Acrefair Papers,

Papers, 1844-1941, of the Williams family of Acre House, Acrefair, mainly comprising letters, including family correspondence and letters received from relatives in Glamorgan, from the Pugh family, and from relatives in the USA, [late 19th cent.]-[early 20th cent.]; letters to the Rev. Ebenezer John Williams, mostly relating to his duties as minister and the chapel and water works in Llanwddyn, 1882-1889; and letters to John Williams, [late 19th cent.], mostly relating to the iron industry. The archive also includes diaries of John Williams, 1844-1897; notebooks, accounts and other documents, 1856-1893, relating to the ironworks in Ruabon and South Wales; diaries and notebooks of the Rev. Ebenezer John Williams, 1869-1935 (including chapel committee notes, accounts, Sunday School registers, and sermon notes); diaries and notebooks of Rev. John Pugh, 1849-1890, (including one containing his autobiography); papers relating to Liberal Party election campaigns in Montgomeryshire and Denbighshire, [late 19th cent.]; deeds, 1842-1921, mostly relating to property in Dowlais; papers relating to schools, [late 19th cent.]-[early 20th cent.], including school notebooks, prospectuses of schools including Holt Academy, and papers relating to the founding of British schools in the Cefn Mawr district and elsewhere.

John Williams (d. 1898), of Dowlais, Glamorgan, moved to Acre House, Acrefair, Denbighshire, in 1864, when he became manager of the New British Iron Company at Ruabon, Denbighshire, having previously been employed at various ironworks in south Wales. His wife, Maria (d. 1906), was the daughter of the Rev. Ebenezer Pugh, a Calvinistic Methodist minister, and sister of the Rev. John Pugh, Llanfechain, Montgomeryshire, later of Holywell, Flintshire, the author of several books. John and Maria Williams had five daughters and a son. Four of the daughters died unmarried: Margaret J. (d. 1926); Elinor (d. 1937); Ida Jane (d. 1893), a teacher at the Llandderfel Board School, Meirionethshire, 1886-1889; and Annie (d. 1941), educated at Shrewsbury, 1872, and a governess in the New Quay area of Cardiganshire, 1882-1883 and 1888-1890. The other daughter, Mary, was educated at Shrewsbury, and at the Training College, Swansea, 1875, and married Owen Pritchard of Oswestry, but died without issue in 1890. The son, the Rev. Ebenezer John Williams (1851-1938), was educated at the Holt Academy, 1864-1868, and the Theological College, Bala, 1878-1882, having been employed, 1868-1877, at the office of the ironworks in Ruabon. He served as minister at the Calvinistic Methodist chapels in Llanwddyn, Montgomeryshire, 1882-1889, during which time the Liverpool Corporation Water Works was constructed in the area, Llandrillo, Merionethshire, 1889-1897, Ruthin, 1897-1906, and Froncysyllte, Denbighshire, 1907-1929. He and retired from the ministry in 1929. As well as the ironworks, and Calvinistic Methodism, the family's chief interestes were the Temperance Movement, the Liberal Party and its election campaigns, and (for personal reasons in 1893-1894) Marriage Law Reform.

Arranged into the following: letters; diaries; notebooks, account books (ironworks); sermon notebooks, etc.; Calvinistic Methodist papers; papers relating to societies, politics, etc.; papers relating to Llanwddyn CM chapel; iron industry papers; deeds; papers relating to British Schools; and miscellaneous papers.

Readers consulting modern papers in the National Library of Wales are required to sign the 'Modern papers - data protection' form.

Donated by Mr W. Emyr Williams, Ll. B, Wrexham, and the Rev. S. T. Hughes, Ruthin, the executors of the late Rev. Ebenezer John Williams, Acrefair, 1947.

John Williams (d. 1898), of Dowlais, Glamorgan, moved to Acre House, Acrefair, Denbighshire, in 1864, when he became manager of the New British Iron Company at Ruabon, Denbighshire, having previously been employed at various ironworks in south Wales. His wife, Maria (d. 1906), was the daughter of the Rev. Ebenezer Pugh, a Calvinistic Methodist minister, and sister of the Rev. John Pugh, Llanfechain, Montgomeryshire, later of Holywell, Flintshire, the author of several books. John and Maria Williams had five daughters and a son. Four of the daughters died unmarried: Margaret J. (d. 1926); Elinor (d. 1937); Ida Jane (d. 1893), a teacher at the Llandderfel Board School, Meirionethshire, 1886-1889; and Annie (d. 1941), educated at Shrewsbury, 1872, and a governess in the New Quay area of Cardiganshire, 1882-1883 and 1888-1890. The other daughter, Mary, was educated at Shrewsbury, and at the Training College, Swansea, 1875, and married Owen Pritchard of Oswestry, but died without issue in 1890. The son, the Rev. Ebenezer John Williams (1851-1938), was educated at the Holt Academy, 1864-1868, and the Theological College, Bala, 1878-1882, having been employed, 1868-1877, at the office of the ironworks in Ruabon. He served as minister at the Calvinistic Methodist chapels in Llanwddyn, Montgomeryshire, 1882-1889, during which time the Liverpool Corporation Water Works was constructed in the area, Llandrillo, Merionethshire, 1889-1897, Ruthin, 1897-1906, and Froncysyllte, Denbighshire, 1907-1929. He and retired from the ministry in 1929. As well as the ironworks, and Calvinistic Methodism, the family's chief interestes were the Temperance Movement, the Liberal Party and its election campaigns, and (for personal reasons in 1893-1894) Marriage Law Reform.

Title supplied from contents of fonds.

A hard copy of the catalogue is available at the National Library of Wales.

August 2003.

Compiled by David Moore for the ANW project. The following source was consulted in the compilation of this description: NLW, Schedule of Acrefair MSS and Records.

Usual copyright regulations apply.

Action: The National Library of Wales was given full authority by the donors to select any documents likely to be of interest and to dispose of the remainder..

After the deaths of the Rev. Ebenezer John Williams in 1938 and Annie H. Williams in 1941, the archive appears to have remained at Acrefair in the care of the Rev. Williams's executors.

Accruals are not expected.

Published

Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru = The National Library of Wales