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Draft:John Silvanus Davis

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John Silvanus Davis
John Silvanus Davis
Welsh writer, printer and Mormon missionary
BornJune 7, 1822
Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, South Wales
DiedJune 11, 1882
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
Occupation(s)Writer, Poet, Printer
SpouseElizabeth Phillips
ChildrenJulia Elizabeth Davis
Parent(s)James Silvanus and Ann Walter

John Silvanus Davis (June 7, 1882 – June 11, 1882) [1] was a Welsh writer, poet, printer and early defender the Latter-day Saints in South Wales during the mid-1800s. He translated the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants into Welsh.

Biography

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Early life

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John Silvanus Davis was born during a period of rapid industrialization in South Wales during the mid-1800s. [2]

Although he was baptized into the Congregational Church, his father eventually started his own congregation, which was not uncommon in the non-conformist chapels of Wales. John followed in his father's faith as a young man.

John began writing poetry when he was thirteen, under the direction of his mother. His writing appeared in various Welsh magazines. [3] John continued to write poems, songs and hymns for the rest of his life, a practice his daughter Julia Elizabeth Davis also enjoyed.

Life in Wales 1845-1854

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John first became interested in the Latter-day Saints in 1845. He heard about them from the Reverend John Jones, a fellow printer, who was printing Mormon tracts in Llanybyther.

John was baptized on April 19th, 1846, and then ordained a teacher and priest within the next two years. He defended Mormonism vigorously in periodicals, tracts, poems and books. He also actively engaged directly with both local and visiting preachers. He himself traveled on foot throughout Wales and Dublin as a missionary for his newfound religion. [4]

In 1848, John was called as first counselor to William S. Phillips [5], president of the Welsh mission. The two managed the affairs of the printing office in Llannerdy. John printed several Mormon periodicals influential among the Welsh Saints, most notably the "Udgorn Seion," which he edited from 1849 until his emmigration in 1854. He wore many hats during at this time, acting in the roles of compositor, pressman, editor, author, bookseller, preacher, counselor, scribe, secretary and church doctor. [6]

In 1850, Orson Pratt directed John to translate the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants into Welsh. In 1852, John also translated the Pearl of Great Price, as well as a hymnbook which contained many of his own songs. His dealings with the Latter-day Saints in the Welsh mission brought him into circles with early Mormon leaders such as future prophet John Taylor, F. D. Richards, and Erastus Snow. [7]

Marriage and children

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John married Elizabeth Phillips (1823 – 1906) on December 30th, 1850 in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. They met each other through their association with the Latter-day Saints in the Cwmbach branch of the Welsh Mission. [8] They had a single daughter, Julia Elizabeth Davis (1851 – 1946), who married Utah's first senator, Joseph L. Rawlins.

Elizabeth Phillips Davis
Julia Elizabeth Davis Rawlins

Emigration to the United States

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As early as November 1853, John and his family started preparations for their emigration to the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah. He closed his accounts and transferred operational management of the Welsh mission and printing presses to Captain Dan Jones.

On January 15th, 1854, John received first word that the emigrants were to set sail for the United States on February 1st. With only only two weeks notice, the Latter-day Saints hastily gathered in from the countryside with what they could. John and Elizabeth saw their parents one last time before joining the others at Liverpool. [9]

The Davis' boarded the ship "Golconda" in the late evening of January 31, 1854. Four days later, the ship set sail with 477 people. The weather was rough for much of their journey across the Atlantic Ocean. However, the weather warmed when they reached the Bermuda Islands. The passengers spent their time on the voyage with entertainment including mock trials, dancing, band music, weddings and daily religious meetings. [10]

The "Golconda" reached the Port of New Orleans in the United states six weeks later. The company made their way by steamboat and wagon to St. Louis, Missouri, where they remained for three weeks gathering provisions for the trek westward across the Great Plains.

After leaving St. Louis, they passed by several Native Americans who were receiving gifts from the United States government. The Native Americans were also trading with pioneers, emigrants, gold diggers and other people heading West. Crossing the Great Plains in the 1850s was a dangerous undertaking, often resulting in hunger, privation and death. Both John and Elizabeth fell ill to cholera along the way. The company arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley in July 1854 after a journey of seven months and three weeks. [11]

Life in Salt Lake City 1854-1861

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Almost immediately after the Davis' reached Salt Lake City, John started teaching English to the new Welsh Saints. He taught various subjects for most of his life on topics ranging from writing to astronomy, both of which he knew well. [12]

John first met Brigham Young in December of 1854. Young advised John to go into farming, but when he found out he was a printer, directed him instead to pursue his trade at the Deseret News. John built a two-story house on a lot in Salt Lake City he purchased from Brigham Young. It was known as the "Big House" for years. John lived in various places in Salt Lake City for the rest of his life, improving the lot and buildings wherever he lived. [13]

On July 23, 1856, Brigham Young invited several prominent Latter-day Saints to join him at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon for a 24th of July celebration. The next day, they received word of general Albert S. Johnston's army approaching the Great Salt Lake Valley during the Utah War.

The Latter-day Saints had been driven from the eastern United States and were determined to stand their ground in Utah. Brigham Young ordered the Saints to bury the Salt Lake Temple to protect it from destruction. Then, the Davis', along with the Deseret News staff and the presses, moved to Fillmore until the end of the Utah War. They returned to Salt Lake City in September 1858. [14]

Career as a printer

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In addition to his personal writings such as his poems, he also worked professionally with both secular and religious printing establishments such as the "Deseret News," "Valley Tan" and "The Mountaineer" (later called the "Daily Herald"). John became the foreman of the "Daily Herald" in August of 1859.[15]

In December 1858, John was elected as public printer for the legislative assembly. [16]

In 1861, John was forced to give up printing due to ill health. He was unemployed for one year until he and Elizabeth opened a small store in his two-story house with one hundred dollars she had saved without his knowledge. The business flourished until 1870, when Brigham Young and other businessmen formed Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI)[17] were organized. [18]

In his final years, John manufactured and sold a root beer popular among Mormons called Cronk Beer. [19]

John died on June 11, 1882 in Salt Lake City, Utah after a lingering illness. He was remembered fondly as a gentle man with a strong and independent mind. [20]

Philosophical and/or political views

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John was an ardent defender of early Mormonism.

Published works

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Recognition

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John's publications were influential in persuading many early Welsh Latter-day Saints to emigrate to the new Mormon Zion in the Great Salt Lake Valley in the Territory of Utah, United States.

See also

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The Welsh Mission

Notes

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Citations

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  1. ^ "Vital Information". The Welsh Saints Project. Brigham Young University. 2012. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  2. ^ Rawlins, Bert J. (12 August 1980). "Economic, Religious, and Social Change in Industrial Wales". FamilySearch. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-11-08. In nineteenth-century Wales, society was profoundly affected by a series of drastic changes.
  3. ^ "Davis, John Silvanus - Biography". The Welsh Saints Project. Brigham Young University. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-11-05. At about the same time he began writing poetry.
  4. ^ ibid., p. 2 "...he began to journey from Merthyr to North Wales and Dublin"
  5. ^ "William Samuel Phillips". Church History Biographical Database. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  6. ^ ibid. "...he published the 'Udgorn Seion'"
  7. ^ Biography p. 2 "John attended an LDS coference in London..."
  8. ^ Rawlins, Bert J. (August 12, 1980). Genealogical Records as Family History Sources in Wales: A Case Study. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-11-09. ...through a visit to her branch at Cwmbach
  9. ^ Rawlins, Bert J. 1980 p. 4 "...informed him that the ship would sail on 1 February"
  10. ^ Biography p. 3 "they went on board the ship 'Golconda.'"
  11. ^ Biography p. 4, "The company arrived in Salt Lake City">
  12. ^ Biography p. 4 "John delivered a lecture on astronomy"
  13. ^ Biography p. 4 "It was called the “big house” for many years."
  14. ^ Biography p. 5 "The Deseret News printing press had been removed to Fillmore"
  15. ^ Whitney, Orson F. (1904). History of Utah: in Four Volumes. Vol. 4. George Q. Cannon & Sons Co. p. 353. He frequently contributed articles to the local press.
  16. ^ Biography p. 5 "...he was elected Public Printer for the Legislative Assembly"
  17. ^ "Cooperative Movement". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 2024-11-09. The School [of Prophets] devised a plan: the Saints could form exclusive cooperative agreements...
  18. ^ Biography p. 5 "The business flourished until 1870, when the Ward Co-Operative Stores were organized."
  19. ^ Davis, John S. (1876). "Davis' Cronk Beer". Archive.org.
  20. ^ Biography p. 5 "Six years later, 1882, Mr. Davis died, after a lingering illness"

Further reading

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  • Ronald D. Dennis collected works on the Welsh Mission and John Silvanus Davis.
  • John S. Davis papers, 1843-1877 at the Church History Library [4]
  • John S. Davis correspondence, 1849-1855 at the Church History Library [5]
  • John S. Davis receipts, 1850-1854 at the Church History Library[6]
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  • John Silvanus Davis on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints history website
  • John Silvanus Davis profile on the Welsh Saints Project
  • John Silvanus Davis biography on the Welsh Saints Project


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