Griffith Rowland settled in Cambria Township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania about 1795. This later became Cambria Township in Cambria County in 1804. He married Jane Jones, a daughter of William Jones, sometime after 1800 when he appears in the 1800 census in Cambria Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania living with a male and female over 45 years of age.
Griffith Rowland's parents were William Rowland and Elizabeth Ellis. William Rowland was known in Wales as Rowland Williams since the Welsh used the patronymic naming system whereby a man was known by his name (son of) and his father's name. Thus, Rowland was the son of a man named William. Rowland Williams died before 9 June 1795 when his will was probated in Wales. He was living in Tyddyn Issa in the parish of Llanllechid in the county of Caernarvon when he wrote his will on 15 July 1789. He names his wife Elizabeth Ellis in his will and his brother Ellis Williams as well as his sons: William Rowlands, Ellis Rowlands, and Griffith Rowlands. He also names his daughters Ellin, Jonet, and Grace who were under 21 at the time his will was written. His sons Ellis and Griffith Rowlands were named as executors.
Information about the Rowland families of Cambria and Indiana Counties are given in the following county histories: a biographical entry for William Rowland in the History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania published in 1880 by Caldwell; a biographical entry on the Rowland family in Indiana County, Pennsylvania by Stewart; and a biographical entry for Rev. Elias Rowland in the Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria County, Pennsylvania by Wiley.
Three children of William Rowland (Rowland Williams) and his wife Elizabeth Ellis emigrated to Cambria County, Pennsylvania:
1) Ellis (1765-1858) married Catherine Hughes (1773-1840)
2) Griffith born 1771
3) Joned (1777-1834) married Rev. William Williams (1777-1848)
Griffith Rowland and his wife Jane Jones had the following children:
1) William (1801-1883) married Clarissa Rundel (1809-1897)
2) Maria (1803-1867) married John Crumb and Joseph Craig
3) Isaac (1805-1887) married Elizabeth Keller
4) Jacob
5) Griffith J. (1809-1871) married Mary Mikesell and Margaret Jordan (born 1811)
6) John (born about 1811- died after 1860) married Jane Conrad
7) Eliza (1814-1883) married Enoch Reese (1811-1889)
Griffith died 1 June 1847 in Cambria County, Pennsylvania and left a will naming his wife and children. His wife Jane was born in 1777 in Wales and died 18 May 1850 in Cambria County.
The Rowlands were Baptists and attended Baptist churches in Cambria and Indiana Counties. Griffith and his wife Jane as well as his daughter Joned and her husband William Williams are buried in Bethel Baptist Church cemetery right off Route 422 outside of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. Baptists do not practice infant baptism.
The Church of England was the official church in Wales in the 1700's. All other churches were known as non-conformist churches, including the Baptist church. There are parish records for the Church of England in Wales in the 1700's but little if any for the non-conformist churches. However, all marriages after 1754 had to be performed in the Church of England in Wales.
There are no baptismal records for any of Rowland Williams' children in the Church of England parishes and no parish records exist for the non-conformist churches. A marriage record does exist for a Rowland Williams and Elizabeth Ellis in the Church of England parish for Llanllechid, Caernarvonshire, Wales. They were married on 23 June 1762. A William Williams and Jonnet Rowland were also married in this parish on 2 March 1798. These marriage records with the will of Rowland Williams establish that the family of Griffith Rowland lived in the parish of Llanllechid, Caernarvon (same as Caernarvonshire), Wales.
Llanllechid is a village, a parish, and a sub-district in the Bangor district and is 3 1/2 miles SE of Bangor. Martha Jones, a great-great granddaughter of Ellis Rowland gave his birthplace as Bangor, Caernarvonshire, Wales. This information is consistent with each other. Caernarvonshire is now Gwynedd in Wales due to name changes of the counties.
