Welsh Hills/Granville Bus Trip Ken Evans
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Welsh Hills/Granville Bus Trip Ken Evans |
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Those who were on this trip are now somewhat knowledgeable about one of the three earliest Welsh settlements in Ohio, the Welsh Hills, founded in 1802.
We boarded the bus in Worthington. On the way to Granville, Menna Morgan from the National Library of Wales talked to us about the Wales-Ohio Project (http://ohio.llgc.org.uk) funded by Evan and Elizabeth Davis of Oak Hill. We picked up several people at the Wildwood Park in Granville including Tom Philipps, a descendant of both founders of the Welsh Hills, Theophilus Rees (on Tom’s mother’s side) and Thomas Philipps (on his father’s side).
Tom then became our guide and we stopped first at the beautiful Bryn Du mansion and grounds (http://www.granville.oh.us) where the Executive Director, Bruce Cramer, gave a brief history outside under a tree since they were getting ready for a wedding in the mansion.
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Then Tom took us into “The Hills.” We went by the last log cabin, the oldest stone house, the former Welsh Hills Baptist Church which is now used as a barn, the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Cemetery (1837), and the house of the 3xgreat-grandparents of Mary Ellen Morgan and Nancy Edwards Cherry (wife of Myron Cherry) among other places. We stopped at the present Welsh Hills Baptist Church where Tom’s brother, Lloyd Philipps, is an active member.
Lloyd met us at the church and we sat in the sanctuary while Lloyd and Tom talked about the history of the church and distributed two wonderful booklets prepared by Tom’s daughter, Carol Philipps. “A Journey for the Ages – from Wales to Ohio” tells about Carol’s ancestors, and “The Welsh Hills of Granville – Croeso!” has pictures and information about the places we visited on our tour. Thank you, Carol
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Next stop was the nearby Philipps Cemetery on Philipps Road in the far northeast part of Granville Township. We drove down the lane of the original Philipps homestead where Tom’s first cousin, Sam Philipps, now lives. This is the cemetery where Jenkin and Susannah Hughes are buried, the 3xgreat-grandparents of Mary Ellen Morgan and Nancy Edwards Cherry, and the 4xgreat-grandparentsof Diana Cherry Wafe. Very exciting for all!!
We traveled back to Wildwood Park to eat the lunches we brought and enjoy each other’s company in perfect weather. (Editor’s Note: -- The beverages that Ken brought were much appreciated!)
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After lunch we headed back into “The Hills” to visit the large Welsh Hills Cemetery (Baptist – 1808) where Tom Philipps’ parents are buried. We gathered around the grave of eight-year-old Alban Alban while I talked about his family. Young Alban came to America from Wales in 1835 with his parents, Tom and Ann (Morgan) Alban and his four siblings. Traveling with them were Dan and Mary (Hughes) Edwards and their four children, the first of the Brynele clan to emigrate. The Edwards were the 2xgreat-grandparents of Mary Ellen and the Albans were the older brother and sister of John and Mary (Morgan) Alban (the Alban brothers married Morgan sisters), my own 2xgreat-grandparents who had emigrated in 1834 with all the other Albans. (This shows the interconnectedness of all of us Welsh if we keep our eyes and ears open).
Afterwards, WSCO member Maggie Brooks, a docent at the Granville Historical Society Museum in downtown Granville, gave us a tour and an overview of the museum’s extensive collection of antiques and items related to local history with, of course, an emphasis on those items possessing a Welsh “heritage.” The museum has an outstanding pioneer collection dating from 1805.
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With free time after that, there was a mad dash to the fabulous ice cream shop across the street. Many folks strolled the sidewalks, visited the Buxton Inn, the library or other buildings, enjoyed the architecture of the old churches, prowled the small public gardens, and tested the many sidewalk benches. We enjoyed each other’s company and caught the ambiance of this quaint New England village, a facsimile of a “working” turn-of-the-century village rather than a cute Main Street filled with boutiques. We noted that the splendid stone and slate work was done mostly by the old Welsh, of course.
Many thanks to Tom Philipps and his family and special thanks to Carol Philipps for her wonderful booklets.
It seems that the Philipps family is single-handedly carrying on the Welsh tradition of that part of Ohio. How can WSCO show support? -- If you have suggestions, contact Ken at (614) 888-1135 or MKEvans30[at]aol[dot]com.
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