MR. MORRIS JOHN ROWLANDS, CAMBRIA, COLUMBIA COUNTY, WISCONSIN.
Morris John Rowlands is one of the most successful and influential citizens of Cambria and has displayed an active interest in the growth and development of that thriving village. He represents one of the earliest Welsh families which located in Columbia county and one which has been identified with many of its most vital interests and cherished institutions.His father, John R. Rowlands, was employed for many years in a slate quarry in Caernarvonshire, Wales. Having accumulated a few hundred pounds sterling by honest toil and thrifty habits, in 1845, he headed a party, which included six of his neighbors with their families, and set out for America. Though their knowledge of this country was limited, they believed that it offered opportunities for bettering their material fortunes and that they would find ideal conditions for promoting the moral and intellectual culture which they aspired to bequeath to posterity.
Upon landing at New York, they came to Wisconsin, attracted no doubt by the fact that a colony of their countrymen were already located near Racine. Leaving their families at that place, these seven men started on foot to seek a desirable location for settlement. After several days travel they reached Columbia county and Mr. Rowlands selected a "claim" on section 15 in what is now the township of Springvale, the immediate locality being better known as 'Welsh Prairie." He purchased several hundred acres of government land which is still ownned by his descendants, built a log house and brought his family there the same season.
Several of his associates settled near him and this was the beginning of an extensive colony of which the village of Cambria became the social and commercial center. The people composing this settlement have always ranked among the most intelligent and progressive citizens of Columbia county. John R. Rowlands was distinguished for remarkable physical activity and possessed many estimable qualities of mind and heart worthy of the emulation of rising generations.
He continued to reside upon the farm until his death, which occurred January 19th, 1883. Though he had attained the age of eighty-three years, he was able to walk from Cambria to his home, a distance of six miles, only a few months before his demise. His wife, whose maiden name was Jane Closs, departed this life September 21st, 1869, at the age of seventy-four years. Her father, John Closs, came from Yorkshire, England, and died in Wales.
Morris J. Rowlands, whose name heads this article, was born in Csenarvonshire, Wales, July 4th, 1840, and has lived in Columbia county from the fifth year of his age. His educational advantages were limited but he acquired a fund of general information which natural judgment and experience enables him to put to practical use. After living for more than forty years upon the homestead farm, in 1886 he removed to Cambria where his present home occupies a sightly location and is one of the most conspicuous residences in the village.
For eight years he dealt in grain and lumber as a partner with Edward Harris, who was also proprietor of the Bank of Cambria. Upon the death of Mr. Harris in 1894 he purchased that institution, which has since been conducted by M. J. Rowlands and Son and is recognized in financial circles as one of the most reliable concerns in Columbia county. The firm is also interested to a considerable extent in real estate. It has erected a number of buildings, in the village and, besides the original homestead of the family, has acquired several other fine farms. Mr. Rowlands was one of the first farmers in the county to introduce the breeding of thoroughbred Durham cattle and has also given some attention to Clydesdale horses.
Every enterprise in which he has become interested owes its success in great measure to his thoroughness and foresight.
He is a member of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist church of Cambria, and has always lent encouragement to enterprises calculated to cultivate the finer instincts of the people. He has given considerable attention to music and for forty years has been a leader of church choirs. Belonging to a race which is famous the world over for musical talent, he and his associates have established an enviable reputation in the culture of that art and visitors have been attracted from all parts of the world to the musical conventions held in Cambria. Mr. Rowlands helped to organize the Cambria Music Hall Company, which has recently built an elegant opera house, such as would be a credit to any large city, and which forms a source of just pride and delight to every patriotic citizen of Cambria and is one of the most noteworthy public buildings of the county.
Mr. Rowlands is identified with the Masonic fraternity. He cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln and has always supported the principles of the Republican party.
Though he never seeks official honors, he has frequently been called to the discharge of local positions of trust and responsibility. For ten years he served as civil clerk of Springvale and for eight years filled the same office in Courtland townnship. He was elected the first president of the village under the state charter and served two years in that capacity.
In 1866 he was married to Miss Catherine Owens, daughter of David and Jane Owens, of Springvale township. Mrs. Rowlands was born in Wales and came to the United States with her parents in 1847. One son, David Morris RoAvlands, is now his father's partner in business. This gentleman was born January 19th, 1868. After leaving the public school and taking a course at a business college in Milwaukee, he began his business career in the lumber office of Harris and Rowlands. In 1890 he became a partner with H. F. Schemmel in a general store at Cambria. Three years later he sold his interest in this establishment and entered the Bank of Cambria in the employ of Mr. Harris. Upon the death of that gentleman, as previously stated, he acquired an interest in the concern and has since filled the responsible position of cashier.
July 6th, 1898, occurred the wedding of David M. Rowlands and Miss Emma Davis, daughter of Edwin and Jane Ann Davis, of Cambria. Mr. and Mrs. Rowlands are the happy parents of one boy, Morris David, born July 21st, 1899. They are members of the Calvinistic Methodist church and Mr. Rowlands is identified with the Masonic order. He has filled the chair of junior deacon in Cambria Lodge and also holds membership in Fort Winnebago Chapter at Portage.
Wisconsin County Histories ~ Memorial and Biographical Record.
MR. MORRIS JOHN ROWLANDS, CAMBRIA, COLUMBIA COUNTY, WISCONSIN.
Fel y crybwyllwyd eisoes trwy y "Drych" am farwolaeth annysgwyliadwy M. J. Rowlands drwy ddamwain, tra yn dod o'i fferm i'w gartref gyda'i wyr. Yr wyf yn teimlo ei fod yn ddyledswydd arnaf fel hen gymydog a chyfaill iddo, geisio ysgrifenu ychydig linellau o goffadwriaeth iddo, er, yn wir, yn teimlo fy eiddilwch mewn bod yn alluog i roddi amlinelliad teilwng o wr mor alluog ac a safai mor uchel ac a lanwai le mor fawr yn Cambria a'r cylchoedd. Dygwyddodd y ddamwain iddo y 18fed o Mehefin, 1918, yn hwyr y prydnawn pan yn dychwelyd o'r hen gartref, Pen-y-gwryd. machludodd ei haul ef bron yr un amser ag y machludodd haul y dydd hyfryd hwnw, ac aeth y ddau haul o'r golwg yn dawel a digyffro fel eu gilydd. Ni fu efe byw ar ol y ddamwain ond ryw dri chwarter awr, gan fod yr ergyd gafodd pan y trodd ei fodur yn un farwol, ac fel y dywedodd Dr. Joseph Roberts yn ei angladd, "Ni bu raid iddo rodio trwy rydiau'r afon ond cadd ei chroesi mewn lie hynod o gul."Ganwyd Mr. Rowlands yn Penygwryd, sir Gaernarfon, yn mis Gorphenaf, 1840. Daeth gyda'r teulu o'r Hen Wlad yn 1845, gan ymsefydlu yn ardal Welsh Prairie, Wisconsin, ac iddo ef y daeth yr hen gartref yn rhan ar ol marwolaeth ei rieni. Yn niwedd y flwyddyn 1866, ymbriododd a Catherine, merch Dafydd a Jane Owen, Y Gaerwen, a ganwyd iddynt ddau fab: David, yr hwn yw cashier y Banc, a Johnnie a fu farw yn ei fabandod.
Yn y flwyddyn 1886, symudodd y teulu i fyw i Cambria gan osod y fferm, ac aeth R. gyda'i frawd-yn-nghyfraith, Mr. Harries, i fasnach yr yd, ac ar ol marwolaeth Mr. Harries, yr hwn oedd hefyd yn cadw yr ariandy, aeth Mr. R. o fasnach yr yd i'r ariandy i le ei frawd-yn-nghyfraith, a bu efe yn llywydd y banc hyd ddydd ei farwolaeth. Tra yn byw ar y fferm bu yn ysgrifenydd y plwyf am lawer o flynyddoedd, ac ar ol ei symudiad i'r pentref bu yn dal yr un swydd am flynyddoedd yno; bu hefyd yn cynrychioli y pentref fel aelod o fwrdd y sir, a bob amser yn cael lle ar bwyllgorau mwyaf pwysig a berthynai i'r bwrdd hwnw.
Fel banker yr oedd yn ymddiriedol, ac o herwydd ei wybodaeth eang yn nghyfreithiau y wlad a'r dalaeth, byddai galw parhaus arno am gyngorion gan ganoedd trwy y cylchoedd, a setlodd lawer o gwerylon rhwng dynion a'u gilydd, a hyny yn hollol ddiymffrost a di-dwrw. Dyn tawel gwyneb lawen ydoedd, a'i graffder yn mhell y tu hwnt i'r cyffredin, ac am a wn i nad oedd un broblem dan haul nad allai ef ei deall os ceisiai.
Ond fel llenor yr oedd y gwreiddiol o hono yn dod i'r golwg. Gwyr darllenwyr y "Drych" yn dda am dano fel ysgrifenwr trefnus a rhwydd ar beth bynag a gymerai mewn llaw: teg a boneddigaidd yn mhob peth. Yr oedd ysbryd cerddoriaeth yn llanw ei enaid, ac nid hyny yn unig ond canai a'r deall hefyd. Cyfansoddodd lawer o donau a ddangosent ei fedrusrwvdd, ac fel y tystiai ei ysgrifau yn y "Drych" ychydig amser yn ol ar Gymanfa Gerddorol Wisconsin.
Gellid canfod yn hawdd fod yr un ysbryd yn tanio ei enaid, pan yn apelio mor daer ar i'r bobl ieuainc gymeryd gafael eto yn yr hen sefydliad a'i ail gychwyn, a phe buasai wedi cael byw, ac i'r hen gymanfa ail gychwyn, buasai ei ysbryd hawddgar a'i lais arianaidd yr ysbrydoliad mwyaf dylanwadol a allasal talaeth Wisconsin ei gael heddyw yn mysg ei Chymry yn ddiameu.
Ni honodd erioed fod yn fardd, ond gwvddai pawb a wyddai rywbeth am farddoniaeth, ei fod, a gwvddai pawb hefyd fu dan ei feirniadaeth ei fod yn un hynod graff. Yr wyf yn cofio yn dda am un o hen gyrddau llenyddol W. Prairie fod y ceiliog yn destyn englyn, ac nid anmhriodol rhoi ei englyn ef y pryd hwnw yn hyn o gofiant:
"Yr hardd bluog geiliog wylia — wawr gain
Y dwyrain pan clora.
Yn y fan y dadgana
Ei hyfryd iawn foreu da."
Y mae hwn yna yn ddigon i ddangos ei allu a'i atHrylith fel bardd. Y mae yr hen ddiareb hono wedi cael ei llefaru filoedd o weithiau yn nglyn a chofiantau. sef "Os myni barch bydd farw." ac mae hi yn ddigon gwir. Ar ol eu marw y daeth bri a gwerth Washington, Lincoln a chanoedd eraill i'r amlwg, ac y mae yn ddiameu genyf y rhaid i bob arwr farw cyn y gwel y byd eu llawn werth. Pan y daw yr ystorom ddinystriol a dadwreiddio yn hen dderwen dalfrig, dyna yr adeg y teimlir y golled o'i chvsgodion. Pa ryfedd ein bod yn canmol cyfeillion, dynion defnyddiol, pan mae ystormydd y byd yn eu dwyn oddi arnom?
Pan gollir cadfridog o'r fyddin, ceir rhai eraill fu dan ddysgyblaeth allant lanw eu lle, ond yn wir pan gollir blaenoriaid llenyddiaeth a chan a dynion galluog a blaenllaw ein heglwysi o fysg Cymry America, nid gorchwyl bychan yw cael rhai i lanw eu lle, ac mae Cambria a'r ardaloedd heddyw mewn petrusder yn holi a'u gilydd, Pwy tyhed a leinw le M. J. Rowlands?
Bu ei briod farw yn mis Rhagfyr, 1916, ac er mor chwerw y profodd yr amgylchiad hwnw iddo, dyoddefodd y cyfan yn dawel a digyffro fel ei arfer. Ar ol ei marwolaeth hi, bu ei unig fab a'i ferch-yn-nghyfraith a'u dau fab yn nodded a chysur anmhrisiadwy iddo. Ceir plant yn fynych iawn pan wedi myned yn deuluoedd ar benau eu hunain, yn troi cefn ar eu rhieni yn eu henaint, ond nid felly gyda'r teulu hwn. Credaf fod parch Mr. Rowlands yn cynyddu fel yr heneiddiai. Cymerodd ei gladdedigaeth le y dydd Gwener canlynol i'w farwolaeth, ac arweiniwvd y gwasanaeth gan ei weinidog. J. O. Parry, a chymerwyd rhan gan Humphrey Owen. Iowa; W. W. Davis. Cambria; F. Tegfryn Roberts, Randolph; O. O. Jones, W. Alis; a Joseph Roberts, Racine. Ar ol i'r gweinidogion wneyd eu rhan, cymerodd y Maswniaid y gwasanaeth mewn llaw yn dra tharawiadol. Yr oedd yr angladd yn un o'r, os nad y mwyaf lluosog welwyd yn Cambria erioed; a gorymdaith y Masons y fwyaf yn ddiameu. Yn marwolaeth Mr. R. collwyd gwr tawel, heddychol, galluog a diymffrost. Bu yn arweinydd canu bron ar hyd ei oes yn hen gapel Jerusalem (W. P.) a Cambria, ond ni cheir mwy glywed ei lais yn myd amser; ond credwn ei fod heddyw ar fryniau tragwyddoldeb yn canu'n uwch am Galfari nag y canodd erioed tra yma gyda ni. Duw fo'n nawdd i'r rhai sydd mewn galar trwm o'i golli.
Gan T. E. Williams (Buckhill).