Machanochie <\/em>in Scotland). He emigrated from Dumfries, Scotland in 1750 with his three sons. Samuel McConkey gained historical prominence by owning McConkey’s Ferry Inn in Upper Makefield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This site is historically famous as the place General George Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776, paving the way for ultimate American victory in the Revolutionary War.<\/p>\nWelsh influence across the pond has been significant. While Davy Crockett was one of the defenders killed at the Alamo in 1836, according to Bill Groneman’s 1990 book, Alamo Defenders<\/em>, one of the others who perished there was the Welshman Lewis Johnson. Interestingly there is a small hamlet in Navarro County Texas called Barry, one of four in the USA, while ten different states have a place called Cardiff. Welsh influence stretches back to f<\/strong>olklore tales that Prince Madoc discovered America when he sailed across the Atlantic in 1170, well before Columbus did so in 1492. At least 16 of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence were of Welsh descent, including William Floyd and Francis Lewis. Eight of America\u2019s Presidents are also known to have had Welsh roots, including Abraham Lincoln whose great-great-grandfather, John Morris, was a farmer near Conwy.<\/p>\nWales of course, has had its fair share of cultural influences across the Atlantic. Dylan Thomas, who died in New York on 9th November 1953, is still celebrated by literary societies there today. Actress Bette Davis had Welsh family, and hosting a press conference in Cardiff in 1975, she talked about her roots there and said goodbye to her guests with a glowing ‘nos da<\/em>\u2019. Interestingly she always claimed that her inspiration was a young Welsh actress originally born in Port Talbot, called Peg Entwhistle. Perhaps her story inspired Anthony Hopkins and Michael Sheen, both with a high profile in the US and also from the town.<\/p>\nPeg Entwhistle was born Millicent Lilian Entwistle in February 1908. Peg\u2019s parents emigrated to America when she was young. Peg\u2019s acting talent led her to success on stage, eventually on Broadway, performing in ten plays, one of which ran for 232 performances. She followed that with a stint in Los Angeles, during which she starred with Humphrey Bogarde in \u2018Mad House\u2019. Her time in Los Angeles led to her one film role as a supporting actress in \u201813 Women\u2019. Sadly, this was not released until a month after her death on 18th September 1932. It\u2019s not clear exactly why she famously threw herself off the \u2018H\u2019 on the Hollywood sign. She was not forgotten though. Half a dozen songs including Lana Del Rey\u2019s song \u2018Lust for Life\u2019 and even a musical Goodnight September<\/em>, have referenced her life and tragic end.<\/p>\nOne imagines Welsh influences in the United States will remain significant. Perhaps some Americans have even matched the McConkeys and have a doorbell chime based on tunes by Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Bonnie Tyler or the Manic Street Preachers.<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST McCONKEY\u2019S CHIMES AND THE ACTRESS WHO THREW HERSELF OFF THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN Ring the bell at the McConkey residence in Greave Close and you\u2019ll hear the familiar refrain of \u2018Davy, Davy Crockett\u2019 from Bill Hayes\u2019s 1956 hit \u2018The Ballad of Davy Crockett\u2019. Brian McConkey, an accomplished local musician himself, has always loved the song which featured […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[437,228],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-4ty","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3430,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=3430","url_meta":{"origin":17208,"position":0},"title":"Superman Got Nothing On Me","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd July 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 I recently saw Wonder Woman and in all honesty, these are the films we as women deserve. The notion that both genders were equally represented as being capable of looking after themselves, yet also being aware of their right to ask for help was inspiring; often feminism may seem\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Play Hard Work Hard"","block_context":{"text":"Play Hard Work Hard","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=274"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9517,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9517","url_meta":{"origin":17208,"position":1},"title":"Diamond Wedding Anniversary","author":"Alan Williams","date":"30th March 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 April Letters (The Editor s are not responsible for opinions expressed, although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information. The editors reserve the right to protect the anonymity of anyone who wishes to contribute articles or letters for the magazine provided they are aware of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Diamond_Wedding.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Diamond_Wedding.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Diamond_Wedding.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10850,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10850","url_meta":{"origin":17208,"position":2},"title":"New Vegan Deli in Barry","author":"Alan Williams","date":"14th December 2021","format":false,"excerpt":". KARRY\u2019S DELI Wales\u2019 First Plant-Based and Vegan Deli Has Opened in Barry A Vegan Deli which recently opened in Barry has already proven popular. Karry\u2019s Deli, on Park Crescent, is one of Wales\u2019 first all-plant-based-products delicatessen; there is also a vegan deli in Aberystwyth as well as a few\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16748,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16748","url_meta":{"origin":17208,"position":3},"title":"Crufts 2026","author":"Alan Williams","date":"26th March 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST CRUFTS 2026 Eva and Asher were doggy superstars at Crufts 2026. Asher made his debut in the Dog Obedience Championship on Saturday 7th March. His owner, Carolyn, was thrilled to be placed 4th with him. Eva was first to work her obedience test the following day\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Crufts.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17165,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=17165","url_meta":{"origin":17208,"position":4},"title":"The Last Train From Wenvoe","author":"Alan Williams","date":"28th June 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST THE LAST TRAIN FROM WENVOE I left my house in Wenvoe with my golden retriever, Blue, to walk towards the old train station. It was around 8.30pm on a warm autumn day. 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<\/a> a significant story of McConkey emigration there. One of the earliest documented arrivals was Samuel McConkey (originally Machanochie <\/em>in Scotland). He emigrated from Dumfries, Scotland in 1750 with his three sons. Samuel McConkey gained historical prominence by owning McConkey’s Ferry Inn in Upper Makefield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This site is historically famous as the place General George Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776, paving the way for ultimate American victory in the Revolutionary War.<\/p>\n