Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-04-09
WELSH POETS UNMARKED
GRAVE LIES IN VIRGINIA
Gronow Owen Came to Col.
ony i'll 1857 and Lived
and Died Here.
HOMES IN DuuNswIcI< COUNTY
NnriousIy Called "NIrgiI or w,I.s.n
"Wcish brothcr 10 Poe" "Sccond
Grrntrst Welsh Poet" nnd "t.rcut
est Poet OF Eighteenth Century"

est Poet OF Eighteenth Ccntury."
Strangely enough, America. which.
before our own contemporaries. ma.
produced so few great poets that, In
deed. most tagging memory could
recall all their names without cr-
fort. should hold within It's bounds
tho unhonorcd and unmarked grave
OF perhaps tho greatest OF Welsh
poets. Certain II is that Goronwy
Cor Gronow) owen camo to tho COL
ony OF Virginia In 1857 and lived and
died hero before tho Revolution.
Somewhere in brunswick County
what remains OF hts bones s;lll lie.
or him. George Borrow writes at
length in wild Wales" ana Or
Knapp. in his Life OF borrow" calls
Owen the V!rgil OF Wales. Apple
tons Encyclopedia ranks him as the
second greatest Welsh poet And our
own Dr. Lyon q. Tyler calls hil,
"A Welsh Brother to Poe. and "tNe
greatest poet OF the eighteenth cen.
fury In America"
To quote further from DR.. Tyler:
we can speak With unst!ntct
praise. II contemporary eyidcnc, !.
To he believed. of his eminent scholar
ship and poetic genius. The pot.
Lewis Morris. who helped Mira yer;
materially In his early ne. said mat
'Goronwy owen was tho greatest
genius OF thiE age that ever appeared
in our country tWalcsD. He Is said
20 hav" been. not only "A pcrfcc, mas.
ter Of the Latin language. bu, OF the
Welsh language and meters. His ode
on the Last Day OF Judgment
CCywydd Y Farm FawrJ is said "a
lt,-
language In Iowcr and moral sub.
Unity. II takes rank with Mil,oui
Paradise Lost and Danto's Inferno'
The Welsh language IS perfect
mystery TO me, Az 1t is TO most Viz.
rinians. believe. and want & uu.
derstood that can only speak fruir
hcarsay.
Conpoaed in Virginia.
MANY OF his poems were writer
In wales and England before h,
came TO America. but. perhaps. hi,
most touching and beautiful yerH,
was composed In Virginia. Hi
requiem on his dead friend. Levin
Morris. is praised by Welsh crltici
AS particularly pathetic"
The Association for tho Prcserva.
tIou OF Virginia Antiquities is mucl
Interested In identifying the grave OF
tbs distinguished poet. a, the las
meeting OF the society Rev. Arthur
Gray gave an account Of what II
knowa of tho lie OF Gronow owen
other man to and the grave. ant
now he thinks that only littl.
more work is needed TO DO able q
state positively the spot where Over
Is buried.
About 1851 Rev. Gronow owen.
Welsh clergyman. accompanied l.,
his wife and three children. came e
virginia TO accept profcHsorship II
the College OF William and Mary
lie stayed there not more than two
years. however. as. in a riot bctwcci
the students and III" town boys. Owe,
led the students and was forced Il
resign his position From there, J.,
order Of Governor FauGutcr he wen
as rector to 81. Andrews parish il
brunswick County, where he died Il
100. Bu. an old order hook. on,
OF the court records OF Brunswick
County, gives further reasons FOR III,
poets difficulties.
Faced Drunkenness Charge.
~ court held for Rrunswicl
County. "Tth May. 1865. Row Gronop
owen was presented by grand jur!
for getting drunh.'
In 1850 Bishop Meade writes tina
communication was received from
certain Welsh people inquiring abou
Gronow owen. and saying that
W 'iHH society was GrSiTpuS 10 ereu
a monument in that country to hiI
memory. as he was one OF the great
est Welsh poets. But no Information
could he returned. for Bishop Mead,
says NO Tombstone, no Inscription
exists. Perhaps the place OF his in
torment is unknown"
NeV. Gray. subsequent rector ~
ST Andrews. gives an account
tho work done by himself and al
old miner. named Lloyd. collatera
descendant of owen.
"Gronow owen did not 1.-Two on IN,
Elehc or rcctory. but on his own plan.
tation." said Mr.. Gray. And ali 40
counts agree that he was buried oil
mat plantation. We found in IN,
county records description OF tn,
boundaries of the original pian,a
uon. as we'll as Of the four sub,
divisions owen left 10 his four SONS
ON one OF these subdivisions thcr,
was reserved. In all subsequent trans
fers' plot. twelve fee. square, q
nc uscd as cemetery forever.
Trace Tract to Owen"
I'VE traced the tract TO it's prcsou
owner, colorcd man named Allen
ana gong 10 the farm, found there
an old burying ground which part.
y, no doubt. through superstition
han been carefully avoided all thes,
years and left untouched in the cul.
'''"''"h Oh the surrounding lana.
L" most reasonable to suppose .hH
tho homes Of Owen lie there.
This evidence was strengthened
by tradition. For Mrs. William job
ly. an old lady. living not far from
tho spot. told us that. IN her youth
she had lived in tho same house will
two old ladies. named Miss SusaI
owen and Mrs. Sidney Owen Hunt
Mrs. Jolly remembered hearing Mrs
Hunt say that her gIandfather oi
rcat-Erandfathcr. narson name,
owen. was buried over on the 'Trot
ter tract. as the plot containing tn,
burying ground was called i'm he,
day. And Mrs. Jolly pointed To TN
graveyard we had discovered tho da,
before"
Funds arc needed to make cScayn
lions that these discoveries may II,
verified. and the Association for fin,
Preservation Of Virginia Antimnitics
In spite OF the tremendous cxpcnscl
involved In keeping up Jamcstow,
and the John Marshall House, ar,
exceedingly anxious to undertakes IN,
work. Any one desiring to Join IN,
association. and thus aid in the work
might communicate with thc .roas