| Description | Theophilus was the son of Henry Thomas of Tyhen in the parish of Llandysilio just the Carmarthenshire side of the border. According to E. T. Lewis in his book "Efailwen to Whitland" Henry lived from 1760 to 1849. Again according to E. T. Lewis Theophilus was born at Droslyn in Llanddewi Velfrey parish in 1802, before his father moved to Tyhen. Theophilus became a Baptist minister of Fynnon Chapel, Llanddewi Velfrey. He married, shortly before 1840, Mary John, daughter of Abel and Phebe John of Trehale farm in the parish of St Edrins. Mary was some fifteen years his junior. Soon after this he went to live at Trehale and after the death of Abel in 1841 he took over the running of the farm (described as some 290 acres in the 1851 census) with his mother in law. He had played the major part in the building of Blaenllyn Baptist Chapel on some Trehale land near the farm in 1843 and he was the obvious choice to become minister there, a task he performed in addition to his farming duties. He prospered, becoming a Justice of the Peace for Pembrokeshire and fathering many children. One of his sons, Abel, born in 1846, became a Queen's Counsel and later Liberal M. P. for the East Division of Carmarthenshire in 1890. He held the seat for over twenty years. It is reasonable to assume that Abel shared the political opinions of his father who seems to have been a classic example of the mid 19th century Welsh non-conformist Liberal. Theophilus was one of the founders of Haverfordwest Baptist College and as these papers show a shareholder in the "Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph" which was established in 1854 as the Liberal newspaper for Pembrokeshire in opposition to the Conservative Pembrokeshire Herald". Theophilus died in 1874 according to E. T. Lewis. |