- Home
- Digital Library
- Places
- People
- Features
- Themes
- Education
- Evan & Elizabeth Davis
- My Album
Click on this icon on a page to save a link in your Album
Recent searches on this website found:
Allen County, Ohio
Moving to the County
The Welsh began to buy land and settle in Allen County in the 1830s. Very soon, one particular area in the north of the county, Sugar Creek Township, became a destination for Welsh settlers from all corners of America and Wales. Later on, the village of Gomer developed into one of the county's principal Welsh communities.The Notebook of Iorthryn Gwynedd
Between May 1851 and May 1852, R. D. Thomas (Iorthryn Gwynedd) went on a tour of New York state, Ohio a Pennsylvania. He made comprehensive notes on the development of the country and on the Welsh communities:NLW 9521A: America neu Amrywiaeth o Nodiadau am yr Unol Daleithiau; Buddiol i Ymfudwyr. Gan Iorthryn Gwynedd. Ysgrifennwyd ganddo ar ei Deithiau yn Efrog, Ohio a Pennsylvania, o Mai 1851 hyd Mai 1852 (America or Divers notes on the United States that are useful for immigrants).
This manuscript has been digitized as part of the Wales-Ohio Project and you can browse through it by clicking here (Welsh; some English pages) >> On his journey through Ohio, Iorthryn Gwynedd visited Allen County and soon realized that:
"Many people have done well, others are swiftly improving their situation". He recorded the information he collected about the Welsh community at Sugar Creek in his little red book. Turn to the manuscript to see: Notes on Sugar Creek (Welsh) >>"Brâs-Ddarlun o'r Sefydliadau Cymreig yn Sugar Creek, Allen Co. O" (A sketch of the Welsh settlements at Sugar Creek, Allen Co. O) (Welsh) >>He also wrote general notes on Allen County. Here is translation of
page 35:
1. It is good flat wooded land. Good in general - but wet in places. A good place for growing Indian Corn and wheat.
2. No Congress land now.
3. Second-hand land - different prices - according to the commercial convenience &c. - Wooded land only from $5,00 to $7,00 per acre. Better land which has had some cultivation from $10,00 to $15,00 per acre. There is plenty for sale, if one pays a good price for it. The English are always willing to sell.
4. Very bad roads in winter.
5. Many people have done well, others are fast improving their situation.
6. Prices and wages much lower than in Columbus. Clothes cheap in Lima.
7. Quite hot in Summer, and cold in Winter. Many find it very cold [literally "Many Shivering/Quaking there" - perhaps a pun on the number of Quakers in the locality.]
8. There are over 60 members at Cambria.
9. Van Wert is not far. Land [?]
10. Jones is the old minister.
Whole page (Welsh) >>
Top of page
