Recently Rated:
Stats
3rd April
Outlaw Jesse James, was shot dead this day, 1882. (Both he and his brother Frank considered themselves Welsh)
Jesse James was born in Clay County, Missouri on 5 September 1847. His great-grandfather is believed to have been William James, a Baptist minister from Little Newcastle in Pembrokeshire.
The James brothers' career in crime began in revenge for an attack on the family farm by Union soldiers, with the brothers robbing banks, stagecoaches and trains owned by Northern establishments.
Despite being a feared band of outlaws with a huge bounty offered for their capture, they remained popular in Missouri for their active support of the confederate cause. They were eventually betrayed by members of their own gang because the reward being offered was too large to ignore. Jesse was shot in the back of the head by Bob Ford on 3rd April 1882.
Born this day, 1812 in Tregaron.
Rev. Henry Richard was a Congregational minister and Member of Parliament who was often referred to as the "Apostle of Peace". He was well known as a promoter of peace and international arbitration, having served as secretary of the Peace Society for forty years. He was also an active supporter of the anti-slavery movement.
Born this day, 1739 in Llandyfrydog, Anglesey (The flower pictured, Daviesia physodes is named after him)
Hugh Davies, botanist and Anglican clergyman . He published a catalogue of the flora of Anglesey, the first volume in which plant names were cross-referenced in the Welsh language with their scientific names.
Born this day, 1945 in Swansea
Gary Sprake , former Wales soccer international, best remembered as the goalkeeper for Leeds United for more than a decade during which they were a dominant side in the English domestic game.
He was known a brilliant goalkeeper, but occasionally prone to mistakes. He self-deprecatingly called his autobiography "Careless Hands" referring to an incident at Anfield, in which he threw the ball into his own net because he changed his mind about rolling the ball out to start an attack and tried to draw the ball back into his body. "It went over my shoulder right into the net in front of 30,000 people and right in front of the Kop."
Twm o’r Nant was the pen name of Welsh dramatist and poet Thomas Edwards ( January 1739 – 3 April 1810 ).
He was born in Llanefydd and was famous for his anterliwtau (interludes), based loosely on medieval morality plays, which were performed in towns and villages around his native Denbighshire.
Thanks Harold, a fascinating insight.
There is no question that Frank and Jesse James considered themselves Welsh. My grandfather went to visit Frank James at his farm (about 6 miles from where we lived at the time) circa 1913. He said his visit with Frank James shattered his image of the James family which had been gleaned from newspapers. He said Frank sounded very educated and could quote Shakespeare endlessly. Frank showed him the fragments and shrapnel of the bomb thrown through the window by the Pinkerton Detective agency after the war. The brothers were not at home at the time and the bomb killed their little 8-year-old brother plus cost their mother her arm. The casing of that bomb is still on display today at a state museum built on the James farm.
The father of Frank and Jessie James was, in fact, a Baptist preacher with roots in the Welsh Chapel movement. He, along with two other civic leaders, co-founded William Jewel College in Liberty, Missouri. That college was named by Time Magazine Liberal Arts College of the Year in 2001. Shortly after founding the college, the Rev. Robert James, set off to California to search for gold and hopefully convert miners (many of whom were Welsh) in the 1849 Gold Rush. He died shortly after arriving having achieved little success on either score.
A friend and former classmate of mine, Debby Welch-Buchanan, took some photos on the William Jewell campus a couple of weeks ago during the snow:
This is a picture of one of the chapels on the campus of William Jewell college.
This photo is of a call box beside one of the buildings adjoining the Quad.