Summary - Family Tree for Noah & Sarah Williams

These are the family tree research notes on Noah Williams and his wife Sarah Ann Williams (born Lewis) and their ancestors. Noah and Sarah Williams lived at Cae Caradog farm, near Wick, Glamorganshire and their ancestors are located mainly in the county of Glamorgan but with some family branches extending to Pembrokeshire, Bristol and Lancashire.

The overall family tree for Noah Williams and his direct (or biological) ancestors (as known so far):

The overall family tree for Sarah Williams (born Lewis) and her direct (or biological) ancestors (as known so far):

The following families & locations are included:

Williams Families of Cae Caradog Farm, Wick (1800s & 1900s). Tells the story of 3 Williams families living and farming at Cae Caradog Farm, Wick. First Philemon Williams, the county coroner for Ogmore and wife Mary Thomas (married 1814). Then Philemon Bassett Williams and wife Eleanor John (married 1856) and finally Noah Williams and wife Sarah Lewis (married 1911 at a secret wedding in St John's, Cardiff). These families were supporters of Wick Chapel (a General Baptist and Unitarian chapel - founded by local farmers). Cae Caradog farm itself appears to originate from 'Cradock Lands' (or Caradog in welsh) - freehold lands in Wick originally held by William Harry (the great, great, great, great grandfather of Noah Williams)
William & David Families of St Brides Major (1700s). This story starts at the beginning of the 1700s with 3 brothers, Harry William, John William/ Harry and William Harry of St Brides Major - all from an affluent local family. At this time the old welsh naming system where family surnames came from the fathers first name was still commonly used. William Harry's son was the Rev. Edward William, who went to Oxford University and became rector of St Dochdwy at Llandough-juxta-Cowbridge. His only son, Philemon Williams, lived in Pitcot with his Aunt, Mary William, but he appears to have disinherited his own son (also called Philemon Williams - who seems to have run away to Bristol) so the family assets were inherited by his sister Mary David (born William) and then in turn her son Edward Williams (born Edward David). There is an ongoing link with Bristol, as John Holland (a trader between Aberthaw and Bristol) was an Uncle to both Edward Williams and Margaret Bassett - which partly explains how they came to marry in Bristol in 1776. They than settled in Pitcot, St Brides Major, Glamorgan.
Bassett Families of St Athan and Bristol. The Bassett family had settled in the St Athan/ Penmark/ Aberthaw area of Glamorganshire with Christopher Bassett being a wealthy "Gentleman" involved in land sales and purchases for local landowners and the church and also a 'Chief Constable". He married Alice Holland in Bristol, daughter of John Holland - boat owner and trader between Aberthaw and Bristol. They were both active welsh methodist supporters within the Anglican church - and around the 1740's moved to Bristol to champion and organise the welsh methodist cause. Bristol was, at the time, the 'front line' for methodist conversion - but ultimately they were beaten by the Wesleyan methodist societies who had also set up in Bristol - so they then returned to Penmark/ Aberthaw around 1750. The son of Christopher Bassett was another Christopher Bassett who became a prominant methodist preacher, but who died young at his sisters house in Bristol. The Bassett surname died out at this point as the family inheritance became shared between Christopher Bassett's two remaining daughters, Margaret Bassett (who married Edward Williams of St Brides Major) and Elizabeth Bassett (who married Thomas Wall, a brewer of Bristol).
Holland Families of St Athan, Walwyn's Castle, Conway Castle and Lancashire The Holland family were very influential and can be readily traced back in history - some 16 generations are noted here, going back to the 1300's and originating from Upholland in Lancashire. Our starting point is King Richard II who had two half brothers, Thomas Holland 2nd of Kent and John de Holland - both owning large parts of England and Wales, and from these recruiting their own armies to fight alongside the King on his sorties into Ireland, Scotland and France. It was their great Uncle, Alan de Holland, who was first given the rights of Conway Castle and associated lands. These rights were then held by a successive 8 generations of the Holland family - through to Hugh Gwyn Holland of Conway in the late 1500's. His son Rev. Robert Holland became the rector of Walwyn's Castle, Pembrokeshire, followed by his son Rev. Nicholas Holland. It was the following generation of Rice Holland and then John Holland who settled in the St Athan/ Aberthaw port area. John Holland was a shipwright, ship-master and merchant trading mainly between Aberthaw and Bristol - who owned a fortified country house/ farm (on the site of what is now Aberthaw cement works) with indications that he was involved in illegally importing tobacco. His daughter Alice Holland became the wife of Christopher Bassett.
Treharn Families of Ffawyddog Farm, Llangeinor. Three generations of the Treharn family farmed at Ffawyddog farm, near Llangeinor, Glamorganshire - initially with William Treharn (the local church warden) and wife Elinor. They had children Evan and Eleanor who went onto manage the farm together with a secretly adopted child, Gwillim Treharn - a child arising from a local 'bastardy bond'. The three managed the farm, apparently unmarried, into their old age - after which it was run by Llewelyn Treharne, a first cousin who had gone to live at the farm from a young age. Another child of William and Elinor Treharn - Catherine - went on to marry Jenkin John of Tyle-coch farm.
Thomas and Bonvil Families of Wallas Farm, Ewenny. Two branches of the family lived and farmed at Wallas Farm, Ewenny. Firstly - Elizabeth David (the step daughter of Harry William) married William Bonvil and their daughter Mary then continued on at the farm with her husband William Thomas. Secondly - in 1782, a different William and Mary Thomas took over the farm (then called Wallace Farm), passing it on to their son Thomas Thomas. Their daughter Mary Thomas married Philemon Williams from the nearby Cae Caradog Farm, Wick.
Lewis & John Families of Blaencrymlyn Farm, Blackmill. Three generations of the John family farmed at Blaencrymlyn farm, near Blackmill. Christopher and Ann John farmed into their old age - followed first by their son John John and his wife Mary-Ann and then - second, their grandson William Lewis who married Hannah Thomas (who was originally from 'Trefgarn-Owen' in Pembrokeshire). The daughter of William and Hannah Lewis, Sarah Ann Lewis, married Noah Williams of Cae Caradog Farm, Wick.
Thomas & Jenkin Families of Pembrokeshire Thomas and Anne Jenkin lived in Llanreithan, Pembrokeshire as farm labourers - and subsequently moved to Brawdy, Pembrokeshire. Their daughter, Hannah, married David Thomas of St Davids - and they had many children, some died young and others were working as farm servants at an early age. One of the children, also named Hannah, moved to Bridgend, Glamorgan and married William Lewis.
John Families of Tyle-coch Farm & Mackworth Arms, Bettws Jenkin John and wife Catherine Treharn farmed at Tyle-coch farm and then became innkeepers at the Mackworth Arms, Bettws. Their daughter, Eleanor, married Philemon Bassett Williams of Cae Caradog Farm, Wick.

These notes remains a work in progress and I cannot vouch for their total accuracy – but they remains a best estimate with the information available. I would be pleased if others are able to use these notes as a starting point and develop them further.

Neil Jenkins - Greenwich, London April 2025