First Welsh Book Printed in New York
- Pigion, o, Hymnau, &c. : o waith amriw awdwyr, perthynol i addoliad eglwysig ä theuluaedd. byPublication Date: 1808Utica : Argraphwyd gan Ira Merrell
244 pages ; 15 cm.
Welsh Collection
See Early American Imprints (Shaw & Showmaker) No. 15949
Provenance: Library copy owned by Richard Francis
Not microfilmed for UC collection
Full text view Internet Archive (from a copy at Princeton Theological Seminary): https://archive.org/details/pigionohymnau00vand
Utica Public Library copy was used for the (inferior) digitized version available by subscription in Early American Imprints, Series II via Readex. Shaw & Shoemaker record it as No. 15949.
From a copy at Princeton Theological Seminary.
A collection of Welsh hymns (without music), Pigion o Hymnau (Utica, 1808) is notable as the first Welsh book printed in New York State and one of the earliest titles in the U.S.
The UC Library copy, very scarce, in contemporary calf, is extremely fragile but appears to be complete in 12º. Other libraries with this title: Syracuse, Cornell, Princeton Theological Seminary (supplying the copy for Internet Archive), and Utica Public (an imperfect copy for the Shaw & Shoemaker bibliography). National Library of Wales has copies. The Oneida Historical Society may also have one (not confirmed). Princeton credits to Francis Adrian Van der Kemp (1752-1829) for collecting the hymns for publication, whereas OCLC records do so for a Mary Davis (identity uncertain).
Pigion o Hymnau was published by Ira Merrell, a well known printer in the area. He emigrated from Wales in 1798. See Google Books. This was possibly his only publication in Welsh.
The sole signature in the UC copy is by a Richard Francis who can be identified as Richard Francis who emigrated from Wales in 1797 (The Cambrian, v.17, Jan. 1897); see p. 344 in a Google Books version. It is unclear why the UC copy was not part of the microfilming project (1989-90); it may have been a later acquisition.
Note: Microfilm/electronic records for Pigion o Hymnau in OCLC have a title transcription error, Hymnan is given instead of the correct Hymnau.
Early American Imprint S 15949
- Pigion, o, Hymnau (first 75 of 244 pages)Very scarce title. No. 15949 from the Early American Imprints, Series II (Shaw & Shoemaker). A poor quality scan from an imperfect copy at Utica Public Library
More about Pigion o Hymnau
A collection of Welsh hymns (without music), Pigion o Hymnau (Utica, 1808) is notable as the first book printed in Welsh in New York State and one of the earliest Welsh titles in the U.S.
The UC Library copy, very scarce, in contemporary calf, is extremely fragile but appears to be complete. Other libraries with this title: Syracuse, Cornell, Princeton Theological Seminary (supplying the copy for Internet Archive), and Utica Public (an imperfect copy for Shaw & Shoemaker). The National Library of Wales has copies. The Oneida Historical Society may also have one (not confirmed). In its catalog Princeton credits Francis Adrian Van der Kemp (1752-1829) for collecting the hymns for publication, whereas OCLC records do so for a Mary Davis (identity uncertain).
The sole signature in the UC copy is Richard Francis who emigrated from Wales in 1797 ( See The Cambrian, v.17, Jan. 1897, p. 344);Google Books. It is unclear why the UC copy was not part of the microfilming project (1989-90); it may have been a later acquisition.
Note: Microfilm/electronic records for Pigion o Hymnau in OCLC are known to have a title transcription error, Hymnan is given instead of the correct Hymnau.
Online Version
From the copy at Princeton Theological Seminary Library
Pigion o Hymnau
Among the important items in the UC Library collections, Pigion o Hymnau (a collection of hymns published in Utica in 1808) stands out as the first Welsh language book printed in New York State and one of the earliest such titles in the U.S. It is very scarce, held by only five U.S. libraries. The UC Library copy has not been microfilmed or digitized. See Internet Archive for an online version.