From William Reese Company - Americana, New Haven, CT, U.S.A.
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AbeBooks Seller since July 13, 2006
About this Item
48pp. Original printed wrappers. Isolated instances of scattered foxing, otherwise very good. Unopened. A scarce travel guide in Welsh with practical advice for would-be immigrants travelling to Ohio from Wales. The title translates to English as The American, which Includes a Notable Journey from the Ohio Valley to Wales, a look at the Ohio State; History of Welsh Organizations in America, Instructions for Inquirers before the Trip, during the Trip, and in the Country. The pamphlet gives detailed information on major cities in Ohio, as well as routes to to take through New York state to Ohio; detailed information on the state of Ohio; a list of Ohio cities that have Welsh populations and institutions; and some recommendations from the author on how a Welsh immigrant can succeed in America and lead a comfortable life. Although the standard references provide very little information on this publication, recent scholarship indicates that the Reverend Benjamin W. Chidlaw (1811-1892), the author of the present pamphlet, followed his family from Wales in 1821, during an earlier wave of Welsh migration, and eventually made his way to Ohio's Miami University, where he studied for three years. He was given his license to preach in 1835 and was ordained as the pastor of the Congregational church at Paddy's Run, Ohio in 1836. Chidlaw made two trips to Wales to preach - once in 1835 and again in 1839, and in those sermons he spoke of the advantages of living in America and more specifically, in Paddy's Run, and encouraged the Welsh to emigrate there. The economic situation in Wales for farmers and miners was quite poor at the time, and made Chidlaw's promises as well as those of other nonconformist ministers preaching immigration to America at the time very appealing. It is very likely that Chidlaw created this immigrant's guide while in Wales on his last preaching tour to further help those he had convinced to immigrate to Ohio. An important work on the Welsh diaspora to America in the mid-19th century. STREETER SALE 1377. GRAFF 692. EBERSTADT 136:516. William E. Van Vugt, British Buckeyes: The English, Scots, and Welsh in Ohio, 1700-1900, (Kent: Kent State University Press), p.82. Vivienne Sanders, Wales, The Welsh and the Making of America. (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2021). Seller Inventory # WRCAM62857
Bibliographic Details
Title: YR AMERICAN, YR HWN SYDD YN CYNNWYS NODAU AR...
Publisher: John Jones, Llanrwst, Wales
Publication Date: 1840
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