A BETHESDA woman has returned from America after an interest in family history led her to discover American relatives and the grave of her great-great-grandfather.
Amanda Roberts, 48, discovered that her great-great-grandfather, Robert Thomas, was buried in Granville, in New York State, after researching her family tree.
Mrs Roberts, who lives in Bethesda with husband Dafydd Wyn, and her son, Gerwyn, 19, was inspired to find out more about her great-great-grandfather’s life after finding his name written in a family bible.
She discovered that Robert Thomas had emigrated to America in the 19th century.
Tragically, Mr Thomas died in 1884, aged just 31, as a result of a train accident in a Granville station.
He had been working in a slate quarry in America, with the intention of raising enough money for his wife and three children, who included Mrs Robert’s great-grandmother Elizabeth-Catherine, to join him.
As a result of his death the young family were left behind in Bethesda with little means of support.
“He had only been working there about 12 months,” said Mrs Roberts.
“The life was hard for the family because my great-great grandmother had no means of raising a family.
“It must have been very difficult.
“They just had to struggle by and do the best they could.”
As well as discovering the location of her great-great grandfather’s grave in Granville, Mrs Roberts also discovered that she had other American relatives, descended from her great-great-grandfather’s brothers, who also emigrated to America around the same time.
She has since been able to contact these relatives, and share information about the family’s history.
Mrs Roberts visited Granville earlier this month to place a small memorial plaque on the grave of her great-great- grandfather.
Since her return, she told the Chronicle that she intends to continue researching her family tree.
“You can never complete it, you just carry on looking,” she said.
“It makes you realise the hardship that your ancestors went through.”