Who We Are
Down on the southwest tip of Great Britain is a land of mystery, myth, and magic … a land of a Celtic people, the Cornish! The Cornish are fisherfolk, farmers, miners and merchants, scholars, saints, and sometimes law-breakers. Above all, they are people of an extraordinary clan in an extraordinary land — and they know it. They revere it and love it. They celebrate their present in light of their past, looking always to the future for the generations to come.
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And so do we. We are the descendants of Cornish people who emigrated to the Americas. Though we are no longer in the land of our heritage, we are linked to Cornwall by blood and by the tug of our hearts. Some of our members are Cornish people still living in Cornwall, joined to their cousins in the Americas for the good of all. Wherever you are in the world, whatever your Cornish ties or interests, you are welcome here.
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The people of the Cornish American Heritage Society (CAHS) celebrate Cornwall and the Cornish people in many ways. Our members search, save, create and pass on to the rest of us Cornish songs, poetry, legend, history, photos and food. We do love our food.
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Many of us are involved in tracing our family trees, so genealogy and record-keeping are important to us. We each get to have some part in maintaining the ties between Cornish people around all the world, if only through this site. Whatever way you want to take part in all this, we are more than glad to have you.
Wander around the site, email your questions, become a member. Let the CAHS be your introduction to all things Cornwall. And let our gatherings, whether in local society, the Gatherings of Cornish Cousins in the Americas, or the Grand Homecoming to Cornwall called Dehwelans — let these be moments that will help you form a long and lasting relationship with all things Cornish.
What We Do
The mission of the Cornish American Heritage Society is:
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To recognize the courage of the Cornish immigrants
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To recognize the contributions they made in the places they lived and worked
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To encourage and help members in the pursuit of their family histories
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To provide information and support to local Cornish societies in Canada, the United States, and Mexico
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To encourage informational and social gatherings on a scheduled basis
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To enhance our past and present relationships with Cornwall, our Homeland, and strengthen connections to all Cornish communities around the world.
Our History
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The Cornish American Heritage Society (CAHS) was founded in 1982 through the efforts of Dorothy Sweet, a founding member of The Cornwall Family History Society, and member of this organization here in North America. Paul Liddicoat was the first president of CAHS.
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Primarily begun as a genealogical organization, the society has continued to grow to our current membership of 500+ members. The society offers 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.
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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.