"General" Rufus Welch was a leading circus impresarrio in the early-19th century.

Welch was born in New Berlin

New Berlin, New York

New Berlin, New York is the name of two locations in Chenango County, New York:*New Berlin , New York*New Berlin , New York...

, Chenango County, New York

Chenango County, New York

Chenango County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 50,477. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning "large bull-thistle." Its county seat is Norwich.-History:...

. He initially was a chairmaker. By 1829 he was running a circus with Erman Handy and they took the circus to Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

. For much of the 1830s he was involved in running various manageries. These would often have 100 animals. In 1837 he became the manager of the Lion Theatre Circus. In that year Welch had imported three giraffes from Africa, which were the first of these animals brought to the USA.

Starting in 1841 he was heavily involved with circuses in Philadelphia. From this period he not only had animals but also acrobats and clowns in his circuses.

In 1846 Welch joined forces with Dan Rice

Dan Rice

Dan Rice , was an American entertainer of many talents, most famously as a clown, who was pre-eminent before the American Civil War. During the height of his career, Rice was a household name...

 to run a circus in Philadelphia.

Sources

• www.circushistory.org/Olympians/OlympiansC1.htm
• G. L. Chindahl. A History of the Circus in America. (Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Printers, 1959) p. 37-41, 77.