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Tam Kernewek “ A bit of Cornish” CousinJack.org Facebook.com (Cornish American Heritage Society) Kevrol (Volume) 35 Dyllans (Issue) 4 Gwoav (Winter) 2017 SUMMARY AND REFLECTIONS: The 19th Gather- prisoners of war are buried. ing of the Cornish Cousins We saw many of Salisbury’s historic homes, but one stood out: The Ham- By David Downing bley-Wallace house. Not only is it the grandest mansion in Salisbury, but it When I learned that the Cornish American Heritage Society had was built for Egbert Barry Cornwall been invited to hold the 18th Gathering of the Cornish Cousins at Hambley – a Cornwall-born mining engineer and entrepreneur! Historic Gold Hill, I was surprised and intrigued. North Carolina? This was our first sign that without the Cornish, this area would Were Cornish connections to be found in North Carolina? Yes, as be a very different place. (More on E.B.C. Hambley: https:// it turned out, there were many Cornish links! I was surprised and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egbert_Hambley ) delighted! Our hosts (Thank you, Vivian Hopkins!) did their home- work in anticipation of our arrival, and were able to point out the Reed Gold MIne Cornish connections, sometimes in surprising places. The story of the Cornish in North Carolina begins with the Reed Gold Mine, our destination on Friday afternoon. Reed Gold Mine Trolley Tour of Salisbury, NC is now a state historic site and museum. The first gold discovery Our first event was a trolley tour in the United States was a giant nugget discovered in 1799 in a of our home base, Salisbury, on stream by the son of John Reed, a farmer. Reed himself makes Friday morning. Salisbury, a for an interesting story. He was a Hessian (part of modern Ger- regional hub and home to 34,000 many) mercenary fighting for the British against the colonials in people, was founded in 1753. the American Revolutionary War. Apparently lacking dedication That makes it a century older (or to the cause (or perhaps even sympathetic to the rebels), he more) than the towns many of deserted his unit and made his way to this part of North Carolina, our Cornish immigrant ancestors where he likely found it easy to blend in with the local population, settled in. It also means that which included many German immigrant famers. That history Salisbury dates to Colonial times, so there is Revolutionary War may also explain why Reed waited several years before making history, such as the state historical marker at the Old English his discovery public. He may have not wanted to call any atten- Cemetery in the center of town, which notes: “Cornwallis’ men tion to himself. Regardless, when his discovery did become buried here in 1781. Granted to city in 1770 by British govern- known, it set off a gold rush. At first, placer mining was common ment.” You won’t find that in Minnesota or the in the UP! (panning for gold from the streambed and banks, like in the Our guide also told us about Cheerwine, a regional soft drink Western movies), and large nuggets were even to be found just developed in Salisbury in 1917. Most of us had not heard of below the surface in an area that became known as the “potato Cheerwine until that moment, but over the course of the next two patch.” But when those easy pickings were worked over, those days, we couldn’t avoid seeing Cheerwine everywhere, including with gold fever had to mine down into sold rock, in pursuit of gold in the fountain drink selection at Bojangles Famous Chicken & bearing veins. This was not farm work. And that’s where the Biscuits. (They do love their biscuits in the South.) Cornish really became an important part of the North Carolina Something I enjoy about travel is going somewhere that doesn’t gold rush, bringing their expertise, which had earned them a seem “exotic” – still in the U.S., or in the case of Cornwall, where reputation as the world’s best hard rock miners. they still speak the same language – and discovering how differ- We were led on a guided tour inside the old ent everyday things can be. Things I take for granted may be mine. Another highlight was seeing an old missing, but I am intrigued by other things the locals take for stamp mill for crushing ore. It was fired up Cornish American Heritage Society Cornish American Heritage granted. (I tried to impress upon some attendees from Cornwall and put into noisy operation for our enjoy- that “This is a big country,” and for a life-long Minnesotan, North ment and amazement. I was pleased to see Carolina does seem like an exotic, far-off land. They even talk that the exhibits in the Visitor Center specifi- funny there, dontcha know! But the look in their eyes told me that cally recognized the Cornish contribution. from their perspective, we ALL talk funny.) On a more somber note, our tour also included the site of a Civil con’t page 79 War prison, and the cemetery nearby where thousands of 71 Messach an Lewydh (Message from President) The 18th Gathering of the Cornish Cousins took 50 Cornish Americans from 9 states and Cornwall to Gold Hill and Salisbury in the Piedmont hills of North Carolina. With an emphasis on the history of the area, we learned of the impact made by Cornishmen and their families when gold was discovered in Gold Hill in the early 1800s. One attendee remarked that visiting the tiny village of Gold Hill was “like a step back in time.” The pre- cious mineral drew miners, mine captains, mine engineers, and investors who looked to develop industry. Vivian Hopkins, our Gold Hill hostess, was a special figure in making the November weekend meaningful. Gold Hill’s greatest cheerleader, Vivian helped us see the significance of the region’s role in early Cornish his- tory in America. Thank you, Vivian, for all the work you did to make us feel welcome. Additional information, along with well-designed graphics, presented the engineering aspects of the world- famous Cornish pump, invented, improved, and built by Cornish geniuses. They brought the technology to America and sent it all around the world. We felt proud to learn of how innovative was the thinking involved in getting water out of the way for those bringing up the metals. Geology of the Piedmont, presented to us with good authority, was such that rich veins of many minerals were present. We learned from Guy Watson and Jonathan Bray, attending from Cornwall, of a brewing plan to bring to America their theatre company’s production of “The Mousehole Cat”, an acting and puppetry version of the well-known children’s story. Stay tuned for more on that. The business meeting resulted in the election of a slate of new officers for 2018. Carolyn Haines who, because of her experience writing the newsletter for past years, is probably the most well-connected person in the organization, and will make an extremely capable President. Sarah Jackson, from Westminster, Maryland, has graciously accepted the Treasurer/Membership position, and with the mentorship of Ron Carbis, will continue the keeping of our records. Christopher Haines, filling the new Media Specialist position, brings a high level of knowledge and experience in social media. We are fortunate, Sarah, Carolyn and Christopher indeed, to have someone of Chris’s caliber working to help us be relevant. As my term as President ends, I thank you all for a gratifying experience. I have travelled for CAHS, written for CAHS, and met many of you, some through email and some fact-to-face. We’ve worked together to cele- brate the richness of our Cornish heritage. A special thanks to Carolyn, Ron, Tom, and other members of the board. We did a good job and had fun doing it. As was commented after the Gathering, “The more of these I attend, the more I learn about my own heritage. Cornwall must not be forgotten.” Kathryn Herman 72 Kesskrifans a-dre Eseleth The new bards for 2017 Interest in and activity around the Cornish language, Kernewek is reflected once again in the number of people recognised this year (Correspondence from Societies for their work in this area. The important world of publishing is also and Cousin Jack Website) recognised as is the important work done for Cornwall by people overseas. “Step Into Cornwall’s Story” says the Grand Bard of Cornwall Clive Boutle, London, for publishing services to Cornish culture (remarks at the Gorsedh ceremony in Launceston, and promotion of European minority languages. on 2nd September) John Buckingham, Padstow, for promoting Cornish identity and “Lanson is the historic capital and gateway to Cornwall, a place culture through the history of Padstow and the wider environs. where a traveller is welcomed in Cornish as they leave England. Here they meet with a change in culture as Cornish language Jon Cleave, Port Isaac, for promoting Cornish identity through names appear on signs, maps and satnav,” said Grand Bard song. Merv Davey,Telynyor an Weryn, in his address to Dee Harris, Porkellis, Helston, by examination in the Cornish lan- fellow bards, visiting digni- guage and continuing service to Cornwall. taries and members of the public at Gorsedh Ker- Martine Knight, Helston, for promoting the Cornish language and now’s annual bardic cere- identity in a wide field across the community. mony, held this year in the stunning grounds of Laun- ceston Castle. Jakki Love, Ludgvan Churchtown, Penzance, by examination in Thanking members of the local organising committee for all their the Cornish language and continuing service to Cornwall.

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