I.        Summary 

          Our Hughes ancestors emigrated from Wales, arriving in Philadelphia
on July 17, 1698. They lived in Pennsylvania until 1805, in Ontario, Canada 
until 1853, in Iowa and Kansas until 1900, and mainly in Washington and 
Montana from then until the present. Branches of our family also now (in 
1998) live in Texas and Virginia.(1) 

          There were nine generations in America in our Hughes line prior to 
the current oldest living member, who -- as of July 1998 -- is John Wesley 
Hughes at 92 years. 

          Geographically, the family first settled about 15 miles north of 
Philadelphia in an area that they named Gwynedd (Pronounced "Gwineth") 
after their home region in Wales. The nine generations of our Hughes 
ancestors then proceeded to move, in five stages spanning 200 years, all the 
way to the West Coast. 

          Move #1: In 1731, John Hugh and his son and grandson, 
Ellis and John,  moved to Pennsylvania's Oley Valley, about 30 to 40 miles 
(as the crow flies) northwest of Gwynedd. They are buried there at the 
Society of Friends (Quaker) Exeter Meeting Burial ground.  Map of where they lived.

          Move #2: Great grandson George (the second John's son) 
moved to Catawissa, Pennsylvania in about 1775. Catawissa is 50 to 60 
miles northwest of Oley Valley (again, as the crow flies) on the south 
bank of the Susquehanna River. George was buried in 1795 either at Catawissa 
or at nearby Roaring Creek. 

          Move #3: In 1805, George's son James and his family, 
including his one year old son, George, emigrated from the Catawissa/Roaring 
Creek area to Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada near the north shore of Lake 
Ontario. James is buried at the nearby pickering Orthodox Meeting 
House burial ground. 

          Move #4: George emigrated from Canada to Iowa in 1853, and is
buried in Salem, Iowa. George's son, Edwin, (and most of the rest
of George's 15 children) went with his parents to Iowa. Edwin is 
buried in Seneca, Kansas. 

          Move #5: Edwin's son, John Wesley, completed the westward
movement around 1900, stopping briefly in Montana, but settling
in Sumas, Washington, where he is buried. Three of John 
Wesley's sons, Edwin, William (Bill), and Thomas Sievers (T.S.) 
went part way, but stayed in Montana and are buried there at
McAllister, the community that they helped pioneer in Madison 
Valley during the early part of the 20th century. The other five 
children -- Ira, Roy, Martha (Mattie), Lora, and Ina -- made their 
lives in Washington and Oregon, and are buried in Washington. 




GO TO MAP OF WHERE THEY LIVED






1          Including my Grand Father's siblings (not my direct ancestors), more than 90 percent of Hughes 
descendants who I can locate live in Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Montana. The remainder live 
in Canada and 13 states, including Alaska, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, 
Ohio, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, And Wyoming.