Dai Davies of GenealCymru, an expert in Welsh history and genealogy, shared how education carried themes of liberty connecting Wales with the budding American Revolution and other dangerous ideas.
There is so much to love about this and would love to have been there live. Even though I've been studying a town in Wales, I learnt so much just listening to Dai.
Aren’t they wonderful? I can only hope I did it all justice in the notes. More than anything it’s just a series of notes for those of us who can’t quite spell in Welsh. (Heck, I can barely spell in English 🫣)
Thanks! I’m glad you liked it, @Jill Swenson! Since last year, I’ve been on a mission to read more, so I’ve gotten back into reading poetry and I was like, “oh, this was something that I can find all throughout my family history. neat!”
Love learning about this Welch lending library! Svenska Amerikanska Posten, a Swedish-American newspaper based in Minneapolis, created lending libraries for new immigrants. The publisher, Swan J. Turnblad, imported books from Gothenburg, Sweden, to promote literacy among the Swedish-speaking population in Minnesota. Published from 1860s to the 1920s.
That’s really cool! I wonder if there’s any comparable Welsh libraries in the US with the same mission. That could be something for me to look into. There were, at least, a couple monthly journals written in Welsh and based in the US that I use in my research.
Maybe. Though the Welsh colony there was very early and failed. I'm not sure how many Welsh people ended up there in the end. There would definitely be some in Argentina, where there are still Welsh-speaking communities, and probably also in Pennsylvania and Ohio where there was a ton of immigration.
Interesting to think about the Welch language (especially the voices of poets) and where it has taken root outside of Wales, especially compared to other emigrating people who brought their languages with them. For example, the number of Hmong-speaking people is now much greater in the US than in Asia due to the diaspora and they have kept the language very much alive and now there are classes for third-generation Hmong children to learn their grandparents language so it is not lost. Whereas my great-grandparents tried to lose their accents and the Swedish language as quickly as possible. I only heard an occasional word or phrase as a kid and never encouraged to learn Swedish.
That was a big concern in the 1800s in some circles. When Welsh people went to the US, there was this idea that they quickly picked up English (which they probably already spoke) and dropped Welsh. I'm not sure to what extent that was true. But it was part of the rationale for the Welsh colony in Argentina. The leader of that whole movement wanted a place, far from English influence where Welsh people wouldn't have to assimilate. So they went and did more colonialism and displaced indigenous people down there. In my own family, my Grampie wasn't allowed to learn to speak Welsh, despite his parents being able to, because his grandfather thought it would make him better off in terms of getting a job as an adult. That was in Swansea in Wales in the 1930s-40s. He was always very sad about that, but he'd be amazed if he knew how much I've learned so far even though I'm still at a beginner level.
The island of Niihau in Hawaii is privately owned today by the Robinson family, descendants of the Scot who originally purchased the island from King Kamehameha and set up rules to keep it as a place for the preservation of the Hawaiian language and culture. https://molokinicrater.com/brief-history-niihau-hawaii
Ah... and I've heard that story repeated over and over again around the world. Assimilation is a complicated cultural concept. It's always one that the dominant culture expects of immigrants. That's how precious cultural connections are lost.
Navigating a diaspora experience is very complicated. I understand from my cousins that at least some of my own Swiss German family continued to speak German at home.
There is so much to love about this and would love to have been there live. Even though I've been studying a town in Wales, I learnt so much just listening to Dai.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed :D @Jennifer Jones
Aren’t they wonderful? I can only hope I did it all justice in the notes. More than anything it’s just a series of notes for those of us who can’t quite spell in Welsh. (Heck, I can barely spell in English 🫣)
The poetry angle was so cool!
Thanks! I’m glad you liked it, @Jill Swenson! Since last year, I’ve been on a mission to read more, so I’ve gotten back into reading poetry and I was like, “oh, this was something that I can find all throughout my family history. neat!”
Love learning about this Welch lending library! Svenska Amerikanska Posten, a Swedish-American newspaper based in Minneapolis, created lending libraries for new immigrants. The publisher, Swan J. Turnblad, imported books from Gothenburg, Sweden, to promote literacy among the Swedish-speaking population in Minnesota. Published from 1860s to the 1920s.
That’s really cool! I wonder if there’s any comparable Welsh libraries in the US with the same mission. That could be something for me to look into. There were, at least, a couple monthly journals written in Welsh and based in the US that I use in my research.
Perhaps in Newfoundland?
Maybe. Though the Welsh colony there was very early and failed. I'm not sure how many Welsh people ended up there in the end. There would definitely be some in Argentina, where there are still Welsh-speaking communities, and probably also in Pennsylvania and Ohio where there was a ton of immigration.
Interesting to think about the Welch language (especially the voices of poets) and where it has taken root outside of Wales, especially compared to other emigrating people who brought their languages with them. For example, the number of Hmong-speaking people is now much greater in the US than in Asia due to the diaspora and they have kept the language very much alive and now there are classes for third-generation Hmong children to learn their grandparents language so it is not lost. Whereas my great-grandparents tried to lose their accents and the Swedish language as quickly as possible. I only heard an occasional word or phrase as a kid and never encouraged to learn Swedish.
That was a big concern in the 1800s in some circles. When Welsh people went to the US, there was this idea that they quickly picked up English (which they probably already spoke) and dropped Welsh. I'm not sure to what extent that was true. But it was part of the rationale for the Welsh colony in Argentina. The leader of that whole movement wanted a place, far from English influence where Welsh people wouldn't have to assimilate. So they went and did more colonialism and displaced indigenous people down there. In my own family, my Grampie wasn't allowed to learn to speak Welsh, despite his parents being able to, because his grandfather thought it would make him better off in terms of getting a job as an adult. That was in Swansea in Wales in the 1930s-40s. He was always very sad about that, but he'd be amazed if he knew how much I've learned so far even though I'm still at a beginner level.
The island of Niihau in Hawaii is privately owned today by the Robinson family, descendants of the Scot who originally purchased the island from King Kamehameha and set up rules to keep it as a place for the preservation of the Hawaiian language and culture. https://molokinicrater.com/brief-history-niihau-hawaii
Ah... and I've heard that story repeated over and over again around the world. Assimilation is a complicated cultural concept. It's always one that the dominant culture expects of immigrants. That's how precious cultural connections are lost.
Navigating a diaspora experience is very complicated. I understand from my cousins that at least some of my own Swiss German family continued to speak German at home.
I had no idea about the Welsh colony in Argentina as an intentional way to promote the language and avoid the influence of the English. Fascinating!