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Archiver > POWYS > 1998-04 > 0891529335


From: "Mike & Ronica Hall" <>
Subject: Wales in America Scranton
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 16:02:15 +0100


To All:

Thought it might be worth copying a 'review' in 'Cronicl' 29 ( Aug
'93) on the above and it just grew:

WALES IN AMERICA, Scranton and the Welsh 1860-1920. By Dr. William
D. Jones, published on behalf of the History and Law Committee of the
Board of Celtic Studies of the University of Wales, 1993, price £20.
280 pp, 13 illustrations, 10 pp bibliography & tables in appendix.
Copious references in text.

Between 1860 & 1920 about 80,000 Welsh immigrants settled in the
U.S., concentrating in one state - Pennsylvania. In 1900 over 17% of
them were living in & around the cities of Scranton & Wilkes-Barre in
an area about twice the size of the Rhondda Valley. The book
examines many aspects of Welsh-American cultural life including
literature & music, eisteddfodau & religion. There are tables, e.g.
British Subjects to U.S. 1820- 1950, Population of U.S. born in Wales
1850-1970, Distribution of population of U.S. born in Wales, by
counties (with chief centres), etc. The majority of sources quoted
are American but there are a substantial number of British examples.
The index contains approaching 200 personal names.
--------

In the forthcoming issue of 'Cronicl Powys' 43, April 98, the
following extract might also be of interest:

Liverpool, The Floodgate of the Welsh,
(part 2):

Dr William Jones' book, Wales in America, a study in depth
of Wilkes-Barr Scranton, in the mining districts of Pennsylvania, is
a recent fascinating study of the US community with the highest
proportion of Welsh people in it, published by the University of
Wales Press. If you can't afford the hardback book, you will find
his paper published in Regional Perspectives on Emigration from the
British Isles, NMGM, 1996, a good essay on a major aspect of it,
namely the Bard/Judge H M Edwards of Scranton - quite a character,
from Ebbw Vale, South Wales, also a useful bibliography.

And in the same issue:

EMIGRANTS FROM BRECKNOCKSHIRE - APPEAL FOR INFORMATION

Dr William Jones, of the University of Wales, Cardiff, widely
regarded as the foremost authority on the subject of the emigration
of Welsh people to North America and Australia during the 19C gave
the first 'Sir John Lloyd Lecture' at Christ's College, Brecon, on
Friday evening 20 March. The attention of the audience was held by
many illustrations of local folk who had emigrated voluntarily to
various parts of the world. Mr Ken Jones has appealed for any
letters, or other information, regarding the experiences of families
or friends who emigrated from Breckonshire to North America or
Australia between approximately 1800 and 1925. Please contact Ken
Jones, c/o Brecknock Museum, Captain's Walk, Brecon.

If anyone can help 'Bill' with his project, please contact him. He's
a nice friendly guy - met him at the lecture and at Powys Archives a
few days before, where, having been warned of his visit was able to
search the 'Cronicl' Contents pages that I'd fortunately uploaded to
the Web site the night before and prepared a list of emigration
articles of possible interest to save him time.

All the best.

Mike Hall
Editor, 'Cronicl Powys', journal of Powys FHS.



http://www.kc3ltd.co.uk/~micronic/cronicl.htm

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----------
> From: Hughes,Mark <>
> To: 'Malcolm Bebb' <>;
''
> Subject: RE: SULLIVAN; IRL>WLS>PA,USA; 1840-1865
> Date: Thursday,02 April 1998 14:50
>
<snip>------

</snip>-------
> On the subjest of Scranton, PA and the Welsh living in that area. I
have
> a book at home called "Welsh in America" by university press which
> talks mainly abt the Welsh in that area. Scranton was the largest
Welsh
> Colony outside Wales I believe,
>
> Does anyone have problems looking for Welsh in Patagonia? I do....
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From:Malcolm Bebb [SMTP:]
> >Sent:Thursday, April 02, 1998 2:43 PM
> >To:
> >Subject:Re: SULLIVAN; IRL>WLS>PA,USA; 1840-1865
> >
> >
> >Hi,
> >
> >I don't know what steps you've already taken, and where you've
looked (e.g.
> >UK census, US census, shipping lists (obviously) etc), but:
> >
> >Do you have any idea of any of the locations in Wales? If not,
given also

<snip>---------

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