Rachel Davies ("Rahel o Fôn"; born Rachel Evans Paynter; August 25, 1846 – November 29, 1915) was a Welsh-born lecturer and evangelist preacher who emigrated to the United States. She was the first woman minister ordained in the state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. Rahel o Fôn is the Welsh Bardic name for "Rachel of Anglesey". She started preaching with the Baptists at the age of 20. She was later invited on a preaching tour of the United States and when living in Ixonia, Wisconsin, she joined the

Calvinistic Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

Methodists. While in Wisconsin, she met and married Edward Davies, a prosperous wagonmaker who had emigrated to Watertown, Wisconsin, from Tregaron, Wales. After her husband died, she was ordained a minister at the age of 44, and carried on preaching all her life. She returned to Wales for a period and lived at her sister's home ''Cefn Derwen'',

Anglesey Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...

across from

Caernarfon Castle Caernarfon Castle (; ) is a medieval fortress in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. The first fortification on the site was a motte-and-bailey castle built in the late 11th century, which King Edward I of England began to replace with the current st ...

. At one time she gave some assistance to

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...

in his electoral campaign. She died November 29, 1915, in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, at her son's home and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery at Watertown, Wisconsin. A 50 ft

stained glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

given in her memory by her son, Joseph E. Davies, can be seen at the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Episcopal Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral or National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Wa ...

Culture

A theatrical play about her life, ''Rahel o Fôn.'' was written by Emily Sprague Wurl. It won first prize in the Wisconsin Centennial Playwriting Contest in 1948.From the archives of her great grand daughter, Mia Grosjean.

Family

She was born as Rachel Evans Paynter, the daughter of William Cox Paynter, and his wife Jane Mary Williams of Llanfihangel-y-pennant, Caerns. She married in the United States to Edward Davies, a native of

Cardiganshire Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a county in the west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. Ab ...

. Her son, Joseph Edward Davies, was the second

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

to represent the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

as well as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium before World War II.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Rachel 1846 births 1915 deaths People from Ixonia, Wisconsin Welsh emigrants to the United States People from Anglesey People from Watertown, Wisconsin People from Llanfihangel-y-Pennant