Llangollen Museum has been trying to help an American woman find links between the town and a prosperous family in the United States.
Back in September 2019 llanblogger carried a story about Llangollen Farm in the state of Virginia going on the market for a cool $34 million.
The equestrian estate had once been owned by the Powell family and was called after Llangollen because their ancestors were supposed to come from here.
Six years later and the museum recently had a visit from Elizabeth Cooper, from Oregon. She was only in Llangollen for the day, having travelled here on the canal.
A descendant of the Powell family, she was attempting to find links with her Powell ancestors in Llangollen.
But Peter Jones from the museum team says that although parish records show baptisms of Powells as early as 1625 it was not possible to link them with the Virginia Powells.
Peter, who has exhaustively researched the subject, went on: "The first Powell associated with the house [in Virgina] was Lt Col Leven Powell (1738 - 1810). He was a member of the First Continental Congress. He was a major, then a Lt. Colonel in the Continental Army.
"He was with George Washington and the Continental Army for a period of time but after a long illness at Valley Forge, he was furloughed by Gen. Washington.
"His son was Cuthbert Powell (1775 - 1849) who made his fortune alongside his brother, Leven Powell, Jr. (1772-1807), as a merchant and ship owner. In 1788 Cuthbert married Catherine Simms, daughter of Col. Charles Simms. The couple had ten children.
"He retired to 'Llangollen,' Loudoun County, Virginia in 1812 after a decline in business. Later he was elected to serve in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly; the Virginia State Senate in 1829 and the Virginia House of Delegates in 1840.
"He completed preparatory studies; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Alexandria and was mayor of Alexandria. He engaged in agricultural pursuits, held various local offices, served in the State senate 1815-1819; member of the State house of delegates in 1828 and 1829, elected as a Whig to the Twenty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1841-March 3, 1843) died in 'Llangollen,' Loudoun County, Va., May 8, 1849. Cuthbert was interred in the private cemetery on his estate, 'Llangollen,' near the town of Upperville in Loudoun County, Va."
llanblogger's story on Llangollen Farm, Virginia, told how five million acres of prime land in the state were granted to the Fairfax family by the kings of England in the 17th century, 600 of which ended up with the Powells who built an impressive mansion which passed from one blue blood owner to another.
They included the Whitneys who founded the Llangollen Race Meeting, a steeplechase that attracted 20,000 spectators, and built ancillary buildings on the property, including the now-famous “horseshoe stables” for their show-ponies. They added a polo field, nine houses for guests, a race track, a training track, and, most impressive of all, a hyper-sophisticated water system that remains to this day.
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