WILLIAMS, ABRAHAM (1720-1783), Independent minister

Born in 1720 in the parish of Pant-teg, Monmouthshire - perhaps at Pontyfelin, where his brother was born. He was a musician and travelled the countryside to teach psalmody. It was probably Morgan John Lewis who interested him in religion. He started exhorting with the Methodists, and was accepted as an exhorter at the Association held at Trevecka in 1744. When the New Inn society was formed into an Independent church he became its assistant preacher, and on the death of M. J. Lewis was, in 1758, ordained its minister. He married a woman of Usk, where he made his home. In the opinion of Philip David, in spite of the fact that he once (1778) accused him of ranting, Abraham Williams was a good preacher (1775, twice noted), and when he was buried the old minister testified (not quite ungrudgingly) that of all the Independent ministers of pronounced Methodist views he was the best.

He had a brother,

WILLIAM WILLIAMS (1717 - 1800),

who was also a Methodist exhorter and, later, an assistant preacher at New Inn. About 1760, the society at Aber in the parish of Llanfeugan (Brecknock) decided to follow the example of New Inn and convert itself into an Independent church. William Williams was released by New Inn to become minister at Aber where, in addition, he kept a school. At the same time, he was minister of the ' Plough ' church at Brecon - the connection between the two churches continued until 1811. He died in 1800.

Author

• Emeritus Professor Robert Thomas Jenkins, (1881 - 1969)

Sources

• Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru, i, 82-3, 86; iv, 307, 309, 341
• the unpublished diaries of Philip David, through the courtesy of the Rev. T. Mardy Rees

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/