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The 13th Gathering Mars Hill, NC July, 2005

The 13th Gathering Mars Hill, NC July, 2005

The 13th Gathering Mars Hill, NC July, 2005

About the CAHS:
Cornish American Heritage Society

From a small group of Cornish descendants proud and excited about their heritage in 1982, CAHS has grown to be the largest Cornish organization in North America. As CAHS enters the 21st century, the society is enthusiastic to continue to tell the story of Cornish immigration to North America and those Cornish immigrants who settled our great continent.

The Cornish American Heritage Society
Mission Statement

The mission of the Cornish American Heritage Society is:

• To recognize the courage of the Cornish immigrants
  
  
• To recognize the contributions they made where they lived and worked
  
  
• To encourage and help members in the pursuit of their family histories
  
  
• To provide information and support to local Cornish societies in Canada, the United States, and Mexico
  
  
• To encourage informational and social gatherings on a scheduled basis
  
  
• To enhance our past and present relationships with Cornwall, the Homeland, and strengthen connections to all Cornish communities around the world.

Officers for 2011-2013

President Thomas Rusch 528 Autumn Crest Drive, Watertown, WI, 53094-5916	thomasdrusch@gmail.com
1st VP- Education Nancy Heydt 1889 Union Place, The Villages, FL 32162-6722	noheydt@comcast.net
2nd VP– Newsletter Carolyn Haines, 3835 Bush Gardens Lane, Holt, MI 48842-9401	hainesc@msu.edu
Secretary Jackie Marrone, 999 E 71st Avenue, Denver, CO, 80229-6807	j.marrone@comcast.net
Treasurer/Membership Ronald Carbis, 13 Saint Ives Place, Gaithersburg, MD, 20877-3457	rcarbis@rcn.com
Historian Richard Baker 1502 Coventry Court, Reedsburg, WI 53959-1448	aw305@rucls.net

Learn More

We invite you to learn more about the Cornish American Heritage Society:

• Our History
• Publications
• Projects
• The Gatherings
• The CAHS Archives

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Our History

The Cornish American Heritage Society (CAHS) was founded in 1982, due to the efforts of Dorothy Sweet, a founding member of The Cornwall Family History Society, and members of this organization here in North America. Paul Liddicoat was the first president of CAHS.

Mainly a genealogical organization in the very beginning, the society has continued to grow (500+ members), offering information about diverse aspects of Cornish and Cornish North American heritage and culture (including genealogy), immigration to North America, the many Cornish settlements dotting the North American landscape, music, crafts, Cornwall today, and more.

The past 18 years has seen individual Cornish organizations spring up in areas of Cornish settlement in North America (the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Southwestern Wisconsin, Northwest, Montana, California, British Columbia, etc.) and in many more areas, as well. CAHS is affiliated with most of them.

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CAHS Publications

Along with the society's newsletter "Tam Kernewek" ("A bit of Cornish") distributed quarterly, CAHS also publishes "The Cornish Circle," a quarterly publication aimed at the Cornish societies themselves, providing information on fundraising, program ideas, how-tos such as non-profit filing, news from the local societies, etc..

While we learn about the history, dance, music, language, food, legends, and people of Cornwall, our focus is our Cornish immigrant ancestors who emigrated to Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Why did they come? Where did they immigrate? What did they do? What records did they leave? What can we uncover, preserve, and share?

We will record and publish what we learn. We want to insure that the Cornish presence in North America is known and appreciated wherever they lived.

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CAHS Projects

CAHS is involved in various other projects: from publishing a listing of CAHS member's interests, to collecting members pedigree charts, establishing a Cornish reference library,
having a presence at various Celtic and Cornish festivals,
supporting the Cornish Global Migration Programme
and the West Briton Project, CFHS Records, the CAHS Founders' Award, and the Paul Smales Fund.

Visit our projects page here.

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The Gatherings

The biennial "Gathering of Cornish Cousins", sponsored by CAHS, takes place every two years near a place of Cornish settlement (if available) somewhere in North America. Talented speakers and performers from Cornwall and throughout North America bring their own expertise to share with the 300+ in attendance. From a weekend "Gathering" in 1982, the Gatherings now consist of four or five days of workshops, talks, music, singing, dance, a pasty picnic, Cornish church service, banquet, tours and various other activities.

The first "Gathering of Cornish Cousins" was held in suburban Detroit, Michigan in 1982. Enthusiastic Cornish descendants from all over the United States and Canada took part. There were talks, singing, a pasty dinner, lots of genealogical information exchanged, and support to organize a society to bring Cornish descendants from North America together.

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The Cornish American Heritage Society Archives

Formally set-up in 1993, the CAHS Archives contain over 400 books, pamphlets, journals, and journal articles. The archive also has a collection of over 115 Cornish parish history booklets, from Morwenstowe in the north to St. Just in the south. Through the generosity of our members and others, the archive has grown steadily each year.

The CAHS archives are on loan to and are being stored at the Area Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Materials in our collection are non-circulating. You can contact the library staff by mail, phone or email to access anything in the CAHS inventory list.

The UW Library staff will research and make photo-copies for you. Their rates are quite reasonable and are as follows:

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