Migrant Culture Maintenance: The Welsh in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1870–1930

This article provides an analysis of the nature of the Welsh ethno-linguistic community in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The study considers culture maintenance and suggests that Welsh ethnic integrity was undermined by a variety of forces, primarily: occupational diversity, widespread bilingualism, high levels of exogamy, and the cessation of immigration from Wales. The article further posits that assimilation was aided by the desire of the Welsh to join mainstream American society and the generally accepted perception that they were, indeed, ideal immigrants.