Llanvaches and Magor

The next morning, we were off to Llanvaches Baptist churchyard. Thank goodness for Geoff -this small church (Bethany Baptist Church) and cemetery would be impossible to find -driving down one lane roads with high hedgerows, hoping not to meet an oncoming car. The small church had just been whitewashed. We found the graves of Joseph and Susannah (after removing the overgrowth of ivy). Next to their graves were Albert, Edna (the daughter of Albert who died young) and Katherine (Albert's wife). In the same section were the graves of the Davies, Albert's in-laws. Albert was the only one of the Pearce's to stay in Wales- marrying Reverend Davies daughter, Katherine.

We drove into Magor and stopped at the Post Office, shopping at their little gift shop. We had a peek into the Ebenezer Baptist Church, but the doors were locked. This was the church of Reverend Davies and where Albert married Katherine Davies. The original church showed a date of Est. 1816, Restored 1906.

Just a short drive from Magor was the Undy Pill Farm, the home of Joseph and Susannah. The couple, Nicola and Sean, who bought the farm were charming. They are renovating the house and it's obviously a labor of love. Sean (named after Sean Connery) had a huge shed with all sorts of equipment and appeared to know every inch of the house. Nicola has created a beautiful garden, incorporating much of the original orchard. They live in the house with three foster children.

Sean pointed out the Magor Pill Farm, Mill Reen runs between the two farms. He also told us of a sister who died in the reen.

We stopped for a "cup of tea and a bun" or a "cup of coffee and a cake" and met Geoff and Kate's youngest daughter, Joanne, her husband Mark and their 11 month old son, Alexander.

That night, we walked into Cardiff city centre and had dinner on our own at Bella Italia- lasagna and a bottle of wine.

Off to Jolly Olde England

We arrived at Heathrow at 5:30 AM. We picked up our car from National Car and headed out on the M4 for Wales.

We called cousin, Geoff and arranged to meet him at the Magor First Services (the services off the motorway for Magor. We got a latte and knew Geoff immediately when he walked in. He gave us a preview of our Pearce Family History agenda before following him to his house in Cardiff. There, we met his wife, Kate and their adorable cat, Tess.

Geoff dropped us off at our hotel about 2 PM and we had a chance to get a few hours of sleep before our pickup for dinner. On the way to Usk, we stopped at the Caerleon Roman Fortress on the banks of the River Usk.

Our first stop in Usk was at the Usk Parish Church where Joseph Pearce married Susannah Rosser on November 14, 1837 and where Josiah was baptized. The church was closed, but we were able to wander through the cemetery locating several Pearce graves.

Dinner was at the Three Salmons, a beautiful old restaurant (with hefty dinner prices)

Note:
* Speed cameras are everywhere.
* Cost of gas - $8/gallon
* Dollar vs Pound exchange

United Kingdom Route