A Selected History of the CARDIFF Family |
 The above photo shows, from left to right, my great-grandmother, Jane CLARE (1856-1926), my grandmother, Marion Clare BEAUCHAMP (1876-1917), my grandfather, Richard Mark CARDIFF (1871-1934), Miss CRUISE, H.C. ROSS and my great-grandfather, Philip John BEAUCHAMP (1846-1934). Dr. Adam S. LITTLE, in his book "Dogtown to Dauphin", describes Philip John BEAUCHAMP as "... a small puckish man who made a great contribution to his adopted district (Gartmore, Manitoba, Canada). A pharmacist by training, he was also a veteran of the Fenian raids. His attempts at farming were frustrated by demands for his services in caring for the sick of the district. He provided these services willingly to the settlers. In their minds he provided an essential service and in their speech they always referred to him as "Dr. Beauchamp". He became locally famous for his own "Chain Lightning", a medication for horses or humans!"
The CARDIFF Surname
The CARDIFF surname has many variations, some of which have passed into obscurity, others are still in common usage. Some of these variations include:
Some early references to the surname CARDIFF include Richard De CARDIFF born 1150 in Sandford, Shropshire, England. His daughter Amabil, born 1170, married Thomas De Sandford in 1197. William CARDIFF was Canon and Rector of St. Davids cathedral in Glamorgan, south Wales, in the year 1201. Rebert de CARDIFFE had lands in Dungarvan, County Wexford, Ireland, in 1233. Nicholas KERDIFFE was a lawyer in Dublin in 1609. Early American settlers include Patrick CARDIFF who settled in Georgia in 1733; Christopher CARDIFF arrived in 1768; Thomas CARDIFF settled in New England in 1773; another Patrick settled in Philadelphia in 1868.
Notable contemporaries of this surname include Brigadier Erold CARDIFF, and world renowned Cinematographer and Film Director Jack CARDIFF O.B.E.. Dr Joseph Radford CARDIFF was Medical Officer in Carrigbyrne, Ireland, for forty years and Coroner for south Wexford. When he died in November, 1900, he was described by the Wexford People as "one of the foremost political thinkers of his time, not alone in Wexford but in Ireland." Captain Michael CARDIFF rose from a ten-year-old cabin boy to become a distinguished master mariner, respected in many of the world’s ports for his outstanding seamanship. He died in 1964.
Diane JOHNSTON is researching Mary, daughter of Thomas CARDIFF, who married Philip THOMPSON. They had three children: Mark, born in 1881, married Martha MOFFATT/HENDRIE; Eunice Jean, born in 1913, married John WALKER; Jessie moved to Michigan with her father after her mother's death in 1908. For further information on the descendants of this family you may write to Diane JOHNSTON at her e-mail address.
Robert FLOYD is researching Clara CARDIFF, born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, who married Peter FLOYD (or FLOOD), who was born 27 December 1867. Prior to 1897 they moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where their daughter Ethel was born on 21 September 1897. They later moved to Brooklyn, New York. Peter died 22 December 1934. Clara died in October 1942. For further information on the descendants of this family you may write to Robert FLOYD at his e-mail address.
Sjana BARCROFT-HUNDT is researching Miles CARDIFF, born about 1796 in County Wexford, Ireland, who married Sarah GRAHAM. He and his family supposedly immigrated to New York about 1852 where he worked as a shoemaker, eventually moving to San Francisco, California. He died in Portland, Oregon, in 1879. His daughter, Theresa Jane CARDIFF, born in 1845 in Liverpool, England, married Isaac DOVE in 1866 in San Francisco and settled in Portland. For further information on this branch of the family you may write to Sjana BARCROFT-HUNDT at her e-mail address.
Richard Eads KNOX Jr. is researching William Finch CARDIFF, born in 1821, who married Catherine SIPES. Both were from Pennsylvania. They had two children: John R., born in 1848, and Anna B., born in 1853. William and Catherine moved from Warfordsburg, Fulton, Pennsylvania to Galva, Henry, Illinois. John R. married Rebecca FERRIS from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They immigrated to Texas where they worked as rice farmers. They had five children including John Victor and Charles C. who have large families in the Houston, Texas, area. For further information on this branch of the family you may write to Richard Eads KNOX Jr. at his e-mail address.
Victor SANCHEZ is researching Edward Cardiff, native of Newry, County Down, Ireland, who married Joanna QUINN on February 15, 1823. They had two children: Mary Joanna CARDIFF and James CARDIFF. Mary Joanna CARDIFF married Jose Francisco Pelaez y MIQUEL in the cathedral at San Juan, Puerto Rico. They were married about 1846. Their children were:
Eduardo and Josefa Pelaez y CARDIFF, both born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Josefa was married in 1864 (g-grandmother to Victor SANCHEZ).
There are two possible versions of how Mary Joanna ended up in Puerto Rico. Father, Edward and mother Joanna, emigrated to New York in the 1820's or 1830's. Joanna died and Edward remarried. He either stayed in New York with his second wife and sent his daughter, Mary Joanna to live with a friend in Puerto Rico - or - he moved to Puerto Rico with his children and new wife, Marguerite RELLEY. He may have died in Puerto Rico in 1842 or he may be buried in a cemetery in Long Island, New York. Victor SANCHEZ verified the Irish side of things with the Ulster Historical Foundation. Now he needs to verify the New World side of the story. For further information on this branch of the family you may write to Victor SANCHEZ at his e-mail
address.
Jean CARDIFF is researching John CARDIFF who migrated around 1889 from Ross Port, a small village north-west of Belmullet, in County Mayo, Ireland, and settled in Chicago, USA. He married Mary MONAGHAN from Inverness, County Donegal, Ireland. For further information on this branch of the family you may write to Jean CARDIFF at her e-mail
address.
Margaret Elliott ALONZO is researching George CARDIFF who married Catherine (Kate) ELLIOTT, born 1866, in New York. Kate's parents were Luther ELLIOTT, born 1832, in Canada, and Roseanna DUFFY born 1835, in County Tyrone, Ireland. The ELLIOTT family were United Empire Loyalists, migrating from Duchess County, New York, to Elizabethtown, Ontario, then back to upstate New York. For further information on this branch of the family you may write to Margaret ALONZO at her e-mail
address.
A group of CARDIFF family members have produced a book entitled "The Family of William Mark Cardiff 1809-1888 and Margaret Jane Duffield 1815-1893". Research for this project was conducted by many CARDIFF family members including: Olive(Cardiff) Bell, Marilyn (Bolger) Clark, Adeline (Cardiff) Campbell, Max and Ruth Tuck, and many others whose generous contributions are very much appreciated. This book is available at a cost of $25.00 from Olive Bell at 166 Hincks Street, Goderich, Ontario, N7A 3C5. Other books are in production and will be available soon. We have over 30,000 CARDIFF related entries to share and we welcome contact with researchers worldwide.
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Kevin CARDIFF of Dublin, Ireland, informs me that there are "a number of theories about the name CARDIFF. One is that it comes from the Irish words Cathair Dubh (cah-ir duv) which means black town. Another is that it is a shortening of the name MacARDIFF. There are MacARDIFFS, ARDIFFS and CARDIFFS in the Irish phone books. Another is that it comes from people who came to Ireland, possibly in Norman times, from the Welsh city of that name. There is a small area in County Kildare, Ireland, called KERDIFFSTOWN, which appears to have been spelt CARDIFFSTOWN in certain 18th century documents."
Other theories indicate that CARDIFF is Celtic in origin and refers to the Fort of Didius. The root of the Welsh word CAERDYDD includes caer: a fort. This surname has also been explained as the Fort on the (River) Taff (one of the major rivers in Wales), or CAERTAFF.
Other CARDIFF families in Ireland were attracted to southern parts of the globe. Frank CARDIFF is researching Peter and Thomas CARDIFF, of County Kildare, who left Ireland in 1839, for Australia. Peter arrived with his wife and six children. Thomas married in Australia to Margaret Dempsey. For further information on the descendants of this family you may write to Frank CARDIFF at his 
Research on Christopher CARDIFF who came from England via the Bermuda Islands to Sussex County, Maryland, has been documented on websites developed by
