The Llewellyns

About the Book

In the year 1835, THOMAS ALBERT LLEWELLYN is born to Patricia and HAROLD LLEWELLYN. Harold is killed in a coal mine cave-in shortly after his son’s second birthday and Patricia goes to work in the mine, hauling coal in baskets from the stalls to the tram road. After two years of this unremitting toil, she contracts pneumonia and dies, leaving her child in the care of WILL and NELLY POWELL. Although Will isn’t too happy with taking on the responsibility of raising the young Llewellyn orphan, he has little choice. Adapting to this change in his life, he becomes quite fond of little Tom, sending him through the Merthyr Vale one room, school.

Upon becoming twelve years old, Tommy finishes his schooling and goes to work in the mines as an apprentice to Will, becoming a “pit boy” rather than a “school boy.” Tommy worked at this profession until his sixteenth year, when he is no longer considered a “collier boy”, but a certified first class collier.

Tommy meets a girl named ISABEL MORGAN, and they are married when he is twenty-two years old and she is twenty. Theirs is a happy life, with her working as a brick making expert and he as a miner. Isabel gives birth to three children and quits the brick making business to raise her family.

The three additions to the Llewellyn family go through six years of school and eventually become full fledged coal miners also. November 1888 is extremely cold and both Tom and Isabel catch influenza and are unable to work. Isabel arises early, puts her sons out to their jobs in the mine, then returns to bed. ABE TODD their next door neighbor in the two family home, after a night of carousing, has allowed his fire to go out and is trying unsuccessfully to light it again. After several attempts he angrily grabs a handful of black blasting powder and throws it into the stove followed by a lighted match. The resulting explosion completely demolishes the dwelling. Tom, Isabel and Abe Todd are killed instantly.

Their sons, TOM, JR., DAVID and BEN after a month of grieving, rent a row home and set up housekeeping. The brothers are all blessed with fine Welsh singing voices, so they join the choir at the local Presbyterian church, where they meet and marry sopranos ROSE, VICTORIA and MAE. Due to some family difficulties concerning their employment, Tom and Rose leave the town of Dinas on the Rhondda Fawr and take up residence in Cardiff, Wales.

He finds work in a coal sorting business and is doing quite well. They rent a charming little house from an elderly lady named MARY ANNE TOWLE, who acts as midwife for their first born ROBERT LLEWELLYN. They live comfortably, raising two children at Sunshine Cottage.

Robert finishes school and returns to Dinas where he works in the mine with his uncle David. When his uncle has to give up working because of miner’s asthma, WILLIAM JENKINS, SR. takes his place. He becomes close friends with Robert and tells him that he is going to Midlothian, Maryland, “in the states.” Robert, deciding to go with him, bids good-bye to his family in Cardiff and accompanies Jenkins to America. Uncle Ben already lives in Midlothian, Maryland.

Bill and Robert start working in Midlothian mines and after a short while, marry two local girls whom the meet at the dance halls. Robert’s bride, ANNE GUTHRIE comes from Scotland and proves to be an astute business woman . . . being instrumental in their acquisition of a large abandoned farm. They build a home in the town of Midlothian and raise three children, a boy and two girls. Their son ANDREW WILLIAM LLEWELLYN is fascinated with coal mining and makes a pact with himself to someday own a mine and be worth millions of dollars. Andrew finishes college and becomes a mining engineer, but due to World War II an

About the Author

John Retallick is a retired Methods Engineer who lives in a Florida retirement community. Being born and raised in the coal mining country of Western Maryland, he decides that mines and miners who had emigrated there from Cornwall and Wales were ideal subjects for a story. Both of his grandfathers were miners and told young John many stories about conditions here and in the “old country.” These tales provide the background for this novel.