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Trinity College exchange students, singing at the Welsh-American Heritage Museum in Oak Hill, Ohio. Students, left to right: Rhian Jones, Martina Davies, Lisa Thomas, Gareth Roberts, |
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Ifan Gwilym-Jones, Rheon Jones, Nia James, Sian Price, Carys Davies, and Sian Evans. Pictures -- Jeanne Jones Jindra |
Jeanne Jones Jindra, Director, Madog Center for Welsh Studies
Two major events marked the celebration of the 190th anniversary of Welsh immigration to southern Ohio the weekend of April 19, 2008. The first was the presentation of the play “New Worlds” on Saturday evening. It had been successfully presented during “Wales Week in NYC” and also in Granville, OH, on April 6, 2008.
The second event was the rededication of the Evans Cemetery in Jackson County, OH where many of the original Welsh immigrants are buried. Much work has been done to restore and preserve the cemetery in the past 4 years by local Welsh-Americans. A monument was placed in the cemetery to honor the work done by the late D. Wayne Evans and the soccer team from the University who were instrumental in orchestrating the work. George Evans of Granville, a descendent of the original immigrants, donated Welsh flags to place on the graves in the Evans Cemetery. A granite bench was placed near the site of the graves of John Jones Tirbach and his wife Eleanor to remember them. Dr. Bill Thomas served as Master of Ceremonies and Bob Powell gave the invocation at the cemetery. The Trinity exchange students sang several songs before a crowd of 80 friends, descendents and the entire URG soccer team.
The celebration then moved to Oak Hill to the Welsh-American Heritage Museum and the site of the oak tree planted in 1979 jointly with Aberaeron, Wales to commemorate the emigration from that area to Ohio. Roy Moses presented the monument at the base of the tree, Bet Davis read a poem, Chris Hunt played the penny whistle, and the Trinity choir sang. A program, led by Morgan Hughes, to recognize family members of the original immigrants then followed inside the Museum. The weekend of Welsh celebration ended with singing by the Trinity students and a reception.
The students thought it was amazing that the characters they played in “New Worlds” were buried “right there.”
Pictured below, beside the graves of their characters, are, on the left, Lisa Thomas beside the grave of Jane Jones Delaney and Sian Price beside the grave of Mary Jones.
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Pictures -- Jeanne Jones Jindra
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