Thomas and Evans - A Character Reference

Roedd William Evans, a anwyd yn Lodor, Cwm Gwaun, yn ddyn busnes craff. Wedi ychydig o ysgol, aeth yn brentis groser i siop yn Hwlffordd.

Yno, deallodd i alcohol fod yn wenwyn i ddyn wedi i’w wncwl, Seth Evans, farw mewn damwain tra ei fod yn feddw. O’r diwrnod hwnnw ymlaen, gwrthododd William ag yfed alcohol. Daeth yn llwyr ymwrthodwr.

Symudodd William o Sir Benfro i dref Porth yng Nghwm Rhondda. Bu’n reolwr siopau groser yno am gyfnod, gan ddysgu sut i drin staff ag arian yn effeithiol. Roedd yn codi yn gynnar ac yn gweithio yn galed. Dangosodd barch at eraill wrth weithio gyda’i wraig yn y dref. Aethon nhw mewn i bartneriaeth gyda dyn o’r enw Thomas o Hwlffordd i greu cwmni newydd.

Adeiladodd William gwmni groser ym Mhorth, y Rhondda a ddaeth yn gynhyrchydd pop ‘Welsh Hills Works’, maes o law, ac yn ‘Corona’ yn y pen draw.

Roedd yn ddiacon yng Nghapel Salem, Porth (Bedyddwyr) ac yn llwyr ymwrthodwr. Roedd yn gymwynaswr i’r gymuned ym Mhorth, ac hefyd i’w hen ardal yng Nghwm Gwaun. Bu’n cefnogi datblygiad  gwasanaeth argyfwng yn y Rhondda, ac yn noddi disgyblion yr ysgol yno. Adeiladwyd festri Jabes, Cwm Gwaun, ar drail ei deulu,er cof am William Evans.

Mae nifer o’r hen adeiladau yn Hannah Street, Porth yn dal i arddangos yr enw Thomas and Evans.

William Evans, who was born at Lodor, Gwaun Valley, was a keen business man.

After a short time at school, he became a grocer’s apprentice for a shop in Haverfordwest.
There, he had an experience which helped him understand that alcohol is poison for a man. His uncle, Seth Evans, died in an accident while he was drunk. From that day on, William refused to drink alcohol. He became tea total .

William moved from Pembrokeshire to the town of Porth in the Rhondda Valley. He was a grocery store manager there for a while, learning how to handle staff and money effectively. He got up early and worked hard. He showed respect for others while working with his wife in the town. They went in to partnership with a Haverfordwest man called Thomas and they created a new company.

William developed the ‘Thomas and Evans’ company to supply groceries and provisions, together with a butchery and he expanded into soft drink manufacturing and delivering. He was forward thinking and philanthropic. He helped develop the Porth Fire Service and he sponsored pupils from Porth Grammar with a perpetual bursary. A vestry was erected at Jabes, Pontfaen in memory of William by his family. 

Evans was  teetotal and a deacon  at Salem Baptist Chapel, Porth.