A HISTORY OF THE EDWARDS OF WALES

"Few families can establish a loftier lineage or deduce their descent through more numerous stocks of historic distinction than the Edwards' of Wales." This is how the Edwards' family is described in Colonial Families of the United States of America, written by George MacKenzie.3

In AD 50, the Romans came to Wales and fought against the Celts, conquering them and all of Wales. By the middle of the 4th Century the Romans left Wales and let it try to make it on it's own. So in 367, Saxons, Picts and Irish (Scotti) attacked Britain. In 369, Imperial rule was restored and towns began to decline rapidly. In 383, Macsen Wledis, (which is Welsh for Maximus), was made the first emperor of FREE Wales by the British army. In 387, Maximus leads British troops to Rome to establish a new link with the Empire. Unfortunately he was killed in 388, was unable to make a link with the Empire. Some of the folklore has truth in it, but not all of it. Here is an example of some of this folklore.

There is a tale of Taliesin. He was an otherworldly being whom a prince had drawn from a river. He was made the prince's son. The prince's bard, Hafgan, took the responsibility of watching over Taliesin, and teaching the art of being a bard. At this same time there was a princess named Charis who lived on the Isle of Atlantis. When Atlantis sank, the fair folk of Atlantis (or Fairies as they were called) left in a boat. Charis and her father, Avalach, made a kingdom in the Isle of the Mighty (or Wales as known today). So Taliesin married Charis and they had a son who died at birth, but Taliesin brought him back to life. So they named him Merlin after Charis's pet bird.

Then there is the tale of Merlin. He became a king but there was fighting about it, so he sent his wife, who was with child, on a caravan out of the kingdom and to his grandfather's kingdom on Ynys Avalach (the Isle of Avalach). On the way, Picts murdered his wife and child. Merlin was so heartbroken that he ran from the castle and fell into a deep sleep for many years. When he awoke, a new king had been chosen so he became Myrdin the Great Bard of Wales. It was in this way that he saved Arthur's life. The new Queen was expecting when her husband died. So the king's brother took the throne and didn't want his nephew to become king instead of his son. So the king ordered the child destroyed. The Queen gave birth and before the child could be killed, Merlin gave the child to Malwys the Generous (he was a king who aided Taliesin and Charis when Merlin was about to be born) until he could become king. They named him Arthur.

Then comes the tale of Arthur and his knights. While Arthur was being trained to be a knight, Merlin took his sword, which was the sword of Kingship on Atlantis given to Merlin when he became king, and shoved it in an anvil in the courtyard for all to see. He said that whoever should pull the sword from the stone would be the rightful heir to the throne and would become Pendragon (or High king) over the Isle of the Mighty. So when Arthur came of age, Merlin took him to London where the sword was kept and told him that he was not the son of Malwys, but was the Pendragon over Wales. When Arthur pulled the sword from the stone, the Isle of the Mighty was split in half. The South, who would have nothing to do with him and the North, stood by his side.

Since he could not be Pendragon over half the Isle, he was made battle chief and had to win his way to the top. When Merlin went out in search of other kingship that would pay tribute to Arthur, he came to a king who would not pay tribute to Arthur unless he would do them a favor. A young man there was in the same trouble Arthur was in. He was the true king but his uncle was ruling and didn't want him to. So Merlin took him in and taught him the art of being a Bard and Peleas became Merlin closest companion. Soon Arthur had the tribute of everyone but there were still a few who were forced into it and didn't like it. They took up arms against him and Arthur moved with his war band to an island. But Arthur became injured in battle and Merlin took him to the only person who could heal him, Charis. He left Peleas behind to keep the men away and to tell the story because Merlin took him to Ynys Avalach (which is said to be off the coast of England's side of the Bristol Channel. The Bristol Channel is the body of water bordering Cardiff, Wales. Ynys Avalach is better known as Camelot today), then they and Camelot disappeared until The Isle of the Mighty needed them again. So ends the tale of Arthur and his knights.

None of this is documented. It is all just folklore. The only things documented are two things: That these were the years when Bards set up monasteries and Christianity began to spread. It spread because of the Romans when they invaded Wales and brought their religion of Jesus (or Jesu as they called him) with them. By this time Paul was dead but he had already paved the rode ahead in Rome while he was in prison for spreading the gospel. 2. There were also many records kept pertaining to different battles. Here is a chronology of the things that took place during this time that were documented.

In AD 600, Cadell Ddryllug founded the Kingdom of Powys in Wales. It was thought of to be the "Eden of Wales". In 603, Aethelfrith routs Aedan, King of the Scots. In 616, Aethelfrith defeats Welsh at Chester, cutting Wales off from the North. From 632-633 the Welsh invasion of North Umberia defeated. This was the end of effective British challenge to Anglo-Saxons. Cadell's 9 sons took control of different sections of Powys, while he remained king of the whole realm of Powys. There were two families who ruled during the years 600 AD to 843 AD. Only some of the kings were remembered through the years. Cadell Ddryllug's family is as follows: Cadell Ddryllug, (his grandson) Cadell, and Cadell's son Cyrgen (who died in prison at Rome). They lived in a castle on the Dee River that ran through Powys. The name of their castle is Dinas Bran. After Cyrgen died, a new family ruled in his place. Again only some of the kings are remembered. Brochwell was the first king in that family. The others are as follows: Cynan, Cynan's son, Selfyn and years later, Elise. Elise had a son named Rhodri Mawr.

In AD 843, Rhodri Mawr (the Great), one of the Baronial Lords of Kymmerland and a member of the Royal Line of Pavis, became King of Powys. Rhodri had two sons, Cadell (d. 909) and Anarawd. Anarawd ruled from 878 AD to 916 AD. Anarawd had one son, Idwal Foel (the Bald), but Cadell's son, Hywel Dda (the Good) ruled from 916 to 950 AD. Hywel had one son, Owain (d. 998). Idwal had three sons: Iago (950 to 979 AD), Ieuaf (Ievan), and Meurig (d. 986). Meurig had a son, Idwal (d. 996).

Ieuaf (Ievan) had two sons, Hywel (the Bad) ruled from 979 to 985, and Cadwallon, who ruled from 985 to 986. Maredudd, son of Owain ap Hywal Dda, ruled from 986 to 999. His brother, Einion, died in 984 and had a son named Cadell, who in turn had a son named Tewdwr Mawr (the Great). Cynan ap Hywel (the Bad) ruled from 999 to 1005. From 1005 to 1018 AD, no one held the Kingship of Wales.

A king was named when Angharad, daughter of Maredudd ap Owain, married Llywelyn ap Seisyll. Llywelyn reigned from 1018 to his death in 1023. Angharad remarried Cynfyn of Powys, but Iago, son of Idwal ap Meurig, became king and ruled from 1023 to 1039. Iago had a son named Cynan, but Gruffydd, son of Llywelyn ap Seisyll, became king and ruled from 1039 to 1063. Gruffydd's step-brother, Bleddyn ap Cynfyn of Powys, took the throne and ruled from 1063 to 1075. The Kingship of Wales remained vacant for another 3 years until Rhys ap Tewdwr Mawr became king. He ruled Southern Wales from 1078 to 1093.

In 1081, Gyffydd son of Cynan ap Iago, ruled Nothern Wales from 1081 to 1137. His son, Owain Gywnedd ruled from 1137 to 1170. Owain had two sons, Iorwerth Drwyndwn and Dafydd. Dafydd ruled from 1170 to 1194. Llwyelyn Fawr (the Great) ap Iorwerth, ruled from 1194 to 1240.

Llywelyn the Great had two sons and two daughters and from him descend the Edwards' Lineage. His sons were Gruffydd and Dafydd and his daughters included Gwladus Ddu (the Dark-Eyed), who married reginald de Braose and later married Ralph Mortimer, and Angharad who married Maelgwn Fychan (d. 1257). Dafydd ruled from 1240 to 1246. Gruffydd's son, Llywelyn, ruled from 1246 to 1282. The Edwards' lineage extends from Angharad.

Angharad and Maelgwn Fychan had a daughter named Eleanor. Eleanor married Maredudd ap Owain (d. 1265). They had a son named Owain (d. 1275) Owain had a son named Llywelyn (d. 1309). Llywelyn had a son named Thomas (d. 1343). Thomas had a son named Edward. Edward had a son named Robert.

Around 1382, Robert, being Edward's son, gave himself the last name Edwards. Edwards was originally spelled Eadweard, which has a Saxon meaning of "Blessed Guardian". In Wales and England it has come to mean "Son of Edward". Robert then married Ann Ryffin. A map of Wales during this time shows Cardiff on the Bristol Channel, and it shows the ruins of a place called Dinas Powys. This may have been the home of Robert and Ann. In Gaelic, this means the Hillfort of Powys. Before being dismembered, Powys extended all the way to the Bristol Channel and took up two-thirds of Wales. From here there is little to be found about the Edwards of Wales until 1580. In The Edwards' Family and Their Coat of Arms1, it tells that all Edwards are descended from Robert Edwards because he was the first to take the surname. It drew its information from the following sources: General Armory of England, Scotland and Wales2, and Colonial Families of the United States of America3.

In 1160, Powys was dismembered (split up) by 5 heirs. From 1165 to 1213 England's royal troops captured and held Castle Chirk. In 1196, England's royal troops captured and held Castle Pool. From 1172 to 1240 Powys was the most vulnerable of all the realms in Wales because it was threatened from the north by Ial, to the northwest by Edeirnion, and to the west by Penell. In 1176, a man named Bishop Adam bought up parts of Powys from different members. By the early 1200's Powys was the weakest realm in all of Wales. In 1236, Northern Powys was dismembered by 5 sons. In 1269, Northern Powys was dismembered again by 4 sons. In 1277, Southern Powys was dismembered by 6 sons.

By 1256, Powys was nearing its end. In 1256, Llywelyn (the great) fought against Edward I (King of England) for control of Wales. This 11 year war ended in 1267. During these 11 years they would call a truce and then start fighting again about every 6 months to a year. The Treaty of Montgomery ended this war.

In 1267, Llywelyn imprisoned his 3 brothers. Owain (the eldest brother) was imprisoned for life, so as not to claim his inheritance. Rhodri was imprisoned but escaped to England. David (the youngest brother) was released in 1269 and given a plot of land. In 1269, Henry III died and the 2 heirs of Northern Powys (Hywal & Madoc) left for England. English troops came in, captured it for England and ended Northern Powys' rule in Wales.

In 1277, David joined Edward I in a fight against Llywelyn. The war of 1277 took only 1 year because Llywelyn was brought to his knees at the end of 1277 by the making of the Treaty of Conway. All was fine until the year 1282, when Llywelyn reopened the war. David killed Llywelyn and sent his head to Edward I. Llywelyn had no heir because his wife died giving birth to his first born (his child died shortly after). At the end of 1282, David became Prince of Wales. Edward I was greedy and wanted more, so, in 1283, he came to Southern Powys, killed David and conquered all of Powys and Wales.

The Kings of England ruled Wales from 1283 to 1408. The names of those kings are as follows: Edward I (1283-1307), Edward II (1307-1327), Edward III (1327-1377), Richard II (1377-1399) and Henry IV (1399-1413). The following is an account of what happened in those 130 years.

In 1284, Edward I chose to rub in his victory by doing 3 things.

In 1285, Edward I still mocked Powys by taking the piece of The Real Cross (a religious relic) and parading it down the streets of London. When he wrote in the Historical Book of Records, he made proud statements about his conquests in Wales and the extinction of the Powys Dynasty.

From 1294 to 1317, Wales was rocked with small revolts against Edward I and II. Wales in the early 1300's had much disorder because there were 60 different lordships. The power of a lord went as far as his lordship. By 1300, Wales was under complete military rule. By 1301 Edward I had made himself at home by building 8 new castles costing 90,000 pounds and raising the taxes.

From 1317 to 1400, Wales was halfway peaceful. Although in 1345, as a warning to Edward III that the people of Wales were unhappy about the military rule, a group of town folk met together and murdered Edward III's attorney on Valentines Day. A few days later they went out again and murdered the sheriff of Mioneth, took his records and then assaulted the city and castle of Rhuddlan. In 1351, Edward III ordered the seizure of all Welsh land bought without his permission. Finally in 1361, Edward III passed a law stating that Welsh could not sell land to English (or vice versa) without a selling permit or a license to sell land.

The years of 1370 to 1415, were a time of tension and revolt. When the people's tension peaked, in 1397, 3 men formed a coup attempt against Richard II. They freed themselves from military rule but not the English. On September 16, 1400, Owain Glyn Dwr, the last of the 3 who survived the coup) was made the Prince of Wales. In 1401, Henry IV made a law that the Welsh people could not buy land in England or English cities in Wales. On Good Friday, 1401, the Welsh captured and held an English castle for 2 months. Henry IV then tightened his grip on Northwest Wales. Late in the year of 1401, Henry IV made a second attempt at killing Owain but he requested help from Scotland and he chased Henry IV back to England. The revolt kept going and in 1404, English control on Wales was only on the coastal regions. In 1408, the last 2 major strongholds for Owain were captured back. 1408, was the end of England's control over Wales. In 1410 those who chose to revolt against Owain during 1400-1408, were put to death.

From 1416-1485, Wales was in ruin and reformed slowly. When the war ended late in 1485, Henry VII took control of Wales. He held control until 1533. In 1536, a law was passed so that if the king wanted something done in or to Wales, he had to go through the courts of England. English became the official language of Wales. The Welsh language almost died out until in 1888 when an act was passed so that Welsh Bibles and Prayer books would be preserved along with the Welsh language itself. From 1533-1603 was the reign of Elizabeth I (daughter of Henry VII). From 1603-1650 was the reign of James I.

Around 1580, Richard Edwards was a schoolmaster in Wales. He left Wales to become a clergyman at St. Nicholas in Deptford, England and served in attendance upon Queen Elizabeth I in London. He was a native of Holywell, Wales. He and his wife Ann had eight children, 7 sons and 1 daughter:

• Leonard
• Joshua
• Thomas
• John
• Jacob
• Martha
• Robert Alexander
• William

In 1625, Richard Edwards died suddenly leaving Anne to raise the children on her own. Later, Anne married James Coles. In 1635, after most of her children had grown up, Ann went to New England with her husband and eighteen year-old son, William.

(From here, most genealogists trace the Edwards' Family through William because he would become the great-grandfather of Jonathan Edwards. )

In 1637, William Edwards was a cooper in New England. There he was married and in 1647 had a son named Richard, after his father. In 1667, Richard married Elizabeth Tuttle and they had 5 daughters and one son as follows:

• Mary
• Timothy
• Abigail
• Elizabeth
• Ann
• Mabel

• John
• Hannah
• Richard
• Daniel
• Samuel

Timothy married Esther Stoddard and they had 10 daughters and a son as follows:

• Ann
• Esther
• Mary
• Elizabeth
• Jonathan
• Eunice
• Abigail
• Jerusha
• Hannah
• Lucy
• Martha

Timothy had gone to Harvard where he became a pastor at the Northampton, Connecticut Church. Jonathan Edwards married Sarah Pierrepont. He became a famous "fire and brimstone" preacher. He was given this nickname because he liked to preach from the book of Revelation. One of his most famous sermons was "Sinners in the hands of an angry God", which was preached during the "Great Awakening". He had 2 sons and 8 daughters. Their names are as follows: Jonathan, Timothy, Susannah, Esther, Jerusha, Eunice, Lucy, Mary, Pierrepont, and Sarah. Jonathan Edwards died in 1758. (app. I)

Another child of Richard Edwards I was Robert Alexander Edwards. He married Eleanor Laws, whose uncle was William III, husband and cousin to Mary II, making her a member of the Royal Stuart Family. This made her the Great-Great granddaughter to King James I. (app. II) They moved to Aberdeen, Scotland and had two sons:

  When James was a young boy, about ten years old, he was hooked on the arm by a cow. A few years later, at the age of twelve, he was sent to get the cow but never returned. His family thought he was killed when in reality, he was kidnapped and taken to America as a "bond servant" in New York. (These kidnappers would offer a child a small amount of money to sign a contract. The contract would give legal custody of the child to the kidnappers, then they would sell the children to the highest bidder for a profit.) Although he never came through Ellis Island, James Edwards' name is on the Immigrants Wall. Here he was taught the trade of being a blacksmith. When he was eighteen, he was freed and he married Sarah Songster Everett. They moved to a plantation in Fairfax, Virginia. Here he had 6 sons and 3 daughters:

James Wm. Edwards served Virginia as a Private in the First Virginia Regiment during the Revolutionary War. He served under Captain Thomas Hamilton and Colonel George Gibson. 4,5,16,17 The Virginia Census Records for the Heads of Families in 1785, place James Edwards in Fairfax Virginia with nine children, one dwelling and two other buildings.15 He heard that a ship captain named Robert Edwards was at the dock, so he went to see if it was his brother. When he found out that it was his brother, he went to Aberdeen, Scotland, so that his family would know that he wasn't dead. Before he ca3me back to America, his mother gave him 6 silver spoons. Today only a woman with the name of Eleanor may keep the spoons.

After leaving Virginia, James and his family moved to Kenton's Station, Kentucky and then Washington, Kentucky, in Mason County. It was here that James bought 1000 acres of land from a man named Philip Slaughter.5 Philip Slaughter was a Captain in the 11th Virginia Continental Line.6 The land was granted to Slaughter on February 10, 1789 by the State of Virginia. On August 4, 1795, Slaughter gave power of attorney to Robert Coleman to sell/buy land, and make deeds in Ohio and to sell the 1000 acres of land in Ohio located opposite Limestone Landing.7 On June 1, 1830, the United States Treasury paid Philip Slaughter an extra Forty dollars a month form March third to September third.18

James Edwards bought the land, now present day Aberdeen, Ohio in Brown County, on August 11, 1796 for 600 pounds, legal Kentucky tender.8 James then built a cabin at the mouth of Fishinggut Creek and received a ferry license on October 1, 1799 a few months before Nathan Ellis and was recorded on July 23, 1809,10 James sold bits of land to people who came after him to settle. James sold 237 3/4 acres of land to Nathan Ellis on October 10, 1797 for 206 pounds, legal Kentucky tender. The deed was recorded on March 4, 1798.11,19

James Edwards died in 1804 at the age of 102 years. In his will, James left all the money and land that he owned to his son George Edwards. "I also give and bequeath to my said son George Edwards the whole of the land and premises together with appurtenances that is now in my hand being part of a survey made in the name of Philip Slaughter binding the Ohio River." This is the exact language stated in the will giving land and belongings to George Edwards. The will was recorded March 8, 1803, long before the historical date of Aberdeen's founding, 1816.12 George kept the ferry operational until his death in 1870.

George married Susanna Downing in 1794. Susanna was born 2/5/1776 and died 8/6/1853. They had eight sons and six daughters:

According to Northwest Territorial Papers, George Edwards received a military appointment as an officer in Adams County on July 11, 1797.5 Soon after arriving at Aberdeen, he took command of a volunteer company charged to protect themselves and others from Indian attacks. In the War of 1812, he was a Col. in the Second Ohio Volunteers Regiment.13 For his services, he was granted 120 acres of land in the Territory of Kansas.5 Some Edwards still reside near this land in Rawlings Co. Kansas. On March 27, 1818, three Brown County Commissioners met to establish a place for the "Seat of Justice" near the middle of the county.

On July 23, 1818, George Edwards was appointed by the court as a Director to purchase land and lay out a town for a county seat. The place he laid out was called Bridgewater. It was located near Straight Creek and has come to be known today as "The Old County Seat".14 Nobody knows for sure where Bridgewater is located. Some believe that they have found the remains of a log cabin set aside for the county seat, but all anyone knows is that it was located somewhere between Ripley and Georgetown.

James S. Edwards married Rebecca Chamber in 1821, Hulda Conger and later, Nancy Jacobs on April 2, 1846. Between the three wives, he had seven sons and six daughters:

James S. Edwards was a Private in the War of 1812. He served in Captain Benjamin Parks Company located in Vincennes, Knox Co. Indiana from September 10, 1812 to November 12, 1812. James died on January 27, 1858. Bounty land was granted to him after the war.20

The Rev. Jesse Lockhart married John Downing Edwards and Anna Evoline Parker on Nov. 7, 1850 and they had seven sons and one daughter:

James Oscar Edwards married Frances Butler and they had five sons and three daughters:

Herbert Stanley Edwards married Gladys Catlin and they had three sons and one daughter:

Robert John Edwards married Nola Pease in 1948 and after her death in 1962, Robert married Florine Strahm in 1964. Robert and Nola had two sons:

John Charles Edwards married Nita Smith in 1975 and they had one son and one daughter:

Appendix I

Appendix II

01. The Edwards' Family and their Coat of Arms

02. The General Armory of England, Wales and Scotland

by: Sir Bernard Burk; pp. 317, 613

03. Colonial Families of the United States of America

by: George MacKenzie; pp. 170-171

04. Historical Collections of Brown County Ohio, 1969

by: Carl Thompson; pg. 515

05. 1818-1993 History and Families, Brown County, Ohio

Compiled by Brown County Historical Society, Turner Publishing Co.

Ripley Public Library; pg. 273

06. Virginia Military Records

Genealogical Publishing Co.; pp. 407, 776

07. Early Kentucky Settlers

pp. 393-394

08. Deed Book A, Hamilton Co. Ohio

pg. 537

09. Pioneer Ohio Newspapers, 1796-1801

Freeman's Journal, pg. 38

10. Records and Deeds of Adams County, Vol. 1,2,3

pg. 135

11. Facts Concerning the Founding and Naming of the Village of Aberdeen, Ohio.

by: Glenn Woods; appendix "PAGE IV" of the above work

12. Last Will and Testament of James William Edwards

Mason Co, Kentucky. Circuit Ct. Order BKG:188

Unit: 2-9-1803 Prov. 8-2-1803

13. Biographical Sketches: Union Township

pp. 61-62

14. The History of Brown County

Chicago: W.H. Beers and Co., 1883

Brown Co. Historical Society; pg. 284

15. Heads of Families-Virginia, First US Census, 1790

pp. 85

16. Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution

by: John Gwathmey, -pg. 250.

17. Revolutionary War Service Records

National Archives, Washington DC

General Index Card, number 832

18. Revolutionary War Claims, number 1010

National Archives, Washington DC

Index Number 0712

19. Transcribed Records From Adams Co.

Records Prior to 1800, Book One, pg. 1

20. War of 1812, Bounty Land Grant Claims

National Archives, Washington DC

Index Number 3-1777

• The Chronicle of Princes

By: Thomas Jones

• The Royal Line of Succession: The British Monarchy from Cerdic AD 534 to Queen Elizabeth

By: Patrick W. Montague-Smith

• Revolutionary War Land Grant Claims, 1783-1850
• Atlas of Brown County, 1876 ed.
• Wales 1063-1415

By: R.R. Davies

• A History of Wales

By: John Edward Lloyd

• Encyclopedia Britannica, 1960 ED

S.V. "Wales"

• The Matter of Wales

By: Jan Morris

• Let's Visit Scotland

By: John Caldwell

• The British Isles

By: Robert Clayton

• World Book Encyclopedia, 1988 ED

S.V. "Scotland"

• The Quest for Arthur's Britain

By: Geoffrey Ashe

• The Pendragon Cycle: Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur

By: Stephen R. Lawhead

• National Geographic, June 1965: Wales, The Land of Bards
• National Geographic, July 1983: Wales, The Lyric Land

*UPDATED October 4, 1998

COMPILED BY JEREMIAH EDWARDS