Hamilton County, Ohio

Hamilton County, Ohio

Cincinnati

Life in the city

Cincinnati was a relatively small town at the beginning of the nineteenth century but it developed into a beautiful, thriving and populous city in a short period. During the thirties, craftsmen and traders of all sorts were drawn to the city and there were many Welsh people among them. When Y Teithiwr Americanaidd (The American Traveler) was published in 1837, around 400 Welsh people lived in Cincinnati according to the author, the Rev. Edward Jones. He described the large city as

"exquisitely beautiful" offering good opportunities for craftsmen and servants.

Early pioneers, Cincinnati
(Courtesy of The Ohio Historical Society)

This opinion was reiterated by the Rev. B. W. Chidlaw later when he also published a similar guidebook in 1839, called

Yr American.

His description of Cincinnati as a busy, exciting and developing city must have appealed to many prospective Welsh emigrants who dreamt of working in such a city. There were plenty of opportunities for servants and maids and craftsmen according to Chidlaw, and a good wage could be earned. The only problem a Welsh person could face would be trying to find work and accommodation immediately after arriving.

"There are many Welsh people from Llanbrynmair, Maldwyn and Cardigan in this city."

NLW 9521A

During his journey through some of the states of America, R. D. Thomas (Iorthryn Gwynedd) spent January 1852 in Cincinnati and was amazed at the size of the city and its organized streets and highways and its residents. His thoughts were written in a notebook, which has been digitized as part of the Wales-Ohio project.

Read his comments about the city, the Welsh people living there and the churches of the Congregationalists, the Calvinist Methodists, the Baptists and the Wesleyans (only available in Welsh) >>

The Welsh Congregationalist Church,
Lawrence Street

Iorthryn Gwynedd went on to publish a book on the history of the Welsh in America (Hanes Cymry America) and in it we are given further information about the history of the churches and some of the ministers who served there.

Turn to page 104 for more information >>

He also emphasized that there was plenty of work available in the plants and works which made boilers, forges, vehicles and ships and that Cincinnati was a suitable place for young women to be in service. Iorthryn Gwynedd estimated that the Welsh population of the city was around 2,000 in 1872.

Digitized Materials

NLW 19331E: The letters of John and Hugh Pugh from Liverpool, Cincinnati, Columbus and Portsmouth (1843 - 1852) (Welsh) >>

"Am quite at home here & feel just as if I was only about an hours ride from home, this is really a beautiful City, Weather glorious."

NLW 20995: Jack Edwards' letter

NLW 20995: The letters of Jack Edwards, Cincinnati (1880 - 1887) (English and Welsh) >>

The Saga of the Welsh Congregational Church, Lawrence Street, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1840-1952 (English) >>

Short descriptions of Cincinnati are to be found in:

Edward Jones, Y Teithiwr Americanaidd (The American Traveler) (Aberystwyth, 1837), pp.19 - 20 (Only available in Welsh)

B. W. Chidlaw, Yr American (Llanfair, 1839), p.25 (Only available in Welsh)

NLW 9521A: The notebook of Iorthryn Gwynedd (Only available in Welsh)

R. D. Thomas, Hanes Cymry America (A History of the Welsh in America) (Utica, 1872), p.104

General Bibliography

Links

The website of the Welsh Society of Cincinnati and the vicinity

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