A VISITOR from 'across the pond' popped into Oswestry recently to learn about his heritage.
David Dexter flew in from Oklohoma City in the USA last week to meet up with members of the Oswestry Family and Local History Group and the Oswestry Borderland Heritage, both run by Ken Owen.
Ken started a website for the Oswestry Borderland Heritage two years ago, and it aims to record all the industrial heritage around the town.
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And his efforts had led to David learning more about his own heritage.
He said: “After we photograph and upload the mills, the rails, the canals and many others, we upload them to the website and then it’s up for anyone to see.
“So, this chap from Oklahoma comes in, and he inquired about his great-great grandfather, Edward Evans, who was a miller at Brithdir Mill, that moved to Oswestry.”
Ken explained that Edward lived in Berriew, Powys in the 1700s until the mill burned down.
He then moved to Weston Mill in Morda, of where Ken had gathered all the history of it, taking pictures of the site and then and putting them up on the site.
“In the history bit is where David found the information about his great-great grandfather,” he added.
“He had been looking at my site for a few months – so he came in and we helped him with more details and then I took him to the mill.”
The current owners of the site were not there but David had the opportunity to take some pictures and continued the journey with Ken down to a local pub for some lunch.
“We had a pint of real ale – which you can’t get in America – and he was over the moon," he added.
David then went back to Shrewsbury where he was staying as part of his expedition.
Ken’s website is intended as a repository for industrial and historical information collected from various sources around the area.
It features photographs, memories of local residents and copies of original documentation.
The historian’s days consist of going out to the different mills and other heritage sites in the area to research and talk to owners to get more information.
He has helped a few people to re-connect with their past since he first started his journey
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