Aberdare, Glamorgan, Wales Genealogy

Aberdâr (also spelled Aberdare) is an ecclesiastical parish.

History
ABERDARE (ABERDÂR), a parish, in the union of Merthyr-Tydvil, upper division of the hundred of Miskin, county of Glamorgan, South Wales, 4 miles (S. W. by W.) from Merthyr-Tydvil, which is the post-town, and 24 (N. W. by N.) from Cardiff, on the road to Neath, over Hîrwaun common. The village or town is situated on the banks of the river Dâr, near its confluence with the Cynon, in the delightful mountain-vale of Cynon. This vale is remarkable for its scenery, being equally characterised by features of beauty and of grandeur. Its majestic groves of oak and fir, alternating with fruitful corn-fields and luxuriant meadows, are finely contrasted with precipitous and barren rocks, and enlivened by the bold sweep of the river, which in some of its windings appears to be hemmed in on every side by lofty and sterile mountains. The parish abounds with coal and iron-ore, the working of which, though it has materially defaced the beauty of the neighbourhood, which was previously distinguished as a place of enviable retirement, has added vastly to its wealth and the number of its inhabitants. The church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is a small ancient building without a tower or steeple, remarkable only for its rustic simplicity of character, which is in perfect harmony with the surrounding scenery. Here are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, Calvinistic Methodists, English and Welsh Wesleyan Methodists, and Unitarians.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. Several Internet sites list names or indexes to the records, including:


 * FreeBMD
 * Ancestry.co.uk
 * findmypast
 * TheGenealogist.co.uk

Census Records
Census for the entire country was started in 1841 and continued every ten years. The most recent census available to the public is 1911. Learn more about these records by reading the censusarticle. Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year is missing. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the FamilySearch Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Probate Records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Glamorgan Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in Wales. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place. Here is a link to a web site with gazetteers and maps.


 * Vision of Britain

Click here to see a list of communities in Aberdâr.

Websites
Contributor: add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.