EVANS
,
WILLIAM MEIRION
(
1826
-
1883
),
miner, Calvinistic Methodist minister in U.S.A. and Australia, and editor of journals published in Australia
;
b.
12 Aug. 1826
at
Isallt Fawr
,
Llanfihangel-y-Pennant, Caerns.
His parents,
Edmund
and
Mary
Evans
, moved to
Gatws y Parc
,
Llanfrothen
, and from there the son started to work in the
Ffestiniog slate quarries
. He emigrated to
Australia
, landing in
Adelaide
on
19 May 1849
. He worked in the
Yuttala copper mines
, the
Willinga slate quarries
and later at the
copper mines of Burrah
, about 100 miles from
Adelaide
, and began to
preach
to his fellow-
Welshmen
there — the first
Welsh
preacher
in
Australia
. In
1850
he moved to
Aponinga
and,
1852
, to the
Bendigo
gold-mining
district, where he made a considerable sum of money. He returned to
Wales
in
March 1853
in order to take his parents and other members of his family to the
U.S.A.
He settled in the state of
Illinois
in the summer of the same year, and became a
preacher
with the
Calvinistic Methodists
. He m.
c.
1857
, the daughter of a
Welsh
settler, and
opened a business
in
Dodgeville
,
Wisconsin
, at the same time continuing to
preach
; but he wound up the business and returned to
Illinois
. He was ordained at
Columbus
,
Wisconsin
,
12 June 1861
. Because of the state of his wife's health he returned to
Australia
, landing at
Melbourne
in
March 1863
. He spent some time in
Ballarat
,
Sebastopol
, and elsewhere; he and others
started Welsh religious services
in these places; and he officiated at the first
Welsh
communion service in
Australia
. In
April 1864
he ceased to work as a
miner
and became
minister
of the churches in
Ballarat
and
Sebastopol
. A large eisteddfod was held in
Castlemain
, and
Evans
prepared and printed, in
1865
, the first number of
Yr Ymgeisydd
, but this undertaking did not prosper and no second number appeared.
Evans
visited
Wales
in
1865
, proceeded to
America
, but returned once more to
Ballarat
. In
July 1867
appeared the first number of
Yr Awstralydd
,
edited
by
Evans
and
Theophilus
Williams
; this periodical continued to appear until
Feb. 1871
. On
16 Oct. 1874
, the first number of another
Welsh
periodical appeared —
Yr Ymwelydd: Newyddiadur Cymreig at wasanaeth y Cymry yn Victoria, New Zealand, etc.
; this also was
edited
by
Evans
and it continued to appear every month until
Dec. 1876
.
Evans
was also the
founder
of the ‘
Cambrian Society
’ and the large-scale eisteddfodau of
Ballarat
. After serving as
minister
in
Ballarat
and the neighbourhood for some time he retired and went to live in
Bourke Street
,
Melbourne
, where he
opened a book-shop
. He d.
4 Aug. 1883
and was buried at
Ballarat
.
Bibliography:
- Memoir in manuscript in the possession of his daughter at Melbourne;
-
Yr Ymwelydd, Newyddiadur Cymreig at
Wasanaeth y Cymry yn Victoria, New Zealand, etc.,
,
1874-6
,
1874-6
;
-
Yr Awstralydd
, 1867-71
,
1867-71
.
Author:
Robert (Bob) Owen, O.B.E., M.A., (1885-1962), Croesor
