your comments
T Lethbridge, Swansea
My husband always told me that his grandfather was born in Russia - so, when doing a little research into the family tree I was amazed to find a picture of his great grandfather at the Hughesovka works. To see this just google Hughesovka and Lethbridge and there is a great picture of the workers in about 1890.
Ellen Gilbert, Newport
John Hughes is the brother of my Gr Gr Gr Grandfather James Hughes. I have recently started researching the family tree and I am trying to find out more about John, James and their family. Does anyone have details of Johns parents?
Jane Keaveney from Scunthorpe
I have grown up knowing about John Hughes as my grandfather, great uncle and great grandfather were involved in this project, and my father and his brothers and sisters were all born in Russia during this period. In fact my grandfather and grandmother were married in Russia. A member of my family has researched a family tree so obviously we have become more interested in John Hughes and his pioneering of ironworks in the town that bore his name.
Paula Hughes from Cambridge
John Hughes was my great great grandad, via his son Ivor and his son John. I've just started researching my family tree and am glad i have been able to discover more about him. A publication from the Glamorgan Record Office has been a good read entitled 'Hughesovka: A Welsh Enterprise in Imperial Russia' by Susan Edwards.
Pauline Fear
My great-grandfather John Austin went out to Hughesovka. According to the Blaina Census 1871 My great-great-grandmother was receiving money from Russia. Although his name does not appear on the list of Welsh miners emigrating I am positive he emigrated. He never returned - on the day his family were due to leave Blaina, they received a letter saying he had died. I have searched for his death but unfortunately cannot find it. Family legend says he 'married' a Ukraine woman & had a family out there. I also found out recently that Krushov was born in that Ukraine valley & I am told that he bears an uncanny resemblance to my Austin great-great-grandfather!! Who knows!!!!
John G Westerman, Wales
Following up on family rumour that a Westerman had married a Hughes (Emily)of Merthyr Tydfil I am trying to establish whether Emily was the sister of Ann and John Hughes as it is said that my distant relative built an ironworks in Russia.
Victor Johnson from Nigeria
Mr Hughes was a great man a worthy industrialist of his time may his gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Kudos to a great legend.
hughes sarah from brighton
he was my great grandfather. My father was John Hughes, his father was Ivor Hughes, His father was the great John Hughes!
Artyom Brin, Donetsk
And this is an article on Wikipedia about Donetsk with a foto of a monument in the honour of John Hughes.
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Louise Riddle in Bridgend
My great-grandfather, Arthur Riddle, was a good friend of this John Hughes until his death (probably while carousing at the Hotel d'Angleterre in Petersburg, whence Arthur Riddle used to return to his patient wife 'festive'). The friendship continued with Hughes'son, also John, who was godfather to one of Arthur's sons.
Arthur Riddle became the first Anglican chaplain in Hughesovka - as the English in Russia called it at the time - in 1902. Previously services had been, apparently, conducted in a schoolroom, but a church was built & Arthur Riddle and his wife and four children remained there until his death in 1911, the boys returning to England to school.
Does anyone know where the Hughes archives are stored? I've come across references to them in the course of other research but have forgotten their location and would very much like to access them.
Patrick Burke, Salisbury UK.
Does anyone know if records were kept of the personnel Hughes took with him to Russia? Many years ago I remember seeing an article somewhere which listed his employees from Wales. This is a family history query as I'm given to understand that a distant relative called Mort (surname) went with him.
Sarah McEvoy, Sheffield
One of John Hughes' sons was called Ivor. He in turn had a son called John, who was my grandfather. Curiously enough I now live in Sheffield. I had no idea, when I moved here, that it was twinned with Donetsk!
Michael Navakatikyan in Auckland, New`Zealand
I was born in Donetsk (former Yuzovka) in 1952. At that time the city was called Stalino (I believe since 1924 till 1961) in honour of Josef Stalin. I did not realise why it was formerly called Yuzovka. Certainly, I did not relate it to a Welshman. But yesterday I read about that in Khrutschev's book 'Khrutschev Remembers' and searched for Hughes today. And what a surprise! He is known.
Gwyn Jones from Pentwynmawr
I first heard of John Huges a number of years ago when I read a book by an author from Rhymni named John Summers. The book was called 'the Red and the Black'. Another book that may interest anyone who lived through the 1940s in the South Wales Valleys would be John Summers account of live in Rhymni called the 'Raging Summer'.
Norman Roberts from Glasgow
Perhaps Hughes's bio needs updating? At Millwall he worked as manager of C.J.Mare's forges and rolling mills. He worked in the same capacity for the successor company Millwall Iron Works & Shipbuilding Company, and for the enlarged Millwall Iron Works, Shipbuilding and Graving Docks Company. When the latter company ceased trading Hughes became manager of the Millwall Iron Works salvaged from the wreckage. To the best of my knowledge there was no Millwall Engineering and Shipbuilding Company.
Rosemary Prior in Newport
My grandmother told me that she had an uncle who went to Russia and they named a town after him. I have been unable, until this year, to get a connnection with my family.
I mentioned to friend that I could not get anywhere with my research as I could not find any connection to the name Hughes. She, very kindly, said she would look at the 1881 Census for my grandmother's family, whose name was Strawbridge.
They lived in Blaina Wharf (Newport) at that time and staying with them was an uncle with the name Edward Hughes. We then went to the 1851 Census for Abercarn and found that he had a sister, called Ann, who was a widow and had children called Alice and William. This Ann was my grandmother's grandmother, who, in turn, was the sister of John Hughes.
As my grandmother said that John Hughes was her uncle, that makes him my great, great, great uncle.
What's your opinion of John Hughes?
Founded Hughesovka in imperial Russia
