Remsen, N.Y. has a deep history of Welsh roots. The community was built upon Welsh values and built by the sturdy hands of Welsh immigrants.
The countryside is speckled with old Welsh churches and cemeteries. One of my favorites is the Enlli church on Fairchild road, at the intersection of Lake Julia road.
Enlli church in the springtime.
Enlli has two entrance doors. Men entered on one side, and women entered on the other. They sat separately inside during the service. Enlli was a Welsh Calvinistic Methodist church established in 1837, according to rootsweb.ancestry.com
The church has been owned and maintained by the Remsen-Steuben Historical Society for many years. In the spring the society hosts an ice cream social and Sunday service in the Enlli church.
"The Welsh children have been born and raised in it and they have brought it with them to this country where they have clung to it tenaciously. Around the church has been centered the main interest in the Welshman's life. Poetry and music have been his recreation, theology his food and religion his life." The Welsh In Oneida County, New York
Across the road from the church is the cemetery associated with it. The plot is well-maintained and contains seven tombstones. The following tombstone inscription information is courtesy of internment.net, an online database of cemetery records.
Davies, Jane, d. Sep. 23, 1865 age 42 yrs (stone broken and lying on the ground) appears to be duplicate of the following newer stone, although that name reads Davis not Davies), wife of Richard R. Davies
Davis, Jane, b. 1823, d. 1865, “Mother”
Prichard, Evan P., d. Apr 10, 1872 (rest of stone broken)
Prichard, John W., d. Feb 5, 1861 age 50 yrs, native of Enlli, N. Wales, emigrated to America in 1826
Roberts, Margaret, d. Nov 8, 1869 age 71 yrs 9 mos, wife of Griffith Roberts
Williams, John, d. Jun 29, 1867 age 9 yrs 6 mos, son of Robert & Jane Williams
Williams, Robert, d. Mar 22, 1861 age 36 yrs
The Enlli church cemetery.
The Welsh families that lived, worked, and worshipped in Remsen were a hearty, sturdy, and devout group of people. The Welsh are historically stubborn and proud. Being of Welsh descent myself, I can attest to this! Remsen is, and should be, proud of its Welsh heritage.