Michael Daniel Jones (2 March 1822 – 2 December 1898) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

Congregationalist minister and principal of a theological college, but is best remembered as a founder of the Welsh settlement in

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...

known as

Y Wladfa Y Wladfa (, "The Colony"), also occasionally Y Wladychfa Gymreig (, "The Welsh Settlement"), refers to the establishment of settlements by Welsh immigrants in Patagonia, beginning in 1865, mainly along the coast of the lower Chubut Valley. In ...

and as one of the fathers of modern

Welsh nationalism Welsh nationalism ( cy, Cenedlaetholdeb Cymreig) emphasises and celebrates the distinctiveness of Welsh culture and Wales as a nation or country. Welsh nationalism may also include calls for further autonomy or self determination which includes ...

. Jones was born in

Llanuwchllyn Llanuwchllyn () is a village and community in Gwynedd, Wales, near the southern end of Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid). It is one of the most sparsely populated communities in Wales. The electoral ward includes the small settlement of Llangywer. The ...

Merioneth , HQ= Dolgellau , Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= , Status= , Start= 1284 , End= , Code= MER , CodeName= ...

(

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

) in 1822. After training for the ministry at the Presbyterian College in

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

and afterwards at

Highbury College Highbury College is a further education college in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. It offers vocational and academic education and training, including apprenticeships, A-levels and foundation degrees. The college is a member of the Collab G ...

, London, he spent about eighteen months in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Ohio, where he was ordained to the Christian ministry. He returned to Wales and in 1850 he was inducted minister at Bwlchnewydd and Gibeon in Carmarthenshire, before succeeding his father as the principal of Bala Independent College in 1855. The Rev

His name is closely linked with the attempt to establish a Welsh settlement in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, in the 1860s where

would be the language of religion, government, trade, and education. The 150th anniversary (28 July 1865) of this Welsh-Argentine settlement in

Rawson, Chubut Rawson ( is the capital of the Argentine province of Chubut, in Patagonia. It has 24,616 inhabitants in 2010, and it is the chief town of the Rawson Department. The city is named after Guillermo Rawson (1821–1890), Argentine Minister of the I ...

Argentina was celebrated in 2015. In

1889 Events January–March * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the ...

, Jones became a member of the first Merionethshire County Council, although he had a majority of only eight votes over his Conservative opponent. Jones is recognised as the first to advocate a political solution to defending Welsh identity and therefore is seen as one of the most significant forerunners of Welsh nationalism.

References

Sources

* See also the collections of essays on his life and work, ''Michael D. Jones a'i Wladfa Gymreig'', ed. E. Wyn James and Bill Jones (Llanrwst: Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2009). * * Dafydd Tudur, 'The Life, Thought and Work of Michael Daniel Jones (1822-1898)', University of Wales, Bangor, PhD thesis, 2006. * E. Wyn James, 'Michael D. Jones and His Visit to Patagonia in 1882', in ''Los Galeses en la Patagonia V'', ed. Fernando Coronato & Marcelo Gavirati (Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina: Asociación Punta Cuevas, Asociación Cultural Galesa de Puerto Madryn & Centro de Estudios Históricos y Sociales de Puerto Madryn, 2012. . In English and in Spanish. *

External links

Project-Hiraeth – Documents the stories of the Welsh colony in Patagonia, Argentina through film, text and illustration.

Michael D. Jones on the Glaniad website

Michael Jones on Ceredigion County Council website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Michael D. 1822 births 1898 deaths People from Gwynedd Welsh pioneer settlers in Patagonia Welsh nationalists Councillors in Wales Welsh Congregationalist ministers Welsh-speaking clergy