Day 1 June 6, flight to Glasgow
Flew out at 3:15 from SLC. The first people we met were Bill, Bonnie,
and Karen Evans. Karen was to be Lelia's roommate. We tried to determine an Evans connection
with Jonah Evans, our ancestor, but couldn't,
but I was to later find out that his ancestor, Abel Evans was an energetic
missionary in the early days in the church, and in fact, was the one to baptize
Edward Giles Roberts my Great Great grandfather. Abel Evans often worked with Captain Dan
Jones. So the lives of our ancestors had
crossed many times. Later in the trip we
were to visit Abel Evan's
grave and take pictures of all of the descendants of people he had baptized.
Foreshadowing of great meals to come. Two delicious meals served on our flight
over. Changed planes in Chicago on flight out and In. Flew American. Wonderful service. We lost 7 hours in transit and arrived in the
morning in Glasgow, ready to run.
Watched Miss Congeniality on board.
June 7 First tourist attraction: Robbie Burn's home and burial site of his parents. We were to see many equally antiquated picturesque churches throughout the trip. Gigantic large headstones, which I was later to learn were Slate slabs. Maggie was our tour guide, complete with a Scottish burr. She had a wonderful Scottish lilt, sense of humor, and singing voice, and shared many things with us about the area, especially about Burns.
My mother often talked about her father William Henderson reading Robbie Burn's poetry as he drove his cheese wagon between Malad and Perry, Utah. Glasgow is where the Hendersons were from. Hugh Henderson was a constable. His son Robert was the first to join the church in our line.
Robert the Bruce with 4000 men fought against
12,000 British on 23-24 June 1314. Templars
were trained Scotch armies, and took Stirling castle. The Hendersons always claimed
to be related to Robert the Bruce. The Song of
Loch Lomond is one my mother sang and is about, a Jacobite soldier who was put to death by the English in
1746. The Scottish believed that the low
road was a symbol of death, a faster road.
The soldier sings the song to his comrade, saying " I'll
take the low road, and be in Scotland afore ye" knowing he will die ere soon. We grew up knowing the words to many Scottish songs. I wish
we had been able to take her on a trip to this beautiful country before she
died.
Day 8 Wednesday.
Day 9 June 14
Carmarthen is the oldest town in Wales. It was where the crossroads of commerce met,
a great trading center. Also the scene of
the Rebecca Riots 1843.Carmarthen is where Jonah Evans our GG grandfather (on my Dad's line) went to work at age 8 in a soap factory, earning 2 shillings a week. He obtained employment on a farm called y fforest in Pontantwn, a few miles to the west of Carmarthen.
At the Burn's center, we watched a great multi-media
presentation of Tam-o-Shanter and got a feel for Burns' colloquial use of the language, which
definitely needed a translator for us Yankees. Our 1st Scotch meal
was crusty rolls and soup. That night
settled in at an old Victorian Hotel, Quality Hotel Central, which was the site
of the first TV broadcast. The Scottish claim that a Baird invented TV, while we Idaho yankees give credit to Milo Farnsworth -- one of Ashley's relatives. Rooms were large, but old fashioned. It was located next to the train station and
close to shopping areas. We learned that
when we eat at a "cutlery" it is the same as a smorgasbord. We drove through the beautiful farmlands of Ayer
on the coast. Elder Tye Shumway is working
there, but the LDS church wasn't
listed in the phone directory, so we never found him.
Edinburgh Friday June 8 Visited Edinburgh, the "Athens
of the North". A high
wall was built around the city about 1513.
It was locked at night. Many
nobles were killed defending it. The Royal Mile goes from the castle down to
Holyrood the palace where the royal family lived. This castle is the birthplace of James I, who
authorized the King James Version of the Bible which we still use today.
The Castle contains the Scottish "Honors" their most valued treasures. The trunk was opened in 1707, and had been locked for 111 years. Contained the Scepter, Sword, and Crown. Mom's Meg is the huge cannon at the castle. St. Margaret's chapel is the oldest building in town and is located on the castle grounds and has been in use for 900 years!
Witch drownings were common in Scotland. They tied their fingers and toes together and
tossed them in the water to see if they’d float. If they did, they were witches and were hung.
(This was much like the witch hunts in Puritan America, i.e. The Crucible) A Loch was below the castle, but is now
drained is like a deep wide ravine.
Scottish tartans, were woven from wool. Colors obtained originally from Moss, and
plants in the glen, soaked in urine to set the colors. Soldiers had about a 3 yard roll of tartan
for their kilts. The would lie on the
ground on the fabric, which they had pleated, then roll in around them, and tie
it, and throw one end of their shoulder to carry their pack. Queen Victoria loved Scotland and the
Tartans, and wore them as well. James Paraffin
(a Scotsman), found a use for the residue in oil.
Early Edinburgh city official, Deacon Brodie (Tavern named after him) had the keys to the city because of his trusted position, but would steal from businesses at night. He is considered to be the prototype of Jekyll and Hyde character later written about. Giles High Church, named after a hermit in Europe in the 9th century at the time of pilgrimages. Center of old Edinburgh, Proclamations given from the back of Giles High church crossing. The home of Presbyterianism and leader John Knox was buried near the castle, (now in the parking lot!) Plague victims were boarded up in buildings and left to die.
Saturday: Took a morning tour of more places in
Glasgow, as well as ancestral homes of some of the participants.
Stirling Castle My favorite castle! Built in 1503, visited the chapel, the great hall. It is situated in the middle of a beautiful green valley, with wonderful country panorama on every side. Grandma Keeler's Fisher relatives are from Stirling. Seven major battles were fought here, was originally a very marshy land. In 1297 Wallace defeated English. He fired on it from Holyrood Chapel across the valley.
Stirling Castle My favorite castle! Built in 1503, visited the chapel, the great hall. It is situated in the middle of a beautiful green valley, with wonderful country panorama on every side. Grandma Keeler's Fisher relatives are from Stirling. Seven major battles were fought here, was originally a very marshy land. In 1297 Wallace defeated English. He fired on it from Holyrood Chapel across the valley.
Bannock Burn: Robert de Bruce Victory in 1314, destroyed the castle so the British couldn't use it. It was rebuilt in 1400's. The Royal Stuarts used the castle. It is a French Renaissance castle rebuilt by James IV. James VI was educated at Stirling. Prince Charlie fired on it, and filled in the old kitchens to shore up the batteries. Later these were uncovered in the 1920's and on display today. Jacobite reinforcements built it up again in 1700's. It was originally trimmed in Red and gold colors, and lime washed, which showed up well from long distances.
Rig-a-ma-roll term comes from "Ragman's Roll" when the Scottish were asked to sign a pledge giving the English support. William Wallace refused to sign the roll. Was eventually killed for his role in leading the Scotch against the English. The Upper square of the castle was used by royalty only. James IV used the original old castle. The royal chapel was built by Mary Queen of Scotts when her son James VI was born. We visited all these parts of the castle, and enjoyed the beautiful view from every side. Countryside normally would have heather blooming in late summer, fall. The Gorse bush was all over the hills and blooms yellow. It is a very prickly bush.
That evening we were hosted by the Hamilton
Ward with a dinner and program We
were met at the door with a bagpipe and missionaries in full regalia, who piped
until we were all in and seated. Brother
Wright also piped at the program after dinner. We were served a wonderful banquet of coldcuts,
rolls, salads, desserts. Among the foods
served were lox (smoked salmon & cream cheese) quiche, haggis, cootie
dumplings. It was beautifully decorated,
and each table had 3-4 members of the ward who sat with us. They had a wonderful program they then presented
with bagpipes, poetry, violin, dancers, and a non-member choir.
Final
tour of Glasgow, then on to England for Church June 10
Lots of large red sandstone block buildings
built in 1890's, the cream colored stone was of an earlier era 1788. In the heart of the city are 12 statues in
St. George square, but there are none of George III, as he lost the war of
Independence 1776 Glasgow University is 550 years old. Great Hall built in 1400's. Crossed the River Clyde, which has a 10 ft.
tide. There are 13 bridges over the
rover. At one time there were 40
shipyards at its peak, but only 3 operate more. There are lots of coal mines and iron ore and foundries near Glasgow. It is the 2nd most important city in
the United Kingdom, saw Cathedral Square, Glasgow chapel. In 1200's the Catholic Church built the cathedral. 800 cathedrals were built in Europe during
the 1200's. Oldest chapel was where
Cardinal Beacon presided, then he fled to Europe with all the treasures of the
kingdom. This is where my Henderson
relatives came from.
Though we made it to church in Carlisle on time,
everyone was gone. It must have been
stake conference, so we were dressed up with no where to go. Traveled through the countryside to visit
ancestral homes. Saw many remnants of
Hadrian's wall
the 70 mile fortifications built by the Romans marking their northern most
borders. The also built a fort every 5 miles.
It was begun in 112 AD and abandoned in 400 AD. The land was quarantined
because of “Mad Cow Disease” so we couldn't
walk up to the fortifications, but they were very evident all through the
countryside as we traveled to York. We passed by Lockerby where the plane crashed
killing over 200 people about 10 years ago. Stayed in York that night. Visited a gigantic cathedral, and had our
first Yorkshire pudding, made from egg batter.
It is a lot like pop overs.
Day 6 Monday:
Traveled to the Preston England temple. Steve
and I were asked to be the witness couple.
Visited the MTC across the parking lot.
It was beautifully landscaped, and just a fine mist was coming down. Met
several missionaries, and Elder Vinas who knew Brad Thornton in Spain. This city has the longest continuous LDS
congregation in the church.
Saw the house (Wilber Street Lodgings) where
Heber C. Kimball had the vision of the forces of evil, waging against the missionary efforts. This happened just before the first baptisms took place in England at the River Ribble. Went to open market &
bought red plaid dress for Laurie, our first granddaughter, then walked down to the gorgeous Avenham Park
and read the commemorative plaque erected and describing the 1st LDS
baptism in the River Ribble. It was erected
in 1937 recognizing 100 years of the church's
presence. Walked down to the river as
well. Stayed overnight at a nice remodeled Victorian manor-hotel in Chester.
Day 7 Tuesday
Traveled to Holywell and St.
Winnifred's Church
which is supposed to have holy water, where people came to be cured. We all drank some. It is the oldest continuous Catholic shrine
in the British Isles. We started to
learn a bit about how to pronounce these crazy Welsh names. Stopped at the Bull Inn in Abergele which is now
a Pub, where the church used to have meetings.
Brother Dennis put up a plaque in 1990 commemorating the Church's activities there.
Traveled to Llandudno and had time to shop a
bit. This town is right on the coast line and has beautiful Victorian homes. My
Great Uncle Geraint Bowen and Zonia his wife, came to the hotel and had dinner
with us. I also was able to get a short
interview recorded about family history.
He is an adamant defender of the Welsh language, and got after our
waitress because she didn=t
understand Welsh. He gave me two more
publications he has written in Welsh about the Mormon Immigrants, and the
legend of the Welsh speaking Indians. I
was so thrilled he was still in such good health at 86. We will meet them again tomorrow.
Went to a wonderful concert of a Men's choir, just 3 blocks down the hill
from our quaint hotel. We brought our
American flags so when they sang our National Anthem we could wave them. Stopped at a town with the longest
recorded name in the world. I refuse to
type it. It had 59 letters, including four sets of ll's in a row!! It is on the Isle of Angelsey. I got my pass port stamped with the town's name! Many Welsh names start with Llan which means
church. Toured Caernarfon Castle with the Bowens. Even though they live only 1 miles away, they had never taken the
tour. It was wonderful to have such
Welsh experts with us! The castle was built between 1285 and 1327. It is a massive fortification, complete with
a moat, which the guide assured us, had a horrendous smell in the summer, as
all their waste was dumped into it. It was built purely for defense; no niceties like Sterling Castle.
After the tour we left with Geraint and Zonia,
and had lunch with them, and discussed more family genealogy. We also got the spelling of some place names
corrected. In the later afternoon their
two daughters, and 4 of their grandchildren came over and we so enjoyed
visiting with all of them. They are a well-educated and wonderful family. They
are all solid Welsh speakers, and Zonia and Geraint have been active for years
researching and giving presentations on the Welsh history. They are going to Patagonia this fall to
present. He was given the prestigious "Arch Druid" Award in 1939 for his poetry, and has a carved chair in his hall that was given
to him. We felt very welcomed and
comfortable in their beautiful home. I
am so glad we were able to finally meet them.
Took an amazing trip down into a slate Mine at
Llechwedd Slate Caverns. The tour was
very good, but of greater impact was the horrific desecration of the beautiful
valley the mine is in. Every inch of the
great valley is buried in grey slate chips.
I could hardly stand looking at miles and miles of gray, where green
should have been. If anyone can figure
out a use of slate chips, they will have an instantaneous source. Later in the trip we did see some paintings
and coasters made from slate. Took a trip on a narrow gauge railroad as well,
then traveled to Aberystwyth, also on the coast. Though our accommodations we're so terrific here (above a pub) we
did have some enjoyable walks through the town, as well as along the sea
coast. Ate two nights at the Kings Hall
carvery.
Day 10 Aberystwyth
June 15
We visited the National Archives and Library in
this city, which is where Brother Dennis worked on his Welsh research. They archivist had prepared a special exhibit
of Mormon Welsh published church pamphlets and books. They had Ron Dennis=s
books there, as well as Geraint=s
and many early Dan Jones pamphlets.
Visited Machnylleth where Robert and Edward Roberts lived, (Jane Giles). A distant relative Carolyn Roberts had e-mailed me just before we left with the exact address, as well as the names of the people currently living there. Carolyn teaches at Ricks, and is descended through Edward's brother David. Loen boeth means "hot lane" and the cottages had been once part of the garrison's headquarters, and had been burned by Oliver Cromwell because they supposedly had armaments stored there. We had a wonderful short visit with Cyril and Myfawny Smith who currently live in #3 (of 8 cottages). The house is over 200 yrs old. The Smith family has lived there 73 years, so I got some interior shots of the family home. They had their 50th anniversary in 1997. (Though a merchant in the area said they though #1 was the original Roberts' home.)
Took pictures also of Mawddwy at the oldest
church which was built in 1641. It was
set back off the road a bit, the others weren't
old enough to have been there when Edward Roberts and Jane Lewis were married. This the same Roberts that was baptized by Abel Evans. That evening we got to go lawn bowling which was
very fun, even though it kept trying to rain on us.
Day 11 Trip to Tenby and then to Carmarthen
Had some free time to wander around the old part to Tenby, which is inside the city walls. Bought another carryon bag, as my suitcases are plum full. Then traveled to an castle at Laughrne, and visited Dylan Thomas's home. By mid-afternoon we were on our way to Carmarthen, central to many smaller towns where my relatives lived, died, and were married. Took the taxi to three little towns on the outskirts of Carmarthen hoping to discover where he might have worked.
Had some free time to wander around the old part to Tenby, which is inside the city walls. Bought another carryon bag, as my suitcases are plum full. Then traveled to an castle at Laughrne, and visited Dylan Thomas's home. By mid-afternoon we were on our way to Carmarthen, central to many smaller towns where my relatives lived, died, and were married. Took the taxi to three little towns on the outskirts of Carmarthen hoping to discover where he might have worked.
Visited the parish church at Llanwydd which
sounds somewhat like Thamwedd which shows up on our genealogy chart as
Thanwell. The name means New church.
The double LL is pronounced like an aspirated Ath.
Both of Jonah's
parents John and Ester Williams died here.
Also went to Llanllawddog, where Hannah William
came from which is just a few miles away.
The name of their farm was Pwll, meaning pool. This is another farm we probably could have
found. (Next time!!) She is on my mother's
line, married to Daniel Thomas. It is interesting
that these Welsh families from both my Father' and Mother's lines
lived very near each other at the same time period.
Went to Ffynnon Ddrain where Jonah Evans was born in 1838. Took pictures of all three locations, all were beautiful farming areas. The one place we didn't get to was Llanfilhangel-arth meaning church of ? by the river. Three generations of Thomases lived near there at a farm called Gelli Gron or "round grove". Had I known that the farms were named, and we'd brought a bit more money, we would have tracked down the actual farm. The Thomases immigrated to Malad, Idaho eventually. (This farm area was actually discovered on our 2016 trip.)
Went to Ffynnon Ddrain where Jonah Evans was born in 1838. Took pictures of all three locations, all were beautiful farming areas. The one place we didn't get to was Llanfilhangel-arth meaning church of ? by the river. Three generations of Thomases lived near there at a farm called Gelli Gron or "round grove". Had I known that the farms were named, and we'd brought a bit more money, we would have tracked down the actual farm. The Thomases immigrated to Malad, Idaho eventually. (This farm area was actually discovered on our 2016 trip.)
One thing I wish I had been able to find was a local history of the Carmarthen area, and county map, as we have so many family sites in this area. Stayed at a very nice Hotel: Ivy Bush and walked around the city market area. Many shops were shut down as the rural areas in Wales were economically depressed: livestock killed (mad cow disease), mines closed, and tourism off.
Sunday June 17: Church at New Castle
Found out about the two elders that were killed
in the tragic car accident on Tuesday. The whole ward was mourning their loss. Elder Gleason was from Pleasant Grove, and
had been one of Elder Kartchner=s
companions. The other older was new in
the mission, and an only child of a branch president in Romania.
Sat by a sister in Relief Society who just got
baptized the night before. She and her
husband and two children were confirmed and will be wonderful members. Brother and Sister Griffiths told us of their
conversion. He was probably the oldest
member in the ward, and a humble sweet man.
He told of working as a coal miner, and was surrounded by rough, tough
coarse people. He felt strongly that the
provocative pictures the men had hanging on their walls, affected their
behavior, and he had the courage to speak to them, and they took down the
offending pictures. Sister Griffith took
Lelia and the Hurst family to the Trehorn family farm, where they saw a "standing stone" which were ice-age markers, which are illegal to move. Visited a coracle maker, which is a one man woven basket
boat used for Salmon fishing.
Pembrey is where Francis Bowen, my GGgrandmother,
was born. Took some grass and flowers
from the cemetery to press. Most dates
from the 1500's. Three bells at the
Pembry Parish church date from 1552.
Josephine Bonaparte's niece was buried there, following a shipwreck.
Llanelli had the first Welsh LDS chapel, build in 1847,
the first purposeful building erected in the church, second only to the
Nauvoo temple. Now the site is part of a
car park area/shopping center. Due to the zealous
efforts of early Welsh missionaries, members were coming into the church at 10
times the rate of the rest of the United Kingdom. Most of these were to emigrate using the
resources from the perpetual immigration fund.
Many were baptized at the Whistleboon Bridge. They had to do baptisms at night as the formerly warring churches combined to fight the LDS church, using "rent a mob" to come heckle the baptism services. Over 15,000 Welsh members left from here to go to Zion. Our relative, Edward Roberts was one of the last to leave, and kept a very good record of the comings and goings of their branch, where he was a clerk. Ron Dennis got us a copy of his history which had been translated from Welsh to English. I had never known about it before we met Ron.
Many were baptized at the Whistleboon Bridge. They had to do baptisms at night as the formerly warring churches combined to fight the LDS church, using "rent a mob" to come heckle the baptism services. Over 15,000 Welsh members left from here to go to Zion. Our relative, Edward Roberts was one of the last to leave, and kept a very good record of the comings and goings of their branch, where he was a clerk. Ron Dennis got us a copy of his history which had been translated from Welsh to English. I had never known about it before we met Ron.
Welsh are thought to be of the house of
Israel and have a matriarchal society. Tradition says they came down
from the North countries through Ireland. "The Irish
who could swim, came to Wales".
Visited Llanelli, where the first LDS chapel was built in 1849 in Wales. It was the second oldest building in the church. Traveled to Cardiff the capitol for the last
3 days of the trip. Visited the ornately
decorated castle, which resulted from fortunes made by a coal baron. The Castle "keep" was built by the Normans, so parts of
the castle are very ancient.
Tuesday June 19
Visited the Big Pit where coal was mined. My ancestor Jonah Evans was a pitman in a
coal mine near Port Talbot. As a pitman
he was responsible for making sure the shaft was safe to take the miners down. He checked the ropes, pulleys, and went down
first alone to make sure everything was safe, and then took the miners back and
forth out the the pit. This experience had a great impact on all of
us. We wore battery powered lights, but
at one point we turned them all off so we could see what it would have been for
the small children who tended the air doors in the tunnel. This mine had about 50 stables for the mining
ponies. The horses were treated better
than the men. Even though wages were
poor, Jonah would have earned more than working on a farm. The miner tour guide said the areas he worked
in were about 18 inches high. Luckily,
most Welshmen are very small. (When
Gerald Lund wrote Undaunted some years after this trip, I very much enjoyed
reading his chapters about the coal miners, as it reminded me so much of the
stories I’d read and heard about our Welsh ancestors.)
Next visited Merthyr Tydfil, the center of Mormonism
during the mid 1800's in Wales. The church is very well respected there today,
and there is a resurgence of the church in the area. President David O'McKay’s mother was born near here. Visited the grave of Abel Evans, who was the
missionary who converted our Robert's ancestors (Robert and Edward Giles). The
Cefncoedycymmer Cemetery is huge, but we did find Abel’s grave, down from the
hill where the Jews were buried, nearly at the end of the road. Had supper with the Stake Patriarch's family. His son is the stake president, and a
grandson serve part of his mission in Mancos and Grand Junction, Colorado.
That night they put on a wonderful talent program for us, along with about 100 non-members. Also got to talk to Elder Kartchner from Blanding.
That night they put on a wonderful talent program for us, along with about 100 non-members. Also got to talk to Elder Kartchner from Blanding.
Wednesday June 20 our last day
Went to St. Fagan's folk life museum, which recreated early life in Wales. Visited the quilting display, the castle,
farm, cottages, and miners’ cottages.
They had disinfectant for us to walk through at several places. The girls who had been locked out of their room,
sang a song to Ken Baldridge and Steve about being knighted for rescuing the
damsel's key
above the pub. Very clever, sung to the
Ash Tree melody. Had time to shop, and revisit the castle in the
afternoon. Our waiters all three days
were wonderful, but couldn’t understand why no one drank coffee or tea.
Had a wonderful flight home on American. They fed us well and had individual screens
for movies, TV and music. This was a
most wonderful trip, and we felt like we received our money’s worth and
more. Each day had its special surprises
and charm. There was absolutely no bad,
dull day on the whole trip. We highly,
highly recommend it.
