# Mimosa (ship)

Mimosa was a clipper ship that gained fame for carrying the first Welsh emigrants to Argentina, South America in 1865.

## Voyage to Patagonia

Mimosa had already seen many years of service by the time it transported Welsh emigrants to Argentine Patagonia, South America. The ship was built in 1853 at Hall's shipyard in Aberdeen. Although the ship wasn't designed to carry passengers, it was converted for that purpose before the voyage. The cost of fitting, provisioning and chartering the ship was £2,500 and the passengers paid £12 per adult or £6 per child for the journey. Before the voyage, the emigrants assembled at various points, not always their places of origin, to prepare for the journey, including Aberdare, Birkenhead, and Mountain Ash.
Mimosa sailed from Liverpool, England on 28 May 1865 to Argentina, South America with a group of about 153 passengers with Captain George Pepperell and a crew of 18. The ship's surgeon for the voyage was Thomas Greene, an Irishman from Kildare. They landed on 28 July 1865 and named their landing site Porth Madryn. They were met by Edwyn Cynrig Roberts and Lewis Jones who had already arrived in Argentina in June 1865 to prepare for the arrival of the main body of settlers. Their aim was to establish a Welsh colony which would preserve the Welsh language and culture. The proposed site for the colony was in the Chubut River valley. On 15 September 1865 the first town in the Chubut colony was named Rawson after Guillermo Rawson (1821–1890), Argentine Minister of the Interior, who supported the Welsh settlement in Argentina, and the settlers went on to build the settlements at Gaiman and Trelew and several other.

## Welsh emigrants aboard Mimosa

The exact number of emigrants who sailed out to Patagonia on Mimosa remains uncertain. Although one of the original settlers, Richard Jones (Berwyn), maintained a register of births, marriages and deaths for many years, most of these original records were lost in the great flood in the Chubut Valley in 1899. In 1875, the Argentine government granted the Welsh settlers ownership of the land which encouraged hundreds of others from Wales to join the colony.
In the early 21st century, approximately 50,000 Argentines are of Welsh descent, of whom around 5,000 are Welsh speakers. The Welsh-Argentine colony, which became known as Y Wladfa, remains centered on Gaiman, Trelew and Trevelin.

## 1865 settlers

| Name | Assembly point | Given age | Note |
| Austin, Thomas | Mountain Ash | 17 | |
| Austin, William | Mountain Ash | 18 | |
| Davies, Evan | Aberdare | 25 | |
| Davies, Ann | Aberdare | 24 | wife of Evan Davies |
| Davies, Margaret Ann | Aberdare | 1 | daughter of Evan & Ann Davies |
| Davies, James (Iago Dafydd) | Brynmawr | 18 | |
| Davies, John (Ioan Dafydd) | Mountain Ash | 18 | |
| | Llanrwst | 11 | |
| Davies, Rachel | Aberystwyth | 28 | wife of Lewis Davies |
| Davies, Thomas G. | Aberystwyth | 3 | son of Rachel and Lewis Davies |
| Davies, Robert | Llandrillo | 40 | |
| Davies, Catherine | Llandrillo | 38 | wife of Robert Davies |
| Davies, William | Llandrillo | 8 | son of Robert & Catherine Davies |
| Davies, Henry | Llandrillo | 7 | son of Robert & Catherine Davies |
| Davies, John | Llandrillo | 1 | son of Robert & Catherine Davies, died on board |
| Davies, John E. | Mountain Ash | 30 | |
| Davies, Selia | Mountain Ash | 26 | wife of John E. Davies |
| Davies, John | Mountain Ash | infant | son of John E. & Selia Davies |
| Davies, Thomas | Aberdare | 40 | |
| Davies, Eleanor | Aberdare | 38 | (second) wife of Thomas Davies |
| Davies, David | Aberdare | 18 | son of Thomas Davies (1st marriage) |
| Davies, Hannah | Aberdare | 16 | daughter of Thomas Davies (1st marriage) |
| Davies, Elizabeth | Aberdare | 11 | daughter of Thomas Davies (1st marriage) |
| Davies, Ann | Aberdare | 7 | daughter of Thomas Davies (1st marriage) |
| Davies, William | Liverpool, England | 36 | |
| Ellis, John | Liverpool, England | 38 | |
| Ellis, Thomas | Liverpool, England | 36 | |
| Ellis, Richard | Llanfechain, Llanfyllin | 27 | |
| Ellis, Frances | Llanfechain, Llanfyllin | 27 | |
| Evans, Daniel | Mountain Ash | 27 | |
| Evans, Mary | Mountain Ash | 23 | wife of Daniel Evans |
| Evans, Elizabeth | Mountain Ash | 5 | daughter of Daniel & Mary Evans |
| Evans, John Daniel | Mountain Ash | 3 | son of Daniel & Mary Evans |
| Evans, Thomas Pennant (Twmi Dimol) | Manchester, England | 29 | crew |
| Greene, Dr. Thomas William Nassau | Liverpool, England | 21 | crew (ships' doctor) |
| Harris, Thomas | Mountain Ash | 31 | |
| Harris, Sara | Mountain Ash | 31 | wife of Thomas Harris |
| Harris, William | Mountain Ash | 11 | son of Thomas & Sara Harris |
| Harris, John | Mountain Ash | 6 | son of Thomas & Sara Harris |
| Harris, Thomas | Mountain Ash | 5 | son of Thomas & Sara Harris |
| Harris, Daniel | Mountain Ash | infant | son of Thomas & Sara Harris |
| Hughes, Catherine | Birkenhead, England | 24 | |
| Hughes, Griffith | Rhosllannerchrugog | 36 | |
| Hughes, Mary | Rhosllannerchrugog | 36 | wife of Griffith Hughes |
| Hughes, Jane | Rhosllannerchrugog | 11 | daughter of Griffith & Mary Hughes |
| Hughes, Griffith | Rhosllannerchrugog | 9 | son of Griffith & Mary Hughes |
| Hughes, David | Rhosllannerchrugog | 6 | son of Griffith & Mary Hughes |
| Hughes, John | Rhosllannerchrugog | 30 | |
| Hughes, Elizabeth | Rhosllannerchrugog | 39 | wife of John Hughes |
| Hughes, William John | Rhosllannerchrugog | 10 | son of John & Elizabeth Hughes |
| Hughes, Myfanwy Mary | Rhosllannerchrugog | 4 | son of John & Elizabeth Hughes |
| Hughes, John Samuel | Rhosllannerchrugog | 2 | son of John & Elizabeth Hughes |
| Hughes, Henry | Rhosllannerchrugog | 1 | son of John & Elizabeth Hughes |
| Hughes (Cadfan), Hugh J. | Liverpool, England | 41 | |
| Hughes, Elizabeth | Liverpool, England | 40 | wife of Hugh Hughes |
| Hughes, Jane | Liverpool, England | 20 | daughter of Hugh & Elizabeth Hughes |
| Hughes, David | Liverpool, England | 6 | son of Hugh & Elizabeth Hughes |
| Hughes, Llewelyn | Liverpool, England | 4 | son of Hugh & Elizabeth Hughes |
| Hughes, Richard | Caernarfon | 20 | |
| Hughes, William | Anglesey | 32 | |
| Hughes, Jane | Anglesey | 32 | wife of William Hughes |
| Hughes, Jane | Anglesey | infant | daughter of William & Jane Hughes |
| Hughes, William | Abergynolwyn | 33 | widower, married Ann Lewis on board |
| Humphreys, Morris | Ganllwyd, Dolgellau | 27 | |
| Humphreys, Elizabeth Harriet | Ganllwyd, Dolgellau | 21 | wife of Maurice Humphreys |
| Humphreys, Lewis | Ganllwyd, Dolgellau | 27 | |
| Humphreys, John | Ganllwyd, Dolgellau | 22 | |
| Huws, Rhydderch | Manchester, England | 33 | |
| Huws, Sara | Manchester, England | 37 | wife of Rhydderch Huws |
| Huws, Meurig | Manchester, England | 4 | son of Rhydderch & Sara Huws |
| Jenkins, Aaron | Mountain Ash | 35 | |
| Jenkins, Rachel | Mountain Ash | 32 | née Evans |
| Jenkins, James | Mountain Ash | 2 | son of Aaron & Rachel Jenkins, died on board |
| Jenkins, Richard | Mountain Ash | 1 | son of Aaron & Rachel Jenkins |
| Jenkins, Rachel | | | daughter of Aaron & Rachel Jenkins, born on board |
| Jenkins, Thomas | Mountain Ash | 23 | |
| Jenkins, William | Mountain Ash | 18 | |
| John, David | Mountain Ash | 31 | |
| John, Mary Ann | Aberdare | 24 | |
| Jones, Evan | Aberdare | 19 | son of Eleanor Davies (1st marriage) |
| Jones, Thomas | Aberdare | 15 | son of Eleanor Davies (1st marriage) |
| Jones, David | Aberdare | 13 | son of Eleanor Davies (1st marriage) |
| Jones, Elizabeth | Aberdare | 12 | daughter of Eleanor Davies (1st marriage) |
| Jones, Elizabeth | Mountain Ash | | |
| Jones, Anne | Bethesda | 23 | |
| Jones, George | Liverpool, England | 16 | |
| Jones, David | Liverpool, England | 18 | |
| Jones, James | Mountain Ash | 27 | |
| Jones, Sarah | Mountain Ash | 24 | wife of James Jones |
| Jones, Mary Anne | Mountain Ash | 3 | daughter of James & Sarah Jones |
| Jones, James | Mountain Ash | 1 | son of James & Sarah Jones |
| Jones, John | Mountain Ash | 61 | |
| Jones, Elizabeth | Mountain Ash | 53 | |
| Jones, Richard (Berwyn) | New York, United States | 27 | crew (purser) |
| Jones, Richard | Mountain Ash | 21 | son of John & Elizabeth Jones |
| Jones, Ann | Mountain Ash | 18 | daughter of John & Elizabeth Jones |
| Jones, Margaret | Mountain Ash | 14 | daughter of John & Elizabeth Jones |
| Jones, John (jnr) | Mountain Ash | 28 | |
| Jones, Mary | Mountain Ash | 27 | née Morgan, wife of John Jones (jnr) |
| Jones, Morgan | | | son of John & Mary Jones, born on board Mimosa |
| Jones, Thomas Harries | Mountain Ash | 16 | |
| Jones, Joseph Seth | Denbigh | 20 | |
| Jones, Joshua | Cwmaman, Aberdare | 22 | |
| Lewis Jones | Liverpool, England | 28 | advance party |
| Jones, Ellen | Liverpool, England | 25 | wife of Lewis Jones, advance party |
| Jones, Mary | Mountain Ash | 22 | |
| Jones, Stephen | Caernarfon | 18 | |
| Jones (Bedol), William R. | Bala | 31 | |
| Jones, Catherine | Bala | 31 | wife of William R. Jones |
| Jones, Mary Ann | Bala | 4 | daughter of William R. & Catherine Jones |
| Jones, Jane | Bala | 1 | daughter of William R. & Catherine Jones |
| Lewis, Anne | Abergynolwyn | 35 | née Pugh, widow, married William Hughes on board |
| Lewis, Mary | Mountain Ash | | |
| Matthews, Abraham | Aberdare | 32 | |
| Matthews, Gwenllian | Aberdare | 23 | wife of Abraham Matthews |
| Matthews, Mary Annie | Aberdare | 1 | |
| Morgan, John | Pen-y-Garn, Aberystwyth | 29 | |
| Nagle, Robert | Birkenhead, England, | 22 | crew (passenger steward) |
| Owen, Ann | Liverpool, England | | |
| Price, Edward | Liverpool, England | 41 | |
| Price, Martha | Liverpool, England | 38 | wife of Edward Price |
| Price, Edward | Liverpool, England | 16 | son of Edward & Martha Price |
| Price, Martha | Liverpool, England | 2 | daughter of Edward & Martha Price |
| Price, Griffith | Ffestiniog | 27 | |
| Pritchard, Elizabeth | Holyhead | 20 | |
| Rhys, James Berry | Ffestiniog | 23 | |
| Rhys, William Thomas | Trevethin | 25 | |
| Richards, William | Mountain Ash | 19 | |
| Roberts, Edwyn Cynrig | Nannerch & Wigan, England | 27 | advance party |
| Roberts, Elizabeth | Bangor, Wales | 19 | |
| Roberts, Grace | Bethesda | 25 | |
| Roberts, John Moelwyn | Ffestiniog | 20 | |
| Roberts, John, | Ffestiniog | 27 | |
| Roberts, Mary | Ffestiniog | 27 | wife of John Roberts |
| Roberts, Mary | Ffestiniog | | daughter of John & Mary Roberts |
| Roberts, Thomas | Ffestiniog | 2 | son of John & Mary Roberts |
| Roberts, John | Ffestiniog | infant | son of John & Mary Roberts |
| Roberts, William | Seacombe, Liverpool, England | 17 | |
| Solomon, Griffith | Ffestiniog | 23 | |
| Solomon, Elizabeth | Ffestiniog | 30 | wife of Griffith Solomon |
| Solomon, Elizabeth | Ffestiniog | 1 | daughter of Griffith & Elizabeth Solomon, died on board |
| Thomas, John Murray | Bridgend, Wales | 17 | |
| Thomas, Robert | Bangor, Wales | 29 | |
| Thomas, Mary | Bangor, Wales | 30 | wife of Robert Thomas |
| Thomas, Mary | Bangor, Wales | 5 | daughter of Robert & Mary Thomas |
| Thomas, Catherine Jane | Bangor, Wales | 2 | daughter of Robert & Mary Thomas, died on board |
| Thomas, Thomas | Mountain Ash | 26 | |
| Williams, Amos | Bangor, Wales | 25 | crew (passenger cook) |
| Williams, Eleanor | Bangor, Wales | 24 | wife of Amos Williams |
| Williams, Elizabeth | Bangor, Wales | | daughter of Amos & Eleanor Williams |
| Williams, Dafydd | Aberystwyth | | |
| Williams, Jane | Liverpool, England | 24 | |
| Williams, John | Birkenhead, England | 36 | |
| Williams, Elizabeth | Birkenhead, England | 31 | wife of John Williams |
| Williams, John | Birkenhead, England | 4 | son of John & Elizabeth Williams |
| Williams, Elizabeth | Birkenhead, England | 2 | daughter of John & Elizabeth Williams |
| Williams, Watkin W. Pritchard | Birkenhead, England | 33 | |
| Williams, Elizabeth Louisa | Birkenhead, England | 30 | |
| Williams, Watkin Wesley | Birkenhead, England | 27 | |
| Williams, Catherine | Birkenhead, England | | |
| Williams, Robert Meirion | Llanfairfechan | 51 | |
| Williams, Richard Howell | Llanfairfechan | 18 | son of Robert Meirion Williams |
| Williams, Thomas | Mountain Ash | 60 | |
| Williams, Mary, | Mountain Ash | 55 | |
| Williams, William | Liverpool, England | 20 | |
| Wood, Elizabeth | Liverpool, England | 11 | |