Life in Wales in the mid-nineteenth century proved grim for many of its farmers. Large landowners controlled most of the arable land, tracts of which they rented out to tenant farmers. Corn laws prohibited importation of cheap food and drove up domestic food prices, leaving the typical tenant-farming in the ironic situation of having fields full of grain but empty cupboards. Between 1840 and 1890 many Welsh looked to Wisconsin for relief, where they could purchase inexpensive, productive land. In 1872, unofficial estimates found 18,260 Welsh living in larger settlements and the 1900 U.S. census showed 4,200 in rural settlements. The newcomers kept to themselves; maintained their native language, Cymraeg; built churches and worshipped together in close-knit communities; and maintained their national traditions. This new edition in the "People of Wisconsin" series features letters from the Owen family, those who emigrated to Baraboo in 1846 and those who stayed behind, in North Wales, and letters of Private John Jones, who served in the Union army in the Civil War.

About the Author
The late Phillips G. Davies, part Welsh himself, was professor of English at Iowa State University, Ames. His work included research, translation, and publication of accounts about Welsh settlements, mostly in the Midwest.


Book Information
ISBN 9780870203565
Author Phillips G. Davies
Format Paperback
Page Count 64
Imprint Wisconsin Historical Society,US
Publisher Wisconsin Historical Society,US