[Pictured above: A Mormon in the Whitehouse? Could Welsh-Americans voters in Utah put Mitt Romney there as Vice-President? Mitt Romney is a politician and member of the Mormon Church, which counts among its members many Welsh-descended voters.]
Welsh-Americans in Southeast Ohio have already been pivotal is handing Senator Hillary Clinton a decisive victory in battleground state Ohio, where many Welsh immigrants settled over the centuries.
Descendants of Welsh-American immigrants continue to have a significant impact on the values, morals, worldview and politics of the United States, which might not be appreciated back in contemporary Wales or Britain, for that matter.
Contemporary Welshmen living in Wales are mostly secular, unlike their ancestors from the past three centuries (1600-1900) who were devoutly religious 'chapel gwerin'.
[Pictured above: Still sexy Sixties teenage heart-throb Welsh-American and Mormon Church member Donny Osmond has returned to massive concert crowds in Wales where he returned last year to trace his ancestral roots Glamorgan/Merthyr Tydfil.]
Welsh-American Mormon Celebrity Donny Osmond traces Welsh roots
Various religious movements still thriving in America today started in Britain and have historic roots in Wales, but have now almost died out in the United Kingdom.
These movements include the 'New Thought / New Age', New England Transcendalists, Mormons, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, The Salvation Army, Unitarians, Quakers, Puritans, and many others.
Consequently, a lot of modern Welshmen born in Wales cannot understand the lives, outlook and history of their Welsh-American cousins.
As citizens of a secular society, most modern Welshmen do not share the intensely religious experience and culture of their Evangelical Christian or Mormon Welsh-American 'distant cousins'.
But Republican Presidential Candidate recently returned to Utah to campaign with an endorsement of his once hated rival, Mitt Romney.
[Pictured above: Candidate John McCain and Mitt Romney -- Romney is a politician and member of the Mormon Church, which counts among its members many Welsh-descended voters.]
Will Romney be McCain's running mate, and given the division in the Democratic party, could McCain/Romney win the Whitehouse in November 2008?
And we want to ask, will Utah's Welsh-Americans once again use their votes to choose the next president?
That is, what if Welsh-American Mormons vote in large numbers for a (purely speculative -- at this time) McCain/Romney ticket -- will the tiny country of Wales once again, through her American 'diaspora' change the current of world events?
Welsh-American Evangelical Christians have traditionally viewed the Mormons (Church of the Latter Saints, Reorganized Church of the Latter Saints, etc.) as cult members, not 'orthodox' Christians, because of their religious beliefs and doctrines based upon the teachings of founder Joseph Smith.
Some Evangelical leaders in American have endorsed Romney as a 'brother' while others have suspicions or have condemned him as a 'dangerous heretic'.
[Prominent Welsh-American Sen. Hillary Clinton greets Kerry Bowen at the Polk County Fall Dinner, Friday, Oct. 19, 2007, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Steve Pope)]
According to the Welsh Mormon website:
"The Church had great missionary success in Wales during the 1840's and 1850's, and many thousands of Welsh converts immigrated to America, heading West with Brigham Young as a part of the great Mormon Migration, which began in 1847."
"Today it is estimated that approximately twenty percent of the population of Utah is of Welsh descent."
[Pictured above: Early Mormon converts]
[Pictured above: Richard Woodruff Price is an Accredited Genealogist in English research (International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists) and specializes in the research problems of English-descended families, with special emphasis on Colonial Immigration and Norfolk families.]
Richard Price, President, Professional Genealogist
Since 1976, Price & Associates, Inc. has developed talented teams of professional genealogists in Salt Lake City to assist you in tracing your family history.
As a co-founder of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Company President Richard Price and his highly-trained professionals can help you find your roots throughout the World.
Web Site Documents Origins of 19-Century Welsh Mormon Immigrants
by Nathan W. Murphy, MA, AG®
"In the mid-19th century, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) led a very successful missionary effort in Wales."
"Dr. Ronald Dennis, Professor of Portuguese and Welsh at Brigham Young University (BYU), has launched a website documenting the families of each of the Welsh converts who emigrated to America."
"Since 20% of the current Utah population descends from this group of individuals, this website promises to become a popular Internet attraction."
"Dr. Dennis, himself a descendant of the famed LDS Welsh missionary Dan Jones (1810-1861), has an insatiable desire to accumulate quote, “everything Welsh Mormon.”
"Dennis’s collection, in conjunction with the Center for Family History and Genealogy at BYU, is now available online at
"The Welsh Mormon History website contains hundreds of superb photographs, transcribed journals, biographies, autobiographies, and other material produced by descendants, bringing this substantial group of LDS pioneers to life."
"Particularly interesting are the over 500 photographs depicting many of the original Welsh converts and also the Welsh homes and towns they left behind. Some of the sources he used to compile this information include: LDS Welsh Branch Membership Records, original journals and autobiographies, the 1880 US Federal Census, and the Mormon Immigration Index."
At Welsh American Family Genealogy, we believe there’s no better ‘Empty Nest’ activity than researching your Welsh family history and creating a legacy for future generations. You don’t have to be rich to leave behind an enduring heritage for your children and heirs.
What’s important is that you use the time wisely. If you would like to simulate your mind each day and stay young through constructive activities, than genealogy might be right for you!
Write to us and tell us your questions. We might not know the exact answer, but think of this as a daily adventure – thousands of other online readers will ‘pick their brains’ to help you!
Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.
Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark
Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.
Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.
Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.
© 2008 Dr. Mark Leslie Woods
At Welsh American Family Genealogy, we believe there’s no better ‘Empty Nest’ activity than researching your Welsh family history and creating a legacy for future generations. You don’t have to be rich to leave behind an enduring heritage for your children and heirs.
What’s important is that you use the time wisely. If you would like to simulate your mind each day and stay young through constructive activities, than genealogy might be right for you!
Write to us and tell us your questions. We might not know the exact answer, but think of this as a daily adventure – thousands of other online readers will ‘pick their brains’ to help you!
Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.
Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, MarkClick here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.
Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.
Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.
Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase
© 2008 Dr. Mark Leslie Woods