One of the most-notable Welsh settlers in Knoxville was The Reverend Robert David Thomas, whose bardic name was Iorthryn Gwynedd.

R. D. Thomas

A Congregational preacher, Reverend Thomas was born in Llanrwst, Denbighshire, in North Wales, in 1817.  He served as pastor of the Knoxville Welsh Congregational Church, beginning in 1872.  Reverend Thomas died in Knoxville in 1888 and is buried in the Old Gray Cemetery.  In the photo at right, Reverend Thomas' great-great-grandson is standing by his grave marker.

R. D. Thomas' Grave

Thomas' book was written to encourage Welsh men and women to come to America.  It contains marvelous information, including detailed instructions for immigrants upon their arrival at U. S. ports and methods/costs of travel across the country.  In a review of the 20th Century English translation of Thomas' book, a modern Welsh-American historian wrote that, aside from the Welsh-language Bible concordance, Thomas' work was "the most important work in the Welsh language ever written in America and published there."¹

Following is Reverend Thomas' description of Knoxville and its Welsh people, as translated by Dr. Phillips G. Davies².

"This has drawn considerable attention already and it is sure to get more attention from our nation.  Knoxville is an old town which has been built on some small hills.  It suffered much during the time of the late war.  A few Welsh lived near it, in Loudon, before it; for instance, Mr. John Jones, the overseer of a bar mill.  He and his friends were compelled to flee because they were Union men, and they deserted the mill to the rebels.  But later the soldiers of the Union took possession of the state and one Captain Chamberlain and others took over the bar mill in Loudon and moved it to Knoxville.  I do not know what they did with the iron works.  Mr. John Jones was in Chattanooga at that time, and he wrote to Joseph Richards, Esq., the overseer of the Lochiel iron works near Harrisburgh, Pa. and urged him to take a special part in the works at Knoxville, Tennessee.  That letter disposed Mr. Richards for the first time to undertake the work.  He paid a visit to the place quickly, and afterwards he decided to move and settle there.

"Early in the year 1867 Joseph Richards, David Richards, Daniel Thomas, J. Jones, and Daniel Jones came to live in Knoxville.  This was the first group which moved there from Pennsylvania.  Quickly after that their wives and some others came; by the start of 1868 there were a total of 104 (men, women, and children) in Knoxville and its surroundings.  They worked in the iron mill, the machine shop, the foundry, and the coal fields in Coal Creek which is about 30 miles north west of it.  Joseph Richards, Esq. is the chief supervisor of the mill, Thomas D. Lewis is the overseer of the machine shop and the foundry, and Daniel Thomas oversees the coal field.  A company was formed with the name of "Chamberlain, Richards, and Co." and it has twenty thousand shares still to be sold to whoever wishes to take part in their work and their profits.  Shortly after they moved there, they united with the English-speaking Presbyterians, but they held prayer meetings and a Sunday School in their mother tongue and their efforts and religious zeal helped in bringing about the growth and success of the English church.  They also held their literary meetings.  In this group are orators, poets, musicians, and excellent writers.  J. Richards and D. Richards are powerful speakers; Wm. J. Richards, John Richards, Wm. Lewis, and John Jones are musicians and excellent singers; Thomas Davies, Dafydd W. Lewis and others are poets and excellent writers.  Here also lives the famous singer, Mrs. Lewis, the sister of the 'Chief Musician of America.'

"On February 13, 1870, 24 of them withdrew from the English church and formed their own 'Welsh Congregational Church' through a remarkable contract (see Cenhadwr [missionary] for January 1871, p. 24) and gave a unanimous call to the Rev. Thomas Thomas (a Wesleyan), formerly of Penycae, South Wales, to take ministerial care of them.  He and his family still live there.  They erected a good chapel, 40 by 30 feet. It cost over $3,000 including its furnishings, and they collected over $2,000 on their own part.  It is now a hard working church which has 62 members.  There is a large Sunday School and a congregation of from 80 to 100.  The deacons include Thomas Davies and John Jones, two of the old deacons at Sharon church, Penycae, Monmouthshire, South Wales.  The secretary is Evans; the treasurer is Wm. Richards.  A Welsh church has also been formed at Coal Creek where there are many faithful people.

"Coal and iron mines are abundant around the city, and one is able to buy fruitful farms around it for from $10 to $25 an acre.  The country is healthful both summer and winter, and the commercial opportunities are increasing.  Several railroads come to it and through it already. (See Map of The All Rail Great Southern Mail Route).  It is 228 miles from New York through Philadelphia and Baltimore to Washington; 178 miles from Washington to Lynchburg; 334 miles from Lynchburg to Knoxville; a total of 740 miles.  It is 112 miles from Knoxville to Chattanooga; 309 from Chattanooga to Memphis, on the bank of the Mississippi; and 151 miles from Chattanooga to Nashville.  S. R. and other writers speak much about there soon being a railroad from Cincinnati, Ohio, across the state of Kentucky, through the Cumberland Gap to Knoxville, and from there to the shores of the Atlantic.  It is being constructed quickly now!

"It seems evident that three adventuresome brothers and patriotic Welshmen, Joseph Richards, Dafydd Richards, and William Richards were the gentlemen who began the Welsh settlement in Knoxville.  They with several other generous and religious Welsh, formed a Welsh-speaking church there, and they made an effort to build a beautiful chapel there and to pay for it.  They were the patrons of our nation in Danville, Blossburgh, Duncanville, Columbia, and in Lochiel and Harrisburgh, PA., and they continue to support every good cause in Tennessee.  They are worthy of respect and honor.  They are good and generous men and truly useful to the world and in the church, but they are somewhat prone to move about.  Joseph Richards, Esq. and some others have already moved from Knoxville to Chattanooga, and some have moved from there to Alabama.  I believe that there will be strong Welsh settlements and churches in many parts of the state of Tennessee before long."

• A history of the Welsh in Knoxville, written in 1925 by Rev. Thomas' son-in-law, David J. Richards, is also available on this Web site.

References

¹Edward G. Hartmann, "On the Bookshelf," Ninnau (November, 1983), p. 7.