OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Tidbits of Ohio -- Part 53A ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgenwebarchives.org ************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 June 2, 2005 ************************************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio. And Then They Went West Know Your Ohio Tid Bits - Part 53. A by Darlene E. Kelley ++ notes by S. Kelly ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits- Part 53. A The Coming of The Welsh In Ohio. The first Welshman to enter the territory of Ohio was the Reverend David Jones who labored as a missionary among the Shawnee and Delaware Indians in 1772 and 1773. The second Welshman known to have traversed Ohio ground was General Anthony Wayne. General Wayne with his army, came to Ohio in 1793 being commissioned by the government " to make an end of Indian troubles on the frontier." The first permanent Welsh settlers in Ohio were Ezekiel Hughes and Edward Bebb, who came from Llanbrynmair, Montgomeryshire, North Wales. These two men were responsible for the first definate step westward on the part of Welsh emigrants. Hughes and Bebb were instrumental in persuading a company of fifty Welsh people in their neighborhood in Llanbrynmair to emigrate to America. This company walked from Llanbrynmair to Bristol, England, where on August 11th, 1795, they embarked on the ship " Maria " and sailed for America. On a perlious voyage of fourteen weeks they entered the Delaware Bay and in a few days thereafter reached the port of Philadelphia. These emigrants became the pioneer settlers of Ebensgburg, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, of Paddy's Run, Butler County, Ohio, and of the Welsh Hills in Licking County, Ohio. In the autumn of 1796, twelve families settled in Ebensburg including those of Theopholis Reese, Thomas Phillips, and James Nicholas. In the following spring and summer eleven other families came to the settlement. They named the township Cambria, and later the County was given the same name. The Welsh of this colony are characterized as " a people remarkable for thrift, sobriety, and industry." Hughes and Bebb did not join the other members of their company who settled in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, but after remaining with friends in the Dyffryn Mawr, ( Great Valley ), near Pennsylvania for several months, they started in April 1796 for the then far west. They walked over the moutains to Red Stone, Old Fort, ( now Brownsville ) Pa. where they secured a flat-boat and floated down the Ohio River to Fort Washington, or Cincinnati. After reaching Cincinnati, they spent three weeks ' in traversing the five lower ranges" but in their search they found only one tract of land which they considered good for that part of the country. They described the land as being well watered and convenient being only half a mile from the road going from Cincinnati to Hamilton. They purchased 100 acres in section 34, Colerian Township, cleared a part of it for cultivation, and built a cabin on it. Their purchase was to remain there and to experiment with the land in that region until the land of the Great Miami was surveyed by the govenment and placed on the market, believing that the soil on the east side of the Grea Miami River was simular to that on the west side. They remained on their farm east of the Great Miami from 1796 until 1801, when the goverment surveyed the land on the west side of the river and placed it on the market. The two men made frequent excursions into the regions beyong the Miami and made careful examination of the soil and the conditions in general. " The land to be sold on the other side of the Miami," writes Huges, " is rich as any in Kentucky, much better watered, and the title indisputable." Ezekiel Hughes was the first to purchase land in this newly opened territory. He bought sections 15 and 16 in Whitewater Township, Hamilton County, paying $2.05 per acre. This tract lies between the Miami and Whitewater rivers, just where Whitewater empties into the Miami. At the same time Edward Bebb purchased a half a section on the Dry Fork of Whitewater in what is now Morgan Township, Butler County. Two other men, Morgan and William Gwilym, from Cavenaman, South Wales, joined Hughes and Bebb on the east side of the Great Miami in 1798, and "squatted" on Blue Rock Creek. In 1802 William Gwilym followed his freinds to Paddy's Run and began to clear the forest. Morgan Gwilym returned to Red Stone where he previously worked, stayed there a while and then invested his earnings in a two-horse wagon and some iron castings and returned to Paddy's Run. Edward Bebb, after buying his land, started for Wales seeking the sweetheart of his former days with the intentions of bringing her to the cabin in the woods. He walked all the distance from Paddy's Run to Ebensburg intending to stay there a short time on his trip to Wales. Much to his surprise, he met the lady for whom he was making the trip. Her maiden name was Margaret Roberts. But when Bebb met her in Ebensburg her name was Mrs. Margaret Owens. She had married a man by the name of Owens after Bebb had left Wales. She had one child born to her and Owens, which both her husband and child died on the voyage to America, and were both buried at sea, making Mrs. Owens left alone to make her way in the New Country. After landing in New York, she determined to go to Ebensburg where she had relatives, who had left Llanbrynmair in the ship Maria in 1795. It was at the home of one of the friends that Edward Bebb found her on his arrival at Ebensburg. Bebb remained there a few weeks, then returned to his home, on the Dry Fork, accompanied by his bride. There in their cabin on December 8th, 1802 was born William Bebb, the first white child born in Butler County, who later became the 17th Governor of Ohio, and the first native born Governor of the Buckeye State. Ezekiel Hughes returned to Wales in 1803 and married a Miss. Margaret Bebb. The two returned to their home in Hamilton County in 1804. These trips on the part of Bebb and Hughes, together with correspondace and glaring advertisement, created a great interest on the part of the Welsh of Llanbrynmair and presently a large number of Welsh immigrants poured into Paddy's Run. From 1803 to 1820 there was a constant stream of Welsh people coming into the community and a Welsh colony was the result. Just as Hughes and Bebb were pioneers in Paddy's Run pioneer and parent of Welsh settlements in Ohio. Out of Paddy's Run grew, either directly or indirectly, four important Welsh settlements in the State, viz.: The Welsh Hills colony in Licking County, settled 1801; the Jackson and Gallia Counties, settled in 1818; the Gomer settlement established in Gomer, Allan County, in 1833; and the Venedocia settlement in Vanwert County, established in 1848. ++++++++++++++ ++Notes: Margaret Bebb, so far as I have been able to ascertain, was not a relative of the other Bebb mentioned above. ++Paddy's Run sounds incongruous as the name of Welsh community. There is a story handed down by tradition that the first surveying party which came to this region there was an Irishman, and the Irishman was drowned in this Creek, From this time on to the present day the creek is known as Paddy's Run; and the community takes its name from the Creek which runs through the valley. At one time during the 80's an effort was made to change the name to Glendower ( Welsh, Glyndwr ). The change was actually and officially made by the government, but so great was the opposition to it that the name was soon changed back to Paddy's Run. The station is now called Shandon but the community is known as Paddy's Run.++ +++++++++++++++++ The Welsh Hills Settlement Theopholis Rees and Thomas Phillips were members of the colony which first settled in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, in 1796. The influence of Hughes ad Bebb may be seen in the desire of their friends to venture farther West. In 1801, Theopholis Rees began to investigate the advantages of the country beyond the Ohio River. In August 1801, he sent his son, John Rees and Simon Jones to explore a tract of land in Branville Township, Licking County, which has since received the name of Welsh Hills Settlement. When these men returned to Ebensburg and reported favorably on the land of Licking County, Theopholis Rees and Thomas Philips purchased nearly 2,000 acres of land in the northwest corner of Granville Township. The tract was divided, Rees taking the south half or a little more,and Phillips the remainder. Others bought smaller farms about the same time. A year after the purchase was made Rees and his family, his two sons-in-law and their families, left Ebensburg for their new homes in the Welsh Hills. Thomas Phillips did not come to his new tract until 1806. From 1806 on, the colony grew rapidly for many years. +++++++++++++++++++ Jackson and Gallia Paddy's Run is indirectly responsible for the Welsh settlement of Jackson and Gallia Counties in Southern Ohio. In the spring of 1818, six families from Kilkenin, Cardiganshire, South Wales, emigrated for America. Their destination was Paddy's Run, Butler County, Ohio. Friends of these people had left Kilkenin before and had settled in Paddy's Run. These six families arrived at Baltimore, and there hired wagons to carry them and their baggage to Pittsburg, where they purchased a flat-boat to float down the Ohio River as far as Cicinnati in the hope of reaching Paddy's Run shortly after. Floating down the Ohio they arrived in a few days at a small village, and, being short of provisions, paddled to shore and a delegation was sent to the town to secure food. On entering the village they discovered that the inhabitants were French-- the village of Gallipolis. The delegation was kindly received by the French inhabitants who urged them to remain for the night. The committee returned to the boat and reported what they had seen and heard, with the result that the entire party disembarked and spent the night in Gallipolis. The French improved their time and pportunity and di all in their power to persuade the Welsh to remain in Gallia County giving it as their opinion that Gallia County was as good as could be found anywhere. During the night a violent storm arose. A heavy rain fell and a fierce gale was blowing. When the Welsh wet to the river bank the next morning their boat was no where to be found. Two theories are advanced as to the disappearance of the boat. One is that during the storm of the night the boat became unfastened from the shore and drifted down the river. The other is that some resident of the village imbued more or less with the modern idea of booming his town cast the boat adrift in the hope of compelling the Welsh immigrants to increase the population of Gallipolis. The boat was found and brought back to the viilage after several days search, but by this time the women of the company rebelled against going any farther. They declared that they had sufficiently risked their lives already and positively declined to commit themselves to the mercy of the treacherous Ohio any more in a flat-boat. The rebellion of the women with the kind hospitality of the French inhabitants of Gallipolis prevailed. The Welsh settlement of Jackson and Gallia owes its existance to this incident which occurred to this company of immigrants who left Kilkenin in Cardiganshire, South Wales, with the intention of going to Paddy's Run in Butler County, which was a short distnce farther down the river. These six families had little or no means when they arrived and their first task was to find employment. At that time the State was opening a highway from Gallipolis to Jackson. On this road the men found work. They pushed their way north and west some eighteen or twnty miles from Gallipolis and came into the vicinity of what is now known as Centerville in Gallia County. They follwed Sims Creek where there were a few acres of good bottom land. These pioneers experienced untold hardships and suffered great privations. No glowing reports were sent to the old home in Wales from this settlement for many years, and it was not until eleven years later that another Welshma came from Cardiganshire into Jackson and Gallia Counties. In 1829, David Thomas came from Cardiganshire to visit his old time neighbors and friends, and in 1831 the Rev. Edward Jones from the same place came to the settlement. While there Jones preached to the pioneers in their native tongue. This was the first Welsh preaching they had heard since leaving Wales. Jones stayed but a short time, then returned to Cardiganshire where he wrote and published a pamphlet in which he described the land of Jackson and Gallia Counties, and told of its resources, urging that this section of Ohiowas the very place to which the Welsh should emigrate. As a result of the publication of this pamphlet the Welsh from Cardiganshire literally poured into the Jackson and Gallia settlement for many years. The settlement is frequently called " The Cardiganshire of America." Immigration began with vigor in 1834 ad continued increasingly for twenty ot twenty-five years. ++++++++++++++++++ The Gomer Settlement in Allen County. While the Welsh from Cardiganshire were flocking into Jackson and Gallia Counties, the Welsh from Montgomeryshire were entering Allen County. In 1833 three men, James Nicholas. Esq., David Roberts, and Thomas Watkins, with their respective families drove in wagons from Paddy's Run through the dense forest to what is known as Gomer in Allen County. The Welsh of Paddy's Run were almost all from Montgomeryshire, as we have already observed. Now we find favorable reports going from Gomer to Llanbrynmair, Montgomeryshire and some of the pioneer settlers of Gomer soon paid visits to the old home in Wales with the result that a large immigration into Gomer was soon realized. +++++++++++++++ Venedocia Settlement in Vanwert Co. For the Venedocia Welsh Settlement Paddy's Run is also responsible. Governor William Bebb purchased two or three sections of land in what is now Venedocia, Vanwert County. Through the influence of Governor Bebb his cousin, also William Bebb, by name, came to America from Llanbrynmair. He lived at a place called Rhiwgriafol, and was known as " Bebb Rhiwgriafol." The Bebbs in Wales were prominet Calvinistic Methodists and William Bebb " Rhiwgriafol" promised his friends and relatives before leaving home that he would on arriving in America, establish a Welsh colony the religious complexion of which would be Calvinistic Methodist. With this promise he left Wales for Paddy's Run in 1846/47. In April 1848, three men, William Bebb " Rhiwgriafol," Thomas Morris, and Richard Jarvis accompanied by their respective families, left Paddy's Run for Vanwert County. This was the beginning of the present large and prosperous community of Welsh people in Venedocia. ++++++++++++++++++ Radnor Settlement in Delaware Co. There is one more settlement which must be considered here because of its evident bearing on the early Welsh population of Columbus, Ohio, although it bars no relation, so far as we can learn, to the pioneer settlement of Paddy's Run. It is the Welsh settlement in the township of Radnor near the northwest corner of the county, about six miles north of the city of Delaware. A young man by the name of David Pugh from Radnorshire, South Wales, was the first to purchase land here, buying land warrents for 4,000 acres from Samuel Jones of Philadelphia. Pugh landed in Baltimore in 1801 and rode on horseback all the way from Philadelphia to Radnor to see his purchase. He then returned to Philadelphia and arranged with a Welshman by the name of Henry Perry from Anglesea, North Waes, to make a settlement upon the tract. In the Autumn of 1803 Perry and his two sons, aged 13 and 15, erected a cabin on the land and lived in it that winter. In the spring of 1804, Perry left his boys on the place to do for themselves while he returned to Baltimore for his wife and other children. In 1804 Pugh returned to his tract and divided it into lots of 100 acres each, and sold the farms to other settlers wo came there. Many Welsh people came to Radnor from 1804 to 1807 and after that time the settlement enjoyed a prosperous growth for at least twenty years. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits continued in part 53 B.