Will Crucial Welsh-Americans Voters in Utah Put Mitt Romney in the Whitehouse as Vice-President in November 2008?

[Pictured above: A Mormon in the Whitehouse? Could Welsh-Americans voters in Utah put Mitt Romney there as Vice-President? Mitt Romney is a politician and member of the Mormon Church, which counts among its members many Welsh-descended voters.]

Welsh-Americans in Southeast Ohio have already been pivotal is handing Senator Hillary Clinton a decisive victory in battleground state Ohio, where many Welsh immigrants settled over the centuries.

Descendants of Welsh-American immigrants continue to have a significant impact on the values, morals, worldview and politics of the United States, which might not be appreciated back in contemporary Wales or Britain, for that matter.



Contemporary Welshmen living in Wales are mostly secular, unlike their ancestors from the past three centuries (1600-1900) who were devoutly religious 'chapel gwerin'.


[Pictured above: Still sexy Sixties teenage heart-throb Welsh-American and Mormon Church member Donny Osmond has returned to massive concert crowds in Wales where he returned last year to trace his ancestral roots Glamorgan/Merthyr Tydfil.]

Welsh-American Mormon Celebrity Donny Osmond traces Welsh roots

Various religious movements still thriving in America today started in Britain and have historic roots in Wales, but have now almost died out in the United Kingdom.

These movements include the 'New Thought / New Age', New England Transcendalists, Mormons, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, The Salvation Army, Unitarians, Quakers, Puritans, and many others.



Consequently, a lot of modern Welshmen born in Wales cannot understand the lives, outlook and history of their Welsh-American cousins.

As citizens of a secular society, most modern Welshmen do not share the intensely religious experience and culture of their Evangelical Christian or Mormon Welsh-American 'distant cousins'.



But Republican Presidential Candidate recently returned to Utah to campaign with an endorsement of his once hated rival, Mitt Romney.


[Pictured above: Candidate John McCain and Mitt Romney -- Romney is a politician and member of the Mormon Church, which counts among its members many Welsh-descended voters.]



Will Romney be McCain's running mate, and given the division in the Democratic party, could McCain/Romney win the Whitehouse in November 2008?

And we want to ask, will Utah's Welsh-Americans once again use their votes to choose the next president?



That is, what if Welsh-American Mormons vote in large numbers for a (purely speculative -- at this time) McCain/Romney ticket -- will the tiny country of Wales once again, through her American 'diaspora' change the current of world events?



Welsh-American Evangelical Christians have traditionally viewed the Mormons (Church of the Latter Saints, Reorganized Church of the Latter Saints, etc.) as cult members, not 'orthodox' Christians, because of their religious beliefs and doctrines based upon the teachings of founder Joseph Smith.



Some Evangelical leaders in American have endorsed Romney as a 'brother' while others have suspicions or have condemned him as a 'dangerous heretic'.


[Prominent Welsh-American Sen. Hillary Clinton greets Kerry Bowen at the Polk County Fall Dinner, Friday, Oct. 19, 2007, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Steve Pope)]

According to the Welsh Mormon website:

"The Church had great missionary success in Wales during the 1840's and 1850's, and many thousands of Welsh converts immigrated to America, heading West with Brigham Young as a part of the great Mormon Migration, which began in 1847."



"Today it is estimated that approximately twenty percent of the population of Utah is of Welsh descent."


[Pictured above: Early Mormon converts]




[Pictured above: Richard Woodruff Price is an Accredited Genealogist in English research (International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists) and specializes in the research problems of English-descended families, with special emphasis on Colonial Immigration and Norfolk families.]

Richard Price, President, Professional Genealogist

Since 1976, Price & Associates, Inc. has developed talented teams of professional genealogists in Salt Lake City to assist you in tracing your family history.



As a co-founder of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Company President Richard Price and his highly-trained professionals can help you find your roots throughout the World.



Web Site Documents Origins of 19-Century Welsh Mormon Immigrants
by Nathan W. Murphy, MA, AG®

"In the mid-19th century, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) led a very successful missionary effort in Wales."



"Dr. Ronald Dennis, Professor of Portuguese and Welsh at Brigham Young University (BYU), has launched a website documenting the families of each of the Welsh converts who emigrated to America."



"Since 20% of the current Utah population descends from this group of individuals, this website promises to become a popular Internet attraction."



"Dr. Dennis, himself a descendant of the famed LDS Welsh missionary Dan Jones (1810-1861), has an insatiable desire to accumulate quote, “everything Welsh Mormon.”

"Dennis’s collection, in conjunction with the Center for Family History and Genealogy at BYU, is now available online at

www.welshmormonhistory.org."

"The Welsh Mormon History website contains hundreds of superb photographs, transcribed journals, biographies, autobiographies, and other material produced by descendants, bringing this substantial group of LDS pioneers to life."



"Particularly interesting are the over 500 photographs depicting many of the original Welsh converts and also the Welsh homes and towns they left behind. Some of the sources he used to compile this information include: LDS Welsh Branch Membership Records, original journals and autobiographies, the 1880 US Federal Census, and the Mormon Immigration Index."





At Welsh American Family Genealogy, we believe there’s no better ‘Empty Nest’ activity than researching your Welsh family history and creating a legacy for future generations. You don’t have to be rich to leave behind an enduring heritage for your children and heirs.

What’s important is that you use the time wisely. If you would like to simulate your mind each day and stay young through constructive activities, than genealogy might be right for you!

Write to us and tell us your questions. We might not know the exact answer, but think of this as a daily adventure – thousands of other online readers will ‘pick their brains’ to help you!
Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.

Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark
Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.



© 2008 Dr. Mark Leslie Woods







At Welsh American Family Genealogy, we believe there’s no better ‘Empty Nest’ activity than researching your Welsh family history and creating a legacy for future generations. You don’t have to be rich to leave behind an enduring heritage for your children and heirs.

What’s important is that you use the time wisely. If you would like to simulate your mind each day and stay young through constructive activities, than genealogy might be right for you!

Write to us and tell us your questions. We might not know the exact answer, but think of this as a daily adventure – thousands of other online readers will ‘pick their brains’ to help you!

Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.

Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.

Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase

© 2008 Dr. Mark Leslie Woods

Lights Out! Welsh Capital Cardiff Joins List of World Class Cities Leading Symbolic Fight Against Climate Change

[Pictured above: Welsh Assembly Building (Senedd)Photo at BBC.]

The BBC NEWS reports on the Welsh Capital City of Cardiff:

Lights were turned off at Welsh Assembly Government offices across the nation on Saturday night as part of a worldwide climate change campaign.

It went dark in main government buildings between 2000 and 2100 GMT on Saturday to support "Earth Hour".

The symbolic campaign was launched last year in Sydney, Australia, and 24 cities are taking part on Saturday.


[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.]


Additionally from the newswires:

Cardiff to black out for an hour
26/3/2008

Cardiff Council is throwing its support behind a global initiative to turn off the lights for an hour on Saturday, March 29.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.


[Pictured above: Lights Out London.]

Lights out London

Councillor Mark Stephens, Executive member for Economic Development and Finance, said:

"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.


[Pictured above: Councillor Mark Stephens.]

"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."

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.


[Pictured above: Councillor Simon Wakefield.]

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."

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.


[Pictured above: Morgan Parry.]

"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.

"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."

Source: http://www.newswales.co.uk/?section=Environment&F=1&id=13696

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:

Here's a directive sent to staff members:

Lights Out in 2008
March 27, 2008

Staff at the University are being encouraged to support

Lights out South Wales.

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.

This year, the event has gone global and many cities, including

Cardiff

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.

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.

Look out for the Environmental Update in the next issue of Bulletin, due out shortly.

BBC NEWS: Assembly goes dark for Earth Hour

At Welsh American Family Genealogy, we believe there’s no better ‘Empty Nest’ activity than researching your Welsh family history and creating a legacy for future generations. You don’t have to be rich to leave behind an enduring heritage for your children and heirs.

What’s important is that you use the time wisely. If you would like to simulate your mind each day and stay young through constructive activities, than genealogy might be right for you!

Write to us and tell us your questions. We might not know the exact answer, but think of this as a daily adventure – thousands of other online readers will ‘pick their brains’ to help you!

Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.

Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.

Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase

© 2008 Dr. Mark Leslie Woods

Crumbling Stone Chapels in Wales, Abandoned Wooden Churches in America, both a National Disgrace?

[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.]

Crumbling Chapels in Wales, Abandoned Churches in America, both a National Disgrace?

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.



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.

PRESERVING AMERICA'S PAST

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.

The Welsh National Gird for Learning gives an online Introduction to the Welsh Chapel phenomenon and history:

Welsh Chapels at the Welsh National Gird for Learning

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.



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.

'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.'

Please see:

In Shift, U.S. to Offer Grants to Historic Churches

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.


[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.]

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.

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'.

As for the fate of the old churches, it's 'Out of sight, out of mind'.

This trajectory of social and cultural trends can be described as a negotiation with constructs of 'modernity' in American life.



On one hand, folks who are still 'true believers' might call it the moral decline of the land.

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.


[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.]

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.



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.

Read about Welsh castles and Cadw here.

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.

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.



I don't mean to say that there aren't plenty of well-preserved churches to visit in American and in Wales, there are.

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 . . .

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?"

"Or has the stress of being busy supplanted the 'temples' of my inner quiet? But I digress . . ."

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?"

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.



For example, on one side, some of my ancestors built Welsh Congregational chapels and held Welsh-speaking Sunday Schools from 1860 until 1960!

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.

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.



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.



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?



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?

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.

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.



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.

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.

My Indian mates were handing out sterotypical Taj Mahal and Ivory Elephants, as would be expected.

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.

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,

'But where are the Windmills?'

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'!

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!!!



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?

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.

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.



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.

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 . . .



At Welsh American Family Genealogy, we believe there’s no better ‘Empty Nest’ activity than researching your Welsh family history and creating a legacy for future generations. You don’t have to be rich to leave behind an enduring heritage for your children and heirs.

What’s important is that you use the time wisely. If you would like to simulate your mind each day and stay young through constructive activities, than genealogy might be right for you!

Write to us and tell us your questions. We might not know the exact answer, but think of this as a daily adventure – thousands of other online readers will ‘pick their brains’ to help you!

Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.

Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.

Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase

© 2008 Dr. Mark Leslie Woods

Award-winning Welsh Author Grahame Davies Announces North American Book Tour for October 2007

[Pictured above: Welsh Author Grahame Davies; Photography of Grahame Davies by Mauro Philip Conti, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.A.]



Grahame Davies's Book Tour Itinerary:

Oct 12: Depart Bristol, 1030 Continental for Newark. Arrive Newark 1325 local time. Travel to Delta PA.

Oct 13, 1300. Reading at Rehoboth Welsh Chapel, Delta, PA, as part of Festival of Welsh Heritage.
http://home.comcast.net/~rbaskwil/chapel.html Festival of Welsh Heritage

Oct 15. Travel to Somerset, MA.

Oct 16: 1300 Lunchtime seminar at Yale University, New Haven CT for:

The Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism

Oct 21-23: Visit to Vermont.

Oct 24. Fly Boston – Columbus OH via JFK, depart Boston 1340, arrive Columbus 1823. Staying in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

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

Oct 28: 1600. Poetry reading at Chi Art Centre, 44 Main St, Westport, Connecticut.

Chi Art Centre

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

Oct 31. Fly Newark-Bristol. Depart 2055. Arr Bristol, Nov 1, 0740.



Grahame was Winner of Wales Arts Council's Book of the Year Award, 2002

Grahame was nominated for Book of the Year prize 2005.

"One of the most independent, and as such, most interesting voices of contemporary Welsh-language poetry."
Gerwyn Wiliams

"This is the first post-nationalist novel," Dafydd Elis-Thomas on Rhaid i Bopeth Newid.

"One of the clearest public poetic voices of his generation," Emyr Lewis

"An unequalled satirist,” John Gruffydd Jones.

“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.

"Poems which brilliantly describe Welsh life in the capital." Peter Finch.

“There’s a new world-view on our everyday lives here, overloaded with memorable images and phrases,” Menna Elfyn.

“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.

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.

GrahameDavies.com

At Welsh American Family Genealogy, we believe there’s no better ‘Empty Nest’ activity than researching your Welsh family history and creating a legacy for future generations. You don’t have to be rich to leave behind an enduring heritage for your children and heirs.

What’s important is that you use the time wisely. If you would like to simulate your mind each day and stay young through constructive activities, than genealogy might be right for you!

Write to us and tell us your questions. We might not know the exact answer, but think of this as a daily adventure – thousands of other online readers will ‘pick their brains’ to help you!

Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.

Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.

Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase

© 2007 Mark Leslie Woods

New Book, "Welsh Writing from the American Civil War" Expected to Soar in U.S./Canadian Markets

[Pictured above: Cincinnati, Ohio-born Welsh Language scholar Dr. Jerry Hunter is considered an expert on the American Civil War.]

North Americans have an obsession with 'all things Civil War' and this interest launched the careers of many historians, fiction writers, and filmmakers.

For example, U.S. film director Ken Burns is famous for his documentary on the American Civil War:

The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns


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.

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.

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.

Read about it here.

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.

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.

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:

- 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

- 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.

‘Very well written...it will reach out to the huge transatlantic audience for popular Civil War history’ -- Kevin P.Van Anglen, Boston University.



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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Cloth NSA $85.00sc ISBN: 978-0-7083-2020-4 (ISBN-10: 0-7083-2020-1) Spring 2007
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





At Welsh American Family Genealogy, we believe there’s no better ‘Empty Nest’ activity than researching your Welsh family history and creating a legacy for future generations. You don’t have to be rich to leave behind an enduring heritage for your children and heirs.

What’s important is that you use the time wisely. If you would like to simulate your mind each day and stay young through constructive activities, than genealogy might be right for you!

Write to us and tell us your questions. We might not know the exact answer, but think of this as a daily adventure – thousands of other online readers will ‘pick their brains’ to help you!

Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.

Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.

Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase

© 2007 Mark Leslie Woods

Two Weeks Left to Book Your Flight: Meet Your Welsh Cousins in Washington, D.C.

featuring the 76th Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu, 30 August - 2 September, 2007 Washington, D. C., Sponsored by the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association

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?

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.

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.

The Largest Gathering of the Welsh in North America

The North American Festival of Wales is the largest gathering of the Welsh, descendants and friends in North America.

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.

FESTIVAL HOTEL

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.

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.

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.

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.

Shuttles include stops to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the Pentagon City Fashion Centre with access to Metro and Old Town Alexandria.

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.

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.

The Hilton Alexandria Mark Center is the ideal way to enjoy both the 2007 festival and the breathtaking sights of our nation’s capital.

The festival and marketplace are a great oppotunity to meet and chat with like-minded folks who are researching their Welsh family histories.

At Welsh American Family Genealogy, we believe there’s no better ‘Empty Nest’ activity than researching your Welsh family history and creating a legacy for future generations. You don’t have to be rich to leave behind an enduring heritage for your children and heirs.

What’s important is that you use the time wisely. If you would like to simulate your mind each day and stay young through constructive activities, than genealogy might be right for you!

Write to us and tell us your questions. We might not know the exact answer, but think of this as a daily adventure – thousands of other online readers will ‘pick their brains’ to help you!

Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.

Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.

Visit the UK Film Studies and World Cinema and Music Import Showcase

© 2007 Mark Leslie Woods

What's your motivation to write your Welsh Family History?

What's your motivation to write your Welsh Family History?

[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.]

Do any of these words sound familiar? Empty Nest, Baby Boomer Blues, Retirement, AARP, Obituaries, Eulogies, Caregiver, Alzheimer’s, Pensions, Social Security, Grandchildren?

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?

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?

At Welsh American Family Genealogy, we believe there’s no better ‘Empty Nest’ activity than researching your Welsh family history and creating a legacy for future generations. You don’t have to be rich to leave behind an enduring heritage for your children and heirs.

What’s important is that you use the time wisely. If you would like to simulate your mind each day and stay young through constructive activities, than genealogy might be right for you!

Write to us and tell us your questions. We might not know the exact answer, but think of this as a daily adventure – thousands of other online readers will ‘pick their brains’ to help you!

Be sure to visit the Welsh American Family Genealogy Online Bookstore! Just Click here.

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.

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.

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.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.

Donny Osmond Traces His Welsh Roots

"The Seventies teen idol visited Merthyr in 2004 to search for his roots with the help of BBC Wales."

"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."

"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."

"It turns out Donny was right - the Osmond family can be traced back to Merthyr Tydfil as far back as 1585."

Read more coverage of Donny Osmond in Wales by the BBC, here:

Gyda bob hwyl i bawb, Mark

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh-American Family Genealogy, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Welsh Music, Film, and Books Symposium, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Celtic Cult Cinema on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai Razing Ziggurats, on the World Wide Web.

Click here to go directly to my personal blog page called Mordechai's Post-Evangelical-Granola on the World Wide Web.

© 2007 Mark Leslie Woods