tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52290332196545504862024-02-06T23:37:19.863-08:00Welsh-American Family GenealogyWelsh-American Family Genealogy, Welsh Surnames and Family Histories, Welsh-American Folksonomies, Tylwyth o Gymru, Welsh Migration, Welsh Settlements, Welsh Diaspora, Welsh Folktales and Welsh Family Recipes, American Settlers from Wales, Canadian Settlers from Wales, Australian Welsh, London WelshUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-89546870402461219742014-01-21T13:49:00.000-08:002014-01-21T13:49:42.552-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_K6dEZLpQG_v6GMqwGDnX9qMYTyXiwZxGx107apjbQ_OTux2ru93LK6bZ6Bca9qahovVuR1tLmKud31KvF5Jl1qT0DnlmneuYjdGEo7SxcdbqX6BLXjK9nM6dHMfaZnK-tspFqJH6gpM/s1600-h/DonnyOsmond-Campbell1_0900.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_K6dEZLpQG_v6GMqwGDnX9qMYTyXiwZxGx107apjbQ_OTux2ru93LK6bZ6Bca9qahovVuR1tLmKud31KvF5Jl1qT0DnlmneuYjdGEo7SxcdbqX6BLXjK9nM6dHMfaZnK-tspFqJH6gpM/s400/DonnyOsmond-Campbell1_0900.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184587138881863410" /></a>
<br />[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.]
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-1852067591388120772008-04-01T01:23:00.000-07:002014-01-21T13:49:58.936-08:00Will Crucial Welsh-Americans Voters in Utah Put Mitt Romney in the Whitehouse as Vice-President in November 2008?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibC6F4nkCGYa1CLZrUUmgRIbry7uk5AoMT2Lw1_enUP1XoZkHEumOxUoIEaTc-sMcJGu3G2TneEJ_rC93OOl-ESXA0VZEvBO8XiHbpoYcPYuemYkCM7cOPifgLhviRqXQzgr6jqkKpD5Y/s1600-h/mormon-white-house-200.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibC6F4nkCGYa1CLZrUUmgRIbry7uk5AoMT2Lw1_enUP1XoZkHEumOxUoIEaTc-sMcJGu3G2TneEJ_rC93OOl-ESXA0VZEvBO8XiHbpoYcPYuemYkCM7cOPifgLhviRqXQzgr6jqkKpD5Y/s400/mormon-white-house-200.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184581770172743394" /></a><br />[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.] <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1430315946&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Contemporary Welshmen living in Wales are mostly secular, unlike their ancestors from the past three centuries (1600-1900) who were devoutly religious 'chapel gwerin'.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_K6dEZLpQG_v6GMqwGDnX9qMYTyXiwZxGx107apjbQ_OTux2ru93LK6bZ6Bca9qahovVuR1tLmKud31KvF5Jl1qT0DnlmneuYjdGEo7SxcdbqX6BLXjK9nM6dHMfaZnK-tspFqJH6gpM/s1600-h/DonnyOsmond-Campbell1_0900.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_K6dEZLpQG_v6GMqwGDnX9qMYTyXiwZxGx107apjbQ_OTux2ru93LK6bZ6Bca9qahovVuR1tLmKud31KvF5Jl1qT0DnlmneuYjdGEo7SxcdbqX6BLXjK9nM6dHMfaZnK-tspFqJH6gpM/s400/DonnyOsmond-Campbell1_0900.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184587138881863410" /></a><br />[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.]<br /><br /><p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/4307755.stm"> Welsh-American Mormon Celebrity Donny Osmond traces Welsh roots </a></p> <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1432506072&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Consequently, a lot of modern Welshmen born in Wales cannot understand the lives, outlook and history of their Welsh-American cousins.<br /><br />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'.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000025OGC&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />But Republican Presidential Candidate recently returned to Utah to campaign with an endorsement of his once hated rival, Mitt Romney.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbh8cQv4Pw7w4KD0cJAnH9ajYWf1wT-wPWRSObIASTlnoYpiBtlhQr9XNaGvZUAFwpZHs7NTKnKcmuQkLMRroA69zSvZ2VAATJcfiXW8wdGURmUbzzTzaZHB1hEMe2qFaYVjH5NOLO3Zs/s1600-h/mccain_romney.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbh8cQv4Pw7w4KD0cJAnH9ajYWf1wT-wPWRSObIASTlnoYpiBtlhQr9XNaGvZUAFwpZHs7NTKnKcmuQkLMRroA69zSvZ2VAATJcfiXW8wdGURmUbzzTzaZHB1hEMe2qFaYVjH5NOLO3Zs/s400/mccain_romney.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184580133790203602" /></a><br />[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.] <br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=159698502X&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Will Romney be McCain's running mate, and given the division in the Democratic party, could McCain/Romney win the Whitehouse in November 2008?<br /><br />And we want to ask, will Utah's Welsh-Americans once again use their votes to choose the next president?<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0548239258&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />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?<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000JQV5K4&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />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.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1400032806&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Some Evangelical leaders in American have endorsed Romney as a 'brother' while others have suspicions or have condemned him as a 'dangerous heretic'.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYUyw8FnsWR_REm2kLY8ayjq56G5SxcQHPpTm1JqiFuF9RaZK8PmJnO-zq5aQVuIlCIe4GQzzigA_3sZosW1B07J4FhFqnJ4i5owmQHnGrkugnD2mgPhaCIT4e2NbZriCv0a7t0_u4l8/s1600-h/ClintonBowenIowa.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYUyw8FnsWR_REm2kLY8ayjq56G5SxcQHPpTm1JqiFuF9RaZK8PmJnO-zq5aQVuIlCIe4GQzzigA_3sZosW1B07J4FhFqnJ4i5owmQHnGrkugnD2mgPhaCIT4e2NbZriCv0a7t0_u4l8/s400/ClintonBowenIowa.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184192392732655154" /></a><br />[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)]<br /><br />According to the Welsh Mormon website:<br /><br />"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."<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0767927567&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />"Today it is estimated that approximately twenty percent of the population of Utah is of Welsh descent." <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_ZwGBHJJXMGMNTvsEuBbWZiXbfvIHXDaee7hJh_OM9X8BQPqflh-XVjJVpnIiuaru1945xnmwC5PKVqmfJK3hzSptobt3iNxow4DURdX52pS0luPLjEBy5a-NIGz9wNo9FLlfEIAMZY/s1600-h/welshmormonconverts.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_ZwGBHJJXMGMNTvsEuBbWZiXbfvIHXDaee7hJh_OM9X8BQPqflh-XVjJVpnIiuaru1945xnmwC5PKVqmfJK3hzSptobt3iNxow4DURdX52pS0luPLjEBy5a-NIGz9wNo9FLlfEIAMZY/s400/welshmormonconverts.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184576856730156738" /></a><br />[Pictured above: Early Mormon converts]<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0874808227&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIlpbtCFxcTQkKFjRiuj8PiRBv_B5hi-QY-0syPhI4smUSTPMKWyR9vJ1_rjr-hjVGpVyoSWcbi9vWbvFnELcBtxU25XnesB15Cbp3kwNdvTaLmWicGv7ClQd94-KCX3MxH6nnqM9iLo/s1600-h/price2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIlpbtCFxcTQkKFjRiuj8PiRBv_B5hi-QY-0syPhI4smUSTPMKWyR9vJ1_rjr-hjVGpVyoSWcbi9vWbvFnELcBtxU25XnesB15Cbp3kwNdvTaLmWicGv7ClQd94-KCX3MxH6nnqM9iLo/s400/price2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184574438663569074" /></a><br />[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.]<br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.pricegen.com/resources/welshmom.htm"> Richard Price, President, Professional Genealogist</a></p> <br /><br />Since 1976, Price & Associates, Inc. has developed talented teams of professional genealogists in Salt Lake City to assist you in tracing your family history. <br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0002I84JO&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe> <br /><br />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. <br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00112R7ES&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Web Site Documents Origins of 19-Century Welsh Mormon Immigrants <br />by Nathan W. Murphy, MA, AG®<br /><br />"In the mid-19th century, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) led a very successful missionary effort in Wales."<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1555839789&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />"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."<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1573459283&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />"Since 20% of the current Utah population descends from this group of individuals, this website promises to become a popular Internet attraction."<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000LG5F0I&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />"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.” <br /><br />"Dennis’s collection, in conjunction with the Center for Family History and Genealogy at BYU, is now available online at<p><a href="http://www.welshmormonhistory.org/"> www.welshmormonhistory.org." </a></p> <br /><br />"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."<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000P5FH4Y&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />"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."<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1843833689&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000F6ZC48&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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! <br />Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.<br /><br />Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark <br />Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.<br /><br />Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.<br /><br />Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1560850469&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />© 2008 Dr. Mark Leslie Woods<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00072NJD6&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1590383311&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1584653221&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2008 Dr. Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-24383480703694684552008-03-31T01:09:00.000-07:002008-04-01T02:16:04.821-07:00Welsh-American Hillary Clinton Raises Another $3 Million in 3 Days as Women Supporters Push Back and Tell Obama and Press to 'Stop Bullying Hillary!'<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6DKlsqv-MziWOq5CwRQkfbb-IUm1PqM4v1FpZbMxuyEE1egVFJdbMj4JYa7g5oN_4hWY6y4qlgrjqLcfznmJyNbGf9JX1wA1T7JwKsSmU4fyxuUp9XglNMUke95jl3TH_RaBjfIexH0/s1600-h/blackwomenclinton"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6DKlsqv-MziWOq5CwRQkfbb-IUm1PqM4v1FpZbMxuyEE1egVFJdbMj4JYa7g5oN_4hWY6y4qlgrjqLcfznmJyNbGf9JX1wA1T7JwKsSmU4fyxuUp9XglNMUke95jl3TH_RaBjfIexH0/s400/blackwomenclinton" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184202434366193234" /></a><br />[Pictured above: Women are protesting the blatant bullying of Hillary Clinton by the press and the Obama<br /><br />From the book 'A Woman in Charge':<br /><br />"Hugh Rodham, the son of Welsh immigrants, was sullen, tight-fisted, contrarian, and given to exaggeration about his own accomplishments. Appearances of a sort were important to him: he always drove a new Lincoln or Cadillac. But he wouldn’t hesitate to spit tobacco juice through an open window. He chewed his cud habitually, voted a straight Republican ticket, and was infuriatingly slow to praise his children."<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0307388557&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=052167414X&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />According to Jeralyn at</p><p><a href="http://www.talkleft.com/"> Talk Left:</a></p>"Update: 10:30 pm MT: She's over $3 million now. That's $85,000.00 in the past hour alone. Thanks in part go to TL readers who contributed (see comments below), you helped push her over the top." <br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0743222253&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />"For the past three days, Hillary Clinton has been fundraising online with a goal of raising $3 million by midnight, the end of the fundraising quarter. Right now, she's at $2,915,000. $1 million a day for someone the media is counting as down and out isn't bad."</p><p><a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/31/america/NA-POL-US-Clinton-Women.php">Long stalwarts for Clinton, women push back on calls for her to exit presidential race:</a></p>"Amid mounting calls from top Democrats for Clinton to step aside and clear the path for rival Barack Obama, strategists are warning of damage to the party's chances in November if women — who make up the majority of Democratic voters nationwide, but especially the older, white working-class women who have long formed the former first lady's base — sense a mostly male party establishment is unfairly muscling Clinton out of the race."<br /><br />Bill Clinton - How Can America Regain Its Moral Standing?<br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LccGoTwH8Q4&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LccGoTwH8Q4&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />"Women will indeed be upset if it appears people are trying to push Hillary Clinton out of the way," said Carol Fowler, the South Carolina Democratic Party chair who is backing Obama. "If you are going to ask her to withdraw, you'd better be making a strong case for it — both to the candidate and the public."<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000C4SWIG&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />"My e-mail is bursting with women who are furious, and it's grown in the last week," said Ann Lewis, Clinton's director of women's outreach and a longtime Democratic activist."<br /><br />"These women are the volunteer infrastructure of the Democratic Party who've been proud to support Democratic officials for what they believe and stand for," Lewis said. "They are very angry that people they've worked for so hard would be so dismissive of Hillary and, by extension, of them and what they value."<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0061140406&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />"Indeed, the gender gap in most of the primaries thus far has been stark."<br /><br />"In California, Clinton bested Obama by a margin of 59 percent to 36 percent among women. She beat him by 54 percent to 45 percent among women in Ohio, an important general election battleground state."</p><p><a href="http://www.hillaryclinton.com/"> www.HillaryClinton.com:</a></p>Hillary: "Huge Support" for Northern Ireland Peace Process <br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qA_LBieb8PQ&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qA_LBieb8PQ&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />Previously reported: S.E. Ohio Welsh-Americans Play Pivotal Role in Hillary Clinton's Stunning Primary Comeback Last Night<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnV0_Fd2bEu4ec758ofcDDQK5YXq9ixh5lkmOia_XpuMrY5iNFp0TL0yvjsakzheDJTHty-SlaspzmdOB-_bjqnZQIeBUaEMlqrcBRUPOhlXh4qHX4Eaemjy3cZh58T9KWDWBINLfJ0WI/s1600-h/Hillary1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnV0_Fd2bEu4ec758ofcDDQK5YXq9ixh5lkmOia_XpuMrY5iNFp0TL0yvjsakzheDJTHty-SlaspzmdOB-_bjqnZQIeBUaEMlqrcBRUPOhlXh4qHX4Eaemjy3cZh58T9KWDWBINLfJ0WI/s400/Hillary1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184192963963305538" /></a><br /><br />[Pictured above: Famous Welsh-American Senator and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton seems poised to become Democratic candidate for the position of the next American President, after a decisive primary election on 4 March 2008 in which Welsh-Americans in Southeastern Ohio might have been key.]<br /><br />The area of Southeastern Ohio has been pivotal in the last several elections of George Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan, giving decisive victories in Ohio, a state that often turns the U.S. election in the favour of one candidate or another.<br /><br />Hillary Clinton made a surprise come back last night, with important victories in TexaS, Ohio and Rhode Island. <br /><br />The Obama camp and the mainstream media are downplaying this vistory already, demonstrating their blatant bias against the New York Senator (parodied on Saturday Night Live last week).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYUyw8FnsWR_REm2kLY8ayjq56G5SxcQHPpTm1JqiFuF9RaZK8PmJnO-zq5aQVuIlCIe4GQzzigA_3sZosW1B07J4FhFqnJ4i5owmQHnGrkugnD2mgPhaCIT4e2NbZriCv0a7t0_u4l8/s1600-h/ClintonBowenIowa.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYUyw8FnsWR_REm2kLY8ayjq56G5SxcQHPpTm1JqiFuF9RaZK8PmJnO-zq5aQVuIlCIe4GQzzigA_3sZosW1B07J4FhFqnJ4i5owmQHnGrkugnD2mgPhaCIT4e2NbZriCv0a7t0_u4l8/s400/ClintonBowenIowa.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184192392732655154" /></a><br /><br />[Pictured above: Sen. Hillary Clinton greets Kerry Bowen at the Polk County Fall Dinner, Friday, Oct. 19, 2007, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Steve Pope)]<br /><br />But election-watchers should note that the articles being published today are employing an argument about 'delegate math still holds Hillary back' saying that Clinton 'cannot catch up with Obama's delegate count' -- and these same articles conventiently ignore the pro-Clinton delegates in Florida & Michigan, states excluded from the Democratic Primary on technicalities.<br /><br />Obama supporters are deluding themselves if they believe the entire states of Florida and Michigan will tolerate being left out or disenfranchised from so important an election, and predictions are that these Clinton delegates will eventually be seated at the August convention.<br /><br />It might be too early to declare Clinton the winner, but Welshmen around the world can be proud to note that tiny Wales is still influencing the world's politics, through the Welsh-American diaspora.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nTids2_omlnYSyItCySUprGtRL5M8YLfpMH0lFzXfulOdggSh002I9IfS3MfrR79m9w8RIdPn2nqTwFOl5E7eQ-1DbXhyphenhyphen2JgRb02rvCjSlsWtE1TPPsBKPwMluk7qE_HZZqcb1y0R1Y/s1600-h/ohioinworld.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nTids2_omlnYSyItCySUprGtRL5M8YLfpMH0lFzXfulOdggSh002I9IfS3MfrR79m9w8RIdPn2nqTwFOl5E7eQ-1DbXhyphenhyphen2JgRb02rvCjSlsWtE1TPPsBKPwMluk7qE_HZZqcb1y0R1Y/s400/ohioinworld.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184192220933963298" /></a><br /><br />But why was last night's victory in Ohio important to Welsh-American Hillary Clinton?<br /><br />This ability of Ohio is so famous that an old saying developed: 'As goes Ohio, so goes the nation!'<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9g7QxT1ZDa8Wu1hx_5JyhUKTLwqVqKrBXqHUWPyxHj1aWTJWf_0jQDcHKMU-z-Nm6IuRTM8WFDJCced0qQ2ifzIU7DHWLcDRJzaZIuEP0tLcQj564ap-1yo3QPByTTUJElLZbUQxFn4/s1600-h/ohio.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9g7QxT1ZDa8Wu1hx_5JyhUKTLwqVqKrBXqHUWPyxHj1aWTJWf_0jQDcHKMU-z-Nm6IuRTM8WFDJCced0qQ2ifzIU7DHWLcDRJzaZIuEP0tLcQj564ap-1yo3QPByTTUJElLZbUQxFn4/s400/ohio.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184192014775533074" /></a><br /><br />Ohio, Midwestern state in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Ohio is bordered by Pennsylvania (NE) West Virginia (SE), Kentucky (S), Indiana (W) and Michigan and Lake Erie (N).<br /><br />Ohio was the first and eastern-most state in the Midwest admitted to the Union under the Northwest Ordinance. <br /><br />Ohio is an Iroquois word meaning "great water." The name refers to the Ohio River that forms its southern border.<br /><br />Columbus is the capital and largest city. Cleveland is the center of the state's largest metropolitan area. Other major cities are Cincinnati, Toledo, and Akron.<br /><br />But I have always told you to keep you eye on Ohio, because as they say, 'Ohio chooses presidents'. <br />Ohio: Crucial now and in fall campaign<br /><br />Now we see Hillary Clinton, who has been declared dead by a mainstream media overwhelming biased for opponent Barrack Obama, being thrust back into the race, and the influence of the people in S.E. Ohio is again in the spotlight.<br /><br />So just who are these people? You might be surprised to learn that a significant number of them are Welsh-Americans!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnjPKR9_0oCwzipa9fnvvnk4Y1XrRFDk1YgMRhLNJbxsgRDUSROhJ_LSvAYNmbupRxIn9dS0dn2xrXGWt8LlCnHWiUEYOsT1J4PloXsKtCjRl3EoBIRpPn6_P5cCKwO8O_6FIm4STUwU/s1600-h/USWELSHflags.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnjPKR9_0oCwzipa9fnvvnk4Y1XrRFDk1YgMRhLNJbxsgRDUSROhJ_LSvAYNmbupRxIn9dS0dn2xrXGWt8LlCnHWiUEYOsT1J4PloXsKtCjRl3EoBIRpPn6_P5cCKwO8O_6FIm4STUwU/s400/USWELSHflags.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184191761372462594" /></a><br /><br />Can it be true? Is the tiny country of Wales via her scattered diaspora truly influencing the outcome of the mighty American presidential race?<br /><br />This seems to be the case. <br /><br />Southeast Ohio, along with many other parts of Ohio were settled by Welsh miners, farmers and businessmen who settled here in the nineteenth century onward.<br /><br />Today Southeast Ohio is still a bastion of Welsh culture in the U.S., with the Madog Welsh Studies Center located in Rio Grande not far from the banks of the nearby Ohio River.<br /><br />Senator Clinton is a proud Welsh-American who cherishes her Welsh heritage and has declared this in public many times.<br /><br />Last week she campaigned at the Bob Evans Restaurant, where she was greeted by many Welsh-American supporters who might have just given her a seat in the White, come November.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrKaw5ZCqDrfm7lbhAkYkG645MGwEDj5imawTjJOzkSl0__antS0M0Y3FM7GQO8xRtcA8PPr7zC9pV5Z-OND39XmdSDLa3N1kO-uo33CGxHx-tToOtDi-4qUGk-PNDd25Uw-vFNpUMj8/s1600-h/fv_bobevans.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrKaw5ZCqDrfm7lbhAkYkG645MGwEDj5imawTjJOzkSl0__antS0M0Y3FM7GQO8xRtcA8PPr7zC9pV5Z-OND39XmdSDLa3N1kO-uo33CGxHx-tToOtDi-4qUGk-PNDd25Uw-vFNpUMj8/s400/fv_bobevans.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184191503674424818" /></a><br /><br />[Pictured above: The Bob Evans Craft Barn features fine folk art and the work of more than 50 award-winning craftspeople. RV and primitive camping are also available. Call 800-994-FARM or (740) 245-5305 for more information. The farm is open April 1 to Dec. 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.]<br /><br />Bob Evans, founder of the company, lived on the Bob Evans Farm in southeastern Ohio for nearly 20 years. He and his wife, Jewell, raised their six children in the large brick farmhouse known as the Homestead . The Homestead , now on the National Register of Historic Places, was once a stagecoach stop and an inn. Today, the Homestead serves as a company museum and historical center.<br /><br />He began making sausage on his southeastern Ohio farm in Rio Grande, Ohio .<br /><br />At first, he served samples of sausage to his guests in the Homestead kitchen. As more people came, the company opened a little sausage shop on the farm to better serve them. The Sausage Shop, which is now a Bob Evans Restaurant, was the company's first venture into the business.<br /><br />Today you can visit the original Bob Evans Restaurant and experience the traditions of an all-American Welsh-descended farming community. Hay, corn, sorghum, wheat and tobacco are grown on this nearly 1,000-acre working farm.<br /><br />Bob Evans Farm<br />791 Farmview Drive<br />Bidwell, Ohio 45614<br /><br />The Madog Center, Bob Evans Restaurant, Welsh-American descendants in Ohio -- could these have just given the tiny country of Wales a voice (albeit indirect) in the future of the Free World?<br /><br />It is anticipated by Welsh-American that if Hillary Clinton is elected president in November, this will inevitably put an international media spotlight on Wales, since great interest is always taken in researching the family trees of newly-elected U.S. leaders. <br />Hillary Clinton Cmapaigns at Bob Evans Restuarant in Rio Grande, Ohio<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSscjwiUO5pd_rVsBCbL4ejbuBb9E2KHCqtZQ68tYPL8OGETTo90usxvGvOapsMqSCYxtLPZ6GPeXhbRMOVXrLbcCAyqGGPtNgaxreVv57XodGGUuh1LO6c30-UTqpjuKq9aT4UOp6Lcc/s1600-h/hillary-clinton.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSscjwiUO5pd_rVsBCbL4ejbuBb9E2KHCqtZQ68tYPL8OGETTo90usxvGvOapsMqSCYxtLPZ6GPeXhbRMOVXrLbcCAyqGGPtNgaxreVv57XodGGUuh1LO6c30-UTqpjuKq9aT4UOp6Lcc/s400/hillary-clinton.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184191276041158114" /></a><br /><br /><br />[Pictured above: Welsh-American Senator Hillary Clinton campaigned at the Bob Evans restaurant in Rio Grande, Ohio, and this might have been pivotal in her stunning comeback.]<br /><br />So what do we know about this region with so many Welsh descendants?<br /><br />"The Madog Center for Welsh Studies at the University of Rio Grande is an outgrowth of the North American Association for the Study of Welsh Culture and History (NAASWCH). <br /><br />"The first conference was held at Rio Grande in 1995 with the generous support from the National Welsh-American Foundation, the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association, other Welsh donors, the Ohio Humanities Council, and the University of Rio Grande. <br /><br />"Established by the University of Rio Grande Board of Trustees in June 1996, the Center moved to its permanent location in the Elizabeth F. Davis House on October 19th, 2002. <br /><br />"Located in the midst of one of the largest Welsh-American settlements in North America, the Madog Center for Welsh Studies has established a Resource Center which helps to support its mission. In this endeavor, the Center is unique in the United States and Canada. <br /><br />"The mission of the Madog Center for Welsh Studies at the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College is to foster understanding and appreciation for Welsh heritage and contemporary Welsh culture.<br /><br /><br />Madog Center for Welsh Studies at the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College<br /><br /><br /><br />The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth has established a programme to study the history of the current Welsh-descended population of Southeastern Ohio:<br /><br />"The National Library of Wales, located in Aberystwyth, recently launched a unique website documenting the experiences of the Welsh settlers to Ohio. <br /><br />"Funded by a generous donation from Evan E. & Elizabeth Davis, the site is a valuable resource for all who are interested in Welsh-American history and culture. <br /><br />"It serves also to celebrate and strengthen the bonds that exist between Wales and Ohio."<br /><br /><br />The National Library of Wales<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbTrEVpAiBX9OT1TXAVrFjwjZ8yMWj5FR9f_bRubNwt61_2pH-t-7egHLjavSWsqs8FFh6vThGIHex_msxR9CRxjOpD4N3eMaZCUPVJzA4xndyY3Mee98RJTCh-z6d_5aRHciyOYLU-k/s1600-h/Bet_plaqueMadogCenter.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbTrEVpAiBX9OT1TXAVrFjwjZ8yMWj5FR9f_bRubNwt61_2pH-t-7egHLjavSWsqs8FFh6vThGIHex_msxR9CRxjOpD4N3eMaZCUPVJzA4xndyY3Mee98RJTCh-z6d_5aRHciyOYLU-k/s400/Bet_plaqueMadogCenter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184190971098480082" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Madog Center for Welsh Studies <br />Elizabeth F. Davis House<br />University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College<br />Rio Grande, OH 45674<br /><br />Phone number: (740) 245-7186<br />E-Mail: welsh[at]rio[dot]edu <br /><br />My obvious bias is for Clinton, but I would like to note that Welsh-Americans are famously contentious about politics, and I do not intend for anyone to think that I represent a majority of Welsh-Americans, some of whom support Obama or McCain or other fine candidates.<br /><br />But if Clinton is elected, you can be sure that ALL Welsh-Americans will be proud to know that 'Madam President' is a Welshman!<br /><br /><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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! <br />Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.<br /><br />Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark <br />Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.<br /><br />Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.<br /><br />Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.<br /><br />Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase<br /><br />© 2008 Dr. Mark Leslie Woods<br /><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1584653221&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2008 Dr. Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-47854054972731501322008-03-04T23:52:00.000-08:002008-04-01T01:21:58.358-07:00Lights Out! Welsh Capital Cardiff Joins List of World Class Cities Leading Symbolic Fight Against Climate Change<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipg6vHrcMMPBAeGkbcvZZ3oXZ_5Ar3vGYeHq5GgXDplfTqsKm46UFawDwupXzCSp3S0wTSoX65qILz5gI3t3mxkbN5-CD0gTVXQb5xpvnQwQcL0al6z10v4XNVEoC1iwpYNnFuUUFQvLs/s1600-h/WAGSeneddCardiff.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipg6vHrcMMPBAeGkbcvZZ3oXZ_5Ar3vGYeHq5GgXDplfTqsKm46UFawDwupXzCSp3S0wTSoX65qILz5gI3t3mxkbN5-CD0gTVXQb5xpvnQwQcL0al6z10v4XNVEoC1iwpYNnFuUUFQvLs/s400/WAGSeneddCardiff.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183819284628684146" /></a><br />[Pictured above: Welsh Assembly Building (Senedd)Photo at BBC.]<br /><br />The BBC NEWS reports on the Welsh Capital City of Cardiff:<br /><br />Lights were turned off at Welsh Assembly Government offices across the nation on Saturday night as part of a worldwide climate change campaign. <br /><br />It went dark in main government buildings between 2000 and 2100 GMT on Saturday to support "Earth Hour". <br /><br />The symbolic campaign was launched last year in Sydney, Australia, and 24 cities are taking part on Saturday. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5puLBRQyKzPSaOaig7881A_WZA63UQNqLGlQgpkLZRjtITTDMINeZ_9inz-b3K8gn8d8jq3D826gfxR9s-jxgJcA0Z6sf91qbVr7_JBocSzuRmvLe_Dg6B-296dTQCkf4ux8johszIg/s1600-h/sanfrancisconight.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5puLBRQyKzPSaOaig7881A_WZA63UQNqLGlQgpkLZRjtITTDMINeZ_9inz-b3K8gn8d8jq3D826gfxR9s-jxgJcA0Z6sf91qbVr7_JBocSzuRmvLe_Dg6B-296dTQCkf4ux8johszIg/s400/sanfrancisconight.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183822845156572546" /></a><br />[Pictured above: The Welsh Capital City of Cardiff joined other major world cities in the global 'Lights Out' event, including San Francisco, California, pictured above.]<br /><br /><br />Additionally from the newswires:<br /><br />Cardiff to black out for an hour<br />26/3/2008<br /><br />Cardiff Council is throwing its support behind a global initiative to turn off the lights for an hour on Saturday, March 29.<br /><br />Earth Hour was conceived by WWF (formerly the World Wildlife Fund) to deliver a powerful message about the need for urgent action on global warming.<br /><br />Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off lights for one hour and was pioneered last year by WWF-Australia in Sydney when 2.2 million people and 2,100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights.<br /><br />This massive collective effort reduced Sydney's energy consumption by 10.2 per cent for one hour, which is the equivalent effect of taking 48,000 cars off the road for a year.<br /><br />Following Sydney's lead, cities around the world have already signed up to encourage residents and businesses to turn off their lights for an hour from 8pm to 9pm on March 29.<br /><br />And Cardiff will be joining some of the world's major capital cities, including Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane, Tel Aviv, Bangkok and San Francisco, in calling on people to turn off non essential lights for an hour.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9tuzFngQnYvu_NSx-L4ZBo0S83k5-8Ffxna0F-eQ4cgSzkpfnVUcjiduXt5yrcijkzWha04SgFehjbVftQyrjFUCCO_uTXr0jxz4IWMoZWhgL2q80fuBmArspCYfE-0DS27h0oCNdt0/s1600-h/lightsoutlondon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9tuzFngQnYvu_NSx-L4ZBo0S83k5-8Ffxna0F-eQ4cgSzkpfnVUcjiduXt5yrcijkzWha04SgFehjbVftQyrjFUCCO_uTXr0jxz4IWMoZWhgL2q80fuBmArspCYfE-0DS27h0oCNdt0/s400/lightsoutlondon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183824558848523666" /></a><br />[Pictured above: Lights Out London.]<br /><p><a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/06/18/lights-out-london-june-21st/"> Lights out London</a></p><br /><br />Councillor Mark Stephens, Executive member for Economic Development and Finance, said: <br /><br />"Cardiff Council is happy to support WWF's Earth Hour initiative and is calling on all residents and businesses to show their backing for this initiative and turn off their lights for an hour on March 29.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPWHTnvAz3qHkJ21NPvUQvNNGLdNa4KU1OdUhApSpeNwBAhdk7J8UBjx9Up5NwBaOTWJUlghZujPQZiHoIx8ABsYvrA4SdL6vqrulFh5mEVd19WcDGCGIqSD0HmSeS-u2RUXi134YoooA/s1600-h/markstevens.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPWHTnvAz3qHkJ21NPvUQvNNGLdNa4KU1OdUhApSpeNwBAhdk7J8UBjx9Up5NwBaOTWJUlghZujPQZiHoIx8ABsYvrA4SdL6vqrulFh5mEVd19WcDGCGIqSD0HmSeS-u2RUXi134YoooA/s400/markstevens.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183825057064730018" /></a><br />[Pictured above: Councillor Mark Stephens.]<br /><br />"Cardiff Council has consistently demonstrated its commitment to the environment and this follows on from our involvement with the Carbon Trust and our aim to reduce by 60 per cent the authority's carbon emissions from non domestic buildings and waste by 2018."<br /><br />Councillor Simon Wakefield, Executive member for Environment and Transport, added: "The Council has a vision for the future of Cardiff which embraces Cardiff as a Green Capital. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rrW6rU4T2bOWhWfsVdklAtz3JKKMIH0s7XgcIlCWjBvqMTrgSBD9DOF-IDG2gAbjeh9ymmiiHcPsjkCKq-De9s9aHnQnjcmd5npoowGHq4_si6VFkE2rMXUHYqIZ4S2NxSfEYqPkGDA/s1600-h/simonwakefield.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rrW6rU4T2bOWhWfsVdklAtz3JKKMIH0s7XgcIlCWjBvqMTrgSBD9DOF-IDG2gAbjeh9ymmiiHcPsjkCKq-De9s9aHnQnjcmd5npoowGHq4_si6VFkE2rMXUHYqIZ4S2NxSfEYqPkGDA/s400/simonwakefield.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183825490856426930" /></a><br />[Pictured above: Councillor Simon Wakefield.]<br /><br />We are very happy to be involved in WWF's Earth Hour initiative and hope that the messages it promotes will help make a difference globally. I urge everyone in the city to try and make a difference for this one hour."<br /><br />Morgan Parry, Head of WWF Cymru said: "We are delighted to see Cardiff Council set an example to the rest of Wales by helping the capital become among one of the first British cities to get involved in turning off all non-essential lighting for Earth Hour. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1vTfHD425P1vPZRn-0hqfuNnuq6tZHX5CcEcgQXqdB72lMn2BnVL8NTulsqe64x8HTlU77TdeOq2OAEjyQRbPndnrZ4mXhTm-kMIMozFHYsgiNQ132YP5hiNr1CWaJOgAPt_Y6K-DLM/s1600-h/morganparry.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1vTfHD425P1vPZRn-0hqfuNnuq6tZHX5CcEcgQXqdB72lMn2BnVL8NTulsqe64x8HTlU77TdeOq2OAEjyQRbPndnrZ4mXhTm-kMIMozFHYsgiNQ132YP5hiNr1CWaJOgAPt_Y6K-DLM/s400/morganparry.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183825924648123842" /></a><br />[Pictured above: Morgan Parry.]<br /><br />"Earth Hour will send a strong, symbolic signal that people all around the world are deeply concerned about climate change and expect their political leaders and businesses to take action before it's too late," says Morgan Parry. <br /><br />"Climate change is a global challenge that requires global solutions and Earth Hour is making it clear to those in power that people across the world are ready to get involved."<br /><br />Source: http://www.newswales.co.uk/?section=Environment&F=1&id=13696<br /><br />The University of Glamorgan also led the way with participation iun the event, even though most building on both the Treforest and Cardiff ATRiuM campuses were mostly vacant, due to the long Easter Holidays:<br /><br />Here's a directive sent to staff members:<br /><br />Lights Out in 2008<br />March 27, 2008<br /><br />Staff at the University are being encouraged to support <br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.reddragonfm.co.uk/Article.asp?id=602542&spid=24054"> Lights out South Wales.</a></p><br /><br />The initiative is designed to encourage iconic buildings, organisations and businesses as well as households, to switch off non-essential lights on Saturday 29th March at 8pm, to demonstrate support for a Global Switch Off.<br /><br />This year, the event has gone global and many cities, including <p><a href="http://www.newswales.co.uk/?section=Environment&F=1&id=13696"> Cardiff</a></p>are joining in. The Global switch off, Earth Hour, is a WWF initiative asking people to turn their lights off for one hour. It starts in Sydney and will follow the time zones around the world.<br /><br />Clearly, the majority of us won’t be on the University’s campuses on Saturday, but to show support, we’d like to encourage you to switch off any lights or PC equipment before you leave on Friday evening.<br /><br />Look out for the Environmental Update in the next issue of Bulletin, due out shortly.<br /><br /><p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7320505.stm"> BBC NEWS: Assembly goes dark for Earth Hour </a></p><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1584653221&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2008 Dr. Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-74117448897547947512008-03-03T00:38:00.000-08:002008-03-03T00:44:32.692-08:00New Welsh Social Network Launched -- Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant Hapus!Luke Williams writes to say:<br /><br />Hi,<br /><br />I was wondering if any of you would be interested in a new Welsh social network.<br /> <br /><p><a href="http://www.Perthyn.com ">http://www.Perthyn.com</a></p> is an exiting new social network like Myspace, facebook, Bebo and others but in the Welsh language.<br /> <br />It's a place for Welsh speakers around the world to meet, create profiles, share photos, share videos, chat etc.<br /><br />It is the only Welsh social network in the world.<br /> <br />We have been going about 6 months now and have over 1000 members. <br /><br />Most our members are based in Wales but we are trying to drive it to Welsh societies around the world. <br /><br />If you could let your welsh friends know about the website it would be much appreciated.<br /> <br />Thank you<br /> <br />Luke Williams <br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1584653221&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2008 Dr. Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-37412579964924355552008-02-15T00:25:00.000-08:002008-02-15T03:11:41.500-08:00Crumbling Stone Chapels in Wales, Abandoned Wooden Churches in America, both a National Disgrace?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkaYiH3ix5Ajzs3juxm93s2z8ZNU93IuQBlN_MZjkzW2H77XctBTZBSw8DAYtnWu9OG3Cbzq1EzI-NPi2oOgdOErLTPXmdzpRxyqfzR60EchkexSWh4ufnR1sZ2ZW0Yh9OF5ZP33qpYw/s1600-h/Youngstown+Elm+Street+Welsh+Chapel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkaYiH3ix5Ajzs3juxm93s2z8ZNU93IuQBlN_MZjkzW2H77XctBTZBSw8DAYtnWu9OG3Cbzq1EzI-NPi2oOgdOErLTPXmdzpRxyqfzR60EchkexSWh4ufnR1sZ2ZW0Yh9OF5ZP33qpYw/s400/Youngstown+Elm+Street+Welsh+Chapel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167145151924263570" /></a><br />[Pictured above: The oldest standing religious building in Youngstown, Ohio, formerly the Welsh Congregational Church on Elm Street, now an Afro-American Congregation COGIC building. This prize example of American 'Queen Ann' period architecture was built by immigrants from Wales who worked in the Mahoning Valley mines and iron foundries.]<br /><br />Crumbling Chapels in Wales, Abandoned Churches in America, both a National Disgrace?<br /><br />Anyone lucky enough to rent a car on vacation in the states or to take a Sunday drive into the rural hinterlands of the U.S. can attest that in many little towns where white picket fences used to define the landscapes, boarded up churches have become pigeon nests and bat niches, nothing more.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0801856221&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />The plight of U.S. architecture has been discussed, and you can get a historical perspective in this NY Times article 'PRESERVING AMERICA'S PAST' from 1987.<p><a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE2D91438F93BA25752C0A961948260">PRESERVING AMERICA'S PAST</a></p><br /><br />A similar state of affairs can be found in Wales, where some chapels are preserved, but where many other chapel stand as rotting or neglected relics of the 300 Year long period of Welsh history sometimes referred to as the 'Welsh Chapel Gothic' period.<br /><br />The Welsh National Gird for Learning gives an online Introduction to the Welsh Chapel phenomenon and history: <br /><p><a href="http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/chapels/eng/welshchap/Default.htm">Welsh Chapels at the Welsh National Gird for Learning </a></p><br /><br />The U.S. has had a two hundred year old discussion about subsidizing churches wrapped up in the 'Separation of Church & State' discourses, and it might be said that in order to err on the side of 'not supporting religion', historic religious building preservation has suffered in America.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0814622836&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />This seemed to be reversed by the Bush administration under popular pressure from both conservative, liberals and progressive who were 'horrified' to find their Granny's church being bulldozed, etc.<br /><br />'In a reversal of a longstanding policy, the Bush administration said yesterday that it would allow federal grants to be used to renovate churches and religious sites that are designated historic landmarks.'<br /><br />Please see: <p><a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06EEDB1131F93BA15756C0A9659C8B63&scp=14&sq=church+buildings+america&st=nyt">In Shift, U.S. to Offer Grants to Historic Churches</a></p>It's not that every American community doesn't have at least a few activists who want to preserve the old churches, many of which have been empty and without congregations for as many as 30 years. It's just that there are too many churches for the activists to save.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaLX7LnYEUfFm-zAlgFJEAqMyvKR9uOEgO9vCsM9H8k3QeO186P1d50keeaHOjDs2kqt5zUW2R6FoMLRcARIbJCsIBxvetAWxdqVz_6ickKbt0ED2XrY1mwD2PzL1UteKzErkS1M7MfA/s1600-h/Greek+Orthodox+Briar+Hill+Youngstown.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaLX7LnYEUfFm-zAlgFJEAqMyvKR9uOEgO9vCsM9H8k3QeO186P1d50keeaHOjDs2kqt5zUW2R6FoMLRcARIbJCsIBxvetAWxdqVz_6ickKbt0ED2XrY1mwD2PzL1UteKzErkS1M7MfA/s400/Greek+Orthodox+Briar+Hill+Youngstown.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167143416757475970" /></a><br />[Pictured above: Orthodox church on Steel Street near Briar Hill, in Youngstown, Ohio -- this church used to among key centers of thriving Ethnic Greek/Russian congregations whose population long ago fled to the distant suburbs and whose nearby homes have been demolished, bull-dozed for 'urban renewal' or were torched by crack-smoking gangs in the 1970-80s.]<br /><br />But why aren't more folks up in arms about this in America? Well, it might have something to do with the transition of Americans in mass numbers from rural to urban/suburban communities, and from religious to secular lifestyles -- beginning in the 1920s and culminating in social and cultural changes in the tumultuous 1960s.<br /><br />Once they leave behind their parents' ethnic enclaves and churches to take up life in the hopeless banality of U.S. suburban sameness, they forget about the 'old neighborhoods'. <br /><br />As for the fate of the old churches, it's 'Out of sight, out of mind'.<br /><br />This trajectory of social and cultural trends can be described as a negotiation with constructs of 'modernity' in American life.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1567995888&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />On one hand, folks who are still 'true believers' might call it the moral decline of the land. <br /><br />On the other hand, folks who have left behind the faith of their grandparents for rationalism, New Age eclecticism or secular humanism,etc. might see the exodus from religious buildings as progress.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECYl_w3hf1crtWVjnLoSPysNmjXU-PI19yax22GJZXyqdMQMBKAIjxB5hpT1YT8Ccz2AnSFzbS0OvK-ZD8TiZHM91xow6S09IGZPpRUpSFqxwiXmWWNIViAwCdf5zvh0GrZFvIicjdyw/s1600-h/Youngstown+Southside+Swedish+Corps.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECYl_w3hf1crtWVjnLoSPysNmjXU-PI19yax22GJZXyqdMQMBKAIjxB5hpT1YT8Ccz2AnSFzbS0OvK-ZD8TiZHM91xow6S09IGZPpRUpSFqxwiXmWWNIViAwCdf5zvh0GrZFvIicjdyw/s400/Youngstown+Southside+Swedish+Corps.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167146156946610850" /></a><br />[Pictured above: The former Youngstown, Ohio South Side Salvation Army Swedish Corps at 24 Warren Avenue, right off Market Street, not far from South High School. Until the 1960s Swedish language religious services and cultural events were held here. In the 1970s it was stripped of its hand-carved pine altars and pews, built by Sargeant Major Larson, and turned into a homeless shelter for victims of domestic violence. The church formerly located at the heart of a high density ethnic urban enclave is now surrounded by demolished fields of urban rubble.]<br /><br />But the contemporary 'true believer' buys an SUV and abandons the decaying historic town centres for nameless 'big box' mega-church concrete monsters, forgetting Granny's chapel, while the secular American often doesn't know there's a rotting historic church hidden away in their neighborhood, not at least, until some entrepreneural gay couple buys the ruin at rock bottom price and then converts it to a chic loft townhouse for Urban Up-and-Coming newlyweds.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1898256640&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />In Wales Cadw has its hands full, trying to shore up the enormous number of castles and ruins that predate the Welsh Chapel period, and so its understandable why chapels are not fully valued, given that the Welsh are surrounded by internationally-recognized Roman, Norman, Tudor, Vistorian and Edwardian gems that drain away limited funds for restoration and preservation.<p><a href="http://www.castlewales.com/cadw.html">Read about Welsh castles and Cadw here.</a></p><br /><br />There seems to be a similar historic trajectory in Wales (as compared to America) where the Welsh went into a chapel-building frenzy at the height of the Great Revival in the years around 1903-1905, and then saw congregations turn their backs on church attendance and church building upkeep in droves in the years immediately following the Great Welsh Revivals.<br /><br />Today it's not uncommon to see a Welsh chapel converted in a betting shop, a video store, a used carpet outlet, or simply boarded up and rotting away silently.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0486422313&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />I don't mean to say that there aren't plenty of well-preserved churches to visit in American and in Wales, there are.<br /><br />But I refer to the neglected monuments of our ancestors' faith and identity as a metaphor for how we as 'modern secular cultures' think about ourselves . . .<br /><br />I want to ask my sophisticated secular 'self' if "within the construction of my modern ration identity there still exists a well-kept and honoured 'sanctuary' for the transcendent, the mystical, the romantic and the beautiful?"<br /><br />"Or has the stress of being busy supplanted the 'temples' of my inner quiet? But I digress . . ."<br /><br />Or more interestingly, "If I am embarrassed by some clunky and out-dated aspect of my real history and heritage, what does that say about ME?"<br /><br />In the BIG self-determined country of America churches had cultural functions as they reinforced individual and SMALL group identities, often related to sect, creed, ethnicity, and continuity of cultural transferance to the young.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1596292024&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />For example, on one side, some of my ancestors built Welsh Congregational chapels and held Welsh-speaking Sunday Schools from 1860 until 1960!<br /><br />My father's Swiss Anabaptist ancestors arrived in Pennsylvania in 1730 and records show that the Bausser/Bowser Family descendants continued to build German-speaking churches right up through the American Civil War in 1860-1865. After that, usage of 'Pennsylvania Dutch' in the pulpit or at the supper table seemed to decline.<br /><br />In Wales, the building of chapels might be argued as an act of nationalism, distinct from the established or disestablished Churches of England or Rome. <br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1592233198&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Indeed, the first act of Parliament where Wales was acknowledged as a separate entity since the Acts of Union was the Sunday Alcohol laws in the late 1880's, which were driven by a chapel-informed and motivated Nonconformist Protestant Christian Temperance movement, overwhelmingly popular in Wales.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=075091162X&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />So if Americans are neglecting their rotting inter-city and small town churches where their mostly immigrant grandparents once worshipped, are they reflecting an American displacement from cultural and ethnic heritage?<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1571459707&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />And if the Welsh are avoiding an informed processing of their 300 or so year long Welsh Chapel history (symbolized by 'selectively' letting the embarrassingly 'religious' among their national monuments crumble) are they doing this because they are now secular and can't be bothered, or is that they just don't see the connection between themselves and their ancestors' religious habits, or both?<br /><br />I heard a Welsh tourism official describe a brilliant campaign that was designed to celebrate and promote the 2000 year heritage of Wales as a historically 'Christian' nation. This specifically Christian heritage in Wales(not contemporary British Muslim, not British Hindu, not even the Church of Scientology) is a historical fact, even though most modern Welshmen can't remember the last time (if ever) their shadows fell across a chapel threshold.<br /><br />Apparently, according to the anecdotal telling of the former tourism official, the campaign was quashed for being 'insensitive' to the purposes of contemporary religious 'tolerance and pluralism' in a modern Wales of Hindus, Muslims, Shiism, and other many new and diverse beliefs or non-beliefs.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0826214800&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />I've heard folks from within the enclaves of power in Wales tell me how they don't want to be associated with the 'traditional' 'Gymandfa Ganu' or 'Eistoddfod' image of Wales, because they intend to enforce an 'either/or' policy that allows only a historic OR a modern image of Wales to go out to the world, but never both, and if they have their way, ONLY a sanitized modern Welsh image will be exported abroad.<br /><br />This reminds me of when I was a child delegate at an international summer camp (CISV) in 1970, I wore the silly Cowboy & Indian get-up that my international campmates expected of me as a representative of Yankee culture, and I gave away embarrassingly iconic Western pistols and Totem poles, even though I grew up, not in a frontier wagontrain prairie dog ghost-towns of Hollywood fame, but in an industrial urban city that had erased its Native American history (in all but place names) 150 years earlier.<br /><br />My Indian mates were handing out sterotypical Taj Mahal and Ivory Elephants, as would be expected.<br /><br />One of my Dutch playmates was giving away replicas of the airport terminal at Schipol, of which the Dutch were proud and wanted to portray as the icon of a 'new' Holland.<br /><br />My Indian friend Sanjay captured the sentiment of the rest of us when he refused to trade his miniature Taj Mahal for a miniature Schipol terminal when he asked, <br /><br />'But where are the Windmills?'<br /><br />My point is, when I return to my father's hometown in Pennsylvania or Ohio, I expect my long-lost cousins to show me the quaint little Welsh or German congregation church with its steeple, right next to the stereotypical cover-bridge and Appalachian autumn leaves. I will be horrified if they take me to visit the local and new 'Office Depot' or 'Walmarts'!<br /><br />That's also true when my Welsh relatives come over to visit me in Wales -- the first thing they want to see are castles, pubs, cathedrals, and CHAPELS!!!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1880908883&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />But the question for Wales remains, will my great nieces when they are grown come over to their ancestral Wales and find any chapels left to visit?<br /><br />I have friends from London who relocated to Wales in retirement becuae they liked the rural quaintness of their traditional chapel-centric new hometown in West Wales.<br /><br />I am amazed how this German/Anglo gay couple transplanted from Canary Wharf seem to care more and know more about the local chapels and their upkeep and preservation (including the neglected local Anglican chapel and almost abandoned cemetary)than anyone I met when visiting the local pub.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0810982544&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Indeed, several people in the local pub couldn't even tell me how to find the old chapel that used to be the centre of life and national pride in that cartref.<br /><br />In another article I'll contrast this neglect by Americans and Welshmen of their historic buildings to the popular movement in Italy where everyone now seems to need a restored apartment in the 'storico centro' of their ancestral town, and they're willing to pay millions of Euros to have it . . .<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1584653221&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2008 Dr. Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-42278906806005259942007-11-21T01:01:00.000-08:002007-11-21T01:20:48.819-08:00Now's the time to wish your Welsh Cousins a Yankee Doodle Happy Thanksgiving Day!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZPiqlyHsg1uRo9PGc-ncayEYz3uhkkoQzZv9BfGHeBQK9XL0R_FfO9rBBY0_qHk4FioZ8uPTbM248EN8srMcbaImBRhTtzeR51qxJtFM5SRaYx_UjIa0_RiXrCRUJcx-A2ouvXlAzyo/s1600-h/rockwellwant.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZPiqlyHsg1uRo9PGc-ncayEYz3uhkkoQzZv9BfGHeBQK9XL0R_FfO9rBBY0_qHk4FioZ8uPTbM248EN8srMcbaImBRhTtzeR51qxJtFM5SRaYx_UjIa0_RiXrCRUJcx-A2ouvXlAzyo/s400/rockwellwant.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135217120717605666" /></a><br />[Pictured above: Norman Rockwell's "Freedom from Want" -- depicting a traditional American Thanksgiving Day Feast -- a tradition enjoyed by Welsh-American Families for many generations.]<br /><br />There's been a Welsh-American connection, ever since large groups of Welsh settlers, seeking economic, religious and political freedom began to join the colony of William Penn in Pennsylvania in the year 1681.<br /><br />The First Thanksgiving Day Observance:<br /> <br />A Proclamation Signed in Script Type by George Washington in 1789:<br /><br />"It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor." <br /> <br />In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." <br /><br />In the midst of civil war, President Lincoln thought the day should be used to "fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union." <br /><br />Our Welsh-American brethren in Idaho have given us this important speech about the Welsh contribution to the making of America:<br /><br />Hon. Thomas M. Rees of California<br />speaking in the House of Representatives<br />on Wednesday, February 17, 1971 <br /><br />Mr. Rees, Mr. Speaker, the birth of St. David, the Welsh patron saint, will be commemorated on March 1 by Welsh Americans throughout America-- nothing like the St. Patrick gatherings, though St. Patrick was born in Wales and grew up speaking Welsh, not Latin. <br /><br />Very little has been written of what the Welsh have contributed in all walks of life in the shaping of American history. <br /><br />Twenty percent of the Pilgrim Fathers were Welsh, as was the Captain of the Mayflower. <br /><br />How many know that almost 50 percent of the signers of the American Declaration of Independence were Welsh or of Welsh descent-- as were nine of the Presidents of the United States-- and that many of the universities and colleges such as Yale, Princeton, Brown, William and Mary, Virginia, Johns Hopkins, and Andover were founded by Welshman. <br /><br />The man who financed the War of Independence was Robert Morris, Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn, and Rhode Island by Roger Williams, all were Welsh. <br /><br />It is strange indeed that such a small country-- as Wales, so many people are hardly aware of its existence-- has contributed so much more in proportion to its size than any other nation, and stranger still so little has been written of it. <br /><br />Oh, yes, the next time you are in the Capitol and feel like climbing the Washington Monument stairway, about halfway up there is a stone inscribed: <br /><br />"FY IAITH, FY NGWLAD, FY NGHENEDL CYMRU - CYMRU AM BYTH!"<br />["My language, my land, my nation of Wales - Wales for ever!"] <br /><br />Thomas Jefferson would have placed it where more people would see it for he was very proud of his Welsh origin. <br /><br />It would take many pages to name the great Welsh Americans since the Founding Fathers, who have helped build America-- In government, industry, labor, finance, law, architecture, music, religion, literature. <br /><br />Yes, the Welsh in America can be very proud of their heritage.<br /><br />Isn't it time for you to dig out your phone card and call your long lost friends and family in America, to wish them a safe, joyous, and prosperous<br /><br />HAPPY THANSGIVING DAY 2007!!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicG56Fxz1qJs3GIR9oeK_AIJ-M4RbkJ9LNALHwA3clQafpv-N2uxXZk82lOGfIhfqdwVYBVWN-mGED5JSoSSZRzJQkgS5k8yc344sDxzNnuEj1x3h7IKfOO-MyG6s59J8SGR8x4MB1Mf6/s1600-h/IdahoWelshHeader-1102.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicG56Fxz1qJs3GIR9oeK_AIJ-M4RbkJ9LNALHwA3clQafpv-N2uxXZk82lOGfIhfqdwVYBVWN-mGED5JSoSSZRzJQkgS5k8yc344sDxzNnuEj1x3h7IKfOO-MyG6s59J8SGR8x4MB1Mf6/s400/IdahoWelshHeader-1102.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135219676223146802" /></a><p><a href="http://www.idahowelshsociety.org/welshamerican.htm"> Click here</a> to go directly to the Idaho Welsh Society on the World Wide Web.</p>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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-73102599682716933992007-09-30T04:29:00.000-07:002007-09-30T04:56:46.853-07:00Award-winning Welsh Author Grahame Davies Announces North American Book Tour for October 2007<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcCeTNPU6lc6vTOIyee3g9sc3vuXIOXON41HMh2U4m7eAF7cPWQDmazXDM1171hpqpU1hWv7JeAUuau7tShDlZcplzKsD-KhgsEm8w8DRnevg_zaTzGViaFjApir7IAfxZAcd_rsIg6Y/s1600-h/GrahameDaviesMiami2005Boardwalk_280.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcCeTNPU6lc6vTOIyee3g9sc3vuXIOXON41HMh2U4m7eAF7cPWQDmazXDM1171hpqpU1hWv7JeAUuau7tShDlZcplzKsD-KhgsEm8w8DRnevg_zaTzGViaFjApir7IAfxZAcd_rsIg6Y/s400/GrahameDaviesMiami2005Boardwalk_280.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115959794569625858" /></a><br />[Pictured above: Welsh Author Grahame Davies; Photography of Grahame Davies by Mauro Philip Conti, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.A.]<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1854114239&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Grahame Davies's Book Tour Itinerary:<br /><br />Oct 12: Depart Bristol, 1030 Continental for Newark. Arrive Newark 1325 local time. Travel to Delta PA.<br /><br />Oct 13, 1300. Reading at Rehoboth Welsh Chapel, Delta, PA, as part of Festival of Welsh Heritage.<br />http://home.comcast.net/~rbaskwil/chapel.html Festival of Welsh Heritage<br /><br />Oct 15. Travel to Somerset, MA.<br /><br />Oct 16: 1300 Lunchtime seminar at Yale University, New Haven CT for: <p><a href="http://www.yale.edu/yiisa/"> The Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism</a></p>Oct 21-23: Visit to Vermont.<br /><br />Oct 24. Fly Boston – Columbus OH via JFK, depart Boston 1340, arrive Columbus 1823. Staying in Yellow Springs, Ohio.<br /><br />Oct 26: Fly Columbus- JFK, dep 1440, arrive 1632. Staying for next five nights at Seafarers & International House, 123 East 15th Street, New York, NY 10003<br /><br />Oct 28: 1600. Poetry reading at Chi Art Centre, 44 Main St, Westport, Connecticut. <p><a href="http://www.chidancentre.com/main/index.php"> Chi Art Centre</a></p>Oct 30; 1800 for 1830, Launch of Everything Must Change at Wales International Centre, Chrysler Building, 21st Floor 405 Lexington Avenue New York, NY10174 Tel: (00) 1 646 792 8920<br /><br />Oct 31. Fly Newark-Bristol. Depart 2055. Arr Bristol, Nov 1, 0740.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1854114239&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Grahame was Winner of Wales Arts Council's Book of the Year Award, 2002<br /><br />Grahame was nominated for Book of the Year prize 2005.<br /><br />"One of the most independent, and as such, most interesting voices of contemporary Welsh-language poetry."<br />Gerwyn Wiliams<br /><br />"This is the first post-nationalist novel," Dafydd Elis-Thomas on Rhaid i Bopeth Newid.<br /><br />"One of the clearest public poetic voices of his generation," Emyr Lewis<br /><br />"An unequalled satirist,” John Gruffydd Jones. <br /><br />“He sees through the deception and falseness of urban media life better than anyone, and he’s scathing in his vision of the emptiness of city existence...this poet has sufficient mastery of language to disturb and reach the roots of the soul.” Alan Llwyd. <br /><br />"Poems which brilliantly describe Welsh life in the capital." Peter Finch.<br /><br />“There’s a new world-view on our everyday lives here, overloaded with memorable images and phrases,” Menna Elfyn. <br /><br />“He has an incredible gift of expression. There’s scarcely a poem in the volume that doesn’t contain truly original and clever phrases.” Meirion MacIntyre Huws.<br /><br />Poet, editor and literary critic, born in 1964 and brought up in the former coal mining village of Coedpoeth near Wrexham in north east Wales.<p><a href="http://www.grahamedavies.com/english_about.shtml"> GrahameDavies.com</a></p><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1854113984&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-22519317370264743182007-08-31T01:45:00.000-07:002007-08-31T02:32:27.777-07:00New Book, "Welsh Writing from the American Civil War" Expected to Soar in U.S./Canadian Markets<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEhPQ6sUD2vxEWpeX3gg7Bgn3GB3668_OOH4YWaQxneLtpMFk7Fgu3_XzUyWLWT22uZo_ZBtBKphYBP9maFk0ljbGT1zdSuTz-NfmG0rduVQT2yUL6BLa4YQLnz1s3tJZ0iO9KYsFBR4/s1600-h/jerry.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEhPQ6sUD2vxEWpeX3gg7Bgn3GB3668_OOH4YWaQxneLtpMFk7Fgu3_XzUyWLWT22uZo_ZBtBKphYBP9maFk0ljbGT1zdSuTz-NfmG0rduVQT2yUL6BLa4YQLnz1s3tJZ0iO9KYsFBR4/s400/jerry.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104786754121732210" /></a><br />[Pictured above: Cincinnati, Ohio-born Welsh Language scholar Dr. Jerry Hunter is considered an expert on the American Civil War.]<br /><br />North Americans have an obsession with 'all things Civil War' and this interest launched the careers of many historians, fiction writers, and filmmakers. <br /><br />For example, U.S. film director Ken Burns is famous for his documentary on the American Civil War:<br /><br />The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns<br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s5gSSKUvhAk"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s5gSSKUvhAk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Nearly ten thousand pages of writing in Welsh stemming from the American Civil War has survived—offering contemporary readers a surprising opportunity to look at the war from an entirely new perspective. <br /><br />In the first study of its kind, Dr. Jerry Hunter sifts through this huge archive of letters, diaries, poetry, and prose from soldiers, civilians, and professional writers to give a fascinating account of Welsh-American reactions to the war and its context. <br /><br />Dr. Jerry Hunter's previous work formed the basis for a documentary film series produced by the Welsh Language Television station, S4C. Read about it here.<p><a href="http://www.s4c.co.uk/america/e_index.shtml">Read about it here.</a></p>His newest examination of issues such as the Welsh community’s support for abolition and the war’s effects on notions of Welsh-American identity will captivate historians, literary scholars, and Civil War buffs alike.<br /><br />Building upon the foundations of his Welsh-language study Llwch Cenhedloedd, Dr Jerry Hunter’s new book discusses the various kinds of literature which Welsh Americans produced during their country’s Civil War. <br /><br />Sons of Arthur, Children of Lincoln: Welsh Writing from the American Civil War is the first book-length treatment in English of a new field:<br /><br />- the reactions of Welsh-American writers to the Civil War. Jerry Hunter sifts through the huge archive of letters, diaries, poetry and prose from soldiers and civilians to present a fascinating account of Welsh<br /><br />- American reactions to the war. His examination of issues such as the Welsh community’s support for abolition and the war’s effects on notions of Welsh-American identity will captivate historians, literary scholars and readers interested in new perspectives on the American Civil War.<br /><br />‘Very well written...it will reach out to the huge transatlantic audience for popular Civil War history’ -- Kevin P.Van Anglen, Boston University.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0708320198&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Dr Jerry Hunter is a Celtic scholar who possesses an international perspective. He is also an enthusiastic advocate for the Welsh language and literature. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, where he studied for his initial degree, he later learned Welsh with the aid of the WLPAN course at Lampeter. <br /><br />He went on to earn a MPhil for his research into the lore in the Middle Welsh prose tales at University of Wales, Aberystwyth before returning to his homeland to study for a PhD at Harvard University. <br /><br />His research project formed the basis of his first book-length study, Soffestri’r Saeson (2000), an investigation into histriography and identity during the Tudor Age which was placed on the short list for the Book of the Year Award by the Arts Council of Wales in 2001. <br /><br />Following his period at the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University he returned to Wales, this time as a Lecturer in the Department of Welsh, Cardiff University. He joined the academic staff of the School of Welsh at University of Wales, Bangor in 2003.<br /><br />His research interests are rich and varied, ranging from Welsh medieval prose to the twentieth-century fiction of Kate Roberts and from the sixteenth-century chronicle of Elis Gruffydd to Welsh literature in America during the nineteenth century. <br /><br />This particular field – American-Welsh writing - has proven to be highly successful: the television documentary series Y Cymry a Rhyfel Cartref America (‘The Welsh and the American Civil War’) gained a BAFTA Cymru award and the research for the series led to Llwch Cenhedloedd: Y Cymry a Rhyfel Cartref America (2003) which was named Book of the Year in 2004.<br /><br />Hunter, Jerry Welsh Writing from the American Civil War: Sons of Arthur, Children of Lincoln. Distributed for University of Wales Press. 288 p. 9-1/4 x 6-1/7<br /><br />Cloth NSA $85.00sc ISBN: 978-0-7083-2020-4 (ISBN-10: 0-7083-2020-1) Spring 2007<br />Paper For sale in North and South America only $35.00sp ISBN: 978-0-7083-2019-8 (ISBN-10: 0-7083-2019-8) Spring 2007<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0708320201&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0863818595&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-69692045993919271822007-08-21T08:50:00.000-07:002007-08-21T09:28:39.277-07:00Two Weeks Left to Book Your Flight: Meet Your Welsh Cousins in Washington, D.C.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_fXTlIuw2BqRKxLvGQ6fMy4BsuD_5brMMMWFDUKXP3IqVbUmJafR1LzOfa6miZbbxXMe_jGZXzASpLYUQR-hSUkLUdUZCIb1SKp2jLKg3DHwW_wgp_uyjU_FKDgyMcDDOQ0ZPDAy_HA/s1600-h/nafow_logo_and_text.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_fXTlIuw2BqRKxLvGQ6fMy4BsuD_5brMMMWFDUKXP3IqVbUmJafR1LzOfa6miZbbxXMe_jGZXzASpLYUQR-hSUkLUdUZCIb1SKp2jLKg3DHwW_wgp_uyjU_FKDgyMcDDOQ0ZPDAy_HA/s400/nafow_logo_and_text.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101186368936841170" /></a><br />featuring the 76th Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu, 30 August - 2 September, 2007 Washington, D. C., Sponsored by the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association<br /><br />If you had enough soggy Welsh summer 'sunshine' these past couple months, then why not take advantage of the British-Sterling-to-U.S.-Dollar-Exchange rate and book a quick and last minute saver flight to Washington, D.C. for the end of August?<br /><br />That's right, the pound is at record highs against the dollar, so you can live like a king while you enjoy the late summer sunshine and early Autumn warmth typical of the District of Columbia at this time of year.<br /><br />And you can meet your long-lost Welsh cousins at the same time! This is your last alert that the the North American Festival of Wales, which is quickly coming up 30 August - 2 September, 2007.<p><a href="http://www.wngga.org/">The Largest Gathering of the Welsh in North America</a></p>The North American Festival of Wales is the largest gathering of the Welsh, descendants and friends in North America. <br /><br />Prepare yourself for 4 full days of enjoyment and camaraderie with old and new friends, celebrating the life, heritage and culture of Wales in Washington DC, one of North America’s top tourism and vacation destinations.<br /><br />FESTIVAL HOTEL <br /><br />Located in the West End of Historic Alexandria, The Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Hotel offers modern elegance and attentive service focused on the conference attendee. <br /><br />The hotel is within sight of the nation's Capitol and just ten minutes from the central business district of Washington, DC and its historic monuments, museums and exciting attractions. <br /><br />Hotel guests enjoy the benefit of also being close to Historic Old Town Alexandria with its quaint waterfront galleries, award winning restaurants and eclectic shops. <br /><br />The hotel offers a daily complimentary shuttle connecting guests to all that the area has to offer directly or via access to the easy and safe metrorail system. <br /><br />Shuttles include stops to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the Pentagon City Fashion Centre with access to Metro and Old Town Alexandria. <br /><br />The hotel is also located on the Grayline Tour Company’s courtesy pick up schedule, which operates a variety of different tours embarking from Union Station.<br /> <br />There is truly something for everyone. Whether it’s a dinner cruise down the Potomac to historic Mount Vernon Plantation, a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, a tour though the recently opened National Portrait Gallery, or a 5-star dining experience in Georgetown.<br /><br />The Hilton Alexandria Mark Center is the ideal way to enjoy both the 2007 festival and the breathtaking sights of our nation’s capital. <br /><br />The festival and marketplace are a great oppotunity to meet and chat with like-minded folks who are researching their Welsh family histories.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<br /><br /><p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-10684402862432794822007-08-02T05:00:00.000-07:002007-08-02T05:50:56.195-07:00With Fond Recollection: What Does the Welsh Eisteddfod Mean to Modern Welsh-North Americans and Friends of Wales?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfM8o-AGJ4EgogvnrWPStMkTyU8-3LldfJpF43OU4QOJ94F3bUcnymgy6qNjHVet5AN4EEclVfg2dt7Mctxx6ZA28wMresEbFPt1PCZCVLFU-DkRfp56IIXoLbOdhsYsdEuRRKIoXjSCU/s1600-h/dgr00001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfM8o-AGJ4EgogvnrWPStMkTyU8-3LldfJpF43OU4QOJ94F3bUcnymgy6qNjHVet5AN4EEclVfg2dt7Mctxx6ZA28wMresEbFPt1PCZCVLFU-DkRfp56IIXoLbOdhsYsdEuRRKIoXjSCU/s320/dgr00001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094073357763287362" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJPyXaLPW_1VF_aJ7vZh7pmvFlUsfxnFz2fmNJ5k9PLj6o-WHhWlCC2j-07K4t9xLVjuoDujVY_rUmg8Wwhov5YlaF3PPAMz2-GQLOZWyU9bNAJaiRkP2toNqWQfOVLDOla5GBRjqeRE/s1600-h/dgr00002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJPyXaLPW_1VF_aJ7vZh7pmvFlUsfxnFz2fmNJ5k9PLj6o-WHhWlCC2j-07K4t9xLVjuoDujVY_rUmg8Wwhov5YlaF3PPAMz2-GQLOZWyU9bNAJaiRkP2toNqWQfOVLDOla5GBRjqeRE/s320/dgr00002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094073362058254674" /></a><br /><br />Pictured above: reproductions of the cover page and festival program for the 1976 Youngstown, Ohio Gymanfa Ganu, held in my hometown, which was one of the largest Welsh settlements in the New World.<br /><br />My Welsh grandmother 'Lottie Lute' (nee Charlotte Williams) constantly spoke about the hymn fests and the Eisteddfodau, and me and my siblings were told we had to go to our musical instrument lessons after school, so that 'one day you will win the Eisteddfod!'<br /><br />Being 'Welsh' was the catch-all excuse I got, whenever I inquired why our wood-frame house was crammed to the attic with countless books, piano, organ, guitars, accordian, banjo, mandolin, tambourines and drums, and yellowing stacks of hymnals, sheet music, country-western record albums, choir albums, and church bulletins from the 1920s for the Hillman Street Christian church and Oak Hill Baptist (both Welsh congregations).<br /><br />In our tiny chapel on Warren Avenue, I recited Moore's 'The Night Before Christmas' to thunderous applause as Santa Claus crept in behind my frail 6 year old frame, and afterwards grumpy old Welshmen and even sleepy tenor-voiced Allen Griffiths hugged me and told me I would make a 'fine preacher' some day.<br /><br />Our churches and chapels picked up where the Eisteddfodau and seasonal Gymanfa Ganu hymn fests left off, and we knew that music and lyric and performance were a part of our distant Welsh ethnic and cultural heritage, even though most of us had never been to Wales.<br /><br />My ancestors began settling in the Mahoning Valley around Youngstown and Warren Ohio, Hubbard, Niles and Girard, Ohio, and Mercer/Sharon Pennsylvania in early 1860s.<br /><br />President Lincoln encouraged the Welsh to settle in Ohio and to bring their knowledge of iron-working to assist in the 'Union Cause.<br /><br />My mother's great-grandfather, William J. Wiliams, was an iron puddler who hailed from 'ole Dow-Lus' (Dowlais) and who probably learned his craft from foundrymen trained in the Merthyr Tydfil works.<br /><br />This was around the same time Welsh emmigrants were going to Patagonia in South America, and there were stories when I grew up of disgruntled Patagonia settlers moving to join our family's 'gwladfa fach' little colony in Ohio, but I think a lot of this legend might have died with my forebears, before being verified.<br /><br />What is remarkable is the resilience of the Welsh culture and language in Ohio, even after 100 hundred years of settlement. <br /><br />My mother attended Welsh language servces, sermons, Christmas programs and events, right up through the late 1950s in Youngstown, in the area around Oak Hill on the South Side.<br /><br />A lot of folks in America and Canada with Welsh ancestry are digging deep into their pasts to find out more about the courage and culture of their ancestors.<br /><br />A great way to re-connect is to travel to Wales, and to atend to National Eisteddfod, taking place this coming week.<br /><br />For those who can't immeidately travel to Wales, local St. David's Society's and Cambrian Groups can help.<br /><br />And let's not forget the North American Festival of Wales, which is quickly coming up in September 2007.<p><a href="http://www.wngga.org/">The Largest Gathering of the Welsh in North America</a></p><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<br /><br /><p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-20302919250551249642007-07-06T00:51:00.000-07:002007-07-06T01:41:13.705-07:00Many Australians and North Americans Launch West Wales Genealogy Search from Swansea, Gower, Vale of Glamorgan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHec0fn5M1dLgtinfWuF_cuHfN230YOHmj9rDOiLC4yKE8gnnKglqHLghPbLw1wczNYGckfhQ0MyyKtpOSHzhpMsNheMTxr3AQMDP8TAl7K5hbJNUj8qPkK1AT7HnlceioAcEN3_GP6bE/s1600-h/swansea+university.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHec0fn5M1dLgtinfWuF_cuHfN230YOHmj9rDOiLC4yKE8gnnKglqHLghPbLw1wczNYGckfhQ0MyyKtpOSHzhpMsNheMTxr3AQMDP8TAl7K5hbJNUj8qPkK1AT7HnlceioAcEN3_GP6bE/s400/swansea+university.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083995137459297186" /></a><br />Pictured above: Swansea University is just south of the city centre and has sweeping panoramic views of Swansea Bay.<br /><br />Swansea is a fabulous oceanside city, best known for the poetry of its favorite son, Dylan Thomas. But a lot of Australians and North Americans begin their visit to Wales in Swansea, when they are planning to research their Welsh family trees.<br /><br />Swansea is ideally located close to the Cardiff International Airport, with easy access to trains and coaches and a modern motorway.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0711724172&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Hotels, hostels and guest houses provide something for everyone, and of course, golfers will be happy, too. The nearby Gower Peninsula is extremely beautiful and accessible by hired car or by bus and coaches.<p><a href="http://www.visitswanseabay.com/"> See: Visit Swansea</a></p><br />Several links and websites have sprung up to help folks plan their travel and from time to time we'll mention them, as our readers point them out to us:<p><a href="http://www.welshholidaycottages.com/information/welsh-genealogy.htm"> Welsh Holiday Cottages</a></p><p><a href="http://www.south-wales.org.uk/"> South Wales Independent Travel</a></p><p><a href="http://genealogypro.com/directories/Wales.html"> Wales & Welsh Genealogy</a></p><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0319236293&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://www.selectgenealogytours.com/Individualtravel.htm"> Select Genealogy Tours</a></p><br /><p><a href="http://www.walking.visitwales.com/server.php?show=nav.3830">You can order a FREE COLOR BROCHURE from Visit Wales here.</a></p><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=2061008011&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />One of my favorite books is 'Dylan Thomas's Wales', which I received for Christmas a few years ago. The writing is great, engaging and informative, and the photography is breath-taking!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0297824813&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ameritwili-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00004SZT2&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-82349879285291466632007-07-02T00:29:00.000-07:002007-07-02T01:06:36.864-07:00Irish, Scottish and Welsh Genealogy Requires Patience and Persistence<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISnU9ZYAZXOoPqcMIgG3dd2ylDZaA0O0c41OgVR0YK6ruTkZPXYcemfhyphenhyphenvJy2KUW1NPQlPQg0z7RCbpxvkxrr6B6m5xp9V54U3AsaSgCHZRyqKBuyuzcfSqewvP09eP2hBQGxrgYysM4/s1600-h/0936.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISnU9ZYAZXOoPqcMIgG3dd2ylDZaA0O0c41OgVR0YK6ruTkZPXYcemfhyphenhyphenvJy2KUW1NPQlPQg0z7RCbpxvkxrr6B6m5xp9V54U3AsaSgCHZRyqKBuyuzcfSqewvP09eP2hBQGxrgYysM4/s320/0936.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082507459572210226" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgks6PS6siU__-eoBkj2gzWYascu3OZSTffD8bbnVa9LqRPIWr5mOGkhQRR5rNZjO-zTh1SKW3MCMFJP-SUQB-AbaeSqBP0jh5hjnIbjays05zn0jDzz7LqIK1AeuTcibiCVnuRy-Tnwa0/s1600-h/330.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgks6PS6siU__-eoBkj2gzWYascu3OZSTffD8bbnVa9LqRPIWr5mOGkhQRR5rNZjO-zTh1SKW3MCMFJP-SUQB-AbaeSqBP0jh5hjnIbjays05zn0jDzz7LqIK1AeuTcibiCVnuRy-Tnwa0/s320/330.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082507463867177538" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXL3YG_ZcthKhr6OwzyGdWR8305nnS5U9ZjY-xRPNH_0GisWbWUGtPFOJ8pRRTYrL0df8HjujEHFeclMjCoGKdCxBW2B-5gD1AO2Ov1wDjqTjkcZ9Xutv2197u4sZKEvESKzNkGMjk9w/s1600-h/getimg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXL3YG_ZcthKhr6OwzyGdWR8305nnS5U9ZjY-xRPNH_0GisWbWUGtPFOJ8pRRTYrL0df8HjujEHFeclMjCoGKdCxBW2B-5gD1AO2Ov1wDjqTjkcZ9Xutv2197u4sZKEvESKzNkGMjk9w/s320/getimg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082507463867177554" /></a><br /><br />When you begin your quest to track down your own Welsh family tree, you need to have both patience and persistence.<br /><br />Having a sense of humour and sense of adventure are essential traits to develop.<br /><br />Having a good attitude, and not giving up or compromising is key. What constitutes a compromise?<br /><br />Well, sometimes you might reach a conclusion which your intuition tells you isn't correct. Rather than accept this easy but questionable 'deadend', just reserve the right to be sceptical, until all the evidence is in.<br /><br />This might take years, but have patience, and your search will be rewarded, in time!<br /><p><a href="http://www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=481"> Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales</a></p>Here are some good place to begin deciphering our 'funky' Welsh surnames:<br /><br />A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames with Special American Instances, by Charles Wareing Bardsley.<br />Hardcover: 837 pages<br />Publisher: Genealogical Publishing Company; Revised edition (January 1996)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 0806300221<br /><br />The Surnames of Wales, Author: John Rowlands, Sheila Rowlands <br />ISBN: 9781860060250 (1860060250)<br />Publication Date April 1996<br />Publisher: Federation of Family History, Birmingham<br />Format: Paperback, 238 pages<br />Reprinting <br /><br />Welsh Surnames, by T.J. Morgan (Editor), Prys Morgan (Editor) <br />Hardcover: 290 pages<br />Publisher: University of Wales Press (3 Feb 1992)<br />Language English<br />ISBN-10: 0708308805<br /><br />"This is the classic reference work on English and Welsh surnames, with dated and documented examples given in the text and American instances cited in many cases where the name appeared in the directories of such cities as Boston, New York, and Philadelphia."<br /><br />"It contains over 30,000 entries in dictionary form, three columns to a page, giving the origin and history of each surname, lists of persons bearing the name in various centuries, and the frequency of the name and its variants in certain nineteenth-century English and American directories."<br /><br />"The dictionary itself is preceded by a lengthy introduction, which in itself is a formidable essay on family nomenclature. Among other things the reader will find many references to baptisms and marriages published by the various English record societies."<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin0b-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0806300221&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin0b-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1860060250&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin0b-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0708308805&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-50116688592629771112007-06-22T00:17:00.000-07:002007-06-22T02:21:30.997-07:00Diamonds, Yachts and Caviar? The Lucrative Future of Big Tourism in 'Tiny Wales'<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjE2Ds42DQNoVa5A7PDxFMS2GVAaD3lvH_w63cBeHV7ufX2E6A4naW6ZNmCZZvV0Dn7jGi6TJGTnxXQICmM4H-y5cwhRNkFtaCs-rKebwDlVN52x6F0q5Ui2KiHXXAEohnNKBrTIehbo/s1600-h/manip_tallizmand.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjE2Ds42DQNoVa5A7PDxFMS2GVAaD3lvH_w63cBeHV7ufX2E6A4naW6ZNmCZZvV0Dn7jGi6TJGTnxXQICmM4H-y5cwhRNkFtaCs-rKebwDlVN52x6F0q5Ui2KiHXXAEohnNKBrTIehbo/s400/manip_tallizmand.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078786226912848258" /></a><br />Pictured above: David Main's Tallizmand Guest House.<br /><p><a href="http://www.the-gower.com/bandb/tallizmand/tallizmand.htm">Tallizmand Guest House, Llanmadoc, Gower,</a> just minutes from the centre of Swansea, Wales and 30 minutes from Cardiff International Airport.<br /></p>My multitudinous Welsh-descended North American relatives are relieved to visit me in scenic and historic, modern/old 'tiny Wales'. <br /><br />That is, once they do a little online research and compare the hotel prices in 'pick-pocket' over-priced London to the family-friendly bargains of pastoral Bread-and-Breakfast Wales.<br /><br />My septuagenarian Mom and her athletically active band of world-roaming retirees and semi-retirees, ('Grandmas in Nike trainers with cameras and credit cards', as I call them) have only a few questions about tourist destinations like Wales:<br /><br />1) Are there plenty of clean, well-identified restrooms?<br />2) Is it safe to carry a purse?<br />3) Is the breakfast included and is it 'All you can eat?' (even though these ladies eat like birds, they like value)<br />4) How many steps are there?<br />5) Can I 'Google' it?<br /><br />And tourism is Big Business now in Wales according to the Western Mail:<p><a href="http://www.zimbio.com/pilot?ID=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-0&fd=R&url=http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_headline%3D--8216-we--8217-re-no-longer-the-little-wales-that-we-were----now-we--8217-re-growing-up-as-a-tourism-destination%26method%3Dfull%26objectid%3D19324114%26siteid%3D50082-name_page.html&cid=0&ei=zO94RuunIoqw0QG1p8Uu&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.google.com%2Fnews%2Furl%3Fsa%3DT%26ct%3Dus%2F0-0%26fd%3DR%26url%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Ficwales.icnetwork.co.uk%2F0100news%2F0200wales%2Ftm_headline%253D--8216-we--8217-re-no-longer-the-little-wales-that-we-were----now-we--8217-re-growing-up-as-a-tourism-destination%2526method%253Dfull%2526objectid%253D19324114%2526siteid%253D50082-name_page.html%26cid%3D0%26ei%3DzO94RuunIoqw0QG1p8Uu&ZURL=/Welsh+Culture%2C+History+and+Language/trackers/7&BURL=%2FWelsh%2BCulture%2C%2BHistory%2Band%2BLanguage%2Farticles%2F10%2Fbest%2Bplace%2Bbegin%2Bmy%2BWelsh%2BAmerican%2BFamily%3Fadd%3DTrue">'We’re growing up as a tourism destination'</a><br /> Jun 20 2007 by Paul Rowland, Western Mail</p>"TOURISM brought nearly £3.3bn into the Welsh economy last year, new figures reveal today."<br /><br />"Nearly 10 million tourists came to Wales from other parts of the UK last year, with a further 1.1 million coming from overseas, according to the UK Tourism Survey."<br /><br />"The report – the first of its kind – found that £1.6bn was spent by domestic visitors in 2006, with a further £358m contributed by overseas visitors."<br /><br />"Another £1.3bn was added to the total by people visiting Wales for the day, according to Visit Wales, the Assembly Government’s tourism wing."<br /><br />"Experts last night attributed the upturn in the fortunes of the Welsh tourism industry to a more sophisticated marketing approach."<br /><br />Comparing Wales to other destinations:<br /><br />In the mid 1980s I was appointed Director of Marketing for a then burgeoning, million dollar computer 'Dot.com' company in Fort Lauderdale, also home to the famous teenage six-week fiasco called 'Spring Break'. <br /><br />My partner and I, tired of cold winters, happily moved our designer Boston furnishings into a cheap, beachside bungalow right behind the bikini boutique strip. <br /><br />Being sober workaholics who preferred a good night's sleep, I have to now ask, "What were we thinking?"<br /><br />'Spring Break' started in the 1950s with iconic films 'Gidget' (1959, 1965), and Elvis Presley-style beach blanket romance movies like 'Where the Boys Are' (1969).<br /><br />By 1980 the Spring Break had declined into a local merchant / local police nightmare of cheap 'wet T-shirt contests', record public intoxication arrests, tawdry nightclubs and drug overdose-related deaths.<br /><br />Our tourism board in Ft. Lauderdale decided to 're-brand' with a 'more sophisticated marketing approach' called "Diamonds, Yachts and Caviar".<br /><br />The idea was, if we got rid of the six-week teenage mob, we would attract the monied 'Baby Boomer' retirees year-round.<br /><br />And if we made it affordable and romantic the tourism gurus told us, we would attract rich weirdos, followed by the country club and golf set, cash-flush retirees, and honeymooners /second honeymooners, too. <br /><br />It was a gamble, but it worked. Making Fort Lauderdale's beach wheel-chair accessible was not only mandated by law, it was good business: the college budget motels have been replaced with glittering condo-hotels and golf/marina resorts.<br /><br />David Main, who owns the beautiful Tallizmand Guest House, located on the breath-takingly beautiful Gower peninsula in South Wales, pictured above, says that he prefers the mature customer:<br /><br />He said, <br /><br />“We’ve just revamped the place and added another storey, and the feedback we’ve had from customers has been exceptional, which is very pleasing."<br /><br />“It’s mainly middle-aged people we have here – walkers, birdwatchers, a few young people who want to go mountain biking, and quite a lot of overseas people."<br /><br />“Just last week we had a very nice couple from New Zealand staying here, so it’s quite a variety of people. It’s because there is a huge variety of things to do here. It’s very easy to get here and to get away, and there are a lot of alternative activities to do when the weather is not so good."<br /><br />“I’d say the average length of stay is around three to four days. Most people come for a weekend break, and it tends to be the more mature people who come for a week."<br /><br />“That suits us because we’re trying to get away from the one-night stopovers – it’s a lot of work for not much return.”<br /><br /><br />So is the future of tourism in Wales not in backpacks and rough guides, but in "Diamonds, Yachts and Caviar?" <br /><br />Either way, Wales is still a tremendous value to dollar-carrying Welsh relatives of mine, who prefer 'friendly hometown' Wales to rushed and dirty Heathrow and London.<br /><br />If you're planing a visit to Wales this summer or autumn, we recommend the DVD<br /><br /> 'Magic Islands And Harbours - Wales At It's Magnificent Best'<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin0b-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000CQK098&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-30334787217227053672007-06-21T03:56:00.000-07:002007-06-21T04:19:01.039-07:00What's the best place to begin my Welsh-American Family Genealogy Research?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qM0yibhUNge2k2Hh5xeUDJPny20Nw-2TAT50tysDpf1DjMNELlaHyxo7ueF3LM7Am5pbVoEXIn1N0LYPDNJLXIHALHMRbK9XmWLQwl0XvNkbcNsJX8S5d56o70nD9AlLuehdLGqz-9I/s1600-h/HEADER.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qM0yibhUNge2k2Hh5xeUDJPny20Nw-2TAT50tysDpf1DjMNELlaHyxo7ueF3LM7Am5pbVoEXIn1N0LYPDNJLXIHALHMRbK9XmWLQwl0XvNkbcNsJX8S5d56o70nD9AlLuehdLGqz-9I/s400/HEADER.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078471672098023778" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoksKdLvinOEKB-J1H9uKpc8m3MTixVUgxszew97rno_S1vC_WLiUKX_CtCjQID05xk0OOIT5X9pgXQjb6GQeYoWVsDzyngWCjH3JGyQSzkon7Smx54C-FHOnchWbgxeUo_gpS7gFcpw/s1600-h/w082.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoksKdLvinOEKB-J1H9uKpc8m3MTixVUgxszew97rno_S1vC_WLiUKX_CtCjQID05xk0OOIT5X9pgXQjb6GQeYoWVsDzyngWCjH3JGyQSzkon7Smx54C-FHOnchWbgxeUo_gpS7gFcpw/s400/w082.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078471676392991090" /></a><br /><br />Pictured above: Cardiff City Hall, about ten minutes aways from Cathays Park, home to the Glamorgan Record office.<br /><br />I've never done this before: What's the best place to begin my Welsh Family Genealogy Research?<br /><br />If you're an Australian, American or Canadian visiting Wales this summer and you want to do a little genealogy research on your family tree, then you might want to begin by visiting the Glamorgan Record Office.<p><a href="http://www.glamro.gov.uk/">Glamorgan Record Office</a></p>It has over five miles of records in its strongrooms, dating from the twelfth century to the present day.<br /><br />The Glamorgan Record Office website says: <br /><br />"We can help you to..... trace the history of your family... discover the history of your town, village or house... carry out research for a school college or evening course... and much more"<br /><br />"To allow all visitors to make best use of the facilities we would strongly advise you to reserve your place in advance. Please contact the office for an appointment and discuss your research needs."<br /><br />Planning Your Visit to Wales:<br /><br />The Glamorgan Record Office has two searchrooms open to members of the public.<br /><br />In the Document Searchroom you may consult original records free of charge, including those relating to local authorities, schools, families and landed estates, industry, parishes, police, chapels and churches, as well as maps, plans and photographs.<br /><br />"To help us, please contact us before your visit – some records need to be ordered in advance."<br /><br />"In the Copy Searchroom sources can be consulted on microfilm and microfiche and in facsimile form. Sources include the General Register Office index to Births, Marriages and Deaths, census returns for Glamorgan and parish registers for almost all Glamorgan parishes."<br /><br />"A small charge is made for the use of microfilm and microfiche. It is strongly advised that you book a film or fiche reader before you visit the Record Office."<br /><br />ADDRESS<br /><br />Glamorgan Record Office<br />The Glamorgan Building<br />King Edward VII Avenue<br />Cathays Park<br />Cardiff<br />CF10 3NE<br /><br />Telephone: (029) 2078 0282<br />Fax: (029) 2078 0284<br />Email: GlamRO@cardiff.ac.uk<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin07-21"> Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase</a></p> © 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-88215505434069075172007-06-16T01:02:00.000-07:002007-06-16T01:58:21.376-07:00What's your motivation to write your Welsh Family History?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdboCTHr4eR9lsl8UqREl5NkziopBCVxNdtMnAfC7-SdLaZF0F90FZ4cwEJnPc7W7DNBqiaA6USkeF2fIODxl-xreE3K6Ly4vN0OalbJTLy6b2oRg9WMCIT7eAKcbpKMexb_3D81HfWos/s1600-h/p220NorthElmStreet250.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdboCTHr4eR9lsl8UqREl5NkziopBCVxNdtMnAfC7-SdLaZF0F90FZ4cwEJnPc7W7DNBqiaA6USkeF2fIODxl-xreE3K6Ly4vN0OalbJTLy6b2oRg9WMCIT7eAKcbpKMexb_3D81HfWos/s400/p220NorthElmStreet250.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076570264306280354" /></a><br />What's your motivation to write your Welsh Family History?<br /><br />[Pictured right: the Elm Street Welsh Congregational Chapel, the oldest standing religious structure in Youngstown, Ohio, once at the heart of Welsh American Settlements in America.]<br /><br />Do any of these words sound familiar? Empty Nest, Baby Boomer Blues, Retirement, AARP, Obituaries, Eulogies, Caregiver, Alzheimer’s, Pensions, Social Security, Grandchildren? <br /><br />Are you experiencing the lonely ‘culture shock’ of aging, retirement, sickness, chronic illness, unemployment, children growing up and leaving home ‘Empty Nest Syndrome’, Divorce, becoming a Widow/Widower, recently single, or relocating to another city?<br /><br />Perhaps you have a mind filled with memories, and you realize that when you go, all the memories will go with you? What can you do now to pass this knowledge along to your heirs and posterity?<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<p><a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/celculcin06-21/026-5360391-7230052"> Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.</a></p><br />Some of the Topics discussed here include: Creativity, Empty Nest Activities, Baby Boomer Blues, Retirement, AARP, Memoirs, Biography, Legacy, Heritage, Ancestry, Ancestor Worship, Burial, Graves, Family Bibles, Birth Certificates, Death Certificates, Chapel and Parish Records, British Library, and the Welsh National Library.<br /><br />We've already received emails about the Llandaf Cathedral, Discovering the Past, Souvenirs, Collecting Heirlooms, Inheritance, Memorial, Remembrance, yn Cofio, Tombstones, Obituaries, Eulogies, Mining Communities, Slate Quarry Communities, Immigrants, Emigrants, Settlers, Pioneers, and Canadian Welsh Colonies. <br /><br />Folks want to know more about the Welsh Eisteddfod, Gymanfa Ganu, Hymns, Sermons, Chapels, Nonconformist, Quakers, Baptists, Welsh Mormon, Welsh Unitarians, Welsh Presbyterians, The Salvation Army, Welsh Methodists, Calvinist-Presbyterian, Hiraeth, Hwyl, Cadw, Welsh Tourism, Cymru, Cymraeg, Cymreig, Cymro, Cambria, Welsh Valleys, Coal Mining, Welsh Towns, Cartref Cymreig, Welsh Sunday School, Welsh Poetry, Welsh Actors, Welsh writers, Welsh Harpists, Welsh Rubgy, Welsh Football, Welsh Cricket, Daffodils, Leeks, Taffy, Red Dragon, and the Ddragon Goch.<br /><br /><p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-8330198583216594992007-06-10T10:34:00.000-07:002007-06-10T10:42:01.266-07:00Donny Osmond Traces His Welsh Roots<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQxubF3XtnYcTAlz87w9S-9Uoj4r6uKOS8QfMd1JYQ6-FHNXlwv1CwCkT7wujwV6Wc9uEgtBgGgYj4opcTr2m3sqZdnWcDAfewFalE86ffzdP0s7SUFKpWyxhrqXP52HLrrrTNtEJrbI/s1600-h/Donnyflyer_20061108_164840.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQxubF3XtnYcTAlz87w9S-9Uoj4r6uKOS8QfMd1JYQ6-FHNXlwv1CwCkT7wujwV6Wc9uEgtBgGgYj4opcTr2m3sqZdnWcDAfewFalE86ffzdP0s7SUFKpWyxhrqXP52HLrrrTNtEJrbI/s400/Donnyflyer_20061108_164840.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074491985466320418" /></a><br />"The Seventies teen idol visited Merthyr in 2004 to search for his roots with the help of BBC Wales."<br /><br />"When international superstar Donny Osmond told BBC Radio Wales' Nicola Heywood-Thomas live on air that he thought he had Welsh ancestry, the ears of archivists in Wales started buzzing with excitement."<br /><br />"It didn't take long for tongues to start wagging too, as the experts set about the search to find out if it could be true."<br /><br />"It turns out Donny was right - the Osmond family can be traced back to Merthyr Tydfil as far back as 1585."<p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/merthyr/pages/donnyosmond.shtml"> Read more coverage of Donny Osmond in Wales by the BBC, here:</a></p>Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://mordechairazingziggurats.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai Razing Ziggurats, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://mordechais-post-evangelical-granola.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai's Post-Evangelical-Granola on the World Wide Web.</p>© 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-62811014363277952702007-06-10T09:13:00.000-07:002007-06-10T09:25:47.355-07:00Highly Recommended for Welsh Family Research!My mother is coming to Wales in July, and she hopes to do some 'on the ground' research into our Welsh ancestors, the Williams Family of Dowlais, and the Watkins Family from Neath.<br /><br />In preparation I gave her this highly recommended book for Christmas:<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=celculcin-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0806316195&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark<p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://welshmusicfilmandbookssymposium.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://mordechairazingziggurats.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai Razing Ziggurats, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://mordechais-post-evangelical-granola.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai's Post-Evangelical-Granola on the World Wide Web.</p>© 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-74683768381154068212007-05-24T23:44:00.000-07:002007-05-25T00:01:12.393-07:00"One day, you'll win the Ohio Welsh Eisteddfod!" my Grandma shouted.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdccCAJbt5PEjYE5b4ujsWz_CqM6RRX0nhUlK5iWK93XCEe3X7tZ1QP3KLc0PLjEjbvhRdABrmJYxmbrrY3NeSVtNfMKI7nbPwt0kPXC0opUm_u1SffLwkSeH6kO_OTOemGj0n0fsPZI/s1600-h/CadetPoormanHeraldsClass.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdccCAJbt5PEjYE5b4ujsWz_CqM6RRX0nhUlK5iWK93XCEe3X7tZ1QP3KLc0PLjEjbvhRdABrmJYxmbrrY3NeSVtNfMKI7nbPwt0kPXC0opUm_u1SffLwkSeH6kO_OTOemGj0n0fsPZI/s400/CadetPoormanHeraldsClass.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068389142544268738" /></a><br />Pictured to the right, Salvation Army Cadet Wilma Jean Poorman, the 'Heralds' class.<br /><br />As the third day of January snow silently fell on the grey steel mill stacks in the valley below our wood-frame house in Youngstown, Ohio, out of my bedside transistor radio roared the rock band, Three Dog Night singing, ‘Joy to the World, All the boys and girls!’<br /><br />It was 1971. I was a pimply and awkward adolescent with a high IQ and thick, industrial-strength geek glasses. Can you say ‘bully-target?’<br /><br />My mother, the stern, under-nourished Salvation Army Officer, showed up at PTA meetings in a red cape and heels, looking like a character out of Guys and Dolls.<br /><br />My older brother traded in his uniform and trumpet for leadership of the ghetto gang, the same year I decided it was safer in my family and neighbourhood to stay ‘in the closet’ for a few more years.<br /><br />My plan was simple: I would wear nothing but hippie ‘Earth Shoes’ and blue jeans and get a macho, racing bike, to prove I was not a piano-playing, slide rule pushing gay-boy freak. I dropped subtle hints to my Mom, who was scrubbing floors by day and going to college by night, when she wasn’t leading prayer meetings.<br /><br />The wintry day had arrived, my 12th birthday — I was sure I would get my bike. My Mom lead me into the tattered but immaculate, lace-covered living room, where my Welsh Grandma sat, next to the matriarchal sewing machine and family Bibles, to unveil my gift.<br /><br />What’s this? Not an athletic, pump me up and make me butch bike? There, beside Grandma’s cane sat the Polish neighbour lady, Mrs. Szlowkowsky, sipping my Mom’s strong coffee, while smiling and extending her hand.<br /><br />My church lady Mom and Mrs. Szlowkowsky waved their pasty white hands, like angels guarding the Biblical Arc of the Covenant, over a large, scratched case with broken brass snaps. <br /><br />Barely breathing, I popped the snaps and caught a vivid vision of my inevitable years of coming persecution: A refurbished, 12-Bass ‘Festival’ Accordion.<br /><br />The smell of musty billows and mouldy leather made me choke.<br /><br />“Mrs. Szlowkowsky has agreed to give you lessons, if you agree to help her clean the choir loft at Saint Stanislaw’s Catholic Church on the corner of our street, once a week,” my mother said.<br /><br />Mrs. Szlowkowsky smiled and offered me a plate of sliced walnut ‘placek’ (Polish coffee cake).<br /><br />“It’s a ‘festival’ accordion; you’ll like that!” my Grandma said, as I thought to myself, “Whatever ‘festival’ means . . .”<br />"One day, you'll win the Ohio Welsh Eisteddfod!" my Grandma shouted.<br /><br />“Thank you, Mrs. Szlowkowsky,” I heard myself saying, as I drifted away, not knowing this quirky, portable polka-playing keyboard was about to doom me to an adult life suspended somewhere between John Candy’s Rustbelt humour and Liberace’s Las Vegas tastes.<br /><br />And since I mentioned ‘Candy’, have I told how I once knew this girl . . .<p><a href="http://mordechairazingziggurats.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai Razing Ziggurats, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://mordechais-post-evangelical-granola.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai's Post-Evangelical-Granola on the World Wide Web.</p>© 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-3019897602123018632007-05-07T00:46:00.000-07:002007-05-07T01:11:56.356-07:00Singled-handedly Arizonan Raises Worldwide Welsh Visability<a href="http://www.welshleagueofarizona.org/pics/WLA-Logo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.welshleagueofarizona.org/pics/WLA-Logo.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Everyone is talking about how successful Carwyn Edwards has been, raising the visibility of the Welsh worldwide!<br /><br />Have you read the latest newsletter from Carwyn? <br /><br />'Latest News from Wales and All over the world!'<br /><br />From the most recent newsletter, Carwyn refers North American Welsh folks to learn more about the Welsh elections and the Welsh Assembly Government: <br /><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Assembly_election,_2007">Wales election, Thursday 3 May 2007</a></p>Carwyn's news article is read by 1000s, and appears in many blogs and portals on the worldwide web, including the Celtic Cafe and All Things Welsh<p><a href="http://www.celticcafe.com/celticcafe/Home/index.html">Celtic Cafe</a></p><p><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AllThingsWelsh/">All Things Welsh</a></p>If you are a member of the Welsh Diaspora, Welsh-descended, Welsh Ex-Pat, of Welsh Ancestry, or interested in Welsh and Celtic genealogy, heritage studies and modern Welsh culture in Wales and around the globe, then contact Carwyn to learn more:<br /><br />Carwyn Edwards carwynedwards993@hotmail.com<br />1109 E Del Rio Street<br />Gilbert, Arizona 85296 USA<p><a href="http://www.welshleagueofarizona.org/index.html">Welsh League of Arizona</a></p><p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p></p><p><a href="http://mordechairazingziggurats.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai Razing Ziggurats, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://mordechais-post-evangelical-granola.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai's Post-Evangelical-Granola on the World Wide Web.</p>© 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-53420541258860058202007-05-07T00:21:00.000-07:002007-05-07T00:26:19.565-07:00Are Your Ancestors Welsh?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDr2X5y2_3PaX9LnJhSDozi9mqR5c-VXdwADB7t8K7txEm5F6oZXWve_9x4ixUMWPfBdh_HYur-RX6fpDUWqvsjCKHisIIvIGDsNwi8pUjuI_ttcSkzRSRMovCeY1Ir00AtxBttaAvTA/s1600-h/logo2.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDr2X5y2_3PaX9LnJhSDozi9mqR5c-VXdwADB7t8K7txEm5F6oZXWve_9x4ixUMWPfBdh_HYur-RX6fpDUWqvsjCKHisIIvIGDsNwi8pUjuI_ttcSkzRSRMovCeY1Ir00AtxBttaAvTA/s400/logo2.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5061715874748892226" /></a><br />You are Welsh, your ancestors were Welsh, you are interested in Wales, you live in Wales or you wish you did - whatever your reason, join the community today.<p><a href="http://www.forumwales.com/?gclid=CIGH4ZzC-4sCFQPolAodFm2ZXg">Forum Wales</a></p></p><p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p></p><p><a href="http://mordechairazingziggurats.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai Razing Ziggurats, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://mordechais-post-evangelical-granola.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai's Post-Evangelical-Granola on the World Wide Web.</p>© 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-30390657144850741862007-05-06T16:06:00.000-07:002007-05-06T16:12:33.973-07:00Cymdeithas Olrhain Achau Cymry America / Welsh-American Genealogical Society<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hRGS9HAyYP0cukNP7HUEUIH4MxeT5oDxLpMlOWLLNDay3TOwEvlpY_ZxWljFeCauXkoeGIWJctK3iQJjOYthKseS6XrZCaaL5Jz1b_FYjI1eayCBIIEdGJyrlFmPzGwEoufmb7iuf70/s1600-h/LOGO.GIF.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hRGS9HAyYP0cukNP7HUEUIH4MxeT5oDxLpMlOWLLNDay3TOwEvlpY_ZxWljFeCauXkoeGIWJctK3iQJjOYthKseS6XrZCaaL5Jz1b_FYjI1eayCBIIEdGJyrlFmPzGwEoufmb7iuf70/s320/LOGO.GIF.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5061588580508173346" /></a><p><a href="http://www.rootsweb.com/~vtwags/"> Cymdeithas Olrhain Achau Cymry America / Welsh-American Genealogical Society</a></p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p>© 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-91072126308773262652007-05-06T14:41:00.000-07:002014-01-21T13:49:30.166-08:00Teulu Williams Ohio Cymreig o Ddowlais / Ohio Welsh Williams Family of Dowlais<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6VVNqJn4bYMsOXkf_Yby2FXOmWeX8qNJaVIapYyeAicARkECe8BX_g2CmeQym853qRWJoUv9L01xeFqUUWJXpx6YB7CqKHLT977M_bInKewgFr1vqmWu3JVhnUl3NnIde54kM5u4fqo/s1600-h/ph-10772.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6VVNqJn4bYMsOXkf_Yby2FXOmWeX8qNJaVIapYyeAicARkECe8BX_g2CmeQym853qRWJoUv9L01xeFqUUWJXpx6YB7CqKHLT977M_bInKewgFr1vqmWu3JVhnUl3NnIde54kM5u4fqo/s400/ph-10772.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5061567728441951250" /></a>Pictured above: Grace Blanche Poorman (nee Lute), Chauncey Lute, and Grandma Charlotte Williams 'Lottie Lute' (26 August 1886-Sept. 1984).<br /><br />Our Family History: Grandma Lottie’s Mother: Amelia “Minnie” Peacock-Williams, Born 1860 in Staffordshire, England; Died in Youngstown, Ohio, 1956.<br /><br />Minnie Peacock married William J. Williams, Sr. an Iron Puddler from Dowlais, Wales (the place where iron-working was invented and booming in the early 1800s, near the industrial center of Merthyr Tydfil, in the mountain valleys north of Cardiff, in the Shire of Glamorgan.)<br /><br />William J. Williams, Sr.’s Mother, Great-great Grandma Williams, was a monoglot Welsh-speaker, and refused to learn to speak English, even after she was settled in Youngstown. This was no problem in the late 1800s through the mid-1900s, as Mahoning County was home to one of the largest Welsh colonies in North America. <br /><br />Every kind of daily business could be carried on in the language of Welsh in Youngstown, which even had Welsh language newspapers. Welshmen migrating from Wales in the 1800s found similar work to their jobs in Wales, where a majority of them worked in coal mines or iron foundries, and on small farms. <br /><br />This Youngstown Welsh community retained their language for a couple generations, with the support of cultural events like Welsh Sunday School Song Fests ‘Gymanfa Ganu’ and a regular music and poetry competitions presented at the Youngstown-regional Eisteddfod, which is an ancient annual festival celebrating the 2,500 year old ‘bardic’ tradition in Wales, going back to the 12th century. <br /><br />The leaders from the Youngstown Eisteddfod Society (which Grandma Lottie belonged to her entire life), were the founders of what has evolved into the annual North American Festival of Wales). Typical Welsh family surnames are still common in Youngstown, including Williams, Evans, Roberts, Price, etc.<br /><br />The Williams Family arrived in Youngstown, Ohio, from Wales in 1861, at the beginning of the American Civil War. During the Civil War, immigration into the U.S. was suspended, but Abraham Lincoln made an exception, permitting the Welsh to emigrate into America, because he had heard tales of how the Welsh were gifted are iron-making, which could assist the Union war effort against the rebel Confederate South. <br /><br />At the time that the Williams Family left the village of Dowlais, industrial migrations were not uncommon. But the South Wales area was experiencing an enormous economic boom at the time, and was second only to America in the number of people immigrating into Wales to find work. So <br /><br />So William J. Williams, Sr. probably didn’t migrate to Ohio because of economic necessity, since Iron ‘Puddlers’ were in demand worldwide at the time, and they commanded good salaries and ‘foundry supervisor’ positions, wherever they chose to work. <br /><br />It’s possible that the William J. Williams, Sr. Family was also interested in religious freedom, since they were members of the Dissenters, or Non-Conformists Movement, which was condemned and persecuted with established 'tithes' taxes by the official Church of England. <br /><br />The Dissenters, or Non-Conformists Movement later evolved into Quaker, Baptist, Congregationalist and Presbyterian denominations. Dowlais was also an area where Welsh Nationalism and independence from English rule had its roots. An uprising of workers in nearby Merthyr Tydfil turned bloody in the 1830s when government troops fired on the crowd and killed many people. <br /><br />Either way, the William J. Williams, Sr. family decided to move to Ohio, knowing full well they were going into a country in the middle of a bloody Civil War. <br /><br />But why did they leave the familiar ancestral valleys of South Wales (however troubled by political unrest and violence), at the height of its Industrial Age Boom, and trade it for America? It’s possible that the William J. Williams, Sr. family wanted to leave the political and social turmoil in South Wales, so they migrated to the Mahoning Valley, which resembles the topography of the South Wales Valleys, and which allowed them to enjoy economic, religious, and political freedom. <br /><br />Grandma Lottie is famous for pointing an index finger in the air, and fiercely exhorting her grandchildren to ‘never forget that you’re a Welshman!’ Did this loyalty to the Welsh homeland trace its roots in the Dowlais and Merthyr Tydfil uprisings and Welsh Nationalism, which was somehow communicated to Grandma Lottie as a family and ethnic pride? It seems plausible, if not likely.<br /><br />Minnie Peacock’s sister: Ada Weaver of North Lima (had two daughters). Minnie Peacock’s brother: Samuel Peacock (he had a daughter, Mrs. Lily Shale, whose son Donald was father to Dr. Richard Shale, Y.S.U. Film Studies professor, and author of popular book on the history of Idora Park.)</p><p><a href="http://www.cc.ysu.edu/~rshale/">Dr. Richard Shale</a></p><br />Minnie Peacock’s sister Mary Ann (two daughters, Hannah & Sadie). Dr. Rick Shale has researched the Peacock Family in England, and traced our lineage to the Dollinger and Batt Families. <br /><br />Grandma Lottie, her brothers and parents attended the Welsh Congregation Chapel in downtown Youngstown, now the oldest-standing religious structure within the city limits. An African Episcopal Congregation now preserves the church building, restored after a fire, as their fellowship home.</p><p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p></p><p><a href="http://mordechairazingziggurats.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai Razing Ziggurats, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://mordechais-post-evangelical-granola.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai's Post-Evangelical-Granola on the World Wide Web.</p>© 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5229033219654550486.post-5468074283944569742007-05-06T12:59:00.000-07:002007-05-06T14:29:37.118-07:00Top 40 Welsh Surnames - Find Your Family and Genealogy in Wales<a href="http://z.about.com/d/historymedren/1/0/N/8/navibrit.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://z.about.com/d/historymedren/1/0/N/8/navibrit.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Mike 1024 says, 'I looked some figures up on this a year or two for a school project. These figures are from a study totalling names from the 6 Wales telephone directories.'<br /><br />Here are the most common 40 surnames:<br /><br />Jones - 60.57 per thousand<br />Williams - 37.81 per thousand<br />Davies - 36.76 per thousand<br />Evans - 24.66 per thousand<br />Thomas - 22.97 per thousand<br />Roberts - 17.14 per thousand<br />Hughes - 13.38 per thousand<br />Lewis - 12.96 per thousand<br />Morgan - 11.7 per thousand<br />Griffiths - 10.9 per thousand<br />Edwards - 10.33 per thousand<br />Owen - 8.85 per thousand<br />James - 7.66 per thousand<br />Morris - 7.5 per thousand<br />Price - 7.5 per thousand<br />Rees - 7.3 per thousand<br />Phillips - 6.34 per thousand<br />Jenkins - 6.23 per thousand<br />Harris - 5.79 per thousand<br />Lloyd - 5.64 per thousand<br />Richards - 5.51 per thousand<br />Powell - 4.72 per thousand<br />Parry - 4.49 per thousand<br />John - 3.65 per thousand<br />Watkins - 3.39 per thousand<br />Howells - 3.25 per thousand<br />Pritchard - 3.14 per thousand<br />Rogers - 2.71 per thousand<br />Matthews - 2.37 per thousand<br />Rowlands - 2.35 per thousand<br />Humphreys - 2.22 per thousand<br />Pugh - 2.19 per thousand<br />Ellis - 2.17 per thousand<br />Bowen - 2.17 per thousand<br />Hopkins - 2.14 per thousand<br />Martin - 1.91 per thousand<br />Bennett - 1.86 per thousand<br />Bevan - 1.69 per thousand<br />Pearse - 1.65 per thousand<br />Adams - 1.61 per thousand<br /><br />These top 40 surnames only cover 38% of the welsh population, but this could easily be explained by varying numbers of people per telephone, studies taken from different eras, et cetera. Welsh-American Family Genealogy </p><p><a href="http://welsh-american.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.</p></p><p><a href="http://mordechairazingziggurats.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai Razing Ziggurats, on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://marklesliewoods.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.</p><p><a href="http://mordechais-post-evangelical-granola.blogspot.com/"> Click here</a> to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai's Post-Evangelical-Granola on the World Wide Web.</p>© 2007 Mark Leslie WoodsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com62