortress at Caerleon which is the best preserved of the magnificent amphitheatres in Britian. During the occupation of Rome in the 4th century, Christianity was introduced into Wales. Following the Roman withdrawal from Britain in 410 most of the lowlands were overun by Germanic tribes, however Gwynedd, Powys, Dyfed and Seisyllg, Morgannwg, and Gwent emerged as independent Welsh successor states. This was partly due to geographical features such as uplands, mountains and rivers and a resilient society that did not collapse with the end of the Roman occupancy. Originally a Celtic land, a distinct Welsh national identity emerged in the early fifth century, after Roman withdrawal from Britain. The survival by the Romano-Britons and their descendants in the western kingdoms was to become the foundation of what we now know as Wales.

Following successful examples of Cornwall in 722 and Brittany in 865, the Britons of Wales made peace with the Vikings and asked the Norsemen to help them fight the Anglo-Saxons of Mercia to prevent an Anglo-Saxon conquest of Wales. The Britons of Wales unified with with the Vikings of Denmark in 878 AD to destroy an Anglo-Saxon army of Mericans. Like Cornwall in 722 defeating the Saxons gave Wales some decades of peace from Anglo-Saxon attack. From the year 800 on a series of dynasitc marriages led Rhodri Mawr's (r. 844-877) inheritance of Gwynedd and Powys. His sons founded three principal dynasties (Aberffraw for Gwynedd, Dinefwr for Deheubarth and Mathrafal for Powys). Each competed for hegemony (leadership or dominance) over the others. Hywel Dda (Rhodri's grandson) in (r900-950) founded Deheubarth out of his maternal and paternal inheritances of Dyfed and Scisyllwg,thus ousting the Aberffraw dynasy from Gwynedd and Powys, and codifying (arrange systematically) Welsh law in 930. Hywel's grandson (Maredudd ab Owain) of Deheubarht (r. 986-999) temporaily ousted the Aberffraw line from control of Gwynedd and Powys. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (Maredudd's great-grandson through his daughter Princess Angharad) conquered his cousins' realms (r.1039-1063 from his base in Powys and even extended his authority into England. The Welsh prince Gruffydd ap Llywelyn made an alliance with Norwegian Vikings against Mercia in 1063 which was successful. Viking aggression towards the Saxons/Franks ended any chance of the Anglo-Saxons/Franks conquering their Celtic neighbours. He was the first Welsh king ever to rule over the entire territory of Wales and for seven brief years, Wales was one, under one ruler. The Aberffraw dynasty surged to pre-eminence (1173-1240) with Llywelyn Fawr (the Great), grandson of Owain Gwynedd's, wrestling concessions out of the Magna Carta in 1215 and in 1216 and receiving the fealty (loyalty) of other Welsh lords, thus becoming the first Prince of Wales. Later following a succession of disputes which included the invasion by Edward I, the Treaty of Aberconwy exacted Llywelyn's featly (loyalty) to England in 1277. Peace was short lived and the rule of the Welsh princes permanently ended with the 1282 Edwardian conquest. To maintain his dominance, Edward constructed a series of great stone castles -- Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Conwy built mainly to overshadow the Welsh royal home and headquarters and Garth Celyn, Aber Garth Celyn on the north coast of Gwynedd After a failed revolt in 1294-1295 there was no major uprising until that led by Owain Glyndw^r a century later against Henry IV of England and Owain was reputedly crowned Prince of Wales in 1404. The rebellion ultimately floundered and he went into hiding in 1412 with peace being more or less restored in Wales by 1415. A formal Union did not occur until 1536 and the Welsh law was fully replaced by English law under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales; Websters New World Dictionary of The American Language, 2nd College Edition

The Morgan Surname

The name Morgan is a given name as well as a surname and is also the name of many places. The word, an anglicized form of the traditional Welsh name, Morcant, was given to boys in Wales and the name Morgan was used only for girls. The surname of Morgan traces its origin from the powerful Welsh family established by Morgan ap Llewelyn (son of Llewelyn ap Ifor, Lord of St. Clere, and Angharad, daughter of heiress of Skir Morgan ap Marcedudd (Meredith), Lord of Tredegar) in about 1330. It is of Welsh origin, meaning "born by the sea" or "great circle". However, Morgan traces back even further to Ireland and was a combination of Moore and Mongan. It is a popular name in Wales as well as there being a group of Morgans from "Morgund". It is also possible that the name was Celtic from the Cornovii Tribe who lived in the North of Scotland and in the Severn Valley near Wrekin Shropshire. The County of Glamorgan is named after the Princes of South Wales named Morgan (marked on map of Wales with a ). Part of this group developed into the name Leyshon. Morgan is the term for water sprites (in folklore a spirit, nymph, etc., dwelling in or haunting the water) in Welsh.

Many Welsh families migrated to Australia, Canada and the United States and as a result, many founding families carried the surname Morgan and many places were also given the name Morgan.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_(surname); Websters New World Dictionary of The American Language, 2nd College Edition

Thomas Morgan

Thomas Morgan was born about 1715 in Wales. In 1739 when he was 24, he married Johanna Jackson, in Orange Co., Va. Johanna was born abt 1719 in Ireland. They were the parents of 4 children: Thomas, William, Jonathan & John. Thomas died before 1781 in Berkley, VA. He was about 66. Johanna died aft 1781 in Hampshire, VA. She was about 62.

Thomas Morgan was the son of Thomas & Johanna (Jackson) Morgan. He was born abt 1745 in Frederick Co., VA. He married Nancy. Nancy was born abt 1749 in Frederick Co., VA. They were the parents of 4 children: Thomas, James, Elizabeth & Ann. Thomas died abt 1824 in Greene Co., OH. He was about 79. Nancy died aft 1821 in Greene Co., OH. She was about 72.

Thomas Morgan was born about 1785 in PA. He was the son of Thomas & Nancy Morgan. On 22 Jan 1807 when he was 22 he first married Ann Ogan in Belmont Co.,OH. Ann was born abt 1790 in VA. They were the parents of 5 children: John, Phamey, Catharine, Elizabeth & William. Ann died before 1823 in Indiana. She was about 33. Thomas second married Elizabeth Jane Raines on 10 Jan 1823 in Clinton, OH. They were the parents of 2 children: Ann & Jane. Thomas died about 1849/1850 in Indiana. He was about 64.

John Morgan was the son of Thomas & Ann (Ogan) Morgan. He was born 1 Jan 1820 in Indiana. On 7 Dec 1843 when John was 23, he married Rebecca Catherine Rowe(Wroe), daughter of Benjamin Rowe (Wroe) & Elizabeth Chancellor Pagett in Geene Co., OH. She was born on 18 Oct 1823 in Frederick Co., VA. They were the parents of 5 children: Benjamin Franklin, Elizabeth Ann, William, Euphima & unknown child. Rebecca died in Earlham, IA on 10 Jan 1911 and is buried in Earlham Cemetery, Madison Co., IA. She was 87. John died on 31 Mar 1902 in Madison Co., IA and is buried in Earlham Cemetery, Madison Co., IA. He was 82.

Benjamin Franklin Morgan was the son of John & Rebecca Catherine (Rowe) Morgan. He was born 12 Feb 1849 in Marion, IN. On 3 Apr 1872 when he was 23 he married Perlina (Pauline) (Stanley), daughter of Salathiel & Sarah Ann (Hickey) Stanley in Geneva, Fillmore Co., NE. They were the parents of 11 children: Martin E. Sylvia Ellen, Data Lois & Benjamin Franklin who died as infants and Charley Huron, Stella Maude, Della Jane, Earl William, Kephart P., Nellie Mae & Golson Covington. Perlina died in Seeley Twp., Guthrie Co., IA on 14 Jun 1936 and is buried in Union Cemetery, Guthrie Center, IA. She was 87. Benjamin Franklin died on either 24 Oct. 1910 or in 1906 in Spraque, Lincoln Co., WA. He may be buried in Eaton Cemtery, Spraque, Lincoln Co., WA or in Union Cemetery, Guthrie Center, IA

Kephart P. Morgan was born 8 Nov 1882 in Strang, Fillmore Co., NE. On 4 Oct 1905 when he was 22 he married Editha Dolton Bash, the daughter of William Frank & Elizabeth Rebecca (Edmonds) Bash in Madison Co., Earlham, IA. They were the parents of 4 children: Gladys Eilene, Paul Wilburn, twins Maude Amy (who died at birth) & Editha May (who died 13 days later). Editha died on 19 May 1918, the day after the birth of the twins, in Seeley Twp., Guthrie Center, IA and is buried in Earlham Cemetery, Earlham, IA. She was 36. Kephart 2nd married Alice Gertrude Fiser, daughter of Austin Ellsworth & Sarah Jane (Parker) Fiser on 21 Jun 1921. They were the parents of two chidlren: Melvin & Lester. Kephart died 16 Nov 1976 in Hutchinson, Reno Co., KS and is buried beside his first wife, Editha, in Earlham Cemetery, Earlham, IA. He was 94.

Gladys Eilene Morgan was the daughter of Kephart P. & Editha Dolton (Bash) Morgan. On 21 Sep 1906 in Earlham, IA. On 18 Aug 1930 when she was 23, she married Ray Ellis Capehart, son of John Ellis & Sarah Elizabeth (Burton) Capehart. They were the parents of 5 children. Gladys died 4 Jan 1957 and is buried in Maplewood Cemetery, Harrison, AR. She was 50. Ray 2nd married Beatrice Benter. Ray died 6 Jul 1995 near Seligman, MO and is buried in Maplewood Cemetery, Harrison, AR beside his first wife, Gladys. He was 87.

Ray and Gladys were my parents and Thomas Morgan was my 5th great grandfather.

Source: Places of birth for Thomas & Johanna Morgan, History of Warren Co., OH, p. 1011 by Beers