Born 3 July 1819 at Cefn-Coed-y-Cymer, near Merthyr Tydfil, his mother was a niece to George Lewis, Llanuwchllyn. The family moved to Aberdare when the children were quite young. The son became prominent in Calvinistic Methodist circles in Aberdare and district. He became friendly with John Roberts (Ieuan Gwyllt), after the latter had come to Aberdare to edit Y Gwladgarwr, 1858 , and the two men were, in the main, responsible for the ‘cymanfa ganu’ movement which, inaugurated at Aberdare in 1859 , spread soon afterwards to various parts of Wales . He married Mary, sister of Noah Morgan Jones “Cymro Gwyllt”. David Williams “Alaw Goch” was his brother-in-law, the husband of his sister Ann. He died on the 7th September 1878, and was buried in Aberdare cemetery.
