Susannah Lewis was born around 1838 in the town of Tregaron, Cardiganshire, Wales. She was the eldest child of Elizabeth Davies and John Lewis (Ioan Mynyw), who was a bard and an influential figure in Tregaron’s history. [1]

Susannah married in 1860 at the Calvinistic Methodist Chapel in Tregaron to David Roberts.[2] Together, they had one son: William David Roberts. Sadly, her husband passed away relatively soon after they married and she then married a second time to David Philips,[3] who also passed away not long afterwards.

Twice in one decade, Susannah was married and widowed and she was left a single mother. On top of these struggles, she was known to have dealt with mental health issues throughout her life. She did, however, have the support of her parents and siblings, with whom she lived for most of her life. In 1881, Susannah, two of her sisters, and her brother-in-law, were all living with their mother at Rhydyronen House in Tregaron.[4] Together, they ran a general dealer business, which was involved in drapery, grocery, and ironmongery—she and her sisters were listed as draperesses.

Susannah was able to provide a good education for her son, William. He went on to graduate from St. David’s College, Lampeter, and Jesus College, Oxford, England.[5] He settled in various parts of Wales as an Anglican clergyman and, in WWI, he played an important local role in managing the refugee crisis, [6] being a leader of the Llanfair Belgian Refugee Committee.[7]

In her everyday life, Susannah was accustomed to going on her daily walks, sometimes alone and other times with company.[8] When she went to visit her son in Oxford, they went for evening walks together too. Following her walk through Oxford on July 26, 1887, Susannah died at the age of 49.[9] Just like her father, she ended her life by suicide. She was probably returned to Tregaron and buried at Bwlchgwynt Calvinistic Methodist Chapel where her father was also laid to rest.[10]

Suicide Crisis Helplines

Suicide helplines and resources will vary depending on where you live, but can be found easily enough online. It may be a good idea to look these numbers up and have them written down somewhere (like in your crisis safety plan) before you’re in immediate need. Many places will have national crisis helplines in addition to local organizations that offer helplines or direct intervention support. It’s important to also look for helplines that don’t involve police, who are often poorly-trained in addressing mental health crises and pose a significant danger to people from various communities. There are also warmlines that you can call to talk to someone about how you’re feeling. Warmlines are generally intended for people who are not in an immediate crisis.

If you are in immediate need of support, check HERE for helplines in your country.

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[1] 1838. Cardiganshire Baptisms. Caron, p. 117 (p. 117/200). Digital Images. Ancestry. Entry for Susannah Lewis, Sept. 22, 1837, entry 930.

[2] 1860. Anonymous, “Marriages: On the 22^nd instant…,” The Welshman, April 27, 1860, p. 5, col. 6. Digital Images. National Library of Wales. https://newspapers.library.wales/view/4350803/4350808/33/

[3] 1887. Anonymous, “Singular and Depressing Suicide at Oxford,” Oxfordshire Weekly News, August 3, 1887, p. 6. Digital Images. FindMyPast.

[4] 1881. England and Wales Census, 1881. Cardiganshire, Caron Ys Clawdd, ALL, District 2. Digital Images. Ancestry. Entry for Elizabeth Lewis, p. 9 (p. 10/37), entry 64.

[5] 1933. Anonymous, “Obituary,” Welsh Gazette, May 11, 1933, p. 2, col. 1. Digital Images. FindMyPast. https://www.findmypast.com/image-viewer?issue=BL%2F0004550%2F19330511&page=2&article=024

[6] 1914-1919. “Papers Relating to Belgian Refugees, 1914-1919.” W. D. Roberts Manuscripts. NLW MS 9982E. Digital Images. National Library of Wales. http://hdl.handle.net/10107/3988264 or https://viewer.library.wales/3988264#?xywh=-963%2C-802%2C4152%2C4563

[7] See also: 2014. Lorna M. Hughes. “Finding Belgian refugees in cymru1914.org” Lorna M. Hughes Blogspot, https://lornamhughes.blogspot.com/2014/09/finding-belgian-refugees-in.html, accessed Apr. 2025.

[8] 1887. Anonymous, “Singular and Depressing Suicide at Oxford,” Oxfordshire Weekly News, August 3, 1887, p. 6. Digital Images. FindMyPast.

[9] 1887. Anonymous, “Singular Death,” The Aberystwyth Observer, July 30, 1887, p. 4, col. 3. Digital Images. National Library of Wales. https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3044717/3044721/29/

[10] 1873. Anonymous, “Death and Burial of Mr. John Lewis (Ioan Mynyw),” The Cambrian News and Merionethshire Standard, November 14, 1873, p. 10, col. 3. Digital Images. National Library of Wales. https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3343602/3343612/93/