USA > Iowa > Howard County > Lime Springs > History of the Welsh in Minnesota, Foreston and Lime Springs, Ia. gathered by the old settlers > Part 16
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THE BLIZZARD OF JANUARY, 1873-DEATHI OF REV. J. J. EVANS.
But in writing of accidents, the saddest by far that ever oc- curred in the Welsh settlement of Lime Springs, was the death of Rev. J. J. Evans, wife and child, in the blizzard of 18732 Many, no doubt, remember that storm. We are not sure but the word "blizzard "-to denote a terrifle snow storm-was first- used about that time. The writer was that winter at Minne- apolis, if a personal reminiscence may be pardoned. Before him lies a letter he wrote home " January 20, 1873," two weeks after the storm. We quote the following : " We have read of many
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deaths in the late storm, the Fillmore boys came back Saturday night with a story frightful. to me. One of them said that a Welsh minister, wife, three children and team, had frozen to death January 7th, three or four miles north of Granger. The other had heard that it was south of Granger, and that they were within half a mile of home. * Please let me hear by return mail." A letter soon came, giving full particu- lars, but as this letter is not to be found. and as we do not like to give important facts from memory, we asked B. F. Davies, Esq., of Cresco, to consult for us the files of the "Howard County Times " and " Iowa Plain Dealer." He kindly replied. We quote from his letter of March 25th, 1895: " The copy of the Times dated January 16, 1873, is missing. The copy of Jan- uary 9th mentioned the storm on Tuesday (January 7th ), and the storming at time of going to press. Paper of January 23rd says that the railroad blockade of two weeks' duration had ended and trains were running. The Plain Dealer of January 17th has the following, but I do not believe it exactly correct.
ACCIDENTS WITH EXPOSURE AND DEATHI.
The terrific storm that swept over this region of country last week was attended by unusually severe and fatal conse- quences. We learn of the death of Rev. John Evans, a Welsh clergyman, residing in the township of Forest City, who, with his wife and two small children, were during the evening at a prayermeeting (?), some two miles ( ?) from home. Their course home was facing the storm, and it seems that when near there, the team became fast in the snow. Whereupon Mr. Evans took one child about three years old and carried it home, its arms and feet (?) becoming so badly frozen as to result in death probably. He then took some quilts and returned for his wife and babe. His wife was probably so benumbed that she could not go, for she was found frozen to death near (?) the sleigh, while he, it seems, after going about ten rods, fell upon (?) the babe, in which condition both were found next day."
Believing that the above was not correct in several particu- lars (see interrogation mark at doubtful points ) we again wrote to one of the sons of Mr. Evans, who likely gave us just about the facts in following few lines :
" The death of my parents was something like this : On a pleasant afternoon, Tuesday, January 7th, 1893, they went to visit a neighbor, three-quarters of a mile from home. About five in the afternoon it began to storm. They started home about
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seven. The neighbor lived in a grove, so they did not know the severity of the storm before they started, but soon after leaving the house, they came upon the open prairie, and had the storm full in the face, without a fence or anything to guide them. Father reached the house the first time about eleven, and took with him some clothes. About midnight he came again, with little Lizzie, and returned for mother and the baby. The ther- mometer was about eight below zero. The next day mother was found, also the cutter and horses ; and the day after father and the baby near together, and not far from mother, who was in the cutter."
We have heard neighbors relate that Wednesday, the day of the search, was a frightfully cold day. If the thermometer stood eight below the night before. with a terrible gale of wind - from the northwest, it must have been close to thirty if not to forty the following day. By Thursday, when Mr. Evans' body was found, the storm was somewhat abated. A person told us recently that he was sent to inform the sister and family a few miles away. Wishing to have the news presented to the sister as gently as possible, he called her husband outside, and grad- ually broke the news to him ; but he was entirely overcome and seemed to have lost all control of himself. He went directly into the house and said to his wife, " John Evans, his wife and chil- dren, are frozen to death." The sister fell to the floor on her face and was for a time unable to move or speak.
Mr. Evans was to preach the following Sabbath at the For- eston school house, but on that day the funeral sermon was preached to an immense number by Rev. O. R. Morris. The sermon now lies before us. It was a serious, thoughtful, appro- priate discourse from the words in the Acts of the Apostles, " And devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him."
This death of Rev. Mr. Evans, and his family, in this way made a greater impression than anything of the kind that ever occurred in the settlement. Beside the circumstances connected with the event, the fact that Mr. Evans was one of the minis- ters, well known and very much respected, tended to deepen the impression.
CHAPTER III.
PROMINENT MEN-RELIGION-THE CHURCHES.
A sketch of the Lime Springs Welsh settlement, or of any other Welsh settlement, would be quite incomplete without con-
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siderable space in it given to the subject of religion ; for religion has a prominent place among the Welsh in any part of the world. But before we take up this immediate question, we may be allowed to mention a few of the most prominent persons in the Lime Springs community. By prominent persons we do not mean, of course, men of national or international reputation- the little Welsh community of Lime Springs could not claim such distinction-but men who have been, or are now, more forward in the community, or elsewhere, than others. As such, we would first mention the
MINISTERS.
The ministers of Lime Springs fall into three classes.
The Pioneer Ministers-Revs. J. A. Jones, J. D. Williams, D. T. Rowlands, D. O. Jones, O. R. Morris and J. J. Evans.
The Pastors-Or those who have had special care of partic- ular churches : Rev. O. R. Morris, R. Isaac, R. W. Hughes, J. W. Morgan, W. W. Davies and Edward Joseph.
The Young Ministers-In this class we put the young men of Lime Springs who have entered the ministry. Revs. R. W. Hughes, Daniel Williams, J. T. Evans and T. H. Lewis. It is somewhat singular, that the superintendents of the American Bible Society for Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, have been chosen from among these, viz : Rev. R. W. Hughes and Rev. J. T. Evans.
Next to the ministers. in a Welsh community, we must put the elders of the churches.
ELDERS.
The elders who have served the Bristol church are J. J. Jones, H. II. Morris, W. J. Williams. The father-in-law of the last mentioned, also named William Williams, lived in the neighborhood and we believe served for a time as an elder.
Foreston-Hugh Edwards, W. T. Lewis, H. G. Jones, O. E. Williams, II. O. Roberts, W. W. Williams, W. R. Williams, E. T. Jones and J. H. Jones.
Lime Springs-D. K. Jones, E. II. Jones and J. Price.
Somewhat important in a Welsh neighborhood are the sing- ers, or rather choristers.
SINGERS.
Four may be mentioned as having been quite prominent in the service of song. Rev. J. A. Jones, who led the singers in carly times. The great musical genius, Daniel Theophilus. W.
Rev. Richard Isaac. LATE OF FORESTON, MINN.
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Rev. Edward Joseph. LIME SPRINGS. IOW .A.
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Rev. Robert W. Hughes. GRINNELL, IOWA. Superintendent American Bible Society for Iowa.
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Pastor T. H. Lewis. DAWSON, MINN.
PROMINENT MINISTERS OF STATE LINE WELSH SETTLEMENTS.
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Rev. John A. Jones. COTTONWOOD, CAL.
Rev John D. Williams. LATE OF FORESTON, I.A.
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Rev. Owen R. Morris. BRISTOL, MINN.
Rev. John J. Evans. LATE OF BRISTOL, MINN.
PROMINENT MINISTERS OF STATE LINE WELSH SETTLEMENTS.
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T. Lewis, chorister in Foreston for twenty-five years, and the present pastor, Rev. Edward Joseph. The choristers now, we believe, are William Thomas, for Bristol ; W. W. Williams, for Foreston, and G. G. Thomas, for Lime Springs.
POETS.
The poets are Rev. J. T. Evans, J. H. Roberts, J. R. Wil- liams and Noah Hughes. Twenty years ago, at least. the poets seem to have flourished better on the Bristol side than on the other. As the writer never posed as an adjudicator of poetry he hardly feels competent to pronounce as to the merits of these poets. He presumes, however, that they are all good poets. R. H. Jones, of Lime Springs, also should be mentioned.
POLITICIANS.
It may be said, we believe, that the Welsh, as a general rule, have but little ambition for political distinction. Whether the prominence given to religion has anything to do with this we do not know. Macauley, in his essay on Milton, says : " The Puritans were men whose minds had derived a peculiar character from the daily contemplation of superior beings and external interests. Hence originated their con- tempt for terrestrial distinctions. The Puritan prostrated himself in the dust before his Maker, but he set his foot on the neck of his king." And there is some Puritan tone about the ordinary Welsh character. Some one has said that "The people of the United States are a nation of office-seekers, as much as the English, according to Napoleon, were a nation of shopkeepers." But this cannot be said of the Welsh. Some, however, of the Welsh of Lime Springs have climbed up a few rounds on the political ladder. E. R. Morris was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives in ISSO. W. W. Wil- liams in that of Iowa in 1892 and 1894. William Theophilus was also a member of the Iowa legislature one term, and two terms clerk of court for Howard county. B. F. Davies has been auditor of Howard county for one or two terms.
TEACHERS.
Many of the young people of Lime Springs have " taught school," and that with success ; but we recall but two that have reached any prominence that we have space to mention. John Morris, son of Rev. O. R. Morris, graduated in 1888, at the State Universityof Minnesota, with thedegree of Bachelor of Mechan- ical Engineering, having received, it was said, "the highest
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markings ever given in that department." For several years after this he served as " Supervisor of Manual Training in the schools of Minneapolis." The other is Richard Jones, son of Rev. J. A. Jones. Richard graduated at Iowa College, Grinnell, Ia. Was for a time principal of the Des Moines High School, and later of the State Normal School at Normal, Ill. In the meantime he had received the degree of A. M. from his .Ama Mater. In 1889 he visited Oxford, Eng., and studied for a time at the famous old university of Heidelberg, Germany, where he received the degree of Ph. D. He is now professor in Swarth- more College, Pennsylvania.
RELIGION.
We are inclined to the opinion that Holland, Scotland and Wales are the most religious countries in Europe. Holland com- munities in America have their churches and ministers. The attachment of the Scotch people to the bible, the psalms and the kirk is well known. Just about as prominent is this subject also among the Welsh. Dr. John Hall, of New York, said once in a great convention in Belfast, Ireland : "There is a church in this alliance which I think should be held up to Christendom as a model in regard to Sunday school -- the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists. I have often said that that people are born in the Sunday school. They live in it, they grow up in it, and they die out of it." And Dr. Hall was right. We really believe that the Welsh have the best Sunday schools in the world. Another fact is worth being mentioned. The prevailing type of religion in these three countries is essentially the same. In Ilolland it goes by the name of the Reformed church ; in Scotland it is called Presbyterianism ; in Wales Methodism. According to sta- tistics as here seen, about 90 per cent of the protestants of Hol- land belong to that church. A Scotchman said recently that twenty of the twenty-four churches in his native city are Pres- byterian. The church in Wales which has done more by far to mould the national character than any other during the last cen- tury and a half is the Methodist. At their annual conventions, there are ten, sometimes twenty, sometimes thirty thousand peo- ple on the field listening to the preaching of the gospel. The reader must not, however, put the meaning it usually has upon the word " Methodists." The great revival which swept over Wales, and partly over England, about the middle of the last century, was Calvanistic, that is, "Presbyterian " in doctrine. " Methodists " and " Calvanists," in the letters of Walpool and
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Foreston C. M. Church, Foreston, lowa.
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Bristol Grove C. M. Church, Bristol, Minn.
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the other statesmen of the day, were synonamous terms. The Calvanistic preachers were attracting immense multitudes in 1736-Whitfield in England, Rowlands and Harris in Wales ; while Wesley cannot be said to have done anything before his own "conversion," which he puts in the year 1738. Thus it may be seen that the chief descendants of that revival, on the other side of the ocean, that is, the Methodists are "Calvanists" or Presbyterians. While the followers of Wesley are called " Wes- leyans." But as the followers of Wesley also call themselves Methodists, especially in America, the others are often spoken of as Calvanistic Methodists to distinguish them from the Amer- ican Methodists, or followers of John Wesley.
From this explanation we think it may be seen how it is that the Welsh Methodists of America are really Presbyterians. This denomination is the strongest by far among the Welsh of America. All the churches of the Lime Springs settlement be- long to it. This denomination- though small compared with the great denominations of the land-shows, indeed, considering all circumstances, as much vitality as any denomination in America.
A word now about the three churches of Lime Springs. The churches of Bristol and Foreston were organized early in 1867. No church building was erected. however, for six or seven years after this. This may appear singular, that six years, after the great influx of 1867. should pass before the Welsh of Lime Springs built a church : and yet it is not hard to explain. The early settlers of Lime Springs differed from the early settlers of Wisconsin fifty years ago. Those came directly from Wales. They did not come exactly like the Pilgrim Fath- ers, to find here " freedom to worship God," and yet there was a resemblance. They came from pressure. if not oppression, to a land where they could get homes of their own. In homes of their own they would have more leisure to train up their chil- dren, and more spare moments to worship and serve God. With them, indeed, the religious feeling was very strong. Forty acres or at most eighty was the amount of land taken up ; a small cabin or house was built ann very soon a place for religious meetings, a little building twenty-four feet square seems to have been the conventional size of many of the first Welsh churches in Wisconsin. But the Welsh of Lime Springs, with few ex- ceptions, came not directly from Wales, but from Wisconsin and eastern states. They had been somewhat Americanized. They were coming to " better their circumstances," wanted larger
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farmns, had acquired more or less taste for money-making. The religious feeling was less intense than with the "emigrants " from Wales to Wisconsin twenty years before. Yet we would not convey the idea that the settlers of Lime Springs were neg- lectful of divine services-far from it. The teams were busy in the fields six days in the week, but on Sunday morning they would be seen on the road taking the family to service and sun- day school. Schoolhouses were large and commodius. So six years went by-seventeen from the time of the first settler-be- fore a church was erected. But at last, in 1873, the people of Bristol arose and built a church, a fine commodious building worth between $2,000 and $2,500. And the Foreston people, not willing to be behind, built the next year, a church 32x52 feet, one of the largest Welsh country churches in America. During those prosperous years two new churches were organ- ized. One northwest of Lime Springs, called Proscairon, after an old church in Wisconsin ; the other southwest of Lime Springs. Some man, with a genius for giving names, called that region of country "Canaan's Land," a name by which it was known for many years. It is now known by the more modern, and likely more appropriate name of " Saratoga Prairie." The church organized there is now in a weak condition ; the other church, on account of removals, was disbanded some years ago.
There now remains for us to say a word about the Welsh church in the town of Lime Springs. The church and church building there have had a singular history. Welsh meetings were held in the town of Lime Springs for the first time in the year 1876. During that summer a Welshman, T. W. Hughes, lately from Chicago, was elected superintendent of the ( Eng- lish) Presbyterian Sunday school. It is probable that this had something to do with the formation of a Welsh class in that school, October 27th of that year. This was the beginning. January 15, 1877, the first Welsh sermon was preached in the town by Rev. R. Isaac. June 14, 1877, a church of fourteen members was organized. Yet, the number of Welsh in the town and vicinity was small, the church grew but very slowly. Twelve years went by, singular as this may seem, before elders or deacons were elected. During the summer of 1891, the pres- ent pastor, Rev. E. Joseph, came to take pastoral care of the Welsh churches. And what was of great importance to Lime Springs, he made his residence in the town instead of in the country, as former ministers had done. The number of Welsh families had increased somewhat by this time, and some began
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to agitate the subject of church building. The pastor, it is said, made a stirring speech on the subject on Thanksgiving dav. The little Free Methodist church, on the corner, was sold about this time; a committee was appointed to see about securing it, but their judgment favored putting their money into a new house. A subscription list was started without delay. En- couragement and help were received from Bristol and Foreston.
C. M. Church, of Lime Springs, lowa.
By August. 1892, a beautiful church, worth about $2,300 was completed and ready for dedication. The services of Rev. G. Ellis, a popular Welsh minister of Liverpool, England, and those of Rev. R. W. Hughes, Grinnell, Iowa, were secured for the Sunday of Dedication. On Thursday the church was cleaned. the contractor locked the building about 6 p. m., and was to meet the trustees at 9 o'clock the next day to receive his pay and deliver the keys. But about 10:30 that night the people of Lime Springs were aroused by the cry of fire, and soon it was
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found that the building that was burning was the new Welsh church ! In half an hour all that was left of the $2,300 church was a pile of ashes. Very fortunately, however, the building was insured to the amount of $1,500 in the Home Insurance Com- pany of New York. And to the credit of this company be it said, nearly the whole amount was paid the next day. The trustees had $1, 100 on hand after paying all creditors. Sunday came, and the ministers expected came. They encouraged the people to undertake immediately the building of another church. The preaching during the day was good, and when the subject of rebuilding was brought up, much enthusiasm was manifested. The Bristol and Foreston farmers had come in in goodly num- bers, and when money for a new church was called for, many were doubling the subscription they had pledged before. By Sunday night the trustees had on hand about $2,000 for another church. The new church, much more commodious and better than the other, costing about $2,600, was dedicated, practically free from debt, Feb. 1, 1893. How the fire originated has never been found out, and " the matter will probably remain a mys- tery until the day of judgment, when all secrets shall be re- vealed." If the devil intended to kill the little Welsh Presby- terian church of Lime Springs by burning up the building, he at this time certainly reckoned without his host. The present building is more elegant and more comfortable than the former. Welsh families are constantly moving into town, and the mem- bership is growing.
We said at the beginning, that Foreston is the center of the Welsh community. So it is in location, but as far as prominence and influence are concerned, the " center of gravity " has been of late years moving toward the town of Lime Springs.
Of the future of this Welsh settlement we dare not speak. The Welsh language is used about as extensively as it was a quarter of a century ago. Yet the older people, natives of Wales, are dying ; and their places taken by the young people, natives of America. Though the same language is used by them it is less pure. In the course of time, judging from the history of Welsh settlements in the east, the Welsh here will give place to the language of the land ; and at some period, in the future, the " language of Cambria " will not be living, even " in song." It is to be hoped, however, that the churches will be kept up, and that the pure, scriptural religion, introduced by the pioneers, will hold its ground from age to age and flourish from genera- tion to generation.
BIOGRAPHIES.
BAXTER, JOHN THOMAS-Spent his early life in Ban- gor, Wis., and attended High school at West Salem, where he received his preparation for college. He next entered Ripon - college, at Ripon, Wis., as a freshman, in 1881, and completed his junior year there. There were at Ripon competitive prizes for declamations in freshman year, essays in sophomore year, and orations in junior year ; and Baxter won first prize in all three. During freshman year he was elected one of the edi- tors of the college paper, and he was connected with it in some capacity during his whole stay at Ripon. During his junior year he represented Ripon in the Wisconsin State Oratorical contest and succeeded in taking first honors. Consequently he represented Wisconsin in the Inter-State Oratorical contest held at Iowa City, Iowa, in the spring of 1884, and took third place among eighteen competitors. Throughout his stay at Ripon he was greatly handicapped by impecuniosity and earned his expenses as a messenger in the employ of the American Express company, having a short "run" which took him away from Ripon in the evening and brought him back early in the morning. At the end of his third year, not feeling prepared to graduate, he decided to drop out for a year and then finish his course at Williams college, towards which he had always looked with yearning. He entered the junior class at Wil- liams in the fall of 1885, where he became a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. He was elected an editor of the Literary Monthly, and received the first junior "Moonlight" declamation prize. In senior year, as a representative of the Techmian society he assisted in defeating the Logans in the annual joint debate, receiving one of the six Graves prizes for essay and the Van Vechten prize, and was library orator on class day. The Van Vechten prize is a 570.00 cash award, made at the end of the senior year, by vote of the faculty and
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students of Williams college, to that member of the gradu- ating class who, in their opinion, has attained the greatest efficiency in the art of extemporaneous speaking. After grad- uation in 1887, he became clerk in a law office in Minneapolis, Minn., and was admitted to the bar in 1889, and since then has practiced law in that city. He is secretary of the Minne- apolis Bar association, and has read a paper before the Min- nesota Congregational club on "Christian Socialism." Mr. Baxter was married in October, 1891, to Gertrude Hooker, daughter of William Hooker of Minneapolis.
BLOSSOM, MRS. ALICE -Daughter of Griffith O. and Sarah C. Williams, and granddaughter of the well known Rev. Daniel T. Davis, of Waukesha and La Crosse, was born at La Crosse, Wis. Soon after her birth her parents removed to Mankato Minn. At a very early age she showed remark- able talent in music, appearing in concerts when but two and a half years old. Removing to Minneapolis with her parents, while still a young girl, she there pursued her studies ardently and with success, only handicapped by her health and strength, not being equal to her ambition. She was married in 1884 to Geo. F. Blossom and is the mother of two beautiful children. a girl and boy. Under the personal instruction of the cele- brated William Courtney, of New York, a Welshman formerly from London, her phenomenal voice has been developed to a high degree of perfection, the full, deep, rich, contralto qual- ity being especially admired. In church and concert work she has hardly a rival in the northwest, and as a teacher she is very successful, being at present teacher of the voice at the Northwestern Conservatory of Music, Minneapolis. She is an earnest, enthusiastic student and is never satisfied with present success, but continually striving after a higher ideal. BLYTHIIN, C. J .- Was born in 1858 at Prestatyn, Flintshire, North Wales. His parents came to America in April, 1868, residing a short time in St. Joseph, Mo., thence removing to near Cambria, Wis. They then moved to Iowa, locating on a farm about four miles from Williamsburg. Young Blythin left home when about nineteen years old to attend school at Iowa City, Iowa ; coming to Minneapolis in 1884. Entered the employ of D. R. Barber & Son in 1891 as bookkeeper and now holds the responsible position of manager with the same firm.
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