The earliest record of James VAUGHAN is his marriage to Ann HOPKINS (widow
of John HOPKINS) in 1876. James and Ann married in the parish church at
Kidwelly on 19th March 1876.

As yet, no trace has been found of his earlier life, or of his parents. His
death certificate gives his birth as June 9th 1856. I have been told that
he went to Co Cork, Ireland, with his father, at the age of six, but there
is no evidence for this. This would have been around 1861. They are said to
have returned when he was 19 (say 1874). The only references to James
father, also James, are on his marriage certificate and his death
certificate. In the 1881 and 1891 censuses, James claimed to have been born
in Kidwelly, but no record of this has been identified.

James emigrated to the USA in 1895 leaving his family in Kidwelly. Nothing
is known of his progress immediately after his emigration. He next appears
in the US 1920 census, living in New Castle, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania.
Like Kidwelly, this area was known for its tin plate works, the first in the
US, and James worked there. He died the following year, on 30th August 1921,
and obituaries were placed in two newspapers by some of his sons, who had
apparently followed him to the States, and lived nearby. One paper named
his ten surviving children, both in the USA and in Wales.

So the key questions are:-
Where and when was he born (around 1856) ?
Where was he form his birth until he is recorded in Kidwelly in 1876.
Where in the USA was he from 1895 to 1920 ?
Please email emb4@tutor.open.ac.uk if you have any information or suggestions.