Apart from my father, all my paternal ancestors born in Amlwch. In the early nineteenth century Amlwch had the second largest population in Wales. It became the centre of the shipbuilding industry. It is no surprise, then, that at least 14 of my ancestors were mariners! Unfortunately, at least 3 of them died at sea, two by drowning and one from malarial fever.
I have hit two major brick walls. My grandfather, Richard ROWLANDS, was born in 1875 but I could find no entry for him, or his older brother or sister in the 1881 census. Eventually, after about 4 years I discovered that his mother had married again in 1877 and that the whole family were entered in the census report under the surname of her second husband CANDLER. I had no idea what had happened to her first husband.
This was my second brick wall. I guessed that he had died at sea, as he was a mariner, but I could find no record of this. I searched, on and off, for 14 years. A free weekend web-site gave me the answer. I discovered that he had died at sea and I also discovered the name of the ship and the route of the journey he was on.