USA > Iowa > Howard County > Lime Springs > History of the Welsh in Minnesota, Foreston and Lime Springs, Ia. gathered by the old settlers > Part 12
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Leaving them at present let us return again to the west end of the settlement.
David J. Davis' house then stood in Section 17, at the foot of the steep bluff descending to the river bottom. A path led up the bluff, back of the house, to the tableland above, where was a corn field. At day break this tenth day of September, Mr. Davis' 18 year old son, Thomas, went up this path to see if there were cattle in the corn. Just at the top he met two Indians and turned to flee, but they shot him in the back, through the heart. The father heard the shot and the piercing shriek of his son. He rushed to the door just in time to see his son fall and the two In- dians standing at the top of the hill. Mr. Davis seized his ax, while his oldest son, David, who was an excellent shot, seized his trusty rifle and gathering the other eight children, most of whom were quite small, they fled on foot down the valley, while the In- dians sat on the bluff watching them, not daring to pursue, from respect to David's rifle. Thus they fled on foot, to Camp Crisp
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a distance of six miles, warning Hugh R. Williams, Wm. P. Jones, John E. Davis, Win. R. Lewis, and all they met.
John P. Davis. whom we mentioned leaving James Mor- gan's house, had caught on Bennett creek an old horse belong- ing to Richard Morgan and thus had been enabled to reach the camp ten or fifteen minutes ahead of David J. Davis and child- ren, whom he had passed on the road. That morning Richard Wigley, Wm. J. Roberts and John C. Jones had left Camp Crisp with a threshing machine. On the knoll on the west side of Jonas Mohr's farm, in Section 36, (now owned by Richard Jones ), they met David J. and John P. Davis and other fugitives with news of the attack. Not knowing what to do they stopped there on the knoll for half an hour talking with fugitives as they came. Mr. Mohr came up the road to look for his horses. After learning the news at the threshing machine he started on west. In the slough west of the knoll J. W. Trask and John Page were making hay. Seven men on horseback were seen coming down the road full speed. As they had straw hats and citizens clothes on the people halted in doubt as to whether they were white fugitives or Indians.
One of them turned aside to persue Mr. Trask and they were then known to be Indians, Mr. Trask ran and the Indian fired after him, hitting him in the wrist. The other Indians made straight for the machine. Wigley and Roberts were unarmed and ran to hide in some sugar cane near by. Mohr had a Sharp's rifle, and was a fine shot, but he ran back and past the machine without firing, evidently trying to get home to protect his family. One of the Indians followed him past the machine and Mohr, seeing the Indian was nearly upon him, wheeled around to fire, but the Indian's gun went off first and the ball penetrated his forehead. Ile fell over backward and soon expired. In the meantime the other Indians cut the harness off of one of Rob- erts' best horses and took it in place of a poor one they had, and, seeing the soldiers coming up the road at full speed about a mile away, they fled in hot haste for the woods near by-four of them passing down the ravine near Morris Lewis' house, barely missing Mr. Lewis and family David A. Davis and family and David J. Thomas as they were coming with ox teams toward the road. The other three passed down the ravine by Geo. Owens' place, and Owens and his children scarcely had time to get out of their way into the brush and corn by the roadside.
Let us again return to the Horeb neighborhood. Early this same morning John S. Jones ( Prairie), living on the northwest
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corner of Section 32 bid his dear wife and six children goodbye to go and help Robert Jones ( Indiana ) stack grain. In passing along the westerly foot of Daniel P. Davis' hill, near where the road from the south met the road running west from Horeb church, on John Rees' farm, he was killed and scalped by the savages-probably by those seen going west from the hill. He was a brave and powerful man and the grass around bore evi- dence of a desperate struggle, his pitchfork was bent and bloody. Whether he slew or wounded any of the foe will never be known. These Indians, then passed on to Jones' (Indiana ). Ile was on the stack and John B. Shaw on the load pitching, when the Indians rushed upon them. Both men jumped to the ground, and ran for the brush. Shaw escaped and reached the hiding place of the refugees from Jas. Morgan's house, three miles away, which was in the brush on the south side of Cambria creek, on the James Morgan farm, in the spot where afterwards stood the house of Rev. Griffith Roberts.
The last seen of poor Jones alive was running into the brush with the Indians firing upon him. The following spring (April 6), when D. P. Davis was burning his meadow three- fourths of a mile west of Horeb church. he found his bones in the edge of the slough. Ile also found his shoe caught in the fence where he had crossed into the meadow. Whether he was wounded while running into the brush and then had fled to this spot, a distance of two miles, before he fell exhausted, or whether he met the foe again near where he crossed the fence into the meadow, which was within a few rods of where Jones (Prairie) was killed, will never be known. His son, Evan Jones, fled to the sloughs south of their farm and remained in hiding for a week or ten days before being discovered by the soldiers. David Morris, living three quarters of a mile north- east of Iloreb church, went down early the same morning to- wards David J. Davis' house and came across the body of Thos. J. Davis lying beside the path. Hle hurried back home and with Mrs. Morris went over to Jas. Morgan's house. Finding it de- serted and the floor covered with blood they hastened on to the house of Rev. Jenkin Jenkins. David Price and family went home early from Thos. Y. Davis' house and finding that their neighbor, Jas. Edwards and family, did not return by 9 o'clock a. m., Mr. Price went up to Morgan's house to see what was the matter. There was no one there. The floor and beds were covered with blood. In the corner a quilt seemed to be spread over something. He entered and lifted it a little when to his
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ف شكار
School House, District No. 11. Cambria, Minn.
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horror he discovered the body of his murdered neighbor, Ed- wards. He imagined the foe were hid in the house and watch- ing him, and expected every moment to feel the sting of their bullets in his own body. Beating a hasty retreat he started for Thos. Y. Davis' house, but just then saw Rev. Jenkin Jenkins and wife, David Morris and wife and George and Neal Porter coming down the road on foot. He joined them and induced them to go with him to get his family. All the men had their guns. At Price's house Mrs. Jenkins, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Evan J. Davies and Mrs. Price and her children were put into Price's wagon which stood ready at the door and they started. They had barely passed out of the Little Prairie up Thos. Lloyd's hill, when the seven Indians who had shot Mohr and Trask came up the Minnesota valley and crossed the road our fugitives had just passed over.
Fifty rods southwest of Horeb church stood the cabin of Henry Hughes. Mr. Hughes and his family were at home at- tending to their usual duties this morning unconscious of dan- ger. From their hiding place the fugitives from Jas. Morgan's house could see the Indians passing and repassing close by, and finally Rich. Morgan ventured over to warn them. The old man was barcheaded, barefooted and without a coat and a club was his only weapon. Soon after the Hughes family were gathered into the brush, the first detachment of soldiers arrived, half of them Welsh boys. Across Cambria Creek coming down the road from Rev. Jenkin Jenkins three mounted Indians were seen. The soldiers fired upon them and chased them into the woods. Three detachments of Dane's company were sent on different road through the settlement and they drove the Indi- ans far out into Brown Co. The murdered settlers were gath- ered and buried in Jerusalem cemetery that afteroon. The liv- ing deserted their homes for many weeks staying in the vicinity of Camp Crisp and South Bend.
Sept. 20th twenty-two Welshmen of Cambria (then called Butternut Valley ) enlisted as a militia company for thirty days and built a fort two or three rods west of David E. Bowen's barn (which barn was then in existence and known as the "Big Barn") in center of Section 28, of Cambria. The state furnished the company arms, amunition and rations and they rendered ser- vice in protecting the frontier, caring for the stock left at the deserted farms, and cutting hay for winter.
On Sept. 23d Col. Sibley with 1500 men met Little Crow with 800 braves at Wood Lake, three miles cast of the ford of
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the Yellow Medicine. The indians fled leaving 30 of their dead on the field. The whites lost only + killed. The battle proved quite decisive and made Sibley a Brigadier general.
Soon after this battle about 2,000 Sioux surrendered-the rest fled to Dakota and kept up a predatory war for three years.
In all, about 1,000 whites perished in the massacre, and as many more were wounded. In the fall of 1864 the Butternut Valley settlement was visited by a grasshopper plague, which destroyed the crops of that section the following spring.
The Indian war and the war of the Rebellion being over and the grasshoppers having departed, the settlements entered on a period of great material prosperity. Immigration came pouring in from the cast like a flood. It was the day of the "movers." One could not lift up his eyes on any one of the principal thoroughfares without seeing a string of from six to a dozen white topped wagons ( "Prairie Schooners" they were called ) winding their way westward, each followed by its drove of cattle. Among others came the Welsh settlers to fill the wide prairies of Judson and Butternut valley. Richard Thomas from Pomeroy, O., and Rev. Joseph Rees from Cattarangus, N. Y., had arrived in 1862. In 1863 Rev. Rich. W. Jones, John Mere- dith and John R. Owens came from Oneida county, N. Y. Hugh R. Hughes, Robert H. Hughes Richard Lewis and John P. Jones came from Wisconsin the same year. These were fol- lowed in 1864 byJohn J. Hughes, Griffith Griffiths, Ellis Owens, Win. H. and Wm. R. Hughes ; in 1865 by John James, James T. Davies, Richard Rowlands, Evan E. Jones, John J. Evans, Robert Jones : and in 1886 by Humphrey E. Jones, Jabez Lloyd, Rowland Pritchard, and a vast host too numerous to mention. At the close of the Indian war in 1865 a very bitter church war broke out. It started with a little matter of church discipline but grew until all the settlements were involved. One faction formed Presbyterian churches and for a few years this religious fight was furious, but it passed and harmony once more prevailed.
Then came the grasshopper war. For three years, 1875-6 and 7, the crops of the entire country were completely devasted. Every device for their destruction failed. In April, 1877, a day of fasting and praver was proclaimed by the governor, which was generally observed. A few weeks later the plague suddenly departed and no one to this day knows whither.
Since then our Welsh settlements have grown and prospered until today they are among the wealthiest and most beautiful spots in our great commonwealth,
HUGH JONES, MISS ANNA JONES,
MISS MARY PRICE. MRS. HUGH EVANS.
HUGH D. HUGHES,
MISS ESTHER ELLIS.
EVAN HUGHES,
MISS BUSIE HUGHES,
MRS, WM. F. JONES
GROUP OF WELSH SINGERS, MANKATO, MINN.
Music Among the Welsh of Blue Earth County.
BY EVAN HUGHES.
The Welsh people are passionate lovers of music and have been such from time immemorial; and the Welsh of Blue Earth county are as ardent devotees of this divine art as their brethern across the Sea. Their interest and proficiency in music have been promoted by frequent visits from some of the noted singers of the other Welsh settlements in America and from Wales. Among the first of these was Mr. Edward Lewis of New York, the compiler of the Welsh hymn book "losanna." Mr. Lewis visited the Welsh settlement of Blue Earth county in 1869. His plan was to visit and stay a short time in each church in the settlement. The people crowded the churches and he taught them how hymns should be sung and exemplified his teaching by leading them in singing different hymns. He also gave a few lessons in reading music to the young people many of whom then had the first start in developing their musical talents.
In March, 1870, Mr. John Owens & Glanmarchlyn ) visited the settlement. He adopted about the same plan as Mr. Lewis, and met with great success starting many young men and women in music reading and imbuing all with an enthusiasm that has not died out to this day.
Mr. L. W. Lewis ( Lica-Lhefo) together with his daugher ter Nellie and the great baritone, Mr. James Savage, made a tour through the settlement in 1871 giving their concerts in many of the churches and school houses. These concerts were very much enjoyed and added not a little to the interest in music.
The famous musical composer, David Jenkins, of Wales, visited the settlement in 1887. He followed about the same plan as Mr. Lewis and Glanmarchlyn.
William ap Madoc adjudicated the singing in the Eistedd- fod held in Mankato in 1891, and after the Eisteddfod he made a trip through the settlement giving concerts and short talks on the subject of music.
Among the early settlers one of the most earnest and effi- cent musicians was Edward Thomas, Sr. He taught school at South Bend, Cambria and other places in the county, and where- ever he went he always taught music to his pupils and usually had night schools to teach those who could not attend the day school. Besides having a good voice and considerable knowl- edge of music, he had the talent of imparting to his pupils his own passionate fondness for music. At times Mr. Thomas attempted composition, and one of the old (vfaill contains a musical composition of his which he states in a foot-note was composed by him while looking upon the beauties of Llyn Tegid in South Bend, Minn.
Another music lover well worthy of mention in the musical annals of Blue Earth county is Mr. William R. Davis of South Bend, Mr, Davis, like Mr. Edward Thomas, is a school teacher
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who has taught at South Bend, Cambria, Rush Lake and other places in the county and he has always taught music in his school and generally has had night schools to teach the rudi- ments of music to all who desired to learn.
When Rev. John C. Jones first came to Blue Earth county, he formed and taught a number of singing schools at different places between and including Mankato and Cambria and all with marked success. But his great ability and success as a preacher obliged him to give up music teaching.
Choirs almost without number have been trained here by different leaders for various occasions. We would be glad if space allowed to give a list of these different leaders for they are worthy of all honor, but we are sure they will gladly pardon us for mentioning Mr. Humphrey H. Jones of Judson and Mr. Hugh D. Hughes, of Mankato, who for any and all occasions whenever called upon have freely and cheerfully tendered their services to train and conduct choirs and always with marked ability and success. And we are glad to be able to state that their musical zeal has not abated with years. John F. Jones. William Shields and John J. Shields must also be mentioned because of their long and able service as conductors of choirs.
The Welsh of Blue Earth county take great pride in having two brass bands, of exceptional merit, named respectively, the Cambria Philharmonic Band and the Salem Cornet Band.
The Cambria Philharmonic Band received their instruments on April 19th, 1890 and at once began to take lessons from Mr. Thomas C. Jones then of St. Peter, Minn. When first organ- ized the band were D. C. Davis, leader; D. E. Bowen, Evan Price, Elmer Davis, David Roberts, Alvin Davis, D. C. Price. J. J. Shields, Peter Davis and William Pugh. They played in public for the first time at the Fourth of July celebration at Cambria in 1890. They also played the same year with other bands at the dedication of the monument erected by the state at New Ulm in commemoration of the indian attack upon that city. Since then this band has played many times at Lake Crystal, Courtland and Cambria. The band is now composed of :
SECOND ROW. - SEE ILLUSTRATION.
Evan Price, Leader. Peter Davis. D. C. Davis. Hugh Roberts
Alvin Davis. D. E. Bowen. Luther Hughes. David Roberts. Benjamin Evans. Osborne Davis. FRONT ROW. Elmer Davi -.
D. C. Price. J. D. Prier. Lester Davis.
Inspired by the fame and renown of the Cambria Philhar- monic Band the young men on the line between the towns of Judson and Butternut Valley bought instruments and in Decem- ber 1893 organized the Salem Cornet Band. The band consists of: William E. Jones. Jabez le Lloyd. SECOND ROW, SEE ILLUSTRATION. Hiram J. Howit. Owen M. Jones. Frank Shelby. Robt. F. Jones, Leader. Bezzaleel James. John C. Davis. Frank Jours. Thomas Morse. FRONT ROW. John E. Jones. Robert Bulkley. Lewis J. Lewis. Robt. G. James.
Their first public playing was at the Old Settlers' re-union held at Lake Crystal, June 13th, 1894. Since then they have played on many occasions with great success,
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Salem Cornet Band, Butternut Valley and Judson, Minn.
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Cambria Philharmonic Band, Cambria, Minn.
THE WELSH OF BLUE EARTH AND LE SUEUR COUNTIES, MINN.
Their Interest in Politics.
BY J. T. WILLIAMS, ESQ.
The Welsh have always taken an active interest in matters of state. No people were ever more devoted to the great principles of our government than the Welsh pioneers of this settlement; none took greater interest in the great political questions of the day than they.
With hardly an exception they were strongly anti-slavery, and it was devotion to this great principle which drove them so unanimously into the republican party.
Without exception, also, they were loyally devoted to the Union, and many a Welsh pioneer enlisted in his country's ser- vice during the dark days of the civil war with no other incen- tive than zeal for this principle; and the honorable position the Welsh towns took and maintained of being the banner towns of the county in the quotas of men furnished for their country's service in those days is evidence of the fact.
Among the other principal planks of our Welsh pioneers political platform have always been: Protection of home indus- tries and labor, honest money, public schools, temperance and a sound moral and religious tone to every department of state.
Our pioneer's love of country is further shown by the carly interest they took in celebrating the national holidays.
The first Fourth of July celebration occurred immediately on the arrival of the first settlers as early as 1855. It was held on the claim of David J. Williams ( Bradford ), in Nicollet
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county, on the opposite side of the Minnesota river from Jud- son. The young men cut the tallest tree they could find for a Liberty pole and the young ladies prepared a flag for it by paint- ing a strip of white calico with red and blue paint. Addresses were made by Wm. E. Davis and others. In 1856 the Fourth was celebrated in a grove near John E. Davis' house in the present town of Cambria, when addresses were made by Dr. David Davis, Rev. W. Williams, David P. Davis, Henry Hughes, David J. Davis and others. The young people also rendered a number of songs. In 1858, 1859 and 1860 successive celebrations of Independence day were held at the same place. In 1858 another Fourth of July celebration was held at South Bend, near the new hotel. Squire Bangs delivered the address. In 1861 a Fourth of July celebration occurred at the village of Judson, when a dinner was served, the children of Sunday Schools and the Band of Hope marched, and an appropriate address was given by Rev. Jenkin Jenkins.
With a few years interruption after the Indian massacre these Fourth of July celebrations have been regularly held in the town of Cambria every year to the present time.
Though the Welsh settlers took great interest in matters of state and had such strong political convictions, yet they seem to have been slow and reluctant to assume the lead or to assert their right to their proper share of political preferment. This was due to want of self confidence because of lack of training and lack of acquaintance with the English language. Some chance American usually had the most to say about their local politics and held most of the offices.
In the fall of 1855, D. C. Evans was elected one of the three commissioners for Blue Earth county, and served during the year 1856, being the first Welshman in the settlement elected to a county office. In the fall of 1857, J. T. Williams was elected clerk of the district court of Blue Earth county, being the only republican elected that year in the county.
Mr. Williams held this office from the date of Minnesota's admission as a state on May 1st, 1858, until January 1st, 1862.
In the fall of 1861 Mr. Williams was elected county treas- urer of Blue Earth county and held the office from March 4th, 1862, to December, 1863, when he resigned to accept the position of clerk of the committee on Indian Affairs in the United States House of Representatives, of which committee Hon. William Windom was chairman,
Hon. D. C. Evans. SOUTH BEND, MINN.
Hon. R. H. Hughes CAMBRIA, MINN.
Hon. T. M. Pugh. DULUTH, MINN.
J A. James. SEATTLE, WASH.
A FEW WELSH MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE.
Hon. Richard Wigley MANKATO, MINN.
Hon. Richard Lewis. LAKE CRYSTAL, MINN.
Hon. Wm. R. Jones JUDSON, MINN.
Hon. Wm. P. Jones. LAKE CRYSTAL, MINN.
A FEW WELSH MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE.
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THE WELSH IN MINNESOT.1.
The first Welshman to win legislative honors was our old friend D. C. Evans who was elected state senator in the fall of 1859. No Welshman was elected to the legislature after Mr. Evans until the fall of 1872 when Thomas C. Charles was chosen representative. In the fall of 1873 Robert H. Hughes was elected representative on the alliance and democratic tickets and re-elected in the fall of 1874, and James H. James was also elected representative with him in the fall of 1874. Mr. Jameswas re-elected in the fall of 1875 and again in 1876. At this last election of 1876 Wm. P. Pones was chosen rep- resentative. Richard Lewis became representative by the election of 1880, Owen Morris in 1882, Richard Wigley in 1884, and Win. R. Jones in 1886. In this 1886 election Thos. E. Bowen was chosen state senator from Brown county, and J. N. Jones was chosen representative from Red Wood county. In 1888 J. H. Phillips was elected represen- tative from Fillmore county, and in 1890 Job W. Lloyd was elected to the same position from Le Sueur county.
In 1868 and 1869 Evan Bowen was the sheriff of the county of Blue Earth, and for four years beginning January 1st, 1872, Hugh G. Owens was the register of deeds of this county. In 1888 Richard Bumford was elected register of deeds of Lyon county, to which office he was re-elected.
In the fall of 1873 D. C. Evans was elected treasurer of Blue Earth county and held the office for eight years. He was suc- ceeded in 1882 by Win. Jones, who retained the office for six years. Mr. Jones, in 1888, was succeeded in the treasuryship by Peter Lloyd the present incumbent. So that this important office has been held by Welshimen for over twenty consecutive years. During 1891 and 1892 the county attorneyship of Blue Earth county was held by Byron Hughes.
A large number of Welshmen have also been county com- missioners of this county of Blue Earth. Besides the terms held by D. C. Evans already mentioned Rev. David Davis was on the board from September 14th, 1858, to March 25th, 1859, when he was succeeded by Geo. Owens who held the office until 1860.
In those days the county board consisted of the chairmen of the various town supervisors. Since the change in 1860 the following Welshmen have been elected commissioners of this county. David J. Davis for the years 1862-3. John I. Jones for 1864-5-6, David D. Evans for 1867-8-9, Richard Wigley for 1876- 7-8, Wm. S. Hughes for 1879, 1880-1, Timothy Rees for 1882-3-4,
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THE WELSH IN MINNESOTA.
John S. Jones for 1887-8, Ilugh H. Edwards for 1889, 1890-1-2, and Robert S. Hughes since January 1st, 1893.
In addition to those before mentioned the following Welsh- men have been appointed to offices by the state and United States authorities:
In July, 1873, Hugh II. Edwards was appointed mail agent and held the position until August, 1886. In August, 1874, Thomas M. Pugh was appointed receiver of the United States Land Office at Fargo, Dakota, which office he held for nine years.
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