Emily McCormick was born on the 8th August 1858 Emily Nicholls in Gwenap, Cornwall to John Matthew Nicholls and Elizabeth Treague.  Her Father John was born in Marizon, Cornwall and Mother Elizabeth (Teague) Gwenap, Cornwall.

In the 18th and early 19th centuries Gwenap parish was the richest cooper mining district in Cornwall and was called the ' richest square mile in the Old World '

Emily McCormick lived a life of much sadness and tragedy as well as happiness and lived to the age of 89 years old.

In 2008 I attended an exhibition and memorial in St. John's Church Aberkenfig to the Miners who lost their lives in the Park Slip Mining disaster (Tondu), the gentleman speaking touched on the Cornish who had gone to Taibach as miners and worked in the Morfa Colliery and my interest was aroused, I was going in a few weeks to the theatrical production in Swansea of the Ghost of Morfa Colliery. I started researching on goggle and found the record of a John Matthew Nichollas and John Henry Nicholls losing their lives in the 1890 disaster and much to my surprise was to find that both my great-great grandfather and his son was killed on that day - it was strange to sit through the re-enactment of the tragedy.

The Ghost of Morfa Colliery was performed by Theatr nanog please click this link to read their account

87 Men died in the Morfa Colliery Disaster, Parliament debated it but it was a long time before mine safety become equal to the owners profit if it ever did !  the owner of Morfa Colliery John Henry Vivian turned his yatcht around on hearing on the news, his mine had a bad safety record, he was a ruthless employer, history serves him well better than it should he should be counted with the worse of his day, not many had heard of Tennerife in 1890 but he was sailing there !

please click here for a link to the death roll of the 10th March, 1890.

Since then my Father and I have collected copies of the death certificates from Neath Registry offices, visited Taibach Library to see the memorable plaque, Margam Abbey to view the burial records and put our minds at rest that their bodies were recovered and my father Jack Thomas laid a wreath on the Morfa Memorial which stands in the Port Talbot Steelworks.

After military service with the South Wales Borders in Burma in World War II my father Jack Thomas and his brother Tommy Thomas who served with South Staffs airborne and was a prisoner of war returned to work as a bricklayers, and entered the then Steel Company of Wales in Port Talbot at it's beginning as a bricklayers little did they know that just about daily they passed the spot where their great grandfather and Uncle had been killed. In 2006 their Union which Jack played a prominent role in during his working life and continues today in retirement had organized for the memorial of their fellow working man to be built.

John Cronin of UCATT arrange in November 2009 for Jack to lay a wreath on the memorial and the then Managing Director of the Port Talbot steelworks honoured him with lunch and thanked him for his loyal service to the steelworks - his picture appeared with 'Jack is back' in the Steel News

Was Emily McCormick related to Richard Trevithick - Richard Trevithick invented and built the World's first high pressure steam engine and in 1804 the world's first steam locomotive was born, it took time for this be acknowledged that he was there before Stevenson, but my Father always taught me that it was Trevithick if sometimes it was in peril of getting the best marks in school.  Trevithick's mother was Anne Teague born in 1736 born in the village of Carharrack Cornwall so was my family Teague ?

Census records

Census Record for Elizabeth & John Nicholls

1851 Census Record

Elizabeth Nicholls no husband recorded probably at sea the family are living at

8,The Beach, St. Ives, Cornwall

Census Records for Elizabeth (Treague) and John Matthew Nicholls

1861 Census Record 34, Carharrack, Gwenap, Cornwall

1871 Census Record

John Matthew Nicholls & Elizabeth Nicholls

15 Groeswen, Brick Row, Taibach, Port Talbot

1881 Census Record

John Matthew Nicholls & Elizabeth Nichollas living at 1 Greenfield Street, Taibach, Port Talbot

By the 1891 census John Matthew Nicholls and his son John Henry Nicholls had

both killed in the Morfa Colliery Disaster 1890.

1891 Census Record

Elizabeth Nicholls now a widow living at 1 Oak Wood Cottages, Port Talbot

Census Records for Emily nee Nicholls

1st.  husband    Benjamin Thomas  died of injuries sustained in the Cwrt Herbert Colliery, Neath

2nd. husband    William McCommick

1881 Census Record

Emily & Benjamin Thomas are living at 13 Queen Street, Skewen in the parish of Coed Franc

1891 Census Record

Emily was widowed and has remarried and her surname is McCormick the family

are living at Godra Bryn, Bettw (Bridgend)

1901 Census Record

The family are living at Glan Nant Row, Shwt, Bettws, Bridgend

Census Record of David Thomas son of Benjamin & Catherine Thomas

living at Fountain Terrace, Bettws, Bridgend

1901 Census Record

David and Rebecca had three daughters, Rebecca, Catherine & Elizabeth, Rebecca became the Matron of

Hollow Prison London and spent & cared for Ruth Ellis on her last night of life before being hanged - the last

women to be hanged in Britain

Census Record 1881 of Stephen & Rebecca Matthew parents of Rebecca Thomasrecorded as living at Oddfellows Row, Bettws, Bridgend

Census Record 1891 of Stephen & Rebecca Matthews Bryn Bach, Bettws

Census Record 1901 of Stephen & Rebecca Matthews Green Meadow, Bettws