| Mary Lou's Father
Speaking Welsh
Si:
I think you would be interested, maybe, in the fact that
everybody in town was a member of the Calvinistic Methodist
Church, that later became a part of the Presbyterian Church,
and there were, wasn't anyone in town that wasn't a member
of that particular church. And they all went to church on
Sunday.
L:
The services were in Welsh, is that right?
Si: Yes, 100 percent. Until about the time that I was probably
five or six years of age, my mother's brother, who was a school
teacher, [John Edwards] formed a Presbyterian English-speaking
Sunday school, much to the dissatisfaction of many of the
people. They didn't want English taught. Everything was Welsh.
Conversation between people was Welsh. When my sister started
school, she knew no English. The conversation at home was
all Welsh, and her conversation with the teachers was, she
was forced to talk Welsh with her because she knew no English.
L: The teacher knew no English?
Si: Oh, no. The teacher was Welsh. You couldn't get along
with a English speaking teacher there, that wasn't acquainted
with Welsh, because many of the kids were just like my sister.
They were brought up in a Welsh home, and all of their conversation,
parents and children, was Welsh.
L: Did you sing a lot? The Welsh are great singers.
Si: I'm not a singer, no. I [inaudible] not a musician,
and I enjoyed the music all right, but I wasn't one of the
singers.
L: Did they use to have these big songfests, what do they
call them?
Si: Yes, eisteddfods. That was the name of the affair [?]
in the community. Then it was the one in the state, where
the various choirs would compete, and the big affair, the
orwell [?] for the church was the gymanfa ganu which
was held on Labor Day, when three services on Sunday, plus
the one Saturday night were given over to religious singing.
People came from all over the state to Venedocia or Vaughnsville
and conducted that big service. No sermons, just singing.
L:
I'll bet that was something to hear.
Si: It was (laughs). I don't know whether they carry on now
or not, but until a few years ago they were having national
gymanfa ganus. I went to two when we were in Billings, from
Billings to Salt Lake City where the international conferences
were held. Quite an event. For the Welsh people.
Visit The
National Gymanfa Ganu Association.
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