The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1876-09-14
NOTES ON JACKSON COUNTY.
BY d. MAcHLEY.

Some time ago ! spoke of William
Hughes, of Pittsburg, formerly of this
county, writing q sketch of the Welsh
settlement in this county, for y. WaSg,
the Welsh paper of Pittsburg propose
to reprint his articles, and / am indebted
to Judge Evans for translation. Mr..
Hughes says:
1--WE arrived at Gallipolis in the month
of July, 1888, quite large party Of US.
We had been living together, as one fam
lily, in the same house, so to speak, for
about two months, journeying from
Aberystwyth, Wales, to Gallipolis, and
finally here we are, very near the end Of
our journey, within is miles Of Center
vile, the then central point in the Welsh
settlement. Centerville was designated
and described IN the letters we had re-
ceived from there while in Wales, as a
small town, and all of us emigrants were
thus acquainted with its history. Had
it been described as a small village, we
would not have been much disappointed;
but owing to the fact that it was called a
town. we expected a place of at least a
thousand or more population. After be-
ing transported from Gallipolis by wag.
ons, and while thus travelling along, we
beheld few log cabins on the road side.
The drivers began to inquire where we
desired our goods unloaded, to which we
replied, rather surprised, What do you
mean did we not agree with you to take
US to CentervilleT 2 to which they replied:
Well, here we are in the center of the
town, And indeed had it not been for a
Welshman of our acquaintance, who had
arrived few days before US, who having
recognized US, came to US, and assured US
that we were in the middle of Center.
vile, we would not have believed the
drivers. We were sadly disappointed.
Now here we have reached the earthly
Canaan, that we had long promised our.
selves, and all Of us were very near Of the
same sentiment as the Irishman when he
saw a dollar down in the mud. There
is a dollar said his friend, take it up.
No will not replied Pat; it is dirty
and muddy; when we will get to Ohio
you see, / will get plenty Of clean dollars
there Such we're our ideas Of Ohio be.
fore we saw it, While it is true that ouI
relatives and friends had written too ex
travagantly OF the good things there
still we had drawn upon our imagination
much more literally than they had writ
ten. Indeed we felt about as much dis
couraged as the Israelites Of old, when
they were smote and repulsed by the
men of Al; while we were not chased by
any body, but were heartily welcomed
and all were ready and willing to divide
what they had with US.
There remained nothing now for US Ia
do but to make the best that we could oi
this much worse condition of things than
we had anticipated. and each one for
himself now must look out for a shelter
And it fell to my lot to find it in the
town of Oak Hill, which did not possess
as much Of the resemblance Of a town as
Centeryille Still there found rather q
comfortable shelter, and something tc
subsist on for a season, and here / spent
many pleasant hours in my association
with old friends. There were at that
time two stores in Oak Hill, but neither
of them kept any provisions Of any kind
nor anything to crafty the taste, and for
that reason we were compelled to obtain
the uecessaries Of life from outside Of the
town, and very few Of the farmers in the
vicinity had any surplus for sale, and il
was no small task to obtain something to
keep soul and body together, and indeed
very soon became satisfied with some.
thing.
Those that had money bought lands.
There were plenty of farms for sale in the
vicinity, and some Congress lands here
and there, not taken up. Prices of farm
ing lands then varied from five to seven
dollars per acre. The vicinity was not
what would be called a new country
it had been pretty well settled by Vir-
ginians principally, and they were all anx-
ious to sell out and 60 West, which made
it quite easy to buy farm. At least
one half of the Welsh people that came
there that year were without money to
buy land, and about onehalf of those
again were in debt, having borrowed in
order to reach their point of destination,
and no wonder indeed that poverty was
prevalent among them. 1t is highly
probable that such a number Of emf