1. Dan Jones.

Y farw wedi ei chyfodi yn fyw: neu’r hen grefydd newydd. Traethawd yn dangos anghyfnewidioldeb teyrnas Dduw.

(The dead raised to life: or the old religion anew. Treatise showing the immutability of the kingdom of God.)

Wrexham: Printed by William Bayley, Estyn Street, 1845.

iv[5]–48 pp. 19 cm.

Printed wrappers—the front wrapper differs only slightly from the title page; it has just 4 lines of scriptural quotation, where the title page has 14 lines; also, it has an ornamental border, where the title page has none.

The preface to this, the first extant Welsh Mormon pamphlet, is dated 4 April 1845. Three months earlier, the author, Dan Jones, had begun his labors as a Mormon missionary in North Wales. In a letter dated 24 February 1845, Jones wrote to Wilford Woodruff, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: “Since Br. Stratton left I have prepared a work for the press, principally about the order of the Kingdom set u p in the days of the Apostles, & illustrating the first principles, the immutability of the Gospel &c something similar to P. P. Pratts, on the Kingdom, in the voice of Warning, but Welsh of course” (Library-Archives, Historical Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; hereafter cited as LDS Church Archives).

The night before Joseph and Hyrum Smith were martyred, Dan Jones was with them in the jail at Carthage, Illinois. There he was the recipient of Joseph’s last prophecy: “You will yet see Wales, and fulfill the mission appointed you before you die.” The call for Jones to return to his native land as a missionary had come on 11 May 1843, more than a year before the Carthage prophecy; but his departure had been delayed, possibly by involvements in connection with the Maid of Iowa, a small river steamer which

Joseph Smith had purchased from Jones. That the money from the Maid of Iowa was intended to be used for publishing materials in Welsh is indicated by Joseph Smith’s comment to Jones shortly before going to Carthage (Jones is quoting Joseph Smith): “I have a check in the house for $1200 as soon as I can get it cashed you shall have $1100 of it, and the start for Wales, not with your fingers in your mouth but prepared to buy a Press; and do business a right’” (Jones to T. Bullock, 20 January 1855, LDS Church Archives). According to Jones, however, payment was never made; and during his first mission to Wales he had to have his writings published on a borrowed press.

In his 24 February 1845 letter to Wilford Woodruff, Jones describes the intended publication and then laments the cost: “Twil be in pamphlet form about two sheets, or 48 pages, of twelve fold, close type. . . . They wanted £16 pr 1000. but tomorrow I have to go & see another Printer & will make a trade with him for a thousand copies for something less 8c get him to print them in two weeks.” The printer who eventually did the work on this pamphlet was William Bayley of Wrexham in North Wales.

Jones uses more than two-thirds of the section “The Kingdom of God” from Apostle Parley P. Pratt’s pamphlet Voice of Warning. At times he translates directly; at times he paraphrases; other times he rearranges the order. Nearly always he elaborates on Pratt’s line of logic. Although at least three-fourths of Jones’s pamphlet is not in Voice of Warning, generally this “nonborrowed” portion is an expansion of ideas which had been set forth by Parley P. Pratt. Some of the more significant enlarged areas are the necessity of baptism, the existence of spiritual gifts in modern times, and the reality of the death and resurrection of the Savior.

Curiously, not once in Y farw wedi ei chyfodi yn fyw does Jones mention the word Mormon or even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But the various ministers of other religions apparently knew perfectly well which faith Jones represented, and united in opposition. In a cooperative effort, the Baptists and the Independents of Merthyr Tydfil appointed one David Williams to refute Jones’s pamphlet with one of their own: Twyll y Seintiau Diweddaf yn cael ei ddynoethi, mewn nodiadau byr ar draethawd a ysgrifenwyd yn ddiweddar gan Capt. D. Jones, dan yr enw, “Traethawd ar anghyfnewidioldeb teyrnas Dduw” (The fraud of the Latter Saints exposed in brief observations on the treatise which was written recently by Capt. D. Jones, by the name of “Treatise on the immutability of the kingdom of God”). This first Welsh anti-Mormon pamphlet was published in December 1845.

Extremely rare today, Y farw wedi ei chyfodiyn fyw had become a collector’s item within five years of its publication. John Davis commented in the wrapper (p. iv) of the February 1850 Udgorn Seion: “Remember that the books of the Saints are the only things that go up in price the older they get. Just try buying the early volumes of the STAR for five pounds, or the Hen grefydd newydd [Old religion anew a portion of the title of item 1] for a half a crown.”

CSmH, UPB, US/C, WCS, WN, WS

Flake no. 4469

2. Annerchiad y Deuddeg Apostol yn Eglwys lesu Grist, Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf. At boll frenhinoeddy ddaear, at raglaw, ac at lywiawdwyr Unol Daleithiau yr Amerig, ac at lywyddion, a holl bobl y byd.

(Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To all the kings of the earth, to the president and to the governors of the United States of America, and to the rulers and all the people of the world.)

Rhydybont: Translated and published by Capt. Jones. Printed by John Jones, 1845.

12 pp. 17 cm.

In answer to a request from President Brigham Young, this proclamation was translated into Welsh by Dan Jones, the only-instance of its being published as a separate pamphlet. Inasmuch as Jones’s periodical Prophwydy Jubili would not begin for another seven months, a separate publication was the only choice. “At y darllenydd Cymraeg” (To the Welsh reader), a translator’s note dated 1 December 1845, is on page 12.

Although there is an eight-month period between Yfarw wedi eichyfodiyn fyw (The dead raised to life, item 1) and Annerchiad, there is no indication of anything in Welsh having been published by Jones during this time. In spite of an advertisement on page 12 of Annerchiad concerning a treatise in “answer to the chief objections which are offered to gainsay the doctrine which we profess,” Jones did not publish such a treatise until early February of 1846, a pamphlet entitled Atebydd y gwrthddadleuon (A reply to the objections, item 3).

In July 1846 Jones advertised his first four pamphlets in the wrapper for the first issue of Prophwyd y jubili in this order:

1. Y farw wedi ei chyfodi yn fyw (The dead raised to life, item 1)

2. Atebyddy gwrthddadleuon (A reply to the objections, item 3)

3. Annerchiad (Proclamation, item 2)

4. Y glorian (The scales, item 4). That Annerchiad preceded Atebydd y gwrthddadleuon, however, is suggested by Jones’s report to Reuben Hedlock in a letter dated 7 February 1846: “I have now the last form of my pamphlet in press, and am busily engaged working them off myself. I have also a reply ready, to a pamphlet published lately; printed in Welsh, at Merthyr, against my first pamphlet, by a clan of priests, misrepresenting us, and our good Mormon creed, most foully. This I can publish within a month, if I stay here to do it” (Millennial Star, 15 February 1846, p. 63).

“Reply . . . to a pamphlet published lately” is an obvious reference to Y glorian, a pamphlet written in answer to David Williams’s scathing review of Y farw wedi ei chyfodi yn fyw. And since Annerchiadhad been published in early December 1845, the “pamphlet in press” logically refers to Atebyddy gwrthddadleuon. Why Jones reversed the order of his second and third pamphlets is not clear.

The press used to produce Annerchiad and all other publications during his first mission was then owned by Jones’s brother John, in Rhydybont, a small village about fifty miles over the Black Mountain to the northwest of Merthyr Tydfil. “J. Jones, Llangollen,” as his brother John was known, was a controversial figure throughout Wales because of some debates in which he had engaged concerning the temperance movement and baptism by immersion (he was living in the town of Llangollen at the time). The Independents had invited him to Rhydybont as their minister.

Concerning Annerchiad, on 3 December 1845 Dan Jones wrote the following to Brigham Young:

After so long silence I take the liberty thus to reintroduce myself, and send you & each of the Twelve, a copy of the Welsh translation of yr “Proclamation,” tho’ now near midnight, tis but a few minutes since I finished printing 4000, with my own hand, on a borrowed Press; which I intend to spread far & wide through my native land, & send them to the nobility, judges, rulers, priests & people, that all may hear the great, the glorious truths contained therein and be ready to escape if they will, or be inexcusable if they don’t. Please accept of this novel token of the love & memory of a brother far away; preserve it until, awful day! when you ascend those thrones, when the books will open, then this will bear me witness that Cambria’s sons have heard yr timely warning in their native language,—keep it among yr relics, if worthy of a place to tell that the “Sailor” lives to give it publicity and fulfilment. (LDS Church Archives)

David Williams, the author of a 32-page rebuttal to Y farw wedi ei chyfodi yn fyw (The dead raised to life, item 1) entitled Twylly Seintiau Diweddaf yn cael ei ddynoethi (The fraud of the Latter Saints exposed), also had some observations about Annerchiad:

By the time I had glanced over the above treatise on the kingdom of God, yet another one came to my attention, one so presumptuous as if it had been written by the fingers of the devil, who had dipped his pen in the venom of dragons or in the fiery furnace itself, and had it printed in the gates of hell, and this under the name “Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles—the Saints, etc., to all the kings of the earth, etc.” Oh my! for human nature to have sunk so low, and become so impudent as to assert such majestic things in a deceitful way. The above booklet, that is the Annerchiad, has gone so far in its baseless assertions, that all one Welshman has to do is read it carefully to see its madness. (Pp. 28–29)

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Flake no. 1309

3. Dan Jones.

Atebyddy gwrthddadleuon a ddygiryn fwyaf cyffredtnol drwy y wlad yn erbyn Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf, a V athrawiaeth a broffesant; mewn ffurf o ymddyddan, er symud y rhwystrau oddiar fforddy Cymry ymofyngar, heb “anmhwyllo ynghylch cwestiynau, ac ymry son ynghylch geinau, o’r rhai y mae cenfigen, ymryson, cableddau, a drwg dybiauyn dyfod; ac na ddaliont ar CHWEDLAU ac achau anorphen, y rhai syddyn peri cwestiynau, yn hytrach nag adeiladaeth dduwiol, yr hon sydd trwy ffydd: gwnaed [PAWB] felly.”

(A reply to the objections which are most commonly brought throughout the country against the Latter-day Saints, and the doctrine which they profess; in the form of a dialogue to remove the obtacles from the path of the inquisitive Welsh without “doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, and evil surmisings; and neither giving heed to FABLES and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do [EVERYONE].”)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published and for sale by the author. Printed by John Jones, Rhydybont, [1846].

24 pp. 19 cm.

Printed wrapper—wrapper has an ornamental border; un-paginated.

Although advertised on page 12 of Annerchiad (Proclamation, item 2), dated 1 December 1845, Atebyddwas apparently published two months later in early February 1846 (see item 2). The first half of the scriptural quotation in the title is from 1 Timothy 6:4; the second half is from 1 Timothy 1:4. The bracketed word pawb (everyone) in the title is Dan Jones’s addition, as are the capital letters for chwedlau (fables) earlier.

The bound copies of Atebydd do not have the printed wrapper, and the pamphlet appears to be entitled Ymddyddan rhwng meistnaid traddodiad, sectariad, a Sant. A “Mene tekel” yr olaf ar ei gyhuddwyr (Dialogue between the masters of tradition, a sectarian, and a Saint. And “Mene tekel” of the last on his accusers). Only the unbound copy of the pamphlet at the National Library of Wales has the wrapper; on the back is an announcement of Jones’s plans to publish Prophwyd’y Jubili, a monthly periodical which was to appear in J u n e 1846.

Item 3, wrapper (left); Item 3, title page

The first quarter of Atebydd is essentially a slightly modified translation of Orson Pratt’s “Dialogue between tradition, reason, and scriptus,” which had appeared in his Prophetic Almanac for 1845. Dan Jones changes “reason” to “Saint” and “scriptus” to “sectarian” but uses the same points of discussion and interchange among the three participants for the first six pages. In Pratt’s presentation, as Mr. Tradition leaves in defeat, the dialogue is concluded with a 2-column “Comparison of evidence.” At this juncture in the Welsh, however, the “Comparison of evidence” is omitted and the dialogue continues between the Saint and the sectarian to the eventual convincing of the latter. Many topics previously discussed in Jones’s Y farw wedi ei chyfodi yn fyw (The dead raised to life, item 1) are again presented, such as the necessity of baptism, the necessity of proper authority, and the four things required to establish a kingdom. Also discussed are the apostasy, the fate of Luther and Calvin, the angel in Revelation 14:6, and the restoration of the gospel. Answers are given by the Saint to several questions posed by the sectarian, such as “Why do people have to be baptized in the nude?” (Mormons were shocked at this accusation), “Does baptism literally wash away all one’s sins?” and “What is the fate of all who died without a knowledge of the gospel?”

Atebydd was advertised in each of the six wrappers for Prophwyd y jubili, July through December 1846. Jones did not mention his pamphlets again until the April 1847 Prophwydy jubili, when he announced the appearance of three new pamphlets. Then in the July issue Jones advertised a volume entitled Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1846 (Capt. Jones on Mormonism, in 1846, item 9); among its contents was Atebydd.

In the November and December 1847 issues, and again in the February and March 1848 issues, Jones offered to buy back for full price any copies in good condition of Atebydd and several other publications. Then in the July 1848 issue, Jones mentioned that Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1846 was sold out and that he was unable to satisfy the frequent requests for the early pamphlets because they had all been sent to the distributors. Furthermore, he had no plans for any second edition until he was sure that the first edition had all been sold. Apparently there was no second edition, for John Davis declared in the October 1849 wrapper for Udgorn Seion that Atebydd was out of print and that there would be no second edition unless there were enough requests to warrant it.

CSmH, UPB, USIC, WCS, WN

Flake no. A42

4. Dan Jones.

Y glorian, yn yr hon y gwelir David yn pwyso Williams, a Williams yn pwyso David; neu David Williams, o Abercanaid, yn gwrthddweydei hun, wedi ei ddalyn ei dwyll, a’i brofi yn ddeistaidd.

(The scales, in which are seen David weighing Williams, and Williams weighing David; or David Williams, from Abercanaid, contradicting himself, caught in his deceit, and proved deistic.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published and for sale by the author. J.Jones, Printer, Rhydybont, 1846.

16 pp. 19 cm.

The title page of Y glorian bears scriptural quotations from Job 15:6, “Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee, “and Job 11:3, “Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?” A 4-line poem also appears on the title page:

No matter the depth of the dust and muck

Which has been thrown on the Mormons’ majesty;

Good is our plea, God is on our side,

Despite the ugly commotion of all the wolves.

Dan Jones’s first pamphlet, Y farw wedi ei chyfodi yn fyw (The dead raised to life, item 1), caused such a stir in Wales that a group of Baptist ministers joined forces with a group of Independent ministers and commissioned David Williams, a lay preacher, to write a rebuttal. The result was a 32-page pamphlet entitled Twylly Seintiau Diweddafyn cael ei ddynoethi (The fraud of the Latter Saints exposed). Williams’s pamphlet was first published in December of 1845, and a second edition was dated 1846 (see item 2).

In a letter to Apostle Wilford Woodruff, dated 2 January 1846, Jones stated:

I should be pleased if you would send me a letter authorizing me to collect what I can from the Welsh Saints on Acfcount] etc. to enable me to bring out another pamphlet now, in answer to one now just out by the joint stock of Priests just such another as the Mormonism Unveiled tho’ in Welsh, published in this place, if it is not answered some weak Saints & sinners may stumble about it. (LDS Church Archives)

His request must have been granted, as in a letter to Reuben Hedlock, dated 7 February 1846, Jones reported:

I have also a reply ready to a pamphlet published lately; printed in Welsh, at Merthyr, against my first pamphlet, by a clan of priests, misrepresenting us, and our good Mormon creed, most foully. This I can publish within a month, if I stay here to do it. (Millennial Star, 15 February 1846, p. 63)

As indicated by the title and the scriptures quoted from the book of Job , Dan Jones takes a scornful attitude toward David Williams as he puts him on the scales—David on one side and Williams on the other—and proceeds to point out his contradictions. Throughout the entire 16 pages, full of satire and derision, Jones simply follows the standard, mid-nineteenth-century techniques of the polemic. The bulk of his defense centers around the signs that were to follow the believers, as mentioned in Mark 16:17-18. Williams had challenged Jones to prove that he was sent of God by healing all the sick of Merthyr Tydfil and by drinking something deadly without suffering any harmful effect. Jones counters with scriptural quotations concerning sign-seekers. He also counters Williams’s attack on Mormon views concerning additional scripture, the necessity of baptism, and Williams’s vitriolic observations about Annerchiad y Deuddeg Apostol (Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles, item 2). This segment is typical of Jones’s style throughout the pamphlet:

Who says that? Williams, I think, for David in the previous two lines says the complete opposite to that in this admission. . . . Which one do you believe? David or Williams? I believe David now. . . . Well done, Williams! Although he lost before, he wins now, and is closer to the truth than David.

The first section of the pamphlet, entitled “At y darllenydd” (To the reader), bears quoting:

I appeal to the reader in this essay, for it would be a foolishness to appeal to Mr. Williams, for reason or scripture, when his work proves him devoid of the one and the other, he being chained so close to his prejudiced traditions, that one might think that he would lose his life before losing them. He resembles that poor man who had sunk down into a bog on the bank of a great river in America after great floods. When some traveler came past that way, after the surface had hardened, he saw a hat in front of him. He picked it up, and to his great surprise, beheld a head underneath it. After staring at it until he believed his own eyes, he grasped it with all his strength thinking to pull it to the bank by its hair; but with the first pull the poor man shouted out loudly, “Don’t, don’t take me to the bank, for I have a good horse underneath me and a pair of new boots on my feet; I would rather sink with them than lose them!!!”

Perhaps some will say that this is wasted effort—that this little man, and his pamphlet, are beneath notice. I admit from experience that that was the first thought, and quite reasonable, of every principled man; but on second thought I remembered the second advice of the wise man: “Answer the fool according to his foolishness, lest he be wise in his own sight.” When I understood that this “scribe” is a “mouth-piece” for some conference of bullies, and a bell hammer for their belfry, I thought that if I did not defend myself and the truth in the face of such terrible false accusations, and show the foolishness, deceit, and idiocy of this “clique,” there would be no peace for the Saints at their work, or on the streets, or in their meeting houses

Prophwyd y Jubili prospectus printed on item 3, back wrapper

either, from the “nation of brawlers” upsetting them in public; and since “silent contempt” after long trial did nothing but make them worse still, one must “shut up their mouths” with the truth. Read unbiasedly, oh reader, and give fair play to Y GLORIAN to turn properly.

Instead of answering Dan Jones’s Y glorian with yet another pamphlet, David Williams simply issued a second printing of Twyll y Seintiau Diweddaf yn cael ei ddynoethi and then went to Y Bedyddiwr (The Baptist), a monthly periodical of the Baptists, in an effort to scandalize the Mormons. For ammunition he used Thomas Jones, an apostate Mormon, and his series of reasons for no longer believing in Mormonism (see item 8 for more on Thomas Jones).

CSmli, UPB, USIC, WCS, WN

Flake no. 4472

5. Prophwyd y Jubili, neu, Seren y Saint; yn cynnwys hanes sefydliad “Goruchwyliaeth cyflawnder yr amseroedd,” ynghyd ag erlidigaethau, merthyrdod, ac alltudiaeth ei hufyddion, a ‘u llwyddiant.

(Prophet of the Jubilee, or, Star of the Saints; containing an account of the establishment of the “Dispensation of the fulness of times,” together with the persecutions, martyrdom, and exile of its adepts, and their success.)

Merthyr Tydfil: [Printed by John Jones, Rhydybont] July 1846-October 1848 [Published by Dan Jones], and November 1848–December 1848 [Printed by J. Davis, Carmarthen].

Monthly. 3 vols. (30 whole nos.) 580 pp. 16.2 cm.

Each issue from July 1846 to November 1846 has 28 pages. The issue for December 1846 has 24 pages plus 4 additional pages (title page, blank, foreword, and index for volume 1). Each issue from July 1846 to December 1846 has a 4-page wrapper.

The issue for January 1847, 16 pages, begins on page [5]. It was no doubt intended to produce a title page, a foreword, and an index for volume 3 with the December 1847 issue, but they were not printed. Each issue from February 1847 to December 1847 has 16 pages. Each issue from January 1848 to October 1848 has 16 pages. The issue for November 1848 has 12 pages. The issue for December 1848 has 20 pages plus 4 (title page, blank, foreword, and index for volume 3).

The driving force behind Prophwydy Jubili was Captain Dan Jones, whose publishing and proselyting activities had already attracted considerable opposition to Mormonism. After nearly a year in North Wales, Jones was transferred to South Wales by a motion from Apostle Wilford Woodruff at the Manchester Conference of 15 December 1845. The motion received unanimous approval, and Dan Jones proceeded to Merthyr Tydfil to preside over “all the churches in Wales” (Millennial Star, 1 January 1846, p. 8).

Awaiting him in Merthyr was a 32-page reply to his first pamphlet, Y farw wedi ei chyfodi yn fyw (The dead raised to life, item 1). The author was David Williams, a lay Baptist preacher in the Merthyr Tydfil area. Williams’s pamphlet, Twyll y Seintiau Diweddaf yn cael ei ddynoethi (The fraud of the Latter Saints exposed), was the first of more than twenty anti-Mormon publications which would appear during the next eight years in Wales. Even more frequent than the pamphlets were the merciless attacks against Mormonism in the various periodicals of the Nonconformists (those denominations not in agreement with the Catholic or the Anglican churches). Jones sent rebuttals to the editors, but none were printed. He expressed his frustration in the first issue of Prophwydy Jubili:

In the kindest manner in defense of our innocence we have sent convincing letters to the periodicals which have accused us. But have they been allowed to appear? No! Have we been accused in the Amserau [TimesJ, Seren Gomer [Star of Gomer], Dysgedydd [Educator], Bedyddiwr [Baptist], etc.? Yes, indeed. Have we been loaned space to clear ourselves? No, indeed. Every meanness of an excuse has been sought out instead. What are we to do? . . . Has the press been closed against us? Is this Welsh freedom in the nineteenth century? Have the periodicals been closed? We shall open our own periodical, then. Has the press been defiled by slandering us? We shall cleanse it by-defending ourselves, then. {Prophwydy Jubili, July 1846, wrapper, p. [2])

Item 5 July 1846 wrapper

Although space in the Millennial Star was available to Jones (the use of which would have eliminated the expense of a second Mormon publication in Britain) and although the Welsh were a highly literate people, the majority were literate in Welsh only. This fact, coupled with the animosity the Welsh felt for the English (as well as the Welsh editors’ unwillingness to print anything in favor of the Mormons), prompted Dan Jones to launch Prophwydy Jubili, a publication which was aimed at keeping Mormon character “above every invention, slander and lie” (Prophwydy Jubili, July 1846, wrapper, p. [2]).

In Jones’s comments to his compatriots on page 12 of Annerchiad y Deuddeg Apostol(Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles, item 2), dated 1 December 1845, no mention is made of a Welsh Mormon periodical, but by early February of the following year, plans were definite. On the back cover of Atebydd y gwrthddadleuon (A reply-to the objections, item 3), published in February 1846, Jones printed an announcement of his forthcoming Prophwydy Jubili. He declared his intention to commence publication in June 1846 of a periodical which would contain short treatises on doctrinal subjects of the Latter-day Saints, quotations from the Book of Mormon, a defense of the character of the Saints, and miscellanies. The first issue ofProphwydy Jubili came off the press in July 1846, a month later than Jones’s prediction.

Jones had intended to acquire a printing press in Wales with the money he was to have received from Joseph Smith for the purchase of the Maid of Iowa, a riverboat (see item 2). Because he did not receive the money, Jones had to resort to using a borrowed press during his first mission. Most of his publications were printed at Rhydybont on the press of his non-Mormon brother, the Reverend John Jones; only his first pamphlet and the final two issues of Prophwyd y Jubili were not. In a letter dated 29 September 1847 to President Orson Spencer, Dan Jones declared that his brother’s press was “the only press in Wales, to my knowledge, that will publish for me” (Millennial Star, 15 October 1847, p. 319).

Ten years Dan’s senior, J o h n Jones was already a controversial figure in Wales, having been involved in several printed polemics and having appeared in public debates on baptism and temperance. His cooperation in publishing for the Mormons did little to endear him to the hearts of his fellow ministers; in fact, one of them claimed: “There is no other press sufficiently ‘prostitute’ to give birth to such a monster” (Seren Gomer, December 1847, p. 374). Earlier, in the first issue of his own publication, Y Golygydd (The Editor), John Jones wrote the following to “H. H.” (Jones had published only one 12-page pamphlet for the Mormons): “Our dear friend can sleep peacefully concerning any danger that we have been overly disposed to Mormonism. Since the Mormons came to Wales no one has published as much, perhaps, against their particular subjects as we have. See our Esboniad [Explanation] on Matthew 24. Our work in publishing their books proves nothing more than our press is iron, and its owner is a free craftsman” (January 1846 wrapper, p. [2]). Reverend Jones proceeded to demonstrate that he was, indeed, free to do as he pleased by printing, during the next three years, pamphlets and books consisting of well over one thousand different pages. How many copies were printed of each item is not known; however, Dan Jones declared that he had put into print more than 850,000 pages of writings in support of Mormonism during 1847 alone (MillennialStar, 15 April 1848, p . 122). Even allowing for hyperbole, the press at Rhydybont was a busy one indeed. Little wonder, then, that the ministers were distressed at the willingness of one of their number to print materials which were instrumental in “deceiving” many of their own congregations.

Prophwydy Jubili was an extremely ambitious effort for the first six months; each issue consisted of 28 pages plus a 4-page wrapper. Beginning in 1847, the covers were no longer made, the size was reduced to 16 pages per issue, and the price was cut from threepence to twopence. As for its circulation, the only known comment is the one made by Dan Jones in his report of the December 1847 Merthyr Tydfil Conference to the effect that he had increased the circulation to about 1,200 (MillennialStar, 15 April 1848, p . 122).

Prophwydy Jubili is similar in content to the Millennial Star, with a substantial amount of material borrowed from the latter and translated into Welsh, especially doctrinal writings and letters from Church leaders. Other contents are conference reports, progress in baptisms, poetry, accounts of miraculous healings, accounts of persecution and conversion, and an occasional “ t h u m b i n g of the nose” at the enemy’s lack of success in forestalling the spread of Mormonism in Wales. In almost every issue, there is a defense of the Saints against another attack in one of the other religious periodicals. The Reverend W. R. Davies, a Baptist minister from Dowlais (about two miles north of Merthyr Tydfil), was one of the earliest and most relentless enemies of Mormonism. His 20-page anti-Mormon pamphlet, his sermons and his constant harassment in the columns of Seren Gomer and Y Bedyddiwr 2sc all met head on in Prophwydy Jubili. Together with the numerous pamphlets which were published during its two-and-a-half years of existence, Prophwydy Jubili served as an extension of the Mormon proselyting effort in Wales; and during this period, Church membership grew from about six hundred to nearly four thousand. In 1848, as Jones’s plans to return to America became more definite, the need for a successor who could continue to publish in Welsh became apparent, and John Davis, a young bachelor from Carmarthen who had published some poetry in Prophwydy Jubili, was selected. Davis proved to be an excellent choice, and for the next five years he served as editor of Udgom Seion, the successor to Prophwydy Jubili. During his tenure, Davis expanded the publication to a biweekly in 1851 and to a weekly in 1853. In 1854 he emigrated and was replaced by none other than Dan Jones, back in Wales on his second mission.

In the foreword to the third volume of Prophwyd y Jubili, dated 15 December 1848, Dan Jones announced that it would be the last: “Not because he cannot come to you again is he being suspended; rather we consider that he deserves by now to go to his ‘resting place,’ since he has run his race and kept the faith.”

CU-B, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WN; CSmH has vol. 1 only. WS has November 1847 through December 1848.

Flake no. 6773

6. Dan Jones.

Beth yw Mormoniaeth?

(What is Mormonism?)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published and for sale by D. Jones. John Jones, Printer, [1846?].

4 pp. 17 cm.

The contents of this small pamphlet first appeared in the August 1846 Prophwyd y jubili (pp. 29-34). Although the typesetting is different, there are but two minor wording changes in the text. In the April 1847 ProphwydyJubili, the pamphlet is advertised as “newly published.”

The source of inspiration for Beth yw Mormoniaeth? is clearly an article of the equivalent title in English, written by Parley P. Pratt and Samuel Brannan. Their writing is dated New York, 6 April 1845, and appeared in the 15 June 1845 Millennial Star. Jones’s pamphlet, both a translation and an elaboration, incorporates all of the contents and sequence of ideas of the source.

The major addition is a 1-page quotation from the prophet Mormon, who abridged the ancient American records that became the Book of Mormon. It is not a true quotation, however, but rather a series of comments in the first person singular, following the Book of Mormon linguistic style, in which “Mormon” identifies himself and describes his background. Most of what Mormon “says” is consistent with information given throughout the Book of Mormon, but there are a few errors. For example, Mormon is quoted as saying that his forefathers had left Jerusalem in the time of King Zcdekiah “about six hundred years before its destruction, and the capture of its inhabitants by Shalmaneser.” The author no doubt meant to have Mormon say “six hundred years before Christ” and the “capture of its inhabitants by Nebuchadnezzar.” Furthermore, it is anachronistic for Mormon to be speaking of the Jewish captivity, inasmuch as his forefathers, according to the Book of Mormon, left Jerusalem before the event.

Item 6, title page

UPB, USl, USlC, WS

Flake no. 4466

7. Dan Jones.

Hymnau, wedi eu cyfansoddia’u casg/u, yn fwyaf neiUduol, at wasanaeth Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf.

(Hymns, composed and collected most particularly for the use of the Latter-day Saints.)

[Rhydybont: Printed by John Jones, 1846.]

viii-[56] pp. 10.5 cm.

Because the four hymnals are easily confused, the above table may be useful for reference. Only a fragment of the first Welsh Mormon hymnal has been found. The title page is missing and pages iii and iv are quite frayed at the edges, although their printed contents are about 85 percent complete. Pages v-viii, containing the alphabetically arranged index to the 133 hymns, are complete, as are the following eight leaves, containing pages 1–16 and the first 36 hymns.

It was advertised for sale by Dan Jones in the November 1846 Prophwydy Jubili (wrapper). In 1849, John Davis published a different collection of Welsh Mormon hymns, and in 1851 he published a second edition of the 1846 hymnal. He explained his reasons for publishing a new collection as follows:

All the hymns of the old book have been omitted so that all who choose to bind it with the new one may do so, and thus possess more of a completeness. (Casgliad’o hymnau newyddion (Collection of new hymns J, foreword, item 28)

The “old book” is no doubt the hymnal published by Dan Jones in 1846, and the “ new one “ is the one which Davis published in 1849. Apparently the 1846 edition was still available at the time of publication of the 1849 edition in June, although Davis began his foreword with the following observation:

The unusual increase among the Saints, since they received the previous hymnal, is such that not one in ten of them has one; consequently, a collection of new hymns is being presented to them. (Ibid.)

The supply of the 1846 hymnal was exhausted by September 1850, as announced in Udgorn Seion for that month. Eight months later, the 31 May 1851 Udgorn Seion carried the following announcement: “The ‘Hen lyfrhymnau [Old hymn book] is ready, u n b o u n d “ (p. 180).

In his 1851 printing of the 1846 hymnal, Davis used exactly the same format that Dan Jones had used, even including Jones’s foreword. Although the typesetting is different, the 1846 hymnal most likely having been printed on J o h n Jones’s press in Rhydybont, Davis matched the contents page for page in the 1851 printing. There appear to be only two minor changes:

1. Instead of placing “HYMN 1. (M.N. 8, 7.),” “HYMN 2. (M. C.),” etc., in the center over each of the 133 hymns, as is the case for the 36 hymns contained in the 1846 fragment, Davis placed only the number of the hymn to the left of each hymn, centering the letters and numbers without the parentheses above each hymn.

2. “M.N. 8, 7.” above the first hymn of the 1846 printing appears as “M.N. 7, 6.” in the 1851 printing. “M. N.” is defined on page iv as a “special tune”; the numbers indicate the number of beats and syllables in each line.

Item 7, last page of index and first page of hymns; compare p. 133

The foreword is as follows:

Each sect has its hymns, together with its particular practices. Some of the hymns of the other denominations are sufficiently suitable to be sung by us, but not all; and since there is not a collection of hymns in the language, on which we can place our complete approval, we have no other choice but to compose and gather together such hymns as we consider suitable for us to sing in our worship services. That is the reason for publishing this small book; and although we are not releasing it as the highest-flying or the greatest of poetic accomplishments, we do think that it will coincide with the doctrine and spiritual tastes of the Saints. Hoping that it will bring pleasure and edification to them in their congregations and in their homes, it is presented to them by their humble brother, D. Jones.

Hymn number 133, on page 56, is listed twice in the table of contents—first as Brodyr a chwioryddcu, then as Frodyr a chwiorydd cu (both titles mean “Dear brothers and sisters”)—consequently, there are 134 separate listings in the table of contents, but only 133 hymns. The shortest hymns have only 4 lines; the longest has 30 lines. Although not listed in the tabic of contents, there are 13 section headings under which the hymns arc grouped. These are as follows:

The arabic numeral is missing for the eighth hymn. Two hymns are numbered 131. No hymn is numbered 132.

UPB (fragment only, containing pages [iii]–viii, [1]–16)

8. [Dan Jones.]

Amddiffyniad y Saint versus cyhuddiadau Thomas Jones, Merthyr, ac ereill.

(A defense of the Saints versus the accusations of Thomas Jones, Merthyr, and others.)

Rhydybont: Printed by J o h n Jones, [1846?].

8 pp. 17 cm.

The entire contents of this pamphlet were printed in the December 1846 Prophwyd y Jubili (pp. 148–56) and, with the exception of the title, the typesetting is the same for both. The pamphlet is not advertised in the Prophwydy Jubili as being available, however, until the July 1847 issue, thus putting the publication date of the pamphlet sometime between December 1846 and July 1847. And because the typesetting is the same for the pamphlet as for the segment in the Prophwydy Jubili, one would tend to place the date of publication near the beginning of 1847, or shortly after the December Prophwydy Jubili was off the press.

The Thomas Jones mentioned in the title had joined with the Mormons in April 1843. Three years later, shortly after being excommunicated for immoral conduct, Jones was interviewed by David Williams, a Baptist minister who had published a 32-page pamphlet rebutting Dan Jones’s first pamphlet. The interview, dated 4 June 1846, was written up and sent by Williams to the editor of Y Bedyddiwr (The Baptist), who in turn printed Williams’s brief introduction and his interview with Thomas Jones in two-and-a-half columns of the July issue of his periodical (pp. 250–51).

Six weeks later, Thomas Jones admitted, in the presence of witnesses, that he had not been completely truthful in the interview with Williams and that he was repentant for having allowed it to be published. His declaration, according to an affidavit signed by eight witnesses and printed on the last page of Amddiffyniad y Saint, was recorded by Elder Robert Evans, a Mormon missionary, in his (Evans’s) journal on 13 July 1846. (The journal is not extant.)

In the September 1846 issue of Y Bedyddiwr is a letter to the editor written by one “Meiriadog” (a pseudonym used by John Edwards, a poet and Campbellite Baptist) in which he recounts a conversation between himself and Robert Evans. In the course of the conversation, Meiriadog quoted from the July Y Bedyddiwr about the Thomas Jones incident, whereupon Evans produced Jones’s repentant comments which Evans had recorded in his journal. Meiriadog asked and received permission from Evans to copy Jones’s comments and then quoted them as p a n of his lengthy anti-Mormon letter to the editor. Meiriadog challenged Robert Evans to a debate and assured him that the editor of Y Bedyddiwr would print their writings. But the editor refused, declaring, “YBedyddiwr does not exist as a tool for them [the Mormons] to spread their tales and assertions up and down the country” (September 1844, p. 354).

Upon seeing Jones’s about-face described in Meiriadog’s letter, David Williams immediately sent another letter to the editor, which was printed in the October 1846 Y Bedyddiwr. Williams carefully worded his letter to make it appear that Thomas Jones had made yet another about-face since his comments recorded in Evans’s journal. But Dan Jones, on page 7 of Amddiffyniad y Saint, argues that Williams was merely drawing further from his original interview with Thomas Jones for his “latest” derogatory observations about Mormonism.

The foregoing sequence of events prompted three Mormon missionaries—William Phillips, William Henshaw, and Thomas Pugh—to write a letter of defense to the editor of Y Bedyddiwr. Their letter, which was refused publication, constitutes nearly three pages of Amddiffyniad y Saint. An account of their attempt to convince the editor to cooperate with them constitutes the first two pages of the pamphlet. The remaining three pages contain further considerations of the characters of Thomas Jones and David Williams as well as a half-page affidavit signed by eight witnesses to the effect that they had seen Robert Evans record in his diary the words of Thomas Jones.

Item 8, title page

USI, USIC, WN

Flake no. 4458

9. Dan Jones.

Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1846.

(Capt. Jones on Mormonism, in 1846.)

(A collection of previously published items bound together.)

The Prophwyd y Jubili for July 1847 (p. 116) and August 1847 (p. 132) carried the announcement of a volume entitled Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1846. According to the advertisement, the volume consisted of a collection of Dan Jones’s publications during 1845 and 1846 “bound in one beautiful volume, twelve-fold.” For just three shillings one could have the following (the titles are given as listed in the announcement):

1. The first volume of Prophwydy Jubili (July to December 1846)

2. Yr hen grefydd newydd (The old religion anew, item 1, partial title)

3. Atebydd (A reply, item 3)

4. Y glorian (The scales, item 4)

5. Amddiffyniad (A defense, item 8 or 13)

6. Y Milflwyddiant (The Millennium, item B)

7. Annerchiady Deuddeg Apostol (Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles, item 2).

I have found only two volumes bearing the title Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1846. Neither has a separate table of contents and both lack the fifth and sixth items as listed above. The fifth item in the announcement could be either Amddiffyniady Saint versus cyhuddiadau Thomas Jones, Merthyr, ac ereill (A defense of the Saints versus the accusations of Thomas Jones, Merthyr, and others, item 8) or Amddiffyniady Saint yn ngwyneb camgyhuddiadau y rhai a alwant eu hunain yn “Gwcw y Don, “yn y Seren Gomer, Ionawr, 1847 (A defense of the Saints against the false accusations of those who call themselves “Cuckoo of Ton “ [the meaning of “ T o n” is unclear but appears to be a place name, in the Star of Gomer, January 1847, item 13). As for item 6 in the announcement, no pamphlet with the title Y Milflwyddiant (The Millennium) or even with “milfwyddiant” in the title has as yet been identified (see comments on Y Milfwyddiant, item B).

The 4-page pamphlet Beth yw Mormoniaeth? (What is Mormonism?, item 6) is not mentioned in the advertisement as being part of the contents of this volume, nor is it bound in either of the two extant copies, although it was published prior to 1846. The pamphlet, however, was bound in a similar volume the following year. Since it sold for just a halfpenny, perhaps the supply was exhausted at the time of publication of Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1846, and it was reprinted in time for the collection that appeared the following year.

As for the urgency of securing a copy, the editor of Prophwyd y Jubili advised: “It is best to get a copy soon, since the above [items] can be obtained only in this Volume [collection of publications], except for the volume of Prophwydy Jubili, for they are out of print, and we do not intend to reprint them soon” (Prophwyd y Jubili, July 1847, p. 116; August 1847, p. 132).

CSmH, USIC

10. [Dan Jones.]

Beth ydyw yr efengyl?

(What is the gospel?)

Rhydybont: Printed by John Jones, [1846?].

8 pp. 17 cm.

(Item 10, title page)

(Item 11, title page)

11. [Dan Jones.]

Beth ydyw yr efengyl?

(What is the gospel?)

Rhydybont: Printed by John Jones, [1847?].

12 pp. 17 cm.

With a different typesetting, the 12-page edition of Beth ydyw yr efengyl? (item 11) has the contents of the smaller edition (item 10) in its first 9 pages. Pages 10, 11, and 12 appeared in the January 1847 issue of Prophwyd’yJubili (pp. [5]–9) under the title of “Annerchiad at y Cymry” (Proclamation to the Welsh). There are about 20 lines in the Prophwyd y Jubili printing of this “Annerchiad” which are not in the 12-page pamphlet, but the remainder of the contents is identical.

Dan Jones, editor of Prophwyd’y Jubili, was no doubt the writer of the “Annerchiad” and would, therefore, most likely be the writer (or at least the translator) and publisher of the rest of the pamphlet as well, although his name appears nowhere in the publication itself. An earlier pamphlet, Atebyddy gwrthddadleuon (A reply to the objections, item 3), without its wrapper, has no mention of an author, but the wrapper has the author’s name in large print. The same could be true of items 10 and 11.

Nothing by the title of Beth ydyw yr efengyl? is ever advertised in ProphwydyJubili; in fact, not until April 1849 in Udgorn Seion is the title mentioned. Since both pamphlets were printed in the town of Rhydybont, the date of publication would have to have been between December 1845 and October 1848, the period during which Mormon materials were printed by Danjones’s brother, John, at Rhydybont. A possible explanation is that the 8-page version may have been published in late 1846, and then, after the appearance of the “Annerchiad at y Cymry,” which was used to introduce the second volume of Prophwyd y Jubili, the “Annerchiad” was combined with the contents of the 8-page version to produce the 12-page version.

The title in Welsh of both versions is Beth ydyw yr efengyl? When advertised in Udgorn Seion, however, the title is Bethyw’refengyl? The difference is in the verb form and the definite article—separate in the longer title (“ydyw yr”) and contracted in the shorter (“yw‘r”). The meaning is unaltered.

The contents are purely doctrinal; even the “Annerchiad at y Cymry” in the 12-page version contains no names of individuals, periodicals, or other sects. The gospel is first explained through considerations of what it is not. Then Romans 1:16 and some other scriptural verses are cited to clarify what the gospel is. No specific source for the pamphlet has as yet been identified.

Item 10: UPB

Item 11: UPB, USIC

Flake no. 4464

12. Dan Jones.

Gau-brophwydi.

(False prophets.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published and for sale by D. Jones. Printed by John Jones, Rhydybont, [1847].

8 pp. 17 cm.

Gau-brophwydi is listed in the April 1847 Prophwydy Jubili as newly published. Although not in answer to any specific attacks on the Mormons, it is a defense against the widespread accusation that the Mormons were false prophets. As Dan Jones explained to Brigham Young in a letter dated 3 December 1845, this was one of the favorite epithets used by the opponents of Mormonism in Wales:

Their priests warn the people tis dangerous to hear me, that I’m the arch impostor of Wales: many an honest fellow has been turned out of their synagogues for coming to hear me, while the old women send their children to cry false prophets, etc., etc., after me through the streets and sometimes a hundred of these little urchins amuse me by their parrot tongues. (LDS Church Archives)

(Item 12, title page)

(Item 13, title page)

Although similar in size and topic to Thomas Ward’s “O n the false prophets of the last days” (Millennial Star, April 1842, pp. 177-84), Gau-brophwydi is neither a translation nor a reworking of Ward’s writing. For most of his doctrinal writings, Dan Jones borrowed quite heavily from articles and pamphlets already in print, but Gau-brophwydi appears to be an exception.

UPB, USl, USIC

Flake no. 4471

13. Dan Jones.

Amddiffyniad y Saint, yn ngwyneb camgyhuddiadau y rhai a alwant eu hunain yn “Gwcw y Don,” yn y Seren Gomer, Ionawr, 1847.

(A defense of the Saints against the false accusations of those who call themselves “Cuckoo of Ton,” in Star of Gomer, January 1847.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published and for sale by D. Jones. Printed by John Jones, Rhydybont, [1847].

12 pp. 17 cm.

One of the most vociferous enemies of Mormonism in Wales was W. R. Davies, a Baptist minister in Dowlais, a town about two miles from Merthyr Tydfil. It was he who coined the nickname “Latter-day Satanists”to describe the Welsh Mormons. In just over two years (1846-1848), he published no fewer than ten articles in four different periodicals, in addition to two separate pamphlets, in his efforts to discredit the Mormons and put a halt to their astounding progress in Merthyr Tydfil and environs.

To counter his earliest attacks, letters of defense were prepared and submitted to the periodicals which had printed Davies’s anti- Mormon writings. But the periodicals systematically refused to publish them. The frustration caused by this lack of fair play was at least partially responsible for the establishment of the first Welsh Mormon periodical, Prophwydy Jubili, begun in July 1846. The first issue carried a 6-page rebuttal to Davies’s writings which had appeared three months earlier in Y Bedyddiwr (The Baptist). Included also in the rebuttal was a copy of the letter that the editor of Y Bedyddiwr had refused to publish.

In the four issues of Prophwyd y Jubili from September to December 1846, Dan Jones published more than 20 pages reviewing, in serial form, a 20-page pamphlet produced by Davies in March 1846. Davies’s pamphlet is entitled YSeintiau Diweddaf. Sylwedd pregeth a draddodwydar y gwyrthiau, er mwyn goleuo y cyffredin a dangos twyll y creaduriaid a alwant eu hunain yn ‘ ‘Seintiau y Dyddiau Diweddaf’ (The Latter Saints. Substance of a sermon which was given on the miracles, to enlighten every man and show the deceit of the creatures who call themselves the “Latter-day Saints”). For the most part it deals with miracles in general, but one “miracle” in particular is held up for scrutiny and scorn—one which, according to the Mormons, happened in the healing of the broken leg of one William Hughes.

In a signed statement published in the first issue of Prophwyd y Jubili, William Hughes stated that two bones of his left leg had been broken on 18 January 1846, when a heavy weight fell on it in a coal mine. He was taken to his house where a Dr. Allday put his leg in splints. That same evening, according to Hughes’s testimony, one of the Mormon elders came by his house and gave him a blessing which completely relieved the pain. Three days later Captain Dan Jones gave Hughes another blessing, after which Hughes took off the splints and began to walk around, testifying that his leg was completely healed.

The Reverend W. R. Davies, in addition to making light of the incident in his pamphlet, also wrote about the alleged healing in a highly sarcastic article in Y Bedyddiwr for March 1846 (page 111) and mocked the “Satanists” (as he called the Mormons) for making such a ridiculous claim. Dan Jones bristled at Davies’s pamphlet and his article; he published, in the July 1846 Prophwydy Jubili (pp. 22–28), a detailed analysis of what he considered to be Davies’s lies.

Six months later the incident was still being discussed. Davies again mentioned it in a 3-column article in another Baptist periodical, Seren Gomer (Star of Gomer), which he signed with a rather strange pseudonym—“Gwcwy Don” (Cuckoo of Ton).

Dan Jones was rabid when the article reached his attention, and he immediately set about writing a defense. The result was a 12-page mixture of Jones’s best sarcasm and his most flamboyant rage. In addition to attempts to show how unfair Davies had been toward Mormonism in spite of non-Mormon witnesses in the Hughes case, Jones also answers the false charges that Davies brings against the Mormons in his article. In true polemic fashion, Jones extrapolates on Davies’s pseudonym: “At first we thought that it was the little cuckoo from Ton we had in our grasp, and then it turned into a profaning magpie; after that we thought perhaps the strange bird was a parrot until it became a rapacious kite” (p. 9).

It is not difficult to imagine the Mormons’ delight when, in 1848, Davies’s “right-hand m a n,” Rees Price, and his wife left the Dowlais Baptists and joined with the Latter-day Saints (Prophwydy Jubili, September 1848, pp. 131–33). Shortly thereafter, another of Davies’s followers, J o b Rowland, converted to Mormonism. And in a letter printed in the final issue of Prophwydy Jubili, Rowland described how Davies’s behavior had actually helped him discover the truth of Mormonism (December 1848, pp. 187–88).

Inasmuch as Amddiffyniady Saint is in answer to Davies’s ankle in the January 1847 Seren Gomer and inasmuch as it is advertised in the April 1847 Prophwydy Jubili, the date of publication logically falls between those two dates.

UPB, USl, USIC, WN

Flake no. 4459

14. Dan Jones.

“Haman” yn hongian ar eigrogbren ei hunt neu DanielJones (ddall) a’i lyfr yn profi gwirionedd MormoniaethU

(“Haman” hanging from his own gallows! or Daniel Jones [the blind] and his booklet proving the truth of Mormonism!!)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published and for sale by D. Jones. Printed by John Jones, Rhydybont, [1847].

8 pp. 16 cm.

On 7 July 1846, in the town of Llanybydder, Carmarthenshire, a blind man by the name of Daniel Jones was baptized by the Latter-day Saints. Witnesses, however, testified to having heard Jones admit that he had agreed to the baptism as a “prepared Judas,” who would then reject Mormonism because of the Mormons’ inability to heal him of his blindness (see “Haman,” p . 6).

Following Jones’s baptism, two Mormon elders—Captain Dan Jones and Abel Evans—anointed his eyes with oil and pronounced a blessing on him. Immediately afterwards, the blind man testified that during the blessing he had seen the candlestick on the table and firmly believed that he was on the verge of a complete restoration of his sight. After attending only two LDS meetings, however, he broke off his association with the Mormons and began to speak out against them, presumably according to his original plan.

A few months later Dan Jones and Thomas Jeremy met the blind man on their way back to Llanybydder. He did not answer when asked why he was persecuting the Mormons, whereupon Jones told him that if he continued his campaign against the Saints the hand of God would be on him and his fate would be hotter than that of Kora, Dathan, and Abiram, the three who were swallowed up in the earth after fighting against Moses.

In spite of the warning, the blind man was persuaded to publish a pamphlet-about his experience and thus warn the Welsh of the Mormons’ deceit. Twelve pages in length and entitled Ydrych cywir, lie y gellir canfod yn eglur twyll y Mormoniaid, neu “Seintiau y Dyddiau Diweddaf;” mewn dull o holiadau ac atebion, rhwng Daniel a’i gyfaill (The correct image wherein the deception of the Mormons or the “Latter-day Saints” can be perceived clearly; in the form of questions and answers between Daniel and his friend), the pamphlet is the account of an interview conducted by the blind man’s friend, the Reverend Josiah Thomas Jones, who was editor of Y Drysorfa Gynulleidfaol (The Congregational Treasury), a religious periodical. Also included is an anti-Mormon ballad that became popular in South Wales.

(Item 14, title page)

(Item 15, title page)

Captain Jones’s reaction to the blind man’s pamphlet was a pamphlet of his own—“Human” yn hongian ar ei grogbren ei hun!—describing the details of the baptism, the momentary restoration of the blind man’s sight, and the testimony of various witnesses. “Haman” was published shortly before 25 April 1847, the date of Dan Jones’s letter printed in the Millennial Star, in which he states that he has replied to the blind man’s pamphlet. He also describes the fulfillment of his prophetic warning given a few months earlier:

No sooner was the reply out of press, than on the old blind man it came, hot and heavy. He cried out that he was burning up alive; his friends poured cold water on him night and day in vain! He would rush out from them to a pool that was by, and there he would roll, and wallow, and yelp until he terrified the passers by. (15 July 1847, p. 219)

Jones adds that the blind man “died a monument of the displeasure of a just God for hypocrisy.”

An epilogue to the whole affair was a second edition over a year later of the blind man’s pamphlet. Strangely enough, those behind it claimed that Daniel the Blind was still alive. Thomas Jeremy states in a letter to Dan Jones: “ I have been with Mr. James Evans, the Registrar, who recorded the death of Daniel Jones, and he is willing to give a copy to anyone who wants it, by paying two shillings and sixpence and the postage” (ProphivydyJubili, November 1848, p. 171).

UPB, USl

Flake no. 4474

15. [Dan Jones.]

Profion o eirwiredd Llyfr Mormon.

(Proofs of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.)

[Rhydybont: Printed by John Jones, 1847?]

12 pp. 17.5 cm.

The contents of this pamphlet appeared in the Prophwydy Jubili for September 1846 (pp. 63–70) and October 1846 (pp. 95–101). Dan Jones mentions the pamphlet in a letter to Brigham Young dated 21 June 1847; but it is not mentioned at all in Prophwyd y Jubili or in Udgorn Seion or in any of the book lists. The entire 12 pages are doctrinal in nature and are a direct translation from segments of Charles Thompson’s 1841 Evidences in proof of the Book of Mormon.

Contrary to custom, no printer or place of publication is given at the end. One is led to wonder if perhaps there was a printed wrapper, discarded when the pamphlet was bound.

Of the two extant copies of Profion, one is owned by the National Library of Wales, the other by a private collector in Provo, Utah.

WN

16. Dan Jones.

Hanes Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf, o ‘u sefydliadyn y flwyddyn 1823, hyd yr amser yr alltudiwyd tri chan mil o honynt o ‘r America oherwydd eu crefydd, yn y flwyddyn 1846.

(History of the Latter-day Saints, from their establishment in the year 1823, until the time that three hundred thousand of them were exiled from America because of their religion, in the year 1846.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published and for sale by Capt. Jones. Printed by J. Jones, Rhydybont, [1847].

[ii]–[l]–102 pp. 17.1 cm.

Advertised in the July 1847 Prophwyd y Jubili (p. 108) as being off the press, this small book represents the earliest attempt at a comprehensive history of the Mormons. It is actually a mosaic, whose component parts originate from several sources, principally the periodical Times and Seasons and Orson Pratt’s An interesting account of several remarkable visions. A few items from the

(Item 16, title page)

Millennial Star and the Book of Mormon were also translated and used. Over half of the book is originally by Dan Jones and includes such things as his conversion story and his involvement in the events surrounding the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

The table of contents lists 49 divisions but only 27 of these are given separate chapter headings and numbers in the text. No explanation is offered in the preface, nor is one apparent in the book itself.

The first 46 pages of Hanes appeared in Prophwydy Jubili between July and November 1846 (pp. 6–22, 35–47, 58–62, 91–95, 120–27). Five pages (pp. 87–88; 90–92) were published in Prophwyd y Jubili as a sample of the booklet when it was first advertised in July 1847 (pp. 108–12), and the typesetting is identical for the corresponding segments. It is doubtful, however, that plates were saved over a period of that many months; it was far less expensive to have the plates prepared again. The typesetter would logically use the same format the second time, and the result would not appear to be a variant setting.

The segment printed in the November 1846 Prophwydy Jubili indicates that the history was to be continued, but it was not. Perhaps, at this half-way point, the author decided to suspend further publication of materials which he intended to include in Hanes and thus save the duplication. Seven months later Hanes was published.

Shortly after its publication, Hanes was used to entice people to attend a meeting at which Dan Jones would reply to the charges of one Edward Roberts, a Baptist minister from Rhymney. Roberts lectured against Mormonism in Dowlais the night of 2 September 1847 and charged sixpence for admission. Jones advertised that he would reply to Roberts’s lecture the following evening, with admission being the purchase of a shilling book (Hanes) for sixpence, “thereby paying them sixpence for coming” {Millennial Star, 15 October 1847, p . 318).

Toward the end of his 40-page review of Roberts’s lectures against Mormonism (see comments on Adolygiadar ddarlithoeddy Parch. E. Roberts [A review of the lectures of Rev. E. Roberts, item 17]), Jones describes the Reverend’s reaction to Hanes:

After ransacking the treatises and the newspapers, and every sink hole for every tale he could find to show his own deceptive reasoning, yes, after agitating his mind to the highest degree of hydrophobia in his pulpit, the Reverend remembered the book that is called Hanesy Saint (History of the Saints [title is slightly alteredl), and while beating it against the pulpit, nearly tearing it to shreds, out of rage for the paper and ink, to show what he would do with its author, and before showing one error in it or bringing any logic or scripture to gainsay it, except for his own assertions and those of his partners, he gave a “wholesale” condemnation of it in the following evangelical sentences: “If you wish to buy a worthless book, here it is. If you want a book full of deception, here it is. . . . I f you want a book which shows the DEVILISHNESS OF JOE , here it is, etc.” Now there’s a gentlemanly and evangelical way to review a book, isn’t it? (Adolygiadar ddarlithoeddy Parch. E. Roberts, item 17, p. 38)

The unnamed author of a review of Hanes—most likely Jones himself—sees the book in a different way:

Historical exactness is the chief motto of the author in this book, and in addition to the advantages which he had of being an eyewitness of many of the scenes which he describes, he has spared neither cost nor trouble to search for reliable witnesses, such as those who were put under oath in courts, and (whose testimonies] were made public to the world for the most part, and which stand irrefutable to this day, and which the authot keeps carefully in his library for the satisfaction of the doubter who asks to see them.

The author did not know of a better way to disabuse his fellow country men than by presenting to them this history of the holy religion which is falsely portrayed so greatly throughout our country. It would be well for the reader to secure a copy soon, for through a misunderstanding of the printer, only half of what we expected was printed. (Prophwydy Jubili, July 1847, p. 108)

MH, UPB, USl, USIC, WN

Flake no. 3830

17. Dan Jones.

Adolygiad ar ddarlithoeddy Parch. E. Roberts, (Gweinidog y Bedyddwyr yn Rymni,) yn erbyn Mormoniaeth, pa rai a draddododd yn Nghaersa/em, MediyrAil, ac yn Bethania (Cape/ yr Annibynwyr,) Medi y Trydydd, yn Now/ais.

(A review of the lectures of the Rev. E. Roberts, [a Baptist minister in Rhymney,] against Mormonism, which were delivered in Caersalem, September the Second, and in Bethania [a Congregational chapel], September the Third, in Dowlais.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published and for sale by Capt. Jones. Printed by J o h n Jones, Rhydybont, 1847.

40 pp. 17 cm.

The dark blue printed wrapper is identical to the title page except for a single-line straight-edged border and an indication of the price (fourpence). Only the recto has printing.

In Wales, the bulk of convert baptisms during 1845 and 1846 were in South Wales, especially the Merthyr Tydfil area. Numbers ranged from twenty to forty baptisms per month, but the growth rate nearly doubled in May and June of 1847, during which time some longstanding members of W. R. Davies’s congregation in Dowlais became Mormons. Davies then invited a neighboring colleague of the cloth, the Reverend Edward Roberts, to lecture at his (Davies’s) pulpit in Dowlais and deliver the “home stroke” to the growth of Mormonism. (The English phrase home stroke is used in a 2-column article in the October 1847 Seren Gomer [Star of Gomer], p. 318, about Roberts’s supposed triumph; it apparently means “coup de grace.”) Roberts had also lost members of his own congregation in Rhymney to the hated Mormons, and he eagerly joined forces with Davies in the campaign.

The lecture was announced for the evening of 2 September 1847 at the Caersalem Chapel in Dowlais. Dan Jones endeavored to steal the Baptists’ thunder by beginning a series of lectures of his own about the Book of Mormon on 21 August 1847 in Dowlais, about two weeks before Roberts’s scheduled presentation. Handbills were circulated to announce these lectures and also Jones’s rebuttal to Roberts’s lecture. The rebuttal was to be on the evening of 3 September 1847. Jones, in attendance at Roberts’s meeting, gave one of his handbills to the chairman and requested that its contents

(Item 17, title page)

be announced from the pulpit. The chairman declined to make any such announcement; instead, Roberts went to the pulpit and declared that he would give another lecture the following evening with no admission charge—a presentation obviously intended to keep people from attending Jones’s rebuttal.

Jones assigned a few Mormons to take notes at Roberts’s second lecture, and before the end of September he had a 40-page reply at the press in Rhydybont. His preface, however, is dated 18 October 1847.

In true polemic fashion, Jones ridicules Roberts’s points of argument one by one. He accuses him of raising money for a Baptist chapel by preaching lies. With respect to Roberts’s observation about Joseph Smith’s big hands, Jones replies, “You, workers of Dowlais, remember to keep your hands hidden from this preacher lest you be condemned as badly as Joseph Smith” (p. 5). Jones laments that Roberts had resorted to fantasies and stories about Mormonism instead of dealing with principles and doctrines. Over one-third of the pamphlet considers the charge that Joseph Smith had borrowed from Solomon Spaulding’s manuscript in writing the Book of Mormon. This segment is essentially a translation of Benjamin Winchester’s 1840 pamphlet on the same topic (The origin of the Spaulding story).

It came as no surprise that Adolygiad received scathing comments in the Baptist periodical Seren Gomer. One Dafydd Lewis called it a “dull and idiotic book . . . offensive to the Welsh language” and remarked that it was “blasphemous to the common sense of the Welsh that such rubbish be directed to their attention.” He pointed out that the pamphlet had been printed on the press at Rhydybont and that there was “ no other press sufficiently ‘prostitute’ to give birth to such a monster” (Seren Gomer, December 1847, p. 375).

As might be expected, Adolygiad fared considerably better in ProphwydyJubili, the Mormon periodical. One Daniel ab Iago from Rhymney even wrote a 20-line poem in praise of the pamphlet and the author. He declared that Adolygiad was “ brilliant “ and a “wealth of wisdom” that was well worth reading (Prophwyd y Jubili, February 1848, pp. 23-24).

Dan Jones wrote in his preface to Adolygiad and also in the November Prophwydy Jubili(pp. 171-73) about the benefits of opposition and persecution. He claimed that not a week had gone by without baptisms in Dowlais since the lectures of the Reverend Roberts. “Welcome persecution! Welcome pain! Welcome shame!” declared Jones (Adolygiad ar ddarlithoeddy Parch. E. Roberts, p. [2]).

William Howells, a lay Baptist preacher from Aberdare (about seven miles from Merthyr Tydfil) and later the first Mormon missionary to France, gave Adolygiad credit as the key element in his conversion to Mormonism, and he thanked W. R. Davies and Edward Roberts for helping to open his eyes with their anti-Mormon antics (Udgorn Seion, May 1849, p. 93).

The University College of Swansea Library houses the only extant copy of this pamphlet that has the wrapper.

UPB, USl, USIC, WCS, WS, WSW

Flake no. 4456

18. [Dan Jones.]

Adolygiad ar ddarlith olafy Parch. E. Roberts, Rymni, yn erbyn “Mormoniaeth.”

(A review of the last lecture of the Rev. E. Roberts, Rhymney, against “Mormonism.”)

Rhydybont:. Printed by John Jones, [1848].

12 pp. 17 cm.

Dan Jones’s 40-page Adolygiad ar ddarlithoedd y Parch. E. Roberts (A review of the lectures of the Rev. E. Roberts, item 17) did little to discourage the determined Baptist minister of Rhymney. On the evening of 2 November 1847, two months following his first two lectures in Dowlais, Roberts delivered yet another lecture against Mormonism at the Ebenezer Chapel in Merthyr Tydfil. Jones saw to it that a copy of his Adolygiad (item 17) was put into Roberts’s hands before this third lecture so that he would have “the advantage of seeing his false ideas’’ (Adolygiadar ddarlith olaf p. [1]).

(Item 18, title page)

One Dafydd Lewis gave his impression as to how Roberts handily disposed of Jones’s pamphlet: “The speaker [Roberts] showed clearly that this crackpot reviewer [Jones] had failed to refute anything in his [Roberts’s] lectures—only asserting that they were lies!” (Seren Gomer [Star of Gomer], December 1847, 375). Jones declared in his Adolygiadar ddarlith o/afxhax Roberts had done nothing more than single out two minor details: (1) the use of the formal you in place of the familiar thou in addressing the reader, and (2) the use of the word debate where no official challenge to a debate had ever been issued. This nitpicking, observed Jones, hardly represented the “unusual dexterity” Lewis claimed for Roberts (pp. 1, 8).

The following week, on 10 November 1847, a lecture was delivered (presumably by Jones) at the White Lion Inn in Merthyr Tydfil to review Roberts’s latest presentation. Over thirty of Roberts’s accusations were enumerated and condemned, and it was obvious that those in attendance “loathed the slanderous, disgraceful and unwarranted attacks’’ which had been launched against the Mormons (Adolygiad ar ddarlith olaf, p. 7).

Adolygiad ar ddarlith olaf appears to have been published in February 1848. It is not mentioned in the February Prophwyd y Juhili, but it is in the March 1848 issue (p. 41). Jones declares on page 2 of this second Adolygiad that he had delayed its publication because he was awaiting the appearance of a pamphlet by Roberts. That pamphlet, Turyll Mormoniaeth (Deceit of Mormonism), was available soon afterwards for sixpence, the same price charged for admission to Roberts’s first lecture.

Jones’s publication is a series of refutations of Roberts’s accusations and, as Jones sees them, contradictions. Jones announces that Roberts and others can spare themselves the trouble of preparing their elegies and funeral sermons for Mormonism, and then he declares this prophecy: “There will be a call for the funeral sermons for Mr. Davies from Dowlais, Roberts from Rhymney, Dafydd Lewis and the Editor of Seren Gomer, together with all her persecutors before she [Mormonism] dies; yea, before there is even one sign of illness!” (p. 10).

On 29 November 1847, Roberts lectured once more against Mormonism while in North Wales. No further mention is made of him in Mormon publications until 1850, when a note is inserted in the January Udgorn Seion: “He [Roberts] was thrown from Rhymney to North Wales, and from North Wales to Liverpool where he now earns his living hawking tea, having been excommunicated from the Baptists for transgressions we do not wish to bring to mind” (p. 32).

MH, UPB, USl, USIC, WN

Flake no. 4437

19. Dan Jones.

Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1847.

(Capt. Jones on Mormonism, in 1847.)

(A collection of previously published items bound together.)

In the Prophwydy Jubiliioi February and March 1848, there appears an advertisement for “bound volumes of the treatises which were published in 1847” (pp. 32, 48). In the Prophwydy Jubili for June, July, and September is this announcement:

We have just received nearly one hundred volumes of Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1847, from the binder. They have unusually good binding, [they look] splendid, and [they are] reasonably priced at various prices as before. We hope that the Saints will try to get at least one of these for every family before it is too late. (Pp. 96, 112, 144)

The only extant copy of this volume contains the following items:

1. Hanes Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf (History of the Latter-day Saints, item 16)

2. Amddiffyniady Saint yn ngwyneb camgyhuddiadau y rhai a alwant eu hunain yn “Gwcw y Don” (A defense of the Saints against the false accusations of those who call themselves “Cuckoo of Ton,” item 13)

3. Gau-brophwydi (False prophets, item 12)

4. Beth yw Mormoniaeth? (What is Mormonism?, item 6)

5. Adolygiad ar ddarlithoedd y Parch. E. Roberts (A review of the lectures of the Rev. E. Roberts, item 17)

6. Adolygiad ar ddarlith olaf y Parch. E. Roberts (A review of the last lecture of the Rev. E. Roberts, item 18)

7. The second volume of Prophwyd y jubili, January to December 1847.

There is no separate table of contents. The following three other pamphlets known to have been published during 1847 are not included:

1. Beth ydyw yr efengyl? (What is the gospel?, item 10 or 11)

2. “Haman” yn hongian ar ei grogbren ei hunt (‘‘Haman hanging from his own gallows!, item 14)

3. Prof on o eirwiredd Llyfr Mormon (Proofs of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, item 15).

Most likely these were not in stock at the time of binding.

USIC

20. Dan Jones.

Yr eurgrawn ysgrythyrol, yn yr hwn y cynnwysir crynodeb o adnodau a nodiadau, i brofi prif bynciau Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf

(The scriptural treasury, in which is contained a compendium of verses and notes, to prove the main subjects of the Latter-day Saints.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published and for sale by Capt. Jones. Printed by John Jones, Rhydybont, 1848.

iv[5]-288 pp. 16.5 cm.

Having completed his Hanes Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf (History of the Latter-day Saints, item 16) in July 1847, Dan Jones embarked immediately on yet another major project—a digest of scriptures in support of Mormonism. Because of its size Yr eurgrawn was published in 5 segments over a ten-month period. The first part is advertised in the September 1847 Prophwyd y Jubili:

The first part of Yr eurgrawn ysgrythyrol is off the press, price one shilling, and can be obtained with the Prophwyd. The work will contain about four or five more parts, sixpence each. I sincerely beseech you, dear friends, to continue your previous diligence in spreading our publications, especially the Eurgrawn, and to send the money back as soon as you can. One need only see the first part in order to see the great need there is for such a book as an instructor to the Saints; and especially so the preachers can understand that which we believe about all the subjects it contains, and so they can have the thoughts of inspired writers gathered together ready at their disposal, so that they can defend [our beliefs] against the attacks of their antagonists. (P. 148)

The third and fifth segments are announced in the May and July 1848 issues of Prophwyd y Jubili (pp. 80, 112). No announcements were made in Prophwyd y Jubili for the second or fourth segments.

There were some problems associated with the staggered publication dates of Yr eurgrawn, as indicated by Jones’s plea in Prophwyd y Jubili:

There are several hundred of each segment of the Eurgrawn yet on hand, and we hope that all who purchased previous parts will strive to buy them all, or else we shall buy back individual segments if they are clean and tidy. (July 1848, p. 112)

To a large extent Yr eurgrawn is a reworking of Benjamin Winchester’s 1842 Synopsis of the holy scriptures and concordance. The three scriptural references (John 5:39, Romans 15:4, and 2 Peter 1:20) printed on the title page of Yr eurgrawn are the same as those on the title page of Synopsis. Many of the topics listed in the two tables of contents are also identical. Jones simply translated sizeable portions of Synopsis; some parts he expanded and adapted; others he omitted.

(Item 20, title page)

The price of Yr eurgrawn ranged from four shillings to five shillings and sixpence, depending on the binding. Many who could afford to buy the small pamphlets and subscribe to Prophwyd y Jubili were either unable or unwilling to purchase Yr eurgrawn. Six years later, Robert Evans asked Dan Jones about a second edition and was informed that “hundreds of copies” had been on hand for years (Udgorn Seion, 23 September 1854, p. 509). Jones indicated that he had often wondered why so few had purchased the book: “I don’t believe that half or even one in six of even the Preachers of the Saints have a copy” (ibid.). One year later he declared:

Except for fear of being accused of egotism, 1 would say that it (Yr eurgrawn) is the best present I have ever given the Saints through the press; and if I were as sectarian as 1 once was, I should not hesitate to call it an almost infallible way of getting a grasp on a hundred magnificent principles that the laymen of our country know hardly anything about. (Udgorn Seion, 27 October 1855, p. 351)

CtY, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WN, WSW

Flake no. 4468

21. John Davis.

Pregeth gwrth-Formonaidd. At y Parch. T. Williams, Ebenezer, ger Caerfyrddin.

(An anti-Mormon sermon. To the Rev. T. Williams, Ebenezer, near Carmarthen.)

Rhydybont: Printed by John Jones, [1848].

4 pp. 17.5 cm.

On 2 July 1848, Thomas Williams, minister of the Ebenezer Baptist Chapel in Llangynog Parish near Carmarthen, delivered a sermon about the Mormons. Seated in the congregation taking notes was John Davis, a devout Mormon who would soon succeed Captain Dan Jones as the chief spokesman of Mormonism in the principality of Wales.

A few days following the sermon, Davis composed a letter to the Reverend Williams and outlined his objections to a number of Williams’s statements. Davis took particular exception to the claim that the Mormons had to accept the idea that all the reformers of Christianity since the time of the Apostles were in the depths of hell. Davis accuses Williams of twisting the beliefs of Mormonism and exhorting his parishioners to turn a deaf ear to the Mormon missionaries. Davis then tells the Ebenezer Chapel members to cease being “spirits in prison” and to flee to the Mormons for freedom.

Davis’s letter, dated 6 July 1848, was printed in the August 1848 Prophwydy Jubili (pp. 118-22) and then as a separate pamphlet entitled Pregeth gwrth-Formonaidd. At the end of the pamphlet is the following information: “Taken from Prophwyd y Jubili for August 1848.” The pamphlet was printed at Rhydybont by John Jones and was one of the last Mormon items to be produced on that press. Since the Latter-day Saints acquired their own printer (John Davis) and their own press (Davis’s press at Carmarthen) in November 1848, Pregeth gwrth-Formonaidd was probably published in September or October 1848.

Although no other pamphlets from either side followed Pregeth gwrth-Formonaidd, the matter did receive further attention in Seren Gomer (Star of Gomer), the Baptist periodical for which John Davis had previously worked. In the October 1848 issue (pp. 304-5), a writer who signed himself “Anti-Humbug’’ in English rails at Davis and the Mormons, while at the same time heaping praise on Thomas Williams for his keen insights into Mormonism, as presented in his 2 July 1848 sermon. Among Davis’s papers (in the hands of one of his descendants) is an unpublished reply to “Anti-Humbug,” whom Davis identifies as Samuel Evans, editor of Seren Gomer and an excommunicated Baptist. It was probably Davis’s intention to have his reply (dated 6 October 1848) appear in Prophwyd y Jubili, but it was never published.

At the time Davis wrote Pregeth gwrth-Formonaidd he intended to leave Wales within eight months, with the first group of Welsh Mormon emigrants. The feisty spirit he demonstrated in his writing, however, coupled with his printing skills, probably helped bring him the assignment to be in charge of Mormon publications in Wales for the next five years.

(Item 21, title page)

(Item 22, title page)

Before writing this pamphlet, Davis had authored several articles and some poetry which had been published in Seren Gomer, the Baptist magazine, and in Prophwyd yJubili, the Mormon periodical. This, however, appears to be his first separate pamphlet.

There is but one extant copy of Pregeth gwrth-Formonaidd’, bound with twenty-two other Welsh Mormon publications, in a volume owned by Princeton University.

NjP

22. John Davis.

Sylwadau ar bregeth ynghylch “Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf a doniau gwyrthiol.

(Observations on a sermon about “The Latter-day Saints and miraculous gifts.”)

Carmarthen: Printed by J. Davis, [1848?].

8 pp. 16.6 cm.

The contents of Sylwadau first appeared in the December 1848 issue of Prophwyd y Jubili. Everything, including the typesetting and the page arrangements, is identical. J o h n Davis very possibly used the plates prepared for the periodical (after minor adjustments such as pagination and title) to print the pamphlet.

Sylwadau sold for one penny as opposed to two-and-one-half pence for the December 1848 issue of Prophwydy Jubili. There are at least three reasons which explain why Davis went to the trouble of publishing Sylwadau in separate pamphlet form: (1) Prophwyd y Jubili was intended for a Mormon readership, whereas Sylwadau was written for a broader audience; (2) the periodical was dated and would, in a short time, be either unmarketable or its supply would be exhausted; (3) Davis was entitled to a portion of the profits which the pamphlet might realize.

Sylwadau contains Davis’s response to a sermon which had been delivered 27 August 1848 in Carmarthen by the Reverend David Evans, a widely respected Anglican priest. A short time after delivering his sermon, Evans published it in the form of a 20-page pamphlet which sold for sixpence. The pamphlet, entitled Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf a doniau gwyrthiol (The Latter-day Saints and miraculous gifts), lacks the vicious language which other antagonists were then using whenever they mentioned the Mormons. Evans does, however, severely criticize the defense that Mormons offered for a continuation of miracles from the time of Jesus Christ. He presents his ideas in a gentlemanly fashion and concludes that the Mormons are false prophets and heretics.

In Sylwadau, Davis also refrains from ad hominem arguments and simply addresses himself to Evans’s points of logic, one by one, defending modern-day miracles by those who have the proper authority to act in the name of the Savior.

Since Sylwadau was published in Carmarthen, it would have come off Davis’s press sometime before it was moved to Merthyr Tydfil (early March 1849) and after its appearance in Prophwydy Jubili (December 1848).

CU-B, MH, NjP, USIC

Flake no. 2703

23. Udgorn Seion, neu Seren y Saint; yn cynnwys egwyddorion ‘‘Goruchwyliaeth cyflawnderyr amseroedd,’’ mewn traethodau, llythyron, hanesion, prydyddiaeth, etc.

(Zion’s Trumpet, or Star of the Saints; containing the principles of the “Dispensation of the fulness of times , “ in treatises, letters, accounts, poetry, etc.)

Carmarthen, January 1849-February 1849; Merthyr Tydfil, March 1849-August 1854; Swansea, September 1854-March 1861; Liverpool, April 1861–April 1862.

Monthly, biweekly, or weekly. 14 vols. ((469] whole nos.) [7,792] pp. 17.5 cm.

The December 1848 Prophwyd y Jubili was the thirtieth and final issue. In the 15 December 1848 foreword to volume 3, Dan Jones announced:

From now on we intend to trumpet after you in UDGORN SEION, shouting each month, “Come out of her, my people.” Mentioned frequently will be the excellencies of Zion and the law that shall come out from there, together with the best path for everyone to go to that country [America].

With the periodical’s change in name came a new editor, John Davis, a twenty-seven-year-old convert of three years, from the town of Carmarthen. Davis had become acquainted with Mormonism while in the employ of John Jones, brother of Dan Jones and owner of the press at Rhydybont (near Llanybydder) where most of the early Welsh Mormon pamphlets were printed. Davis had worked at several printing establishments prior to his conversion, thus bringing with him the precise capabilities needed to carry on Welsh Mormon publications after the departure of Dan Jones.

Another advantage that John Davis brought with him was his own press, an old Caledonian model with secondhand type. On 29 December 1853, Dan Jones purchased it from Davis for £3 when he resumed leadership of the Mormons in Wales, on his second mission. He also paid Davis £25 for a Columbian Super Royal press, which Davis had presumably acquired along the way (Dan Jones papers, LDS Church Archives). It was in the town of Carmarthen at his father’s house and on his own press that J o h n Davis printed the November and December 1848 issues of Prophwyd y Jubili, the January and February 1849 issues of Udgorn Seion, and an 8-page pamphlet about miracles (item 22).

The March 1849 Udgorn Seion was the first to be printed in Merthyr Tydfil following the move of the press from Carmarthen. Although Davis was a counselor to William Phillips in the local presidency of the LDS church in Wales, his prime responsibility was with the Udgorn Seion and other publishing activities. During his five years in office, he not only produced 2,352 pages of Udgorn Seion, but he also published more than fifty other items as well. These ranged from 1-page poems to the 483-page translation of the Book of Mormon, and included three different hymnals.

In 1850 Davis increased the size of Udgorn Seion from 24 pages per month to 32; he also raised the price from twopence to two-and-a-half pence each. The first twenty-four issues each have a 4-page printed wrapper, a feature of Dan Jones’s Prophwyd y Jubili for the first six issues. In 1851 and 1852 Udgorn Seion was published biweekly; its price was dropped to one penny for each 16-page issue, and the wrappers were discontinued. In 1853, Davis’s last year as editor, Udgorn Seion was published weekly.

After five busy years producing Welsh Mormon materials, Davis was granted permission to emigrate to America, and thus he followed the advice given in virtually every issue of his periodical. His were difficult shoes to fill from among his fellow converts, many of whom had spent their lives in coal mines and did well just to read what Davis had published. Once again in Wales, however, was Davis’s predecessor, Dan Jones, who had been called to serve a second mission. In 1854 Jones succeeded not only Davis in the printing activities but also William Phillips, on whose shoulders all other church responsibilities had been placed.

In September 1854 the base of Church operations for Wales was moved from Merthyr Tydfil to Swansea. The press was set up in a place referred to as the “Udgorn Seion Office,” and the periodical was trimmed in frequency to a biweekly. Daniel Daniels became its editor in the spring of 1856, when Dan Jones was assigned to lead a group of more than five hundred Welsh Mormon emigrants to Salt Lake City.

By this time much of the periodical’s contents were merely translations of items that had appeared in the Millennial Star—minutes of conferences held in Salt Lake City, doctrinal discourses by various Church leaders, and the like. Daniels was released after less than two years as editor; Benjamin P. Evans took his place in 1858. Once again Udgorn Seion began to appear weekly and continued to do so until its demise in April 1862. When Evans was released after three years of service, the whole printing operation, press included, was moved to Liverpool, the headquarters of the Church in Britain. The press was loaded onto the steamer Sovereign 24 March 1861 at Swansea and reached Liverpool three days later (William Ajax Journal, typescript copy, pp. 57-59, UPB). The move was effected in order to cut costs and increase efficiency. Although George Q. Cannon, president of the Church in Great Britain, was the official editor, he spoke no Welsh, and so twenty-nine-year-old William Ajax was assigned to move to Liverpool and take the responsibility of publishing Udgorn Seion.

The last issue to be printed, according to William Ajax’s journal entry for 9 April 1862, was the fourteenth for that year, most likely one dated 5 April 1862. About a month before, Cannon had purchased “a fine Ulnerstonian printing-machine,” and the first item which it processed was an issue of Udgorn Seion (Ajax Journal, 13 March 1862). Thus it appears that John Davis’s press, which had printed over 460 numbers of Udgorn Seion during a thirteen-year period, was denied the honor of producing the last few issues.

Circulation for Udgorn Seion peaked at about 2,000 during Davis’s time and was at about 500 for the three years prior to its demise in 1862. Its readership was continually diminished by emigration. Because the rate of conversion had suffered a dramatic decrease, coupled with the fact that no one was available to replace Ajax, Church leaders in Liverpool decided to “let them read English,” as it were. Ajax lamented the prospect of leaving his compatriots without a periodical in their own language:

It would be a great loss to the Welsh Saints to lose it. . . . He [the Welshman] may manage to converse freely in the English language and to transact any business in it; but there is no language that can reach his heart as well as the Welsh. (Ajax Journal, 15 March 1862)

The last complete volume now extant is the one for 1857. Only seventeen isolated numbers have been located for the years 1858-1861, and none for 1862. The pagination of these extant issues indicates that the periodical continued to be published on a weekly basis until the end, with 16 pages each. By combining calculated figures with known figures, it appears that approximately 7,792 pages of Udgorn Seion were produced during thirteen years and three months, a truly prodigious effort in view of its limited audience and the small number of qualified persons who could assist in its publication.

The following table shows the year-by-year details of Udgorn Seion:

UDGORN SEION

* 4-page printed wrapper

** Mispagination—numbered 149, 160, 161, etc.

*** No complete volume is extant

**** No issue is extant

ISOLATED EXTANT ISSUES

(Item 23, January 1849 wrapper)

(Volume numbers)

24. John Davis

Ymddyddan rhwng y parchedig a V bachgenyn.

(A dialogue between the reverend and the boy.)

Merthyr Tydfil: J . Davis, Printer, Georgetown, [1849].

1 p. 17 cm.

First advertised as being available for a halfpenny in April 1849 (Udgorn Seion, wrapper, p. 4), this poem enjoyed considerable popularity over the next several years in Wales. Four variants have been determined, and there are likely more that have yet to surface. Three of the variants have only small differences in the title lettering and the publication information at the bottom. A fourth variant has an ornamental border and is signed “Gwrandawwr” (A listener) instead of “J. Davis.”

The poem portrays a preacher who is chiding a young Mormon lad for having been duped by “that deluded lot.” The boy defends his position as well as he can and bests the preacher at every turn. There are 8 stanzas of 4 lines each in the poem; the last of these stanzas indicates the boy’s triumph over the preacher:

Rev.: You little devil!—I’m going from your presence, I shan’t concern myself further with you; Go ahead and believe the Saints, and go deceived to hell with them.

Boy: The tempter went [away]—and, O, my Father, who art in heaven, I thank thee for giving [me] strength, to totally defeat him.

Three years later Davis translated the poem into English (see i t em 66). The content is basically the same as in the original, although a few minor changes were made for the sake of rhyme. A comparison of my nonpoetic translation from the original Welsh, above, with the same four lines in Davis’s English version will illustrate the difference:

Rev.: Thou, little rascal!—now I’ll go—I’ll talk no more with thee; Believe the Saints, and go to hell, where Mormons all shall be.

Boy: The tempter’s gone—and, O my God, to thee all thanks I owe, For thou didst give thy strength to me to triumph o’er my foe!

CSmH, CU-B, MH, N/P, UPB (three of the four variants), USIC, WN

Flake no. 2714

(Item 24)

(Item 25)

25. [John Davis.]

Can pregethwr.

(Song of a preacher.)

[Merthyr Tydfil: Printed by J o h n Davis, 1849]

1 p . 17 cm.

This song contains 19 stanzas of 4 lines each, plus a chorus which was to be sung after each stanza. The words are arranged in 2 columns divided by an undulating line. There is a straight-lined border around the entire song with elaborate ornamentation in each of the four corners.

Although John Davis does not indicate his name anywhere on the broadside, immediately under the title is this identification clue: “By the author of Ymddyddan rhwng y parchedig a Vbachgenyn ‘ (Dialogue between the reverend and the boy). Judging from the number of variants of Ymddyddan (Dialogue, item 24), it was very popular among the Welsh Mormons. Because of this success and also because of his position as editor of a periodical with a circulation of about 1,500, Davis himself had gained considerable renown. Possibly for this reason he deemed it unnecessary to attach his name to Can Pregethwr. No variants have been identified; thus it appears that it did not rival Ymddyddan in fame.

The wording of Can Pregethwr is very clever and the rhythm is light. A preacher is singing throughout, in ballad fashion, about his efforts to convince others of his message of Mormonism. Mormon or Mormonism is not specifically mentioned, however. The seventh stanza and the chorus are typical of the general content:

The Spirit of God, in days of yore,
Led everyone to the truth;
But now the Reverends testify,
That such was not the case for long.

Chorus:
O, lend your ears now,
And listen very carefully;
And judge what is bad or good,
Wrong or right.

At the bottom in capital letters is this bit of advice: “While swallowing pills, let everyone take care, without thinking, not to swallow himself.”

Can Pregethwr is first mentioned in the book list in the April 1849 Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 4); its price was a halfpenny.

MH, NjP, USIC

Flake no. 2695

26. [John Davis.]

Profwch bob peth.

(Prove all things.)

Merthyr Tydfil: J. Davis, Printer, Georgetown, [1849].

4 pp . 17 cm.

This pamphlet consists of 3 pans:

1. “Athrawriaeth bedyddiadau” (The doctrine of baptisms) by J. D. (2 pp.)

2. “Rhesymau paham yr wyf yn sefyll dros egwyddorion y Saint” (Reasons why I stand for the principles of the Saints) by R. Evans. (1 p.)

3. “Gwr cloff y deml “ (The lame man at the temple) b y j . D. (1 p.)

The first two parts were published in the February 1849 Udgorn Seion (pp. 25-29), and the third pan appeared in the March 1849 issue (pp. 45-46). The pamphlet is advertised in the April 1849 issue (wrapper, p. 4), and so the date of publication would have to be between the publication dates of Udgorn Seion for March and April.

“J. D.” is most likely J o h n Davis, inasmuch as he identified himself with these initials in some of his other writings. “R. Evans” is Robert Evans, a convert to Mormonism of four years and a former Campbellite.

(Item 26, title page)

(Item 27, wrapper)

Two variants of the pamphlet have been identified. The copy at the Huntington Library has “John Davis” as printer (instead of “J. Davis”) and a slightly different typesetting from the others. Contents, however, are identical.

Its price was a halfpenny each, or three shillings and sixpence per hundred.

CSmH, CU-B, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WN

Flake no. 2704

27. John Davis.

Hanes ymfudiady Saint i Galifornia; yn gynnwysedig mewn dau lythyr o New Orleans, America, un oddiwrth Capt. D. Jones, a’r Hall oddiwrth Mr. Thos. Jeremy, (gynt o Lanybydder), at olygydd Udgorn Seion.

(An account of the Saints’ emigration to California; contained in two letters from New Orleans, America, one from Capt. D. Jones, and the other from Mr. Thos. Jeremy, [originally from Llanybydder], to the editor of Zion’s Trumpet.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by J. Davis, Georgetown, 1849-

iv[5]–24 pp. 17 cm.

The two letters contained in this pamphlet were meant to be printed in Udgorn Seion; because of their length, however, John Davis elected to have them constitute a separate publication.

The emigration mentioned in the title refers to the first group of Welsh Mormon converts to leave Britain for the Mormon “Zion,” located in the Rocky Mountains. (The whole area from the Rocky Mountains to the west coast was called “California” by the British Saints during the late 1840s.)

On 26 February 1849 the Buena Vista left Liverpool with 249 Welsh Mormons on board. Captain Dan Jones, their leader, had been the leader of all Mormons in Wales prior to his departure in February. His letter (17 of the 24 pages of the pamphlet) is a comprehensive and at times literary account of the fifty-day crossing to New Orleans. Thomas Jeremy’s letter (3 pages of the 24) adds a few events not covered by Jones’s account, but covers essentially the same material.

Both Jeremy and Jones hoped that others of their compatriots would follow after them; consequently their letters arc filled with encouragement and positive experiences. Even the burials at sea are viewed in a positive light—the sea would preserve the body for resurrection better than would the earth.

In his 2-page foreword, John Davis quotes a letter which was supposedly from Dan Jones, but it was dated 27 February 1849, New Orleans, just one day after the group’s departure from Liverpool. This, together with a few other strange aspects of the letter, led Davis to conclude that the letter was a forged one, written by antagonists in South Wales in an effort to thwart the success of the Mormons.

The pamphlet was published in two states. After 1,500 copies were printed (the preface is dated 26 May 1849), Davis received yet another letter from New Orleans, this one from Thomas Richards, who sailed on the Hartley, a ship that left Liverpool one week after the Buena Vista. On board the Hartley were approximately seventy-five Welsh Mormons who had not been able to travel on the Buena Vista because of space limitations. Upon receiving Richards’s letter, Davis inserted an 11-line paragraph about the Hartley travelers on page iv of the pamphlet (the last of the foreword).

Hanes ymfudiad y Saint has a full title page with a double straight-lined border. Its price was twopence. In the May 1849 Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 2), Davis declared his intention to publish the Jones and Jeremy letters (both dated New Orleans, 18 April 1849) as a separate pamphlet. Strangely, this publication is not mentioned again in Udgorn Seion, nor does it appear in any book lists. Possibly the supply was depleted rapidly with no call for a second printing, since the information it contained was outdated.

CU-B, MH, NjP, UPB, USl, USIC, WN

Flake no. 4475

28. John Davis.

Casgliad o hymnau newyddion ynghyd ag odlau ysbrydol, at wasanaeth Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf.

(Collection of new hymns together with spiritual verses, for the use of the Latter-day Saints.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by J. Davis, Georgetown, 1849.

viii—[ 104] pp. 7 cm. x 10.5 cm.

In the April 1849 Udgorn Seion, John Davis announced that he was preparing the material for a new hymn book, to be ready by June, and issued a call for any “good new hymns” that might merit a place in the hymnal (wrapper, p. 2). Another notice appeared in the May issue (wrapper, p. 2), followed by an apology for delay in the J u n e issue. Davis blamed the delay on the letters he had received concerning the crossing of the Buena Vista. The urgency for getting the letters into print he said, superseded his commitment to the hymnal. He also put part of the blame on the cholera epidemic then raging in the Merthyr Tydfil area.

Casgliado hymnau newyddion appears to have been published by July 1849, inasmuch as it is advertised in that month’s Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 2). Also on page 2 of the wrapper, Davis rectified an omission in his foreword to the hymnal—not mentioned was the symbol—which was to indicate that the composer of a hymn was unknown. He also called attention to the omission of the word all in line 1, verse 3, of hymn 190 (one of the five hymns in English).

Davis chose not to include any of the 133 hymns from Dan Jones’s 1846 hymnal; thus, all who wished to bind the two of them together could do so in order to have a “completeness” (Casgliad o hymnau newyddion, foreword). Davis wished to avoid including any hymns from the other denominations lest the Mormons be criticized for using “products of the world.”

Of the 194 hymns selected for inclusion, 71 were composed by John Davis himself. The other 123 had come from 28 other

(Item 28, title page)

(Item 28, last page of index and first page of hymns)

composers, whom Davis identifies by their initials after each hymn. In his foreword, Davis addresses the others:

Perhaps many will see frequent changes in their hymns, which were made through permission of some and without others being aware. The aim of the compiler was to improve them, though that may not be the result; if he offended, he hegs forgiveness, and assures that he will not revise further inferior hymns, rather he will discard them.

In order to assist the Saints in selecting hymns appropriate to the occasion, Davis arranged the index under 2 main headings: “Hymns for Public Meetings” and “Hymns for Social Meetings.”

Under the first category arc 15 divisions: the Restoration, funerals, baptism, Babylon, gratitude, coming of Christ, the gospel, the Church, persecution, invitation, prayers, Zion, kingdom, emigration, and miscellaneous.

Under the second category are 10 divisions: love, counsel, gifts, prayers, praise to God, the sacrament, Zion, departure, meeting, and miscellaneous.

The hymns range from 4 lines to 60 (hymn number 121). All of the Welsh hymns (numbers 1 through 189) are included in the larger hymnal which Davis published in 1852.

NjP, UPB, WN

Flake no. 1871

29. William Howells.

L’Evangile. (French)

(The gospel.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed by John Davis, Georgetown, [1849].

2 pp. 17 cm.

L’Evangile is essentially a translation of The gospel, a tract written in English. Consequently, although William Howells did not compose the contents of the tract, it was he who was

(Item 29, front page)

(Item 29, back page)

responsible for getting the translation and printing done as part of the preparation for his mission to France, which began in July 1849.

Howells, the first Mormon missionary to France, took a generous supply of pamphlets with him to his field of labor. In a 10 September 1849 letter to John Davis, he mentioned having distributed in Le Havre during one month “about 1,500 pamphlets in French, Italian, Creole, English and Spanish” (Udgorn Seion, September 1849, pp. 172–73). Many of these he sold or loaned; but the French leaflet he gave away to interested parties at no charge.

Only a few minor modifications of the English version were made in the French translation. The most significant is the omission of the following phrase: “Infant sprinkling is therefore unnecessary and unscriptural.” Perhaps Howells considered this too strong a condemnation of a widespread practice among French Catholics.

L’Evangile has 33 scriptural references in support of the basic principles of Mormonism which are mentioned in the text. It is advertised on page 4 of the wrapper of the July 1849 issue of Udgorn Seion; its price was a halfpenny.

USIC

30. John Davis.

Y doniau ysbrydol yn mrawdlys y gelyn; yn cynnwys sylwadau ar ysgrifau “Sylwedydd o V Gogledd,” yn Seren Gomer (o Hydref 1848, hyd Chwefror, 1849), ynghylch y “doniau ysbrydol.”

(The spiritual gifts in the court of the enemy; containing observations on the writings of the “Observer from the North,” in Star of Gomer [from October, 1848, until February, 1849], concerning the “spiritual gifts.”)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by J. Davis, Georgetown, 1849.

24 pp. 17 cm.

Item 30, title page)

The entire contents of this pamphlet, with the exception of the title page and a 10-line foreword, were published previously in Udgorn Seion, between April and July 1849 (pp. 67–71, 85–93, 108–13, 128–32). John Davis states in his foreword that he was publishing Y doniau ysbrydol at the request of some of the readers of Udgorn Seion.

The “court of the enemy,” as mentioned in the title, refers to the Baptist periodical, Seren Gomer (Star of Gomer), which had frequently published anti-Mormon materials and then refused to print anything sent to the editor in rebuttal. The writings of the “Observer from the North,” also mentioned in the title, were aimed at refuting Dan Jones’s writings on the topic of spiritual gifts. (Jones’s Yr eurgrawnysgrythyrol [The scriptural treasury, item 20] contains those writings as well as his articles on many other facets of Mormonism.)

Davis systematically refutes the observations of the “Observer” and defends his mentor, Dan Jones. The pamphlet is purely doctrinal in nature. The brief foreword is dated 12 July 1849. Its price was twopence.

CU-B, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WCS, WN

Flake no. 2980

31. John Davis.

Bedydd.

(Baptism.)

Merthyr Tydfil: J . Davis, Printer, [1849].

12 pp. 17 cm.

John Davis intended this publication on baptism to be the definitive word on the subject. The well-structured contents are presented under 5 major headings:

1. What is the primary purpose of baptism?

2. Who is subject to baptism?

3. How is baptism administered?

4. Was there any difference between the baptism of John and the baptism of Christ?

5. What does it mean to be born of the water and of the spirit?

Davis devotes 4 pages to the second heading, 5 pages to the third, and a paragraph to each of the other three. He backs u p his line of logic with numerous scriptures. Much had been written on the topic by other Mormons by 1849; Davis appears to have availed himself of several sources.

Bedydd was first advertised in the August 1849 Udgorn Seion. Its price was one penny.

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Flake no. 2694

32. Yr epistol cyffredinol cyntaf oddiwrth BrifLywyddiaeth Eglwys Iesu Grist o Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf, o Ddyffryn y Llyn Halen Fawr, at y Saint gwasgaredig ar hyd y ddaear.

(The first general epistle from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from the Great Salt Lake Valley, to the Saints scattered across the earth.)

Merthyr Tydfil: John Davis, Printer, [1849].

12 pp. 17 cm.

John Davis intended to print Yr epistol cyffredinol cyntaf in the August 1849 Udgorn Seion. On page 2 of the wrapper for that month, however, he stated that there had not been sufficient space. Instead of waiting until the following month’s issue, Davis declared that it would appear “without delay” as a separate booklet, price one penny. Strangely, this pamphlet fails to appear in several of Davis’s book lists.

In 1851 when Davis assembled his writings into a bound collection which he entitled Y casgl (The compilement, item 61), he included Yr epistol. Two years later in his second Y casgl (The compilement, item 71) he did not include it—an indication, perhaps,

(Item 32, title page)

Item 33, title page)

that it was out of print. But four years later Daniel Daniels, then editor of Udgorn Seion, listed it in several of his price lists. Either it had been reprinted (rather unlikely for that type of publication, then eight years old), or perhaps copies had been gathered up from distributors who had failed to sell their allotment.

There is no preface or postscript to Yr epistol cyffredinol cyntaf on the part of the translator or the publisher (Davis in both cases). There is a note, however, at the end of the pamphlet which states that it had been translated from the New York Herald for 22 June 1849.

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Flake no. 1666

33. Noah R. Jones.

Cwyn yr ymfudwr, a’i ddau anerchiad.

(Lament of the emigrant, and his two greetings.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed by John Davis, Georgetown, [1849?].

4 pp. 18 cm.

Noah Jones, his wife Esther, and their eleven-year-old daughter Mary were part of the first group of Welsh Mormon emigrants which sailed on the Buena Vista. They left Liverpool 26 February 1849 and arrived at New Orleans fifty days later. The steamboat Constitution transported them up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, where they boarded another steamer, the Highland Mary, to travel up the Missouri River to Council Bluffs, Iowa. A large number died from cholera while on the Missouri, including Noah’s wife Esther.

The first of the three poems contained in Cwyn yr ymfudwr (5 stanzas of 9 lines each) reviews the events that surrounded the death of the author’s wife while on board the Highland Mary.

The second poem (8 stanzas of 4 lines each) is Jones’s call to his compatriots to repent and join him in going to the country “which was given freely to the Saints, before the foundation of the world.”

In the last poem (10 couplets, each followed by a 3-line chorus), Jones anticipates the “lovely day” when he and all Welsh Mormons would “go free from the captivity of Babylon the Great.”

Jones wrote the second and third poems while he was still in Wales. The first poem he sent back to his family in Wales after he arrived at Council Bluffs. Jones’s father had John Davis publish the poems, together with a 7-line explanation of their origins.

Cwyn yr ymfudwr appeals in none of Davis’s book lists, nor in either edition of Y casgl (the 1851 and 1853 collections of Davis’s publications, items 61 and 71). The only extant copy is owned by the Huntington Library and is bound at the end of Udgorn Seion, vol. 5, with items 26, 38, 24, 32, and 55.

CSmH

34. John Davis.

Cofres-lyfr o aelodau Eglwys lesu Grist, a elwir Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf, o dan lywyddiaeth Cymru.

(Register of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ, known as the Latter-day Saints, under the presidency of Wales.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published, printed, edited and for sale by John Davis, Nantygwenith, Georgetown, 1849–92 leaves. 23.4 x 38.3 cm.

One of John Davis’s prime goals when he assumed responsibility for Church publications in Wales was to produce a large book which would contain a history and record of members for each branch throughout the principality. His first printed reference to this project is in the February 1849 Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 2), in which he asks everyone to be patient, inasmuch as such a project required great effort and expense.

In the October 1849 Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 2) Davis promised that the book would be ready within a month or two, at the “very reasonable price of just ten shillings.” He advised the branches to be prepared to pay for it as they received their copy.

At one time Davis had entertained the idea of having the book printed in England. He eventually decided, however, that he could produce a more attractive book at much lower cost on his own press in Wales.

The November 1849 Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 3) carried the notice that the books were at the bindery and would be ready within two or three weeks. Davis had decided to put a high-quality binding on each one; consequently, the price would have to be eleven shillings, still five shillings less than the books prepared by the Church in England.

The result of Davis’s laborious efforts was a handsome and a substantial register book. He had leather reinforcement put around the spine (4.5 cm, front and back) and around the four outside corners. The binding is a very heavy one, typical of “official” books of the nineteenth century. On the inside front and back covers and on the outside of the first and last leaves is a heavy paper with a gray-red, cell-like pattern. The verso of these leaves is plain.

On the front cover is an 11 x 6 cm. label. Within the double, straight-lined border is the title, author, and the first pan of Revelation 20:12—”And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the BOOKS were opened. “Leaf 2, the title page, modifies the title slightly from the cover label: Cofres-lyfr o aelodau Eglwys lesu Grist, a elwir Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf ymgynnulledig yn Nghangen, yn Nghynnadledd, o dan lywyddiaeth Cymru. (Register of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ, which is called the Latter-day Saints, congregated in the Branch, in the Conference, under the presidency of Wales.) Revelation 20:12 is then quoted in its entirety; publication details follow.

Leaf 3 contains a lengthy foreword, dated 9 November 1849, which is replete with instruction and exhortation concerning use of the book. Leaves 4–11 and 82–91 are printed with blue horizontal lines 0.9 cm. apart. The front leaves were intended to contain a history of the branch; the last leaves were for additional information.

Leaves 12–81 have blue horizontal lines 1.6 cm. apart. Beginning on the inside of leaf 12 and continuing to the inside of leaf 81 are columns of varying width. When the book is lying open, there arc

(Item 34, title page)

33 columns extending over the two pages. There are 19 major headings: number, name, occupation, residence, birth (date, parish, county), baptism (age, date, by whom), confirmation (date, by whom), disfellowshipped (date, reason), restored, excommunicated (date, reason), received by letter (date, from what branch, beginning), transferred (date, to which branch), ordained deacon (date, by whom), ordained teacher (date, by whom), ordained priest (date, by whom), ordained elder (date, by whom), died, emigrated, notes. The details called for in parentheses constitute the subheadings, each of which has a column beneath it.

Davis stated that the book would have 200 pages. Since there is no pagination, the number of leaves bound in each book could have varied. The one examined for this discussion is the one for the Cardiff Branch. This and the other 36 extant copies of Cofres4yfr are housed at the Granite Mountain Records Vault of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah.

USIC

35. John Davis.

Sylwadau ar yr hyn sydd o ran, a’r hyn sydd berffaith.

(Observations on that which is in pan, and that which is perfect.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed, published and for sale by J . Davis, Nantygwenith, Georgetown, 1850.

16 pp. 17 cm.

The scripture quoted on the title page (1 Corinthians 13:8-10) is also quoted on the first page of text (p. 3). The phrase in the title comes from 1 Corinthians 13:10: “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.’’ John Davis uses his line of logic to show that this scripture defends the existence of spiritual gifts. He explains that “that which is in part” is the imperfect Church member, who at the time of Paul and the other Apostles, enjoyed spiritual gifts despite his lack of perfection.

(Item 35, title page)

(Item 36, title page)

And until the Church members became perfect they would continue to have those gifts; consequendy the Latter-day Saints, still imperfect, were blessed with the same spiritual gifts as received by the “saints” centuries earlier.

Davis further explains that “that which is perfect” has reference to the saints after the gospel has “perfected” them. At that time, the gifts will no longer be necessary and will “be done away.”

A 16-line poem which sums up Davis’s argument is placed at the end of the text.

Although 1850 is the date on the title page, Sylwadau, on the last page of the wrapper of the December 1849 Udgorn Seion, was advertised as being “newly published.” Its price was one-and-a-half pence.

CU-B, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WCS

Flake no. 2706

36. John Davis.

Athrawiaeth iachus.

(Sound doctrine.)

Merthyr Tydfil: John Davis, Printer, [1850].

4 pp. 17 cm.

John Davis expounds on 2 Timothy 4:3 for this small pamphlet, using numerous other scriptural passages to support his conclusions. These conclusions were that the only church then preaching sound doctrine was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that the other churches were those who could “not endure sound doctrine.”

The December 1849 issue of Udgorn Seion has the entire contents of Athrawiaeth iachus (pp. 225-29). It was first advertised in the March 1850 issue of Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 3) and sold for a halfpenny.

CU-B, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WN, WS

Flake no. 2693

37. John Davis.

Pregethu i’rysbrydion yn ngharchar, a bedyddio drosy meirw.

(Preaching to the spirits in prison, and baptism for the dead.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by J. Davis, Georgetown, [1850].

8 pp. 17 cm.

By using biblical phrases in the title of this publication, John Davis followed the procedure used for his previous two pamphlets (items 35 and 36). On the title page, three passages of scripture are quoted: 1 Peter 3:18–20, 1 Peter 4:6, and 1 Corinthians 15:29–30. The 7 pages of text are basically an interpretation of these verses according to Mormon doctrine.

Most of the contents of Pregethu i’r ysbrydion appeared in the March 1850 Udgorn Seion (pp. 61–66). The final paragraphs on page 5 and page 8 of the pamphlet are new, as are the final 14 lines of the 16-line poem at the end of the pamphlet.

Pregethu i’r ysbrydion is advertised in the March 1850 Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 3). The only extant copies of the pamphlet, however, all bear the date of 1851. One would conclude that there was a second printing, although it is not mentioned in Udgorn Seion.

CU-B, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WN, WS

Flake no. 2703

38. John Davis.

Ffordd y bywyd tragywyddol, a ddarlunir yn yr ysgrythyrau santaidd.

(The way of eternal life, which is portrayed in the holy scriptures.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by j. Davis, Georgetown, 1850.

12 pp. 17 cm.

(Item 37, title page)

(Item 38, title page)

John 5:39–40 is cited on the title page of this pamphlet: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Numerous other scriptures are quoted throughout the text as John Davis presents his definition of the phrase eternal life. He ends his discussion with John 17:3—“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.”

The Huntington Library has the only copy of this pamphlet that does not have a 16-line poem on the final page. All copies, however, carry the date of 1850 on the title page. There were apparently two separate printings of the pamphlet, and the blank space left on page 12 of the first printing was filled in with some poetry when the second printing was made.

Ffordd y bywyd tragywyddol was first advertised in the April 1850 Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 4). Its price was one penny.

CSmH, CU-B, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WN, WS

Flake no. 2702

39. John Davis.

Ewch, a dysgwch.

(Go, and teach.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed by j. Davis, Georgetown, [1850].

2 pp. 17 cm.

The title for this 2-page leaflet is taken from Matthew 28:19–20: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” John Davis explains that this injunction, given by Christ to his Apostles after his resurrection, has application to modern-day believers as well. Davis addresses two main issues: the proper teachings of the true religion and the appropriate mode of baptism.

The contents of this small publication first appeared in the April 1850 Udgorn Seion (pp. 95–97). In that same issue (wrapper, p. 4), Ewch, a dysgwch is advertised as being available to the book distributors for two shillings per hundred. The price for an individual leaflet is not mentioned. It most likely sold for a halfpenny, or perhaps, because of its size, it may have been given away without charge.

CU-B, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WN

Flake no, 2701

40. [John Davis.]

Crefydd a grym.

(Religion and strength.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed by John Davis, Georgetown, [1850].

2 pp. 17 cm.

This leaflet consists of 3 hymns written for Mormons. The first is entitled “Crefydd a grym” and was to be sung to the tune of “Life let us cherish,” presumably a well-known melody at that time. Its structure is 4 verses of 4 lines each, plus a 4-line chorus intended for repetition after each verse.

The second hymn is identical to the first in format and carries the title of “Seion” (Zion). The first two hymns are followed by the initials “J. D.,” thus identifying the composer as J o h n Davis. Both hymns are included in Davis’s 1852 hymnal (no. 268 and no. 269).

The third hymn, “Llawenydd y Saint” (Joy of the Saints), has 4 verses of 8 lines each plus a 2-line chorus. “T. H.” are the initials which follow. These could refer to Thomas Harris, who had composed other hymns and poetry appearing in Udgorn Seion.

Crefydd a grym was first advertised in the April 1850 Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 4). Its price was a halfpenny.

CU-B, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC

Flake no. 2699

(Item 39, title page)

(Item 40, title page)

41. Darlithiau ar ffydd, y rhai a draddodwyd yn wreiddiol o flaen dosparth o henuriaid, yn Kirtland, Ohio, yn America.

(Lectures on faith, which were delivered first before a class of elders, in Kirtland, Ohio, in America.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by J. Davis, Georgetown, 1850.

[ii]–40 pp. 17 cm.

The 7 lectures which comprise Darlithiau ar ffydd first appeared in Udgorn Seion, January to May 1850 (7–10, 39–49, 67–71, 97–105, 123–35). John Davis had translated them from English into Welsh from the Doctrine and Covenants; he had omitted, however, the “Questions and answers” which follow each of the first five lectures in the English version. The following year, with the translation and publication of Llyfr Athrawiaeth a Chyfammodau (The book of Doctrine and Covenants, item 60), Davis included the “Questions and answers,” resulting in 19 additional pages of text.

In his 8-line “Hysbysiad” (Notice), on the verso of the title page, Davis states that he was publishing the Darlithiau ar ffydd in a separate booklet at the request of several readers of Udgorn Seion, so that more people would have access to them.

The lectures were delivered before the School of Elders in Kirtland during the winter of 1834. They cover such basic doctrines of Mormonism as faith, the attributes of the Godhead, salvation, and man’s relationship to God. Although Joseph Smith may not have authored everything in the lectures, he did have a hand in preparing them for publication in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants.

Darlithiau ar ffydd was first advertised in the May 1850 Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 4). The price was fourpence.

MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WCS, WN

Flake no. 7282

(Item 41, title page)

(Item 42, title page)

42. John Davis.

Corff Crist, neu yr eglwys.

(The body of Christ, or the church.)

Merthyr Tydfil: John Davis, Printer, 1850.

12 pp. 17 cm.

In this pamphlet, John Davis takes the reader through a lengthy discussion of the Apostle Paul’s analogy in 1 Corinthians 12:14–30. According to Davis’s explanation, the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are the parts of the body of Christ referred to in verse 27. He gives particular emphasis to verse 20 (“But now are they many members, yet but one body”) and declares that the “one body” means there is only one true Church, the one he represents.

At the end of the treatise, Davis puts an exact date, 10 May 1850, something which he rarely did with his publications. Corff Crist was advertised in Udgorn Seion, the issue for June 1850 (wrapper, p. 4). The price was one penny.

CSmH, CtY, CU-B, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WCS, WN

Flake no. 2698

43. John Davis.

A welcome hymn.

Merthyr Tydfil: J. Davis, Printer, 1850.

1 p. 17 cm.

This hymn was composed in English by John Davis in honor of the Apostle J o h n Taylor’s visit to Merthyr Tydfil on 9 June 1850. John Taylor had visited Wales on a previous occasion, over three years before. Both times he was the featured speaker at a conference. Because most Welsh Mormons did not understand English, Taylor’s comments had to be interpreted into Welsh. Whether this was done simultaneously or otherwise is not clear from the conference minutes.

(Item 43, Hymn)

It was a rare occasion for one of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to visit the Saints in Wales. Thus John Davis prepared A welcome hymn to make the Apostle’s visit memorable, both to him and to those who attended the conference. Davis states in the three lines which follow the title that the hymn was sung at the conference, but he does not indicate by whom. If it was sung by the congregation, there were many who, because of the language barrier, had no idea what they were singing.

Although conclusive evidence is lacking, the hymn was most likely printed before the conference so that those singing it would have the words.

A welcome hymn consists of 3 verses of 8 lines each. There is a double straight-lined border around the contents. It was not advertised in Udgorn Seion, but it was included in a 26 July 1851 price list, item 58. Its price was a halfpenny.

MH, NjP, USIC

Flake no. 2712

44. John Davis

Tystiolaeth y Sant.

(Testimony of the Saint.)

Merthyr Tydfil: J. Davis, Printer, 1850.

1 p. 17 cm.

Apparently A welcome hymn (item 43), composed and published by John Davis in honor of Aposde John Taylor’s second visit to Wales in J u n e 1850, was well received by Welsh Mormons, as two more poems were published almost immediately afterwards. Both Tystiolaeth y Sant and Dyddiau Noah (The days of Noah, item 45) are dated 28 June 1850.

Tystiolaeth y Sant consists of eight 4-line stanzas in which “the Saint” (Davis) declares his joy at having come out of the darkness of the world (the other religions) into the light of the restored gospel

(PICTURE: Item 44)

(PICTURE: Item 45, title page)

(Mormonism). Despite the jeers of former colleagues, he considers himself favored of the Lord to have been able to receive the privilege of true baptism and an understanding of life that removes fear of death.

Tystiolaeth y Sant was advertised in the July 1850 Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 3). Its price was a halfpenny.

CU-B, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WN

Flake no. 2711

45. John Davis.

Dyddiau Noah.

(The days of Noah.)

Merthyr Tydfil: John Davis, Printer, 1850.

4 pp. 17 cm.

This rather lengthy narrative poem carries the same date (28 June 1850) as Tystiolaeth y Sant (Testimony of the Saint, item 44). It is, as the title suggests, a poetic account of events that preceded the building of the ark and the devastation of the Flood. John Davis moralizes considerably about those who rejected the message of the prophet Noah.

The poem consists of 30 stanzas of 4 lines each. Each line has 13 syllables. In 1868, when Davis published his Beehive Songster in Salt Lake City, the first of the 21 items he included was an English translation of Dyddiau Noah (pp. 5–11).

The poem was first advertised in the July 1850 Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 3). It sold for a halfpenny.

CU B, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WN, WS

Flake no. 2700

46. [John Davis.]

Ymddyddanion.

(Conversations.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed by j. Davis, Georgetown, [1850].

4 pp . 17 cm.

There are 3 divisions to this publication, all of which had been published previously in Udgorn Seion. The first section is entitled “Buddioldeb Beiblau i’r paganiaid” (The benefit of Bibles to the pagans) and consists of a conversation between William (a Protestant) and Thomas (a Mormon). At the outset, William reports enthusiastically to Thomas of his church’s effort to distribute the Bible to nonbelievers. Thomas counters with the observation that Jesus had requested the gospel, not the Bible, to be taken to the world. Furthermore, continues Thomas, even if the pagans were to read the Bible they would simply continue as nonbelievers once they saw the discrepancies between the Savior’s teachings and the teachings of the Protestants. Thomas’s explanation of the close alignment of Mormon doctrine with Bible teachings has such an impact on William that William’s closing comment is that he will soon be a Mormon himself.

The second section is entitled “Y parchedig a’r pagan” (The reverend and the pagan) and is a conversation in which a pagan challenges a reverend about the discrepancy between the characteristics of Christ’s church, as mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:28, and the characteristics of the various Protestant sects. When informed by the reverend that such things as apostles, prophets, miracles, and the gifts of healing are no longer necessary in the true church, the pagan says that he will continue with his gods of wood and stone.

“Credo Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf” (The creed of the Latter-day Saints) is the title of the third section; the contents are what now comprise the Articles of Faith of the LDS church. The eleventh one, included in this 1850 printing of 14 statements, is no longer pan of the modern-day 13 Articles. It reads as follows: “We believe in the literal resurrection of the body, and that the dead in Christ

(Item 46, title page)

will rise first, and that the rest of the dead live not again until the thousand years are expired.”

“Buddioldeb Beiblau i’r paganiaid” first appeared in the June 1850 Udgorn Seion (pp. 149-60). A pagination error occurred in that issue of Udgorn Seion; page 160 follows immediately after page 149, inasmuch as the typesetter placed a 6 where a 5 was intended.

“Y parchedig a’r pagan” was printed in the May 1850 issue of Udgorn Seion (pp. 121–22).

“Credo Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf” first appeared in the May 1850 Udgorn Seion (pp. 135–37).

Ymddyddanion is among the publications listed for sale in the July 1850 Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 3). Its price was a halfpenny.

CU-B, MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, IVN

Flake no. 2716

47. [John Davis.]

Cyfarwyddiadau i’r ymfudwyr tua Dinas y Llyn Halen, mewn llythyr oddiwrth Wm. Morgan, Kanesville, Iowa, at yr Henuriaid W. Phillips a J. Davis, Merthyr; yn yr hwn y cynnwysir llythyr oddiwrth yr Apostolion Benson a Smith, ynghyd a Chapt. D. Jones.

(Directions to the emigrants to Salt Lake City, in a letter from Wm. Morgan, Kanesville, Iowa, to Elders W. Phillips and J. Davis, Merthyr; also contained is a letter from Apostles Benson and Smith, and Capt. D.Jones.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by J. Davis, Georgetown, 1850.

12 pp. 17 cm.

Due to lack of space in the September 1850 Udgorn Seion, John Davis decided to publish separately the information contained in this pamphlet, which he distributed to Welsh Mormons along with the Udgorn Seion for that month. Normally Davis announced the availability of new pamphlets and awaited orders to come from the various distributors. Because of the vital nature of Cyfarwyddiadau i’r ymfudwyr, however, he boldly sent it to his distributors without waiting for orders, on the assumption that no Mormon would want to be without one.

The information of greatest interest to future emigrants is contained in a letter written by three individuals: Elder E. T. Benson, Elder G. A. Smith, and Dan Jones. Dated 21 September 1849, it was written at a point 649 miles from Winter Quarters, as the first group of Welsh Mormon pioneers and others trudged along toward the Salt Lake Valley. The letter was written in English and sent to William Morgan in Kanesville (Council Bluffs), Iowa, where many Mormons, including 113 Welsh converts, were preparing to cross the plains. Jones requested that Morgan translate the letter into Welsh and forward it to John Davis for publication in Udgorn Seion. The letter contains details of the journey and numerous suggestions for those who would follow after.

In addition to the translated letter, William Morgan wrote one of his own, dated 19 July 1850, which contains information about the Welsh emigrants of Dan Jones’s 1849 group who had remained in Council Bluffs. Lack of funds had not permitted them to continue directly on to Salt Lake City. Morgan, from his vantage point, offered many helpful hints to those who would later make the journey.

Each of the two letters occupies just over 4 pages. Had either one been a bit shorter, the pamphlet may have been just 8 pages in length, but using 12 pages (the next larger size), Davis was able to include a title page and 3 pages of poetry.

The first poem is entitled “Galarnad Seion” (Lamentation of Zion) and consists of 6 stanzas of 6 lines each. Zion laments having been uprooted and having her children suffer. The “Father” offers comfort and promises relief, which Zion gratefully receives in the fifth stanza. In the sixth, all voices join in, encouraging the Saints to be faithful and to rejoice in their new land. The poem was translated by “Gwilym Ddu” (Black William), a pen name for William Lewis, who was one of the Welsh pioneers in the Dan Jones group. Neither the original English title nor author is given.

(Item 47, title page)

(Item 48, title page)

The second bit of poetry is by “Gwilym Ddu” (Black William) and is entitled “Englynion,” a word that has no translation in English but which means “alliterative stanzas.” There are 4 stanzas of 4 lines each. Gwilym Ddu uses the poem as a means of scoffing at those in Wales who prophesied that Dan Jones would take all the emigrants to Cuba and sell them as slaves. The poet issues a warning to the antagonists and ends by comparing Jones to Moses, as one who was leading them to the “land of praise” (p. 12).

The pamphlet has two states: one that has “Pris lg” (Price one penny) at the bottom and one that does not.

MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WCS

Flake no. 5513

48. Dan Jones.

Tri llythyr oddiwrth Capt. D. Jones, ac un oddiwrth Mrs. Lewis (o Gydweli), o Ddinas y Llyn Halen.

(Three letters from Capt. D. Jones , and one from Mrs. Lewis [of Kidwelly], from Salt Lake City.)

Merthyr Tydfil: John Davis, Printer, 1850.

8 pp. 17 cm.

John Davis’s “At y darllenydd” (To the reader), written 24 September 1850, explains the existence of this pamphlet:

The following letters arrived on the 21st of September, after we had printed the Udgorn [Trumpet, shortened title] together with Cyfarwyddiadau i’r ymfudwyr(Directions to the emigrants, item 47], and we thought it best to publish them without delay; and in hopes that many will be distributed, so that our sacrifice will not be too great, we venture to offer them at half price, i.e., a halfpenny.

Most of the Welsh Mormons planned to follow Captain Dan Jones’s route from Liverpool to Salt Lake City via New Orleans, St. Louis, and Council Bluffs. These letters were the first to reach Wales from those who had crossed the ocean and the plains in 1849, so all Welsh Mormons were anxious to read them. Had they arrived a few days earlier, space would have been provided for them in the September 1850 Udgorn Seion. And had they arrived a few days later, the pamphlet would likely have contained an additional letter from Thomas Jeremy which, according to Davis’s 10-line foreword, arrived the same day the pamphlet was at the press.

Jones’s first letter, dated 20 November 1849, was directed to William Phillips, his successor in Wales. The next two were both dated 12 April 1850—one to William Phillips, the other to John Davis. The letter by Elizabeth Lewis, directed to John Davis, was dated 10 April 1850. The first letter, although dated over four months earlier than the others, was sent with them. Jones explained in his second letter that he had intended to send the first with a group of American soldiers who passed through Salt Lake City in late November, but bad weather had kept the soldiers from leaving until the following spring.

All the letters contained glowing reports of circumstances in the Salt Lake Valley. The Welsh pioneers who had crossed the plains between Council Bluffs and Salt Lake City the previous year were getting settled and were prospering in their “promised land.” Strong encouragement was offered to all to hasten after them.

MH, NjP, UPB, USIC, WS

flake no. 4481

49. Margaret Jones.

Can newydd, o ganmoliaeth i lywyddiaeth Eglwys Iesu Grist o Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf

(A new song, of praise to the Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed by j. Davis, [1850?].

4 pp. 16.7 cm.

(Item 49, title page)

(Item 50)

Directly beneath the title of this publication is the following information: “Cyfansoddwyd a chyhoeddwyd, trwy ganiatad, gan Margaret Jones, Georgetown (sef, Eos Cymru Newydd)” (Composed and published, with permission, by Margaret Jones, Georgetown [that is, New Wales’s Nightingale]).

Although the title suggests just one, there are actually two poems in this publication. The first consists of 6 stanzas of 10 lines each. The poet praises Brigham Young, the Apostles, Dan Jones, and William Phillips. She asks blessings on all of God’s servants and portrays the last days, when peace will finally reign among the Saints.

Can newydd is not advertised in any of the book lists during John Davis’s time as Church printer in Merthyr Tydfil (1849–1853), nor is it included in either of Davis’s collections of his publications (the 1851 Ycasgl [The compilement, item 61] or the 1853 Y casgl [The compilement, item 71]). It appears to have been printed by Davis at the request of Margaret Jones, or perhaps of her family.

It is strange that of all the poetry printed in Udgorn Seion over the years, none of it is by Margaret Jones. Davis was very selective in what he allowed to appear in his periodical and often complained about the inferior quality of the verses sent to him. The verses of Can newydd, with their imperfect rhyme and rather prosaic vocabulary, appear to have been printed by John Davis for pay, not because of their literary qualities.

The only extant copy of this pamphlet is owned by the Brigham Young University Library.

UPB

Flake no. 4491

50. John Richards.

Duw mawr y sectariaid.

(Great God of the sectarians.)

Merthyr Tydfil: J. Davis, Printer, Georgetown, [1851].

1 p. 17 cm.

This poem appears first in the 25 January 1851 Udgorn Seion (pp. 35–36) and again, six years later, in the 15 August 1857 issue (pp. 258–59). It is a portrayal of God as interpreted by the sectarians, or, in other words, by all non-Mormons in Wales. The poet scoffs at the numerous misconceptions about God and ends with an appeal to Him to hasten in bringing all His children to a knowledge of the “covenant” (Mormonism), in order for them to have a clearer understanding of His nature.

There are 10 stanzas of 4 lines each. The fact that J o h n Davis printed it in Udgorn Seion and included it in both volumes of Y casgl (The compilement, items 61 and 71) would suggest that he viewed it as high-quality verse.

Advertised in the 26 July 1851 book list, its price was a halfpenny.

MH, USIC, WN

Flake no. 7244

51. John Taylor.

Father, son, & daughter. A trio.

Merthyr Tydfil: J. Davis, Printer, [1851?].

1 p. 17 cm.

52. John Taylor.

Y tad, y mab, a V ferch.

(Father, son, and daughter.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed b y j . Davis, Georgetown, [1851].

1 p . 17 cm.

On the occasion of Apostle John Taylor’s visit to Wales in J u ne 1850, John Davis composed and printed A welcome hymn (item 43) in his honor. When John Taylor returned six months later, Davis published some of Taylor’s own poetry (Father, son, & daughter) in English. The non-English-speaking Mormons in Wales would naturally have wanted a Welsh version of the poem, since it was written by such a high-ranking official of the Church. A translation of it by Benjamin Davies appeared in the 8 February 1851 Udgorn Seion (pp. 51-52). The translation was then published as a broadside.

In 1851 Udgorn Seion began to be published biweekly, without wrappers. The book lists, which had frequently been part of the printed wrappers during 1849 and 1850, ceased to appear. Consequently, there is no mention of the publication of Taylor’s poem in either language until the printing of the separate book list of 26 July 1851 (item 58), in which both are advertised.

The poem has six 4-line verses, each followed by a 2-line chorus. The content is as follows:

Verse 1: The son declares his desire to go to the “land of the West” and asks the father to take the family there.

Verse 2: The daughter echoes her brother’s wish and request.

Verse 3: The father reminds his children that the journey might be too arduous for him and their mother, both suffering from ill health.

Verse 4: The son reminds his father that it was the Lord’s will that they go.

Verse 5: The daughter promises to help her parents.

Verse 6: The father, son, and daughter join together in this last verse in affirming their willingness to “trust in the Lord” and make the journey.

Item 51: MH, USIC, WN

Flake no. 8835

Item 52: CU-B, MH, USIC, WN

Flake no. 8836

(Item 51, Father, Son, & Daughter)

(Item 52)

(Item 53, title page)

53. Orson Pratt.

Yr achos mawr cyntaf, neu alluoedd hunan-symudawl y bydyssawd.

(The great first cause, or the self-moving forces of the universe.)

Merthyr Tydfil: J. Davis, Printer, 1851.

28 pp. 17 cm.

The English original of Yr achos mawr cyntaf, dated 1 January 1851, was published in Liverpool, then the headquarters of the Church in Great Britain. J o h n Davis must have read Orson Pratt’s pamphlet and liked it immediately, as in the 8 March 1851 Udgorn Seion (p. 84) he declared his intention to publish a Welsh translation, priced at twopence. Two weeks later, in the next issue of Udgorn Seion, Davis amended the price to two-and-one-half pence and said the publication would be ready in a week’s time.

No further mention is made of Yr achos mawr cyntaf until the 3 May 1851 Udgorn Seion (p. 148), when Davis declared, in answer to “J.D.,” that the Welsh translation had been ready for some time.

Pratt’s philosophical reasoning in the pamphlet led him to the conclusion that “a self-moving substance is the great first cause and governor of all things.” His abstract reasoning is difficult to follow and must have posed a considerable challenge for the humble Welsh miner. In 1865 the pamphlet was declared nondoctrinal by Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and eleven members of the Council of the Twelve (Millennial Star, 21 October 1865, pp. 657–63).

MH, UPB, USIC, WB, WN

Flake no. 6494

54. Jonathan J. Thomas.

Dwy gan.

(Two songs.)

Merthyr Tydfil: J. Davis, Printer, Georgetown, 1851.

4 pp. 17 cm.

“Published, by permission, April 26, 1851” follows the two songs on page 4. Whether the publication was made at the request of the author or the printer is not clear. Unlike the poetry of Margaret Jones (item 49) Dwy gan was included in the 1853 Y casgl (The compilement, item 71). Other poetry of Jonathan J. Thomas (or “Nathan Ddu” [Black Nathan], his pseudonym) appeared in Udgorn Seion over the years.

The first of the two songs is entitled “Y genadwri” (The message) and is presented in 7 stanzas of 6 lines each. The subject matter is the restoration of the eternal gospel in modern times.

The second song, entitled “Y trysor o’r mynydd” (The treasure from the mountain), has 2 major divisions of 24 lines each. It deals with the significance of the “treasure” (the gold plates which an angel delivered to Joseph Smith) that came out of the “mountain” (the Hill Cumorah, where the gold plates were hidden) for the benefit of mankind.

UPB, USIC, WN

Flake no. 8908

55. John Davis.

Traethawd ar wyrthiau, yn darlunio pa beth ydynt, eu dyben, y pryd eu cyflawnir, a ‘u safonolrwydd i brofi dwyfoldeb crefydd.

(Treatise on miracles, describing what they are, their purpose, when they are effected, and their basis for proving the divinity of a religion.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by J. Davis, Georgetown, 1851.

12 pp. 17 cm.

(Item 54, title page)

(Item 55, title page)

Dated 5 May 1851, Traethodau ar wyrthiau represents Davis’s attempt to clarify the great confusion that existed throughout Wales with respect to miracles, a topic that was widely discussed but not widely understood. There are 4 basic headings, as suggested in the title: (1) “Pa beth yw gwyrthiau?” (What are miracles?), (2) “Pa bcth yw dyben gwyrthiau?” (What is the purpose of miracles?), (3) “A all gwyrthiau gael eu cyflawni ar 61 dyddiau Crist a’r Apostolion?” (Can miracles be effected after the days of Christ and the Apostles?), (4) “A yw gwyrthiau yn ddigon o safon i brofi dwyfoldeb crefydd?” (Are miracles a sufficient basis for proving the divinity of a religion?).

Davis uses logic and the scriptures for his arguments in the first two sections. In the third section, as a counter to the assertions of the Protestants that miracles no longer exist, Davis quotes several accounts of miracles that had been published in the religious periodicals a few years before. And in the fourth section, he concludes that miracles do not prove that a religion is of God, since even the false prophets are capable of working miracles. Consequently, if anyone wishes to know the truth of a religion, he will have to follow the advice given by the Savior in John 7:17 and do the will of the Father.

Traethawd ar wyrthiau sold for one penny.

CSmH, CU-B, MH, UPB, USIC, WN

Flake no. 2709

56. Dan Jones. Hymnau, wedi eu cyfansoddi a ‘u casglu, yn fwyaf neillduol, at wasanaeth Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf.

(Hymns, composed and collected most particularly for the use of the Latter-day Saints.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by J. Davis, Georgetown, 1851. 2nd printing.

Vii–[56] pp. 7 cm. x 10.5 cm.

(Item 56, title page)

(Item 56, last page of index and first page of hymns; compare p. 37)

Except for the typesetting, this little hymnal is identical to the one Dan Jones produced in 1846 (item 7). In printing this second edition John Davis retained the pagination of the first edition and even included Jones’s foreword.

In his 1849 hymnal (item 28) Davis had purposely omitted all of the hymns in Jones’s 1846 hymnal (item 7) so the two books would complement each other. Because of the scarcity of the earlier hymnal by 1850 and because its contents were popular with Welsh Mormons, Davis decided to print a second edition.

In the 31 May 1851 Udgorn Seion (p. 180) was an announcement that this second edition, which Davis calls the “Old Hymn Book,” was ready, unbound. It was not advertised in the 26 July 1851 book list (item 58), nor was it mentioned further until the 9 August 1851 Udgorn Seion (p. 260), when Davis advertised that “the two hymn books,” bound together, were for sale for one shilling and fourpence. Three months later, it was bound with the 1849 hymnal and the ninth edition (1851) of the Mormon hymnal in English (see item 64).

Only two copies of the 1851 Welsh Mormon hymnal are extant—one at the LDS Church Archives and the other in the hands of a private collector in Provo, Utah.

USIC

Flake no. 1872

57. Dan Jones.

Uytbyr oddiwrth Capt. D. Jones at Wm. Phillips, yn cynnwys newyddion o Seion.

(A letter from Capt. D.Jones to Wm. Phillips, containing news from Zion.)

Merthyr Tydfil: John Davis, Printer, [1851].

8 pp. 17 cm.

(Item 57, title page)

Llythyr oddiwrth Capt. D. Jones has something that no other Welsh Mormon pamphlet has—on the last page, just preceding the name of the printer, is this information: “Published and for sale by Wm, Phillips, 14, Castle Street, Glebeland, Merthyr Tydfil.” Although nothing in the publication was written by William Phillips, he received credit probably because the letter quoted in the pamphlet had been sent to him.

Dan Jones’s letter is dated March 1851 and was sent from Manti, Utah, a settlement about 150 miles south of Salt Lake City. The previous fall, Brigham Young had requested that Jones settle there. In this rather lengthy letter Jones relates news of Welsh Mormons in Utah that he thought would be of interest to Mormons in Wales.

John Davis advertised the letter’s availability in the 12 July 1851 Udgorn Seion (p. 228) with this comment: “Its price is one penny, and it contains splendid news.”

MH, UPB, USIC

Flake no. 4478

58. {John Davis.]

Uyfrau Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf, ar werth gan J. Davis, Argraffydd, Georgetown, Merthyr, a chan y Saint trwy Gymru.

(Books of the Latter-day Saints, for sale by J. Davis, Printer, Georgetown, Merthyr, and by the Saints throughout Wales.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by J. Davis, Georgetown, 1851.

2 pp. 17.5 cm.

On one side of Uyfrau Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf is a list of available Mormon publications; on the other is a prospectus for the Book of Mormon in Welsh.

Contained in this book list are 31 titles available for purchase through John Davis and Mormon book distributors throughout Wales. The date at the bottom is 26 July 1851.

The printed wrappers for Udgorn Seion during 1849 and 1850 regularly advertised Mormon publications for sale. With the cessation of these printed wrappers at the beginning of 1851, however, only a few titles were advertised on the last page of each issue. Uyfrau Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf appears to be Davis’s effort to furnish the Saints with more complete information as to the available items.

The list has 2 parts: the first contains 30 titles and their full prices; the second provides information as to the discount prices of publications for the distributors if purchased in quantities of twenty-five or more.

In the first part, 16 of the 20 signatures of Llyfr Athrawiaeth a Chyfammodau (The book of Doctrine and Covenants, item 60) are advertised for one-and-a-half-pence each, and Udgorn Seion, a biweekly containing 16 pages, is priced at one penny per issue. Bound volumes of Udgorn Seion for 1850 were available for four shillings. The following titles, listed in Davis’s order but with my item numbers, are also named: items 20, 5, 35, 31, 28, 4 1 , 26, 24, 25, 17, 18, 4, 42, 38, 37, 30, 36, 46, 40, 45, 44, 52, 50, D, 51, 43, 53, 55.

In the second part, there is only one title that is not mentioned in the first—Ewch, a dysgwch (Go, and teach, item 39). Titles listed (again in Davis’s order, but with my numbers) are items 35, 31, 26, 36, 30, 28, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 46, 45, 44.

On the verso of the book list is a prospectus: “To be published without delay, in Welsh, in signatures priced at one-and-a-half-pence each, the Book of Mormon: that is, an account written by the hand of Mormon, on pages which were taken from the plates of Nephi.”

The English edition used as the basis for the announced translation was the second European edition of the Book of Mormon. Davis lists four conditions:

1. It would consist of about 30 signatures of 16 pages each.

2. One or two signatures would come out with each issue of Udgorn Seion every fortnight.

3. The entire book was to be printed with new type on good paper, and each signature was to contain more reading than

(Item 58, booklist)

(Llyfr Mormon prospectus—back of item 58)

the signatures of Llyfr Athrawiaeth a Chyfammodau.

4. It was expected that everyone who received the first signature would continue to receive the remainder and pay for each signature as it was received.

Davis then makes an appeal to all the “Brethren” in Wales to publicize Llyfr Mormon (The Book of Mormon, item 65) widely, even to the “world” (non-Mormons). If the number of subscribers reached two thousand, there would be a reduction of a halfpenny in the price of all signatures past number twenty.

The only two extant copies of this book list and prospectus are bound with the 1851 Ycasgl (The compilement, item 61).

MH, USIC

59. Testament y deuddeg patriae h, sef meibion Jacob. At yr hwn yrychwanegwyd epistol Paul yr Apostol aty Laodiceaid. Ac hefyd ychydig mewn perthynas ifarwolaeth Paul yn Rhufain, dan Nero Cesar.

(Testament of the twelve patriarchs, the sons of Jacob. To this was added the epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Laodicians. And also something about the death of Paul in Rome, under Nero Caesar.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by J . Davis, 1851. Third edition revised.

74 pp. 18.5 cm.

This “third edition” of Testament y deuddeg patriarch is a verbatim printing done by J o h n Davis from a “second edition,” which was printed in Caernarfon by L. E.Jones in 1822, also in Welsh. Because of page and print size, Davis’s version contains fewer than half the 167 pages of the 1822 edition.

Except for a small segment of 1 1/2 pages (Testament, pp. 68–69), the entire contents of Davis’s Testament first appeared in Udgorn Seion, in the first twelve issues of 1851 (pp. 10–14, 29–32, 42–46,

(Item 59, title page)

(Item 60, title page)

64–67, 73–81, 86–95, 105–8, 124–31, 138–41, 158–61, 170–79, 187–93, 204–9, 225–26). Later that same year the following announcement appeared in the 9 August 1851 Udgorn Seion (p. 260): “We have about one hundred copies of Testament y deuddeg patriarch published in book form, price tenpence, sewn.”

The only extant copy of this book is owned by one of John Davis’s descendants in Salt Lake City.

60. Llyfr Athrawiaeth a Chyfammodau perthynol i Eglwys Iesu Grist o Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf; a gasglwyd o ddadguddiadau Duw.

(The book of Doctrine and Covenants pertaining to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; collected from the revelations of God.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published and for sale b y j. Davis, Georgetown, 1851. Translated from the 2nd European edition, by John Davis.

xvi–304 pp. 17.6 cm.

The first indication that the Doctrine and Covenants was to be published in Welsh was John Davis’s comment in the August 1850 Udgorn Seion (wrapper, p. 3): “We have been counseled to translate the Doctrines and the Covenants, and we shall give further information about it.” When the book was published, the title Athrawiaethau a V Cyfammodau (The Doctrines and the Covenants) was somewhat altered.

A full-page prospectus appeared on page 4 of the wrapper of Udgorn Seion for both the November and December issues of 1850. Here Davis announces that he intends to publish the book in about 20 signatures which would be sent out one or two at a time with the biweekly issues of Udgorn Seion. In the December prospectus, Davis makes an appeal for more subscriptions than the 750 received.

Davis proudly announces in the 22 February 1851 Udgorn Seion (p. 68) that the first signature of Llyfr Athrawiaeth a Chyfammodau was off the press. He also says: “If the Saints in general wish it to be published every week instead of every fortnight for one-and-a-half pence, let us know.” Such a statement suggests that Davis was ahead of schedule with his translation. Apparently the response to Davis’s idea was positive, inasmuch as in twenty-seven weeks from that time, the twentieth and last signature was sent out with the 23 August 1851 Udgorn Seion. These 20 signatures were then bound together for the final product.

CSmH, MH, UPB, USl, USIC, UU, WB, WN, WSW

Flake no. 2942

61. John Davis.

Y casgl; neu grynhoad o draethodau, caniadau, a llythyron, perthynol i Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf.

(The compilement; or a collection of treatises, songs, and letters, pertaining to the Latter-day Saints.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by J . Davis, Georgetown, 1851.

[276] pp. 17 cm.

Having served for nearly three years as printer of all Welsh Mormon materials, J o h n Davis had accumulated a very impressive list of publications, most of which he himself had authored. The likelihood of survival for his numerous pamphlets and poems was minimal at best; consequently, Davis determined to put a binding around 28 items which his press had produced. Thus they would not only be preserved for posterity, but their sale at three shillings for each bound volume would add to Davis’s own income.

In the 6 September 1851 Udgorn Seion, Davis advertised the availability of Y casgl. Only two weeks before, he had finished the translation and publication of Llyfr Athrawiaeth a Chyfammodau (The book of Doctrine and Covenants, item 60), and two weeks later he would send out the first signature of Llyfr Mormon (The Book of Mormon, item 65). On 8 December 1851, his wife of one year would give birth to their daughter, Julia Elizabeth. In the midst of all this, subscribers expected their 16 pages of Udgorn Seion every other week. Life was moving at a very fast pace indeed for John Davis.

Quoted on the title page are the words of the Savior after he had fed the five thousand: “Gather up the fragments” (John 6:12). Three months before, the number of church members in Wales had been reported at 5,204 (Udgorn Seion, 28 June 1851, p. 211). Whether Davis was drawing a parallel between the two groups of five thousand, he having fed one of the groups with his publications, is only conjectural.

In his table of contents, Davis divides the 28 items into 3 categories: treatises, songs, and letters. Listed (with Davis’s order and according to my item numbers) are the following: treatises—41, 30, 22, 31, 42, 35, 37, 38, 55, 53, 26, 36, 46, 39; songs—24, 25, 40, 44, 45, 51, 52, 43, 50; letters—32, 27, 47, 48, 57.

Although advertised in the book list (item 58) bound with Y casgl, item D (We’ll see Joseph and Hyrum) was omitted from Ycasgl. For the historian, this exclusion is most unfortunate, since there is no extant copy of this halfpenny poem.

Listed in the table of contents but not in the book list is Davis’s first pamphlet (item 22) and all the items under the heading of “Letters.” One would surmise that Davis had only enough of these items on hand for inclusion in Y casgl, but not enough to offer for sale.

Although published early enough for inclusion, 4 items are not included in Y Casgl or the book list: 29, 33, 29, 54. The last 3 items are poems written by others and printed by Davis. Dwy gan (Two songs, item 54) was bound with the 1853 Y casgl (The compilement, item 71), and VEvangile (The gospel, item 29), the little French leaflet Davis had printed for William Howells, was also bound with some copies of the 1853 Y casgl (item 71).

Although Yr epistol cyffredinol (The first general epistle, item 32) is listed in the table of contents of both extant copies of the 1851 Y casgl, it is not bound with the copy at USIC.

MH, USIC

Flake no. 2696

Item 61, title page)

(Item 62, title page)

62. John Davis.

Adolygiad ar draethawd W. Jones, Bethesda, yr hwn a elwir “Egwyddorion Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf yn cael eu pwy so yn nghlorianau rhesymau ac ysgrythyrau.

(A review of the treatise of W.Jones, Bethesda, which is called “The principles of the Latter-day Saints weighed on the scales of reason and scriptures.”)

Merthyr Tydfil: J. Davis, Printer, [1851].

16 pp. 17 cm.

The contents of Adolygiad ar draethawd first appeared in Udgorn Seion for 6 September 1851 (pp. 282–87) and 20 September 1851 (pp. 293–303). As the title suggests, John Davis is reviewing a pamphlet about the Mormons which had been published by a W.Jones a short time before; it had been sent by a fellow Mormon for Davis’s evaluation.

In the polemic fashion of the nineteenth century, Davis refutes W.Jones’s observations and conclusions one by one, all the while calling attention to Jones’s ignorance and lack of perception and preparation.

Jones, on the title page of his 24-page pamphlet, quotes Daniel 5:27, “Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” Davis counters this apparent reference to Mormonism at the conclusion of Adolygiad ar draethawd \>\j advising that no one should shout “Tekel” until he has examined more carefully what is being weighed. Jones concludes his publication with some lines of poetry; Davis does likewise, but with this difference: where Jones predicts that Mormonism will soon be buried and forgotten, Davis prophesies its triumph.

UPB, USIC, WN

Flake no. 2692

63. John Davis.

Welcome song.

Merthyr Tydfil: [John Davis], 1851.

1 p. 17 cm.

Dated 3 November 1851, Welcome song was composed in English by J o h n Davis to honor Apostle Lorenzo Snow on the occasion of his visit to Wales. The poem consists of 3 stanzas of 8 lines each.

The first three lines of the second stanza (“Welcome, brother, to the people who received the truth from you through the mission you appointed”) refer to the call Elder Snow had issued to William Henshaw, in late 1842 or early 1843, to take the gospel to Merthyr Tydfil and environs. From Henshaw’s efforts came several hundred converts in the following three years.

In his journal, Lorenzo Snow recorded his reaction to Davis’s poem:

During my stay in Wales, I attended a number of very interesting meetings. On the evening of the fourth of November, I addressed a very large assembly, convened in a hall in Tredegar, in Monmouthshire. In the course of the meeting, Elder J. S. Davies [sic] arose, unanticipated by me, and read a poem composed by him, in which he alluded to my visit in Wales as an Apostle, as a very remarkable and wonderful event. I gave him full credit for his good motive and generous feelings, but at the same time felt not a little annoyed that he should have chosen such an unseasonable occasion—in the presence of a large congregation, nine-tenths of which were Gentiles, to read an article of that character. (Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, Salt Lake City, 1884, p. 189)

No Welsh translation of Welcome song ever appeared in the pages of Udgorn Seion.

USIC, WN

Flake no. 2713

(Item 63, Welcome song)

64. Llyfr hymnau dwyieithog, yn cynnwys y ddau lyfr Cymraeg aW argraffiad newydd Seisnig.

(Bilingual hymnal, containing the two Welsh hymnals and the new English edition.)

[1851.]

7 cm. x 10.5 cm.

Among the converts to Mormonism in Wales were some who spoke only Welsh, some who spoke only English, and some who spoke both languages. This created a rather awkward situation in the religious meetings. Those who spoke only one language just had to be patient when talks were given in the language they did not understand. Eventually, English-speaking branches were formed in Merthyr Tydfil and Swansea to alleviate the situation.

As a partial solution to the singing of hymns in meetings where both languages were represented, John Davis put one binding around three different hymnals: his 1849 Welsh hymnal (item 28), his 1851 printing of Dan Jones’s earlier Welsh hymnal (item 56), and Sacred hymns and spiritual songs, for The Church ofJesus Christ of latter-day Saints, in Europe (the ninth edition of the English-language hymnal, published in 1851 in Liverpool).

In the 4 October 1851 Udgorn Seion (p. 324) Davis announced that the Llyfr hymnau dwyieithog would be ready soon. Six weeks later he announced that it was available in calfskin for three shillings (Udgorn Seion, 15 November 1851, p. 372). There is no special title page for this unique publication.

The only extant copy is in the hands of a private collector in Provo, Utah.

65. Llyfr Mormon; sef hanes wedi eiysgrifenu gan law Mormon, ar lafnau a gymmerwyd o lafnau Nephi.

(The Book of Mormon; a history written by the hand of Mormon, on plates taken from the plates of Nephi.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published and for sale by J. Davis, Georgetown, 1852. Translated into English by Joseph Smith, Jr.; and translated from the 2nd European English edition by John Davis.

xii–483 pp. 17 cm.

That the keystone of the Mormon faith did not become available to the several thousand Welsh converts in their own language until after dozens of other items had been produced, including pamphlets, periodicals, a 288-page scriptural commentary, and the Doctrine and Covenants (one of the standard works of Mormonism) is ironic. But the Welsh Mormons (over 5,000 of them by 1851) wanted very much for the Book of Mormon to be translated into the language they could understand. A Brother Thomas Conway even put the desire into verse (Udgorn Seion, June 1850, wrapper, p. 2):

O, that we, the Welsh, might have

The Book of Mormon in our own tongue,

So that we might have greater light

And comforts on our sojourn.

Having finally received authorization from President Franklin D. Richards, who presided over the Church in Great Britain, John Davis set about translating and publishing Llyfr Mormon. As with Llyfr Athrawiaeth a Chyfammodau (The book of Doctrine and Covenants, item 60) he published signatures of 16 pages. On 26 July 1851, about a month before finishing the Doctrine and Covenants, Davis published a prospectus for the Book of Mormon and outlined the procedure he proposed to follow (see item 58). Two weeks later, in the 9 August 1851 Udgorn Seion (p. 260), Davis made a second appeal to his book dealers to take as many subscriptions as possible and to have the information back to him by 31 August 1851. Davis mentioned that he had already begun the translation, and on 20 September 1851, just four weeks after the last signature of Llyfr Athrawiaeth a Chyfammodau had been sent out with Udgorn Seion, the first signature of Llyfr Mormon was sent out. The number of subscriptions had reached 1,500, plus an order in Liverpool for 200 copies of the finished product. Davis renewed the prospectus promise that if the number were to reach 2,000 by the

(Item 65, title page)

tenth signature, there would be a price reduction by a halfpenny for all signatures after the nineteenth.

On 17 April 1852, thirty-one weeks after the distribution of the initial signatures, the last signatures were sent out with Udgorn Seion. The periodical was then biweekly; so it appears that an average of two signatures of Llyfr Mormon were sent out with each issue of Udgorn Seion.

In his foreword to the Welsh (Llyfr Mormon, p. iii) dated 6 April 1852 (probably in commemoration of the organization of the Church on that date twenty-two years earlier), Davis stated that the translation was “the best that could be done under disadvantages which the majority of translators do not labor under.” He explained that “perspicuity and plain language” had been sought more than “any kind of adornment.” Davis also declared to the antagonists of Mormonism in Wales: “Many of you have freely given your opinion of this book and condemned it without ever having seen it; but now after laboring so long under disadvantages, you can read it for yourselves and see whether your former opinions were correct.”

Two interesting sidelights to the translation are preserved in a biographical sketch of J o h n Davis in Orson F. Whitney’s History of Utah: first, the entire translation was written with one quill pen; second, Samuel Evans, editor of Seren Gomer (Stat of Gomer), a Baptist periodical for which Davis had formerly worked, said that it was a “pity such valuable labor in producing so perfect a translation had been bestowed upon so worthless a work as the Book of Mormon” (Salt Lake City, 1904, 4:352).

CSmH, MH, NjP, UPB, USl, USIC, UU, WB, WN

Flake no. 747

66. John Davis.

A dialogue between the reverend and the boy.

[Merthyr Tydfil: J. Davis], 1852.

1 p. 17 cm.

(Item 66, A Dialogue Between the Reverend and the Boy)

A dialogue has the date of 28 May 1852 at the bottom as well as the name of the poet “J. Davis.” Missing, however, is the bottom line of information which Davis normally included with his publications: “J. Davis, Georgetown, Merthyr Tydfil.”

This is an English translation of Davis’s first and very successful poem (see item 24). Although the Welsh version of this poem has four variants, no variant has been found for the English version.

A dialogue is advertised in the 12 May 1855 Udgorn Seion (p. 160) for three shillings per hundred.

USIC, WN

Flake no. 2715

67. John Davis.

Traethodau ar wyrthiau, yn cynnwys adolygiad ar ddarlithiau yParch.J.Jones, Llangollen, allyfryny Parch.J. Davies, Llanelli, ar yr un pwnc.

(Treatises on miracles, containing a review of the lectures of the Rev. J.Jones, Llangollen, and the pamphlet of the Rev. J . Davies, Llanelli, on the same subject.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed, published and for sale b y j. Davis, John Street, Georgetown, 1852.

[ii]–70 pp. 17 cm.

In early 1852 the Reverend John Jones of Llangollen, the brother of Captain Dan Jones, gave three lectures in Merthyr Tydfil at the Bethesda Chapel (25 February, 3 March, and 17 March). His purpose was to shed light on the topic of miracles and to disprove the Mormon stance concerning them. Jones was countered immediately afterwards by William Phillips and John Davis, who gave public lectures of their own in the White Lion Inn in the center of Merthyr Tydfil.

Controversy was nothing new to J o h n Jones, as he had been involved in debate and conflict for a number of years and was himself a controversial figure who was fairly well known throughout Wales. His press in Rhydybont had been labeled a “prostitute press” by his colleagues of the cloth because he had agreed to publish Mormon materials on it (Seren Gomer, December 1847, p. 375).

It was while working for Jones about six years earlier that John Davis had become acquainted with Mormonism. Although Davis converted to the new religion, Jones continued his life as a Protestant minister and, after moving from Rhydybont (near Lianybydder in Carmarthenshire) to Merthyr Tydfil in about 1850, effectively shed his image as a Mormon sympathizer by preaching vehemently against the tenets of Mormonism. His lectures on miracles gained considerable popularity, and Jones decided to go on tour with them.

Rather than combat Jones with lectures, Davis decided to publish the arguments against h im in a series of pamphlets. Because Jones’s ideas were similar to those of the Reverend John Davies, Breconshire (see Y doniau gwyrthiol fel eu darluniryn yr ysgrythyrau sanctaidd [The spiritual gifts as portrayed in the holy scriptures], Brynmawr, 1851), Davis dealt with both these ministers in his writings.

Although it is unclear how many copies Davis printed of this series of treatises, apparently he needed to increase the number, judging from this comment at the end of the second treatise: “And by the way, the first treatise will have a second printing” (p. 24).

Davis’s involvement in translating and publishing the Book of Mormon in Welsh somewhat delayed the appearance of the treatises. The last signature of Llyfr Mormon was sent out with the 17 April 1852 Udgorn Seion, and the first treatise on miracles is dated 21 May 1852; the other five are dated 3 June, 15 June, 19 June, 2 July, and 15 July 1852. Each sold for one penny.

In the foreword Davis quotes Jones as having said: “It has to be something before it can cause me to fall . “ Davis’s retort: “Even though we are but a small ‘shepherd boy’ beside the Giant of Llangollen, yet we feel totally unafraid. . . . Who knows but what the sharp stones of truth from our insignificant slingshot will affect his skull and cause him to fall to the ground?”

CtY, UPB, USIC, WB, WN, WS

Flake no. 2710

(Item 67, title page)

(Item 68, title page)

68. John Davis.

Sylwadau ar yr hyn sydd o ran, a’r hyn sydd berffaith.

(Observations on that which is in pan, and that which is perfect.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed, published and for sale by J. Davis, [1852?].

12 pp. 17 cm.

Although not identified as such, this is simply a second printing of item 35, published in 1850. The contents arc identical but were reduced from 16 to 12 pages. The reduction was made by spacing the lines closer together and omitting the separate title page. The price was also reduced from one-and-a-half pence to one penny.

The exact date of this second printing of Sylwadau is not clear. The only time it was advertised (at the second-edition price of one penny) was on the outside back wrapper of Y Perl o FawrBris (The Pearl of Great Price, item 69), thus putting its publication at some time prior to 7 September 1852.

USlC, WN

Flake no. 2707

69. Y Perl o Fawr Bris; sef detholiad deivisol allan o ddadguddiadau, cyfieithadau, ac hanesion y diweddar Joseph Smith, prif brophwyd, gweledydd, a dadguddiwr i Eglwys lesu Grist o Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf.

(The Pearl of Great Price; a choice selection from the revelations, translations, and narrations of the late Joseph Smith, first prophet, seer and revelator to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published, printed, and for sale by John Davis, John Street, Georgetown, 1852. Translated from the English by John Davis.

vi–76 pp. 16.8 cm.

Printed wrapper—except for the double straight-lined border, the contents of the outside front are identical to the title page. The outside back has a book list. Nothing is printed on the inside pages of the wrapper.

In the 20 March 1852 Udgorn Sewn (p. 100), John Davis announced his intention of publishing this small book, considered scripture by the Mormons, in a Welsh translation. By this time, Davis was nearly finished with his translation of the Book of Mormon, and with the publication of an edition of YPerl o Fawr Bris the Welsh would have all the Mormon standard works in their own language.

Had Davis begun immediately, Y Perl o Fawr Bris would have been ready within a few weeks; he reordered his priorities, however, and gave his attention instead to the six Traethodau ar wyrthiau (Treatises on miracles, item 67). Only after finishing that project, on 15 July 1852, did Davis begin work on Y Perl o Fawr Bris, which he completed by 7 September 1852, less than eight weeks later.

This edition of the Pearl of Great Price, the first in any language other than English, is nearly identical in content to the Liverpool edition that Franklin D. Richards had published the year before. The only difference is that the Welsh edition also contains what is now section 136 of the Doctrine and Covenants. This 3-page revelation, given to Brigham Young about the trek across the plains, was received 14 January 1847, but not printed until 1 May 1852, when it appeared in the Millennial Star (pp. 150–51).

In addition to the contents of the present-day edition of the Pearl of Great Price, the 1851 Liverpool edition and Y Perl o Fawr Bris contain sections 20, 27, 77, 87, and 107 of today’s Doctrine and Covenants. In place of the poem “O, say what is truth?” by John Jaques, which appeared in the Liverpool edition, Y Perl o Fawr Bris has on its last page a poem of 6 stanzas of 4 lines each by J o h n Davis, written especially for the publication of Y Perl o Fawr Bris.

There are several extant copies of Y Perl o Fawr Bris; only one of these, however (the one at USIC), has the printed yellow wrapper preserved. Printed on the outside back of the wrapper is a book list containing 35 items. These are (according to Davis’s order and my item numbers) items 65, 60, 23, 20, 5, 68, 31, 28 and 56 bound together, 56 bound separately, 41, 26, 24, 25, 17, 18, 4, 42, 38, 37, 30, 46, 63, 45, 44, 52, 50, D, 51, 53, 55, 59, 62, 27, 67, 69.

Davis borrowed the three woodcuts associated with the “Book of Abraham’’ (one of the sections of the Pearl of Great Price) from Franklin D. Richards for adaptation in YPerl o FawrBris. Two of these have just one fold; the other has three folds. The USIC copy has bound with it at the end these “Directions to the binder’’: “Put the first cut to face page 23, the second to face page 30, and the third to face page 35”—instructions written in English and not intended to be bound with the final product. YPerl o FawrBris originally sold for one shilling and twopence.

UPB, USIC, WB, WCC_t WCS, WN, WSW

Flake no. 6204

70. [John Davis.]

Casgliad o hymnau, caniadau, ac odlau ysbrydol, at wasanaeth Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf, yn Nghymru.

(Collection of hymns, songs, and spiritual verses, for the use of the Latter-day Saints in Wales.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Published and for sale by J. Davis, in Georgetown, 1852.

Xxxii–[5]–[356] pp. 7 cm. x 10.5 cm.

The Welsh Latter-day Saints attached much importance to hymn singing. Even when they numbered fewer than a thousand members, they already had their own set of hymns. By November 1846 Dan Jones had assembled a 64-page collection of 133 hymns (item 7) especially for Mormon services. In July 1849 John Davis added his 112-page hymnal (item 28), which contains 194 hymns. The mutual exclusiveness of the Jones and Davis hymnals complicated matters somewhat, inasmuch as new converts could obtain only the latter,

(Item 69, title page)

(Item 70, title page)

and old members had favorites from each. In 1851 Davis reprinted Jones’s 1846 hymnal so that all could have both; the 1849 and the 1851 hymnals were often bound together. And to accommodate congregations in which there were non-Welsh speakers, Davis eventually put into one binding what he called the Uyfr hymnau dwyieithog (Bilingual hymnal, item 64), which contained his 1849 collection, his 1851 reprint ofjones’s 1846 collection, and the 1851 Liverpool edition of Sacred hymns and spiritual songs.

With the influx of new converts, the supply of Welsh hymnals became exhausted, and Davis issued an appeal for any new hymns which members thought should be included in yet another hymnal. The date of 29 November 1852 is attached to the preface of the new and final Welsh hymnal. The names of W. S. Phillips, John Davis, and Thomas Pugh are printed following the preface, but the work appears to be largely Davis’s.

Jones’s 1846 hymnal has a first-line index; Davis’s 1849 hymnal has a category-index; the 1852 collection of 575 hymns has both kinds of indexes. With 157 different categories in the one index it may have been a bit confusing to use.

Davis incorporated nearly all the contents of his 1849 hymnal into this new one in 1852, omitting only hymn number 36 and the last five hymns (numbers 190-94), which were in English. Davis used nearly two-thirds ofjones’s 1846 hymns—84 of 133. This new, expanded hymnal contains 303 hymns not found in either of its predecessors.

Davis employs a method similar to the one used in his 1849 hymnal for identifying the composer of each hymn: an asterisk indicates that he is the composer; a “—” signifies that the composer is unknown; initials of the composer are used for the remainder.

As with the others, there are only words in the hymnal. Seven basic meters are listed in the two indexes, and the meter of each hymn is indicated immediately following the hymn number.

Page numbers, except for the first and last pages of the hymns, [5] and [356], are indicated at the bottom of each page. The numbers at the top of each page refer to the hymn itself, and often some of the pages have parts of two or three hymns. There are some mispaginations: 230 for 229, 369 for 269, 471 for 271, and 227 for 327. These, however, do not alter the sequential pagination.

The book list on the back of the wrapper for Y wir ffydd (The true faith, item 100) advertises this hymnal at three different prices: the best binding is priced at three shillings and fivepence, the next best at two shillings and twopence, and the least expensive at one shilling and eleven pence.

NjP, UPB, USIC, WN

Flake no. 1873

71. John Davis.

Y casgl; neu grynhoad o draethodau, caniadau, a llythyron, perthynol i Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf.

(The compilement; or a collection of treatises, songs, and letters, pertaining to the Latter-day Saints.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by J. Davis, Georgetown, 1853. 2nd edition.

17 cm.

In the 11 June 1853 Udgorn Seion (p. 388), John Davis advertised his second edition of Y casgl. For most of the twenty-one months since the publication of the first edition, Davis had been occupied with translating and publishing Uyfr Mormon (The Book of Mormon, item 65) and Y Perl o Fawr Brts (The Pearl of Great Price, item 69), as well as with writing his 72-page Traethodau ar wyrthiau (Treatises on miracles, item 67) and assembling his new hymnal (item 70). Davis had written and published a few other things, however, which he wished to include in a second edition of what could be termed his “complete works.”

The 11 June 1853 announcement in Udgorn Seion contains a rather curious statement: “Its price varies from three shillings to three shillings and sixpence according to the contents of the book.’’ Apparendy some items were in short stock and could not be included in all of the volumes. The two extant copies of Y casgl (1853) are in public repositories: one at the LDS Church Archives in

(Item 71, title page)

(CHART: CONTENT COMPARISON OF ITEMS 61 AND 71)

Salt Lake City, containing 34 items; and one at the National Library of Wales, containing only 26. Each has a different table of contents, although each bears the same title and date.

Even though the title indicates that the items in Y casgl pertain to the Latter-day Saints, there is one poem that appears to fall outside that heading. The 1-page poem entitled Tom’s escape is printed on the verso of Dialogue between the reverend and the boy (item 66) and is t h e story of a caged bird named Tom which escapes and gains his freedom. It is dated 27 April 1848, ten months before Davis moved his press from Carmarthen to Merthyr Tydfil, yet the place of publication at the bottom is given as Georgetown, Merthyr Tydfil. It appears that Davis was simply fond of the poem and wished to have it preserved for posterity even though it does not seem to belong in a collection of Mormon publications. It has not been given a separate discussion herein.

The preceding table is a comparison of contents of the various extant copies of Y casgl; items are listed according to the order of their binding in the USIC 1853 copy.

USIC, WN

72. Thomas Jones.

Traethodau ar ail-ddyfodiad Crist, yr adgyfodiad, ar mil blynyddau.

(Treatises on the second coming of Christ, the resurrection, and the thousand years.)

Llanelli: Published and for sale by Thomas Jones. J. Davis, Printer, Merthyr, 1853.

12 pp 17.5 cm.

While Dan Jones was having his writings printed at Rhydybont, he was living in Merthyr Tydfil; he consistently identified himself as the publisher of those items and the place of publication as Merthyr Tydfil. With this and the following pamphlet, Thomas Jones has used an analogous procedure—although printed by John Davis at Merthyr Tydfil, on the title page the pamphlets identify the place of publication as Llanelli and the publisher as Thomas Jones. It would appear that a member of the Church by the name of Thomas Jones, living in Llanelli, requested that John Davis do the printing for two pamphlets he (Jones) had prepared.

Neither this nor the following pamphlet was ever advertised in Udgorn Seion, nor did either appear in any of the book lists. Had they been printed before Davis issued his second edition of Y casgl (The compilement, item 71), they would probably have been included along with other publications which, although not authored by Davis, were printed on his press and were in defense of Mormonism.

The first of the 3 segments of Traethodau ar ail-ddyfodiad Crist bears the same title as the pamphlet itself and had originally appeared in the September 1831 Seren Gomer (Star of Gomer, pp. 265–68), published by the Baptists. The author, who identifies himself only as “C,” is writing to “Mr. Gomer,” presumably the editor, in order to correct some erroneous ideas which he had heard from Welsh ministers concerning the Second Coming, the Resurrection, and the Millennium.

The next segment, entitled “Yr adgyfodiad, y mil blynyddoedd, etc.” (The Resurrection, the thousand years, etc.), is a continuation of the first. It appeared in the November 1831 Seren Gomer, pp. 296–98). Although the author’s ideas are in harmony with Mormon doctrine, it is unlikely that he had ever heard of the Mormons, considering the 1831 date of publication. Because the Baptists were among the most vociferous opponents of the Latter-day Saints in Wales, it would appear that this pamphlet was published to show the lack of unanimity in the Baptist ranks.

The third and final segment of Traethodau ar ail-ddyfodiad Crist is entitled “Barn y Parch. D. Peters, Caerfyrddin, am ‘Gwymp Babilon’” (The opinion of the Rev. D. Peters, Carmarthen, about the “Fall of Babylon”) and is taken from a sermon Peters had delivered at Bwlchnewydd (a town near Carmarthen) on 25 August 1809. His conclusion, after a series of calculations based on the prophecies of the Old Testament prophet Daniel, was that Christians could expect the fall of Catholicism within seventy-five years.

(Item 72, title page)

(Item 73, title page)

73. Thomas Jones.

Traethodau ar y doniau gwyrthiol, a V mil blynyddoedd, etc.

(Treatises on the spiritual gifts, and the thousand years, etc.)

Llanelli: Published and for sale by Thomas Jones. J. Davis, Printer, Merthyr, 1853.

12 pp. 17.5 cm.

This pamphlet is very similar to item 72 in its content and purpose (see discussion for item 72). The first of its 4 segments bears the same title, Traethodau ary doniau gwyrthiol, as the pamphlet as a whole and appeared in the April 1832 Seren Gomer (Star of Gomer, pp. 103–5) as well as in the September 1850 Udgorn Seion (pp. 241-44). Here again the author is “C,” no doubt the same as the “C” in segments of item 72. He argues strongly in favor of the existence of modern-day miracles and uses a line of logic strikingly similar to that used by Mormon missionaries in Wales more than ten years later.

The second segment, entitled “Doniau gwyrthiol” (Spiritual gifts), is again by “C” and is an answer to “Omicron,” who took exception to the observations of “C” in his April article. “C” defends his stance and adds further scriptural evidence to his argument. This defense was published in the August 1832 Seren Gomer (pp. 233–35) but did not appear in Udgorn Seion.

The third segment is entitled “Barn Azariah Shadrach am adferiad Eglwys Crist” (Opinion of Azariah Shadrach about the restoration of the Church of Christ) and had appeared in the June 1848 Prophwydy Juhili (pp. 81–82). A Mormon by the name of Abednego Williams had submitted these observations of Azariah Shadrach, a well-known minister in early nineteenth-century Wales, because Shadrach’s views so nicely paralleled those of Mormonism. Shadrach declared that the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem by Zerubbabel represented a foreshadowing as to how the Savior would reestablish his church according to the apostolic manner during the Millennium. Williams declared that such a restoration had already taken place, under the name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The fourth segment is a quote from the writings of John Wesley concerning spiritual gifts. Wesley says that those gifts had been taken from the earth because of wickedness, not because they were no longer needed. Although not specifically stated by Wesley, the implication is that righteousness of the same quality that had existed among the members of the apostolic church would open the way for renewed spiritual gifts—an interpretation which coincided with the Mormon position. Wesley’s statement was also printed in Prophwydy Jubili (October 1847, pp. 158–59).

Neither this pamphlet nor the previous one contains any comment by the publisher or the printer.

WN

Flake no. A47

74. Dewi Elfed Jones.

Annerchiad ar ymadawiad W. S. Phillips a J. Davis, ynghyd a lliaws o V Saint, i dir Seion.

(Greeting on the depatture of W. S. Phillips and J. Davis, together with a host of the Saints, to the land of Zion.)

Llanelli: John Thomas, Printer, [1854?].

4 pp. 17.0 cm.

There are 14 verses of 8 lines each to Annerchiad, verses which were to be sung to the tune of “Ye banks and braes.” The departure of William Phillips and John Davis, for which occasion the song was composed, took place on 27 January 1854, from Liverpool on board the Golconda. Although Annerchiad bears no date, it was most likely published a few weeks (or at least a few days) before the departure of Phillips and Davis from Wales.

The author’s wish to preserve the element of surprise would explain why the song had not been given to John Davis himself to print. This pamphlet is one of only three Welsh Mormon items identified as being printed at Llanelli.

(Item 74, title page)

Dewi Elfed Jones, the author’s name, is the pseudonym of David Bevan Jones, a colorful figure in Mormon history. Before his conversion to Mormonism, Jones had been an ordained Baptist minister for the Gwawr Chapel in Aberdare, about seven miles from Merthyr Tydfil (sec Millennial Star for 1 April 1851 [pp. 109–10] and l June 1851 [pp. 172–73] for an account of his conversion to Mormonism). The fact that William Phillips had been instrumental in Jones’s conversion would explain the almost desperate emotion throughout this farewell poem.

The only extant copy is bound with Harvard University’s volume 6 of Udgorn Seion.

MH

75. [Dan Jones.]

Traethawd yn egluro pwy yw Duw y Saint.

(Treatise clarifying who is the God of the Saints.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and published by D.Jones, 14 Castle Street, Merthyr, [1854].

24 pp. 17.3 cm.

Dan Jones, Thomas Jeremy, and Daniel Daniels received a call from President Brigham Young to return to Wales in late 1852—after less than three years in Utah. Following a year of missionary work in various parts of Wales, the three were called as the First Presidency of the Church in Wales. Jones replaced William Phillips as the leader of all Church activity throughout Wales, as well as replacing John Davis as editor of Udgorn Seion. Jeremy and Daniels became his counselors.

Jones purchased Davis’s press (see item 23) in December of 1853, and during the next two years he published about two dozen items in defense of Mormonism, in addition to Udgorn Seion. In 1854 and 1855 nearly all his pamphlets were doctrinal in nature, whereas during his first mission (1845 through 1848), only half his publications were doctrinal and the other half polemical.

(Item 75, title page)

(Item 76, title page)

Traethawdis Jones’s first pamphlet of his second mission; it first appeared in serial fashion in Udgorn Seion between 4 February 1854 and 4 March 1854 (pp. 69–72, 85–90, 101–106, 117–21, 133–40), under the title “Y Duw a addolir!—Pwy yw?” (The God who is worshipped!—Who is he?). In the 5-line introduction to this treatise in Udgorn Seion, Jones openly states that his source is Orson Pratt, a credit not given in the pamphlet.

The contents of the pamphlet are nearly identical with the Udgorn Seion version; only the introductory paragraphs and the typesetting are different. The lines on the last three pages of the pamphlet are spaced more closely together than the preceding ones (49 lines to the page as opposed to 39), apparently to avoid having more than 24 pages.

Traethawd is advertised for sale at threepence in the 11 March 1854 Udgorn Seion (p. 164), just one week following the final installment in the periodical.

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Flake no. 4480

76. [Dan Jones.]

Dadl rhwng Bedyddiwr ac anffyddiwr.

(A debate between a Baptist and an atheist.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and published by D.Jones, 14 Castle-street, Merthyr, [1854].

16 pp. 17.5 cm.

Dadl was first advertised in the 18 March 1854 Udgorn Seion (p. 180) as coming off the press soon. Three weeks later (Udgorn Seion, 8 April 1854, p. 211) it was announced as “newly off the press” and something that would give “more than twopence worth of entertainment to the reader.”

The pamphlet is nothing more than an expansion of a Millennial Star article published four years earlier by John Hyde (1 January 1850, pp. 4–9). No credit is given to Hyde in Jones’s pamphlet, however—such practices of “borrowing without recognizing” being rather common and apparently accepted in the last century.

Throughout the dialogue the “atheist” is chiding the “Baptist” for blatant discrepancies between Christ’s teachings in the Bible and Baptist doctrine and practices. All the Bible concepts ignored or altered by the Baptists are shown to be central to the message of Mormonism, a representative of which enters the conversation toward the end and issues an invitation to the other participants to listen to the message of the Latter-day Saints.

Almost everything which Dan Jones published during 1854, as well as several items printed during the first part of 1855, are bound in a volume called Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1834 (Capt. Jones on Mormonism, in 1854, item 92). Dadl, however, is not included in any of the four such volumes extant. The only extant copy of Dadl is bound in the Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1833 (Capt. Jones on Mormonism, in 1855, item 97) owned by the LDS Church Archives.

USIC

77. [Dan Jones.]

Anffyddiaeth sectyddiaethl

(Atheism of sectarianism!)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and published by D.Jones, 14 Castle Street, Merthyr, [1854].

8 pp. 19 cm.

Anffyddiaeth sectyddiaethl is advertised in the 8 April 1854 Udgorn Seion (p. 211) as a treatise in which “the barrier of the supposed difference between the two [atheism and sectarianism] is eliminated, and they are found shaking hands as two sisters of the same father, for only a penny!!”

(Item 77, title page)

(Item 78, title page)

Dan Jones’s initial statement in the pamphlet is that it is illogical for more than one religion to be true. He then takes the reader through a line of logic and scripture to determine the characteristics of the one true religion. It was to be as Jesus Christ himself organized it, having apostles and prophets. The spiritual gifts of old, writes Jones, are still an essential ingredient of Christ’s church. He concludes that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the one true religion and that all are welcome to prove that for themselves.

UPB, UU, WN

Flake no. 4460

78. Dan Jones.

Y farw yn fyw, neu yr hen grefydd newydd; sef, traethawd yn dangos adferiad teyrnas Dduw.

(The dead alive, or the old religion anew; treatise showing the restoration of the kingdom of God.)

Merthyr Tydfil: Printed and for sale by D. Jones, Castle-Street, 1854. 2nd edition, expanded.

48 pp. 17.3 cm.

Virtually all the contents of item 1, Y farw wedi ei chyfodi yn fyw (The dead raised to life), are in this second, expanded edition. Both have 48 pages; however, a much smaller print size is used in the 1854 edition, so that by page 38 all of the earlier edition has been covered. The 10 new pages are basically further elaborations on the themes already introduced in the first 38 pages.

The “Rhagymadrodd i’r argraffiad cyntaf” (Foreword to the first edition), printed on the third page of the second edition, is far from being a word-for-word replication. Some of the same basic ideas are repeated, but many are omitted; consequently, the 2-page foreword of the 1845 edition is reduced to only a page in 1854. The title of the pamphlet is also somewhat altered. Also included in the second edition is a “Rhagymadrodd i’r argraffiad presennol” (Foreword to the present edition), in which Dan Jones comments on the growth of Mormonism in Wales during the preceding nine years. He also explains that numerous calls for a reprint of the 1845 pamphlet prompted him to do a second edition.

In the 15 April 1854 Udgorn Seion (p. 228) Jones declared that Y farw yn fyw was “at the press” and would be ready soon. A Mormon from North Wales, who had been influenced by the 1845 edition, sent an 8-line poem in praise ofjones’s pamphlet upon hearing of the plans for a second edition, and Jones printed the verses in the 20 May 1854 Udgorn Seion (p. 308). The announcement of the pamphlet’s availability, “at last,” appeared in the 27 May 1854 Udgorn Seion (p. 324). Although the pamphlet contained about 20 percent more material than the first edition, its price continued to be sixpence.

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Flake no. 4470

79. Dan Jones.

Annerchiad at offeiriaid, parchedigion, pregethwyr, a holl athrawon crefydd yn Nghymru.

(Proclamation to priests, reverends, preachers, and all teachers of religion in Wales.)

Merthyr Tydfil: D. Jones, Printer, [1854]. 2nd edition. The eighth thousand.

16 pp. 17.3 cm.

The contents of Annerchiad first appeared in Udgorn Seion for 10 June (pp. 341–48), 17 June (pp. 357–62), and 24 June 1854 (pp. 375–79). There is no further mention of it until the 12 May 1855 Udgorn Seion (p. 159), when it constitutes one of the items of a price list of Welsh Mormon publications. If Dan Jones was true to the procedure he had followed for other pamphlets first done in

(Item 79, title page)

(Item 80, title page)

serial form, Annerchiad was likely available in pamphlet form a week or two after its last segment appeared in the 24 June 1854 Udgorn Seion.

No first printing of Annerchiad’is extant—if, in fact, one was ever done besides the Udgorn Seion appearance. It was not Jones’s practice to label as second editions those pamphlets that had first appeared in Udgorn Seion. Perhaps he did so with Annerchiad in order to impress the intended audience. A similar motive may have prompted him to indicate “the eighth thousand” on the pamphlet, nothing similar having been done on any other of his publications.

Jones presents his message in Annerchiadm the form of an open letter to all the people indicated in the title. The established procedure among this elite group throughout Wales was simply to ignore Mormons and their publications. A few, however, gave public lectures and wrote pamphlets against them, and these Jones addressed directly in hopes of receiving more attention. Despite the best efforts of Jones and others, however, only a handful of ordained ministers ever converted to Mormonism in Wales.

No price is indicated on the pamphlet, but according to the book list, it sold for eleven shillings and sixpence per hundred, or ten shillings per hundred to branches and book dealers.

CSmH, UPB, USl, US/C, UU, WN, WSW

Flake no. 4462

80. (Dan Jones.]

Amddiffyniady Saint; sef gwrth-brofion o gam-gyhuddiadau ma/eis-ddrwg dyn o’r enw Rees Davies, o New Orleans, yn er-byn y Saint.

(A defense of the Saints; refutations of the false and malicious accusations of a man by the name of Rees Davies, from New Orleans, against the Saints.)

Swansea: Printed and published by D.Jones, [1854?].

12 pp. 17.3 cm.

Among the Mormons on board the Golconda when it set sail from Liverpool on 4 February 1854 were two individuals pertinent to this discussion—young Margaret Williams from Aberystwyth and 84-year-old Esther Jones from Llanarth, Cardiganshire.

Shortly after the ship landed at New Orleans on 18 March 1854, Rees Davies, a resident of New Orleans from Wales, went on board. A week later on 26 March he wrote to his parents in Wales, making the following claims:

1. While crossing the sea, the Mormons marry young girls to the oldest men; if the girl is not willing, two elders take hold of her and put her in bed with the one who loves her the most and say, “Now is their love joined together.”

2. Many of the girls run away upon reaching New Orleans, but if the leaders know of their plans they tie them up until after they continue their voyage.

3. A young girl from Aberystwyth asked him (Rees Davies) to help her get away from the Mormons; he obliged by taking her to a Mrs. Hughes as her servant girl. When he went back to the Golconda to retrieve her clothes, the Mormons were ready to kill him. William Phillips refused to give him the clothes. Davies felt like drowning “the old.”

4. Esther [Jones] sent her best wishes to Davies’s grandmother in Wales and expressed a desire to turn back had it been possible.

Davies’s letter was printed in the 3 August 1854 Gwron Cymreig (Welsh Hero), a widely circulated newspaper in Wales. In the same issue was a follow-up letter from Davies, dated 20 June 1854, along with some introductory comments by the editor. In his second letter, Davies made the following claims:

1. He showed a letter from his father to Margaret Williams, the young girl from Aberystwyth.

2. Margaret requested Davies to write to her mother and tell her that she (Margaret) was very sorry that she had followed William Phillips’s counsel instead of her mother’s.

3. The Mormons on board the Golconda tied Margaret to her bed to prevent her from going with Davies.

4. Later, as Margaret was leaving with Davies, there were three other girls who also wished to run away, but the Mormons caught them and tied up their hands and feet.

In his refutation of Davies’s claims, Dan Jones appeals to the common sense of his readers and states that he knew such actions would not be allowed among the men of good standing on board the ship, many of whom Jones had known for years. He also quotes a letter from Thomas Morris, another passenger on the Golconda, that had been written to a friend in Wales; in that letter, Morris states that Margaret Williams had stayed in St. Louis, a thousand miles upriver from New Orleans. This had to be the same Margaret of the Davies letters, explains Jones, since there was only one Margaret from Aberystwyth on board; consequently, Davies could not have shown his father’s letter to her, as claimed, since she was no longer in New Orleans at the time the letter reached him.

Jones uses the last two pages of his pamphlet to quote in its entirety a letter from Margaret Williams to her mother. The fact that she had written her own letter, Jones points out, indicates that she did not need Davies to write for her, as Davies had claimed. The letter is dated 17 March 1854 “on board the ship Golconda” but was finished after landing at New Orleans. In the letter, Margaret bears testimony of Mormonism and encourages her mother to join the true Church and leave “Babylon” to join her in “Zion.” She gives a few details about the journey and mentions that Esther Jones, who is “hale and hearty,” wishes Margaret’s mother were there with her in New Orleans, thus countering the claim made by Davies that Esther wanted to return to Wales.

Jones concludes that Davies is a liar purposely denigrating Mormons and encourages his readers to reach the same conclusion.

It is strange that no mention is made of Amddiffyniad in Udgorn Seion. That the pamphlet was printed in Swansea would put the publication date at September 1854 or afterwards, since the entire printing operation was transferred from Merthyr Tydfil to Swansea in late August or early September 1854. And because Jones normally responded posthaste to such charges as those made by Rees Davies, one would expect Amddiffyniad to have been available by September or October 1854.

CSmH, UPB, USl, USIC, UU

Flake no. 9879

81. [Dan Jones.]

Gwahoddiad!

(Invitation!)

Swansea: Printed by D.Jones, [1854].

2 pp. 17.3 cm.

The full text of Gwahoddiad! appears in the 23 September 1854 Udgorn Seion (pp. 506–7). In the same issue is a 7-line announcement of its availability for two shillings per hundred. As conference presidents were encouraged to send in the names of branch presidents and to identify the places where they would be preaching, it appears that the intention was to print those details in t h e blank spaces provided on Gwahoddiad! as the quantities were ordered for each branch.

There are three variants to Gwahoddiad!. I have found no extant copy of the first variant outside the pages of Udgorn Seion. The other two do not have a blank space for the name of the branch president. In order to simplify matters and to avoid special printings, the leaflets were apparendy distributed to the various branches, which could then fill in the one blank space with the location where the preaching would take place.

In the first paragraph of Gwahoddiad!, the following exhortation is given to the reader:’ ‘For the sake of your immortal soul, believe the testimony of a truthful witness, that the following are principles of the only godly religion which has ever been and which is now on the earth.“ Ten different aspects of Mormon belief are then given. The final 5 lines of Gwahoddiad! constitute an advertisement for all the pamphlets and publications then available at the Udgorn Seion office or from any of the Saints. No specifics as to tide or price are given. Differences between the second and third states are minimal; only the typesetting and two words are different. However, it is likely that there were other variants because of the nature of the leaflet.

Second state: WN

Third state: CSmH, UPB, USl, USIC, UU

Flake no. 4473

(Item 81, title page)

(Item 82, title page)

82. [Dan Jones.]

“Peidiwch a ‘u gwrando.

( “Do not listen to them.”)

Swansea: Published and printed by D. Jones, [1854].

8 pp. 17.3 cm.

The title of this pamphlet is put in quotes, because it serves as the subject of the first sentence of the text: “‘Do not listen to them,’ is the most popular theme of the preachers of our country now, I suppose,” Dan Jones states, “which compels us to review their sermons concerning it as follows: I. Who is ordering; II. Who is being ordered; III. What is being ordered; IV. Why such an order is being given; V. The results of this order and of obeying it.”

After exploring each of the 5 major areas in some detail, the author concludes that it was a form of slavery for ministers to instruct their congregations as to what they could and could not hear. His final sentence is: “Why talk about the black slaves of America while there are so many slaves in our midst, as much more wretched as their skins are whiter!”

The 21 October 1854 Udgorn Seion (p. 547) carries an announcement for “Peidiwch a’u gwrando” with an appeal for Welsh Mormons to present copies of the pamphlet as gifts to members of the clergy. The price to book distributors was three shillings and fourpence per hundred; to assistant distributors, three shillings and tenpence per hundred; and to individuals, a halfpenny per copy.

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Flake no. 6224

83. Dan Jones.

Pa beth yw “Mormoniaetb?”

(What is “Mormonism”?)

Swansea: Printed and published by D. Jones, [1854].

4 pp. 17.3 cm.

Except for the first two paragraphs, all the contents of Pa beth yw “Mormoniaeth?” zie in the pamphlet of a similar title that Jones published about eight years earlier (Beth yw Mormoniaeth?, item 6). A long quote from the Book of Mormon that appeared in the first edition is omitted in the 1854 Swansea printing, as are three other paragraphs. Also a different introduction is used. Because a larger print and wider spacing are used in the 1854 printing, the quantity of content is substantially reduced, although both editions consist of 4 pages.

The later edition has an extra word in the Welsh title—but since both beth and pa beth mean “what,“ the meaning is unaltered. It was advertised in the 21 October 1854 Udgorn Seion (p. 547) as having come “off the press lately.” Its price was three shillings per hundred to distributors, three shillings and ninepence to assistant distributors, and it was to be sold to individuals for a halfpenny.

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Flake no. 4467

84. Dan Jones.

Tystioliaethau diwrthbrawf nad o V “Spaulding Romance” y gwnaed Llyfr Mormon!!!

(Irrefutable proofs that the Book of Mormon was not obtained from the “Spaulding Romance”!!!)

Swansea: Published and printed by D. Jones, [1854].

24 pp. 17.3 cm.

Nearly 90 percent of the contents of Tystioliaethau diwrthbrawf was taken from Adolygiad ar ddarlithoeddy Parch. E. Roberts (A review of the lectures of the Rev. E. Roberts, pp. 21–35), a pamphlet also published by Dan Jones seven years earlier in Merthyr

(Item 83, title page)

(Item 84, title page)

Tydfil (item 17). Only the first 2 ½ pages, plus an occasional editorial comment, are new to the 1854 pamphlet, though wider spacing between lines in the later version results in several more pages.

For the 1847 Adolygiad(A review, item 17), Jones had obtained his information about the “Spaulding manuscript” from a variety of sources, since he was not a personal witness to any of the goings-on. About half came from Benjamin Winchester’s 24-page pamphlet, The origin of the Spaulding story (Philadelphia, 1840); the remainder was gathered from several other sources, including letters by Sidney Rigdon and Parley P. Pratt.

The 21 October 1854 Udgorn Seion (p. 548) announced that Tystiolaeth an diwrthbrawf was on the press and would be out the following week. The 18 November 1854 Udgorn Sewn (p. 575) carries the announcement that the pamphlet was available for twopence.

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Flake no. 4482

85. Dan Jones.

Beth yw “gras cadwedigol?

(What is “saving grace”?)

Swansea: Published and printed by D. Jones, [1854].

8 pp. 17.3 cm.

This pamphlet’s first 4 pages are printed in the 18 November 1854 Udgorn Seion (pp. 565-69), as a “Quoted segment of the treatise that is now in the press.” No further mention is made of it until the 12 May 1855 price list in Udgorn Seion (pp. 159-60). Its price was three shillings and sixpence per hundred for distributors, and three shillings and eleven pence for assistant distributors.

The contents of Beth yw “gras cadwedigol?” are purely doctrinal. Dan Jones explains the Mormon interpretation of grace as a divine

(Item 85, title page)

(Item 86, title page)

gift, but one which does not exclude the importance and necessity of works. Jones’s doctrinal explanations appear to have been borrowed from some other writer or writers within Mormonism; the source, however, has not yet been identified.

CSmH, UPB, USl, USIC, UU, WCC, WN, WS

Flake no. 4465

86. [Dan Jones.]

Traddodir darlithiau gan Capt. Jones, yn Neuaddy Saint, Heol Orange, Abertawy.

(Lectures to be delivered by Capt. Jones, in the Saints’ Hall, Orange Street, Swansea.)

4 pp. 17.3 cm.

The lectures mentioned in the title of this publication were to begin Tuesday evening, 9January 1855, at seven o’clock. A series of 7 lectures is listed on the first page, all to be given on successive Tuesday evenings until 20 February 1855. The topics were the “ Anti- Christ” and various aspects of him.

A number of other topics are listed on the following page. These were to be addressed as a continuation of those previously mentioned, also on Tuesday evenings. The remainder of Traddodir darlithiau is identical, except for 9 omitted lines, with Gwahoddiad!. (Invitation!, item 81), printed several weeks before.

Traddodir darlithiau also contains information concerning other meetings held in Swansea, the new Mormon headquarters in Wales. Meetings in Welsh were held every Sunday at 11:00 and 7:00; meetings in English were scheduled for Sundays at 2:00 and 6:00, and for Thursday evenings at 7:00.

This pamphlet is not mentioned in Udgorn Seion, perhaps because of its regional nature. It was probably published a few weeks before the date of the first lecture, advertised for 9 January 1855.

CSmH, UPB, USl, USIC, UU, WN

Flake no. 4479

87. Dan Jones.

Yr arweinydd i Seion.

(The guide to Zion.)

[Swansea: Dan Jones, 1855.]

16 pp. 17.3 cm.

In the initial plans Yr arweinyddi Seion was to be a substantial publication that would sell for approximately sixpence. This is apparent in the 7 January 1854 issue of Udgorn Seion (pp. 18-19), where Dan Jones printed 1 ½ pages of information outlining the contents of his proposed guide. Having been to the Salt Lake Valley and all points along the way, Jones was qualified to share a firsthand experience with future emigrants. He hoped to have the booklet printed and available within a few weeks.

In the 28 January 1854 Udgorn Seion (p. 61), Jones announced that the first part of Yr arweinydd i Seion was off the press in sufficient quantity for that year’s emigrants. He apologized for not having prepared more and asked for patience from those who had been disappointed. There is no extant copy of this first segment, nor was the project ever completed as originally planned.

By 4 March 1854 Jones had decided to delay any further work on the publication because of possible changes being discussed by Church leaders concerning the route of the emigrants (Udgorn Seion, 4 March 1854, p. 143).

No further mention is made of Yr arweinydd i Seion until the 21 October 1854 Udgorn Seion (p. 548), in which Jones announced that there would be no more delays. He said that since no final decision had been made as to the route the emigrants would be taking, he was going ahead with the publication so that those departing in early 1855 could benefit from it.

In the 20 January 1855 Udgorn Seion (pp. 31-32), Jones announced that Yr arweinydd i Seion was finally off the press. The booklet is much smaller than he had intended it to be, and it sold for far less—just one-and-a-half pence each. It contains detailed instructions for passing through New Orleans, but ironically, the large group of Welsh emigrants that year were routed through Philadelphia.

(Item 87, title page)

(Item 88, title page)

The pamphlet has 12 divisions of varying sizes with the following headings: preparations before starting from Wales, women’s preparations, furniture, instructions for the £13 company, instructions for the “Perpetual Emigrating” group (those who borrowed money for the journey, to be repaid once the emigrants became established in Utah), instructions to various craftsmen, instructions while in Liverpool, instructions while on the ocean, things to purchase in St. Louis, instructions for choosing horned animals, instructions for driving a team of oxen, and directions for camping.

The group of more than five hundred Welsh Mormons that Dan Jones himself led to Zion in 1856 went by way of Boston. There is no indication of what effect this alteration of route had on sales of the pamphlet, but its contents were never changed.

CSmH, UPB, USl, USIC, UU, WCC, WN

Flake no. 4463

88. Dan Jones.

UofruddiadJoseph a Hyrum Smith!

(Assassination of Joseph and Hyrum Smith!)

Swansea: Printed and published by D. Jones, [1855].

16 pp. 17.3 cm.

Dan Jones was with Joseph and Hyrum Smith in Carthage Jail the two nights before their martydom on 27 June 1844. A few hours before the shots were fired, Jones was sent to Quincy to enlist the services of a defense lawyer; consequently, he was an eyewitness to most of the events immediately preceding the onrush of the mob at about 5:00 P.M.

Jones’s first published account of the Martyrdom appeared in 1847, in his llanes Sainty Dyddiau Diweddaf (History of the Latter-day Saints, pp. 73–83, item 16). By official request from Thomas Bullock in Salt Lake City, Dan Jones wrote a lengthy account in English of events surrounding the Martyrdom; this account is dated 20 January 1855 and is housed in the LDS Church Archives in Salt Lake City. (The letter from Jones to Bullock is printed in its entirety, together with the English translation of his 1847 account of the Martyrdom, in Brtgham Young University Studies 24 [Winter 1984]: 78–109.)

In the 3 February 1855 Udgorn Seion (pp. 42–46), Jones printed a segment of LlofruddiadJoseph a Hyrum Smith! which he said was then “on the press.” Apparently, while writing an answer in English to Bullock’s request, Jones was prompted to publish a separate pamphlet on the same topic in Welsh. It is strange, however, that except for the first page, the contents of the 1855 pamphlet are almost word-for-word identical with the 1847 account. The account in English is by far the more complete, although there arc many things which are common to both.

The first eleven pages ofLlofruddiad are originally by Jones; the final five, however, are translations of writings about the Martyrdom by Willard Richards and Thomas Ford.

The pamphlet sold for one penny.

CSmll, UPB, USl, USIC, UU, WN, WS

Flake no. 4477

89. [Dan Jones.]

At Duw a ddanfonoddJoseph Smith?

(Also: Ai dwyfol oedd cenadwri Joseph Smith?)

(Was it God who sent Joseph Smith? [Also: Was Joseph Smith’s mission divine?])

Swansea: Printed and published by D. Jones, [1855].

16 pp. 17.6 cm.

A segment of Ai Duw a ddanfonoddJoseph Smith? appeared in the 3 May 1855 Udgorn Seion (pp. 78–80). It was identified as a “treatise which is now on the press.”

(Item 89, title page)

(Item 89, variant title page)

There are two states for this pamphlet, both identical in every respect except the title. The first state is entitled Ai Duw a ddanfonoddJoseph Smith? (Was it God who sent Joseph Smith?), the second, At dwyfol oedd cenadwri Joseph Smith? (Was Joseph Smith’s mission divine?)

The contents of this pamphlet are simply a reworking and translation of much of Orson Pratt’s Was Joseph Smith Sent of God?, a 23-page booklet published at Livetpool in 1848. Orson Pratt skillfully combines logic, scripture, and eloquence in his defense of the divine calling of Joseph Smith.

A i Duw a ddanfonodd Joseph Smith?: MH, USIC, WN, WS

Ai dwyfol oedd cenadwri Joseph Smith?: MH, USIC, WN

Flake no. A4l

90. Dan Jones.

Anmhoblogrwydd “Mormoniaeth?

(Unpopularity of “Mormonism”?)

Swansea: Printed and published by D. Jones, [1855?].

12 pp. 17.3 cm.

Dan Jones attempts to answer the question posed by the title of this pamphlet by proceeding with an inquiry of sorts. By the end of the fourth page he has reached the conclusion that the so-called unpopularity of Mormonism is not intrinsic, nor have the Mormons themselves brought it about; rather, the many accusers of Mormonism are the cause.

He devotes the remaining 8 pages to analyzing Mormonism’s opponents and their motives, but without mentioning anyone by name. Jones chastises them for uniting their forces against Mormonism and for instructing their parishioners not to listen to the Mormons. Do not the scriptures encourage all to “prove all things and hold fast that which is good”? (1 Thcssalonians 5:21). One can easily detect Jones’s frustration, having suffered years of verbal abuse for his religious beliefs, as he writes:

Would not the Baptist congregations be ashamed if they were to hear one of their preachers maligning the Independents or the Wesleyans in the same horrible way as they torture Mormonism? Yet, with regard to the latter, there is nothing which is too wicked to say or believe about it! (P. 8)

Jones ends the pamphlet with a stern warning to all of Mormonism’s persecutors, a warning similar in nature to the kind he had been giving to his compatriots (and especially to the clergy and the men of the press) since his first pamphlet in 1845:

But yet, we say to the Reverends and the Editors who are so desirous of having a popular religion—Gentlemen!—Do not blame us and our religion, for it was not we or our religion that caused the unpopularity, rather it was you yourselves; and thus if there is fault for that, it is at your door that it lies, for you yourselves alone can change it. If it is wealth and a good name that you consider popularity, that you have; we all lost that upon joining with Mormonism, and thus we cannot make her popular; but you are respected and have “a good word from everyone”—bring your popular and respected congregations to Mormonism and make her popular; she deserves that, for she is the true gospel of Christ, and we are WITNESSES of that. Just as surely as you are ashamed to embrace Mormonism now, its godly author will be ashamed to embrace you when He comes on the clouds of heaven to bid His obedient subjects to join with the truly popular hosts on His right hand—this the testimony of your friend, D.JONES.

Anmhoblogrwydd’ ‘Mormoniaeth?’’ is not mentioned in Udgorn Seion until the price list dated 12 May 1855 (pp. 159–60). The price for the pamphlet was one penny.

CSmH, UPB, USl, USIC, UU, WN

Flake no. 4461

(Item 90, title page)

(Item 91, title page)

91. Dan Jones.

Y “lleidr ar y groes.”

(The “thief on the cross.”)

Swansea: Printed and published by D. Jones, [1855?].

4 pp. 17.3 cm.

In this pamphlet, Dan Jones argues against the idea, which was common among the other religions, that baptism for the remission of sins was not essential for salvation. The scripture most often quoted against the necessity of baptism was the declaration of Jesus to the thief on the cross: “Today shah thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Jones explains, however, that paradise and heaven are not the same place; when Jesus appeared to Mary three days after his crucifixion he instructed her not to touch him, for he had “not yet ascended to [his] Father” (John 20:17).

Jones quotes 1 Peter 3:18–21 and argues that the spirits in prison were in a place known as paradise, where they awaited their opportunity to be resurrected. Therefore, since the thief had not gone to heaven, he was not saved and still needed baptism. Jones’s objective in the pamphlet was simply to show that the ordinance of baptism was required of all mortals; thus he does not elaborate on the Mormon belief that vicarious baptism may be performed on earth for those in the spirit prison but merely quotes 1 Peter 4:6 and 1 Corinthians 15:29, which suggest preaching to the dead and baptism for the dead.

Y ‘ ‘lleidr ary groes’’ is not mentioned anywhere in Udgorn Seion prior to Jones’s 1856 departure from Wales. It is included in Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1854 (Capt. Jones on Mormonism, in 1854, item 92), which was probably bound in early 1855, thus suggesting a publication date during the first quarter of 1855. Its price was a halfpenny.

CSmH, UPB, USl, USIC, UU, WCC, WN

Flake no. 4476

92. Dan Jones.

Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1854.

(Capt. Jones on Mormonism, in 1854.)

(A collection of previously published items bound together.)

Unlike similar volumes bound in 1847 and 1848, this one fot 1854 was not advertised in the periodical for the following year; consequently it is not clear when the volume was bound and made available. The most logical time, of course, was during the first few months of 1855.

The five extant copies of this volume have nearly identical contents, though not arranged in the same order. All contain the following items: 75, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 90, 91, and Udgorn Seion, volume 7, 1854. Only the copy owned by the University of Utah Library has item 77.

The gilt-edged pages and the handsome leather binding on all five volumes were probably the best available.

CSmH, UPB, USl, USIC, UU

93. [Dan Jones.]

Dammeg y pren a ddwg naw math o ffrwythaul

(Parable of the tree which bears nine kinds of fruit!)

Swansea: Printed and published by D. Jones, [1855?].

4 pp. 17.6 cm.

All the contents of Dammeg y pren were first printed in the May 1847 Prop hwy d y Jubili (pp. 79–84). About half a page of material contained in the periodical was omitted in the pamphlet, presumably in order to fit everything onto 4 pages. There is no indication that the material had appeared in pamphlet form prior to the Swansea printing in 1855.

(Item 93, title page)

(Item 94, title page)

The tree mentioned in the title is Christ’s gospel, according to the key which occupies the last portion of page 4. This key identifies 29 different items indicated in the text by 23 letters of the English alphabet (all but j, x, and z) and 6 other symbols.

The nine kinds of fruit are the nine gifts of the Holy Ghost as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12. The entire parable is an account of Christ’s gospel—how it was established originally, how it was corrupted and ceased to exist on the earth, and finally, how it was restored in the latter days by the angel mentioned in Revelation 14:6.

This title does not appear in Udgorn Seion, not even in the 12 May 1855 Udgorn Seion book list (pp. 159-60), but it is bound in Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1855 (Capt. Jones on Mormonism, in 1855, item 97). And since the USIC volume of this collection of publications bears a dedication dated January 1856, it appears that Dammegy pren was published some time after the 12 May 1855 book list and before or during January 1856.

MH, UPB, USIC, WN, WS

Flake no. A43

94. [Dan Jones.]

Darlun 0 V byd crefyddol.

(Picture of the religious world.)

Swansea: Published and printed by D.Jones, [1855?].

4 pp. 17.6 cm.

Darlun o ‘r byd crefyddol is presented as a dream the author had experienced, wherein he found himself surrounded by all the religions of the world, which were somehow assembled together. After sorting through their various doctrines he was not totally satisfied with any of them, but finally settled for one that seemed more acceptable than the rest.

At that point, all were overshadowed by a large cloud in which a man-like creature from another planet stood. Since he knew nothing about religion, they all approached him and endeavored to convert him to their various beliefs. He listened attentively and read the Bible offered to him. When he inquired after the apostles, prophets, and spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament, he was told that such things were foolishness in that age. The “hosts” became angry with him, and he had to flee to the top of a high mountain for safety.

The author observed the proceedings and found himself in agreement with the being from outer space. The result was his own persecution, from which he was forced to flee. He then awoke.

Darlun o ‘rbyd crefyddol first appeared in the April 1847 Prop hwy d yJubili (pp. 61–65) with only a few differences from the pamphlet; the tide at that time was Darluniad o ‘rbyd crefyddol mewn breuddwydl (Portrayal of the religious world in a dream!). There is no mention of the pamphlet in Udgorn Seion; it was most likely published during the second half of 1855 (see item 93 for publication date reckoning).

MH, USIC, WN, WS

Flake no. A44

95. [Dan Jones.]

Llyfr Mormon, ei darddiad. Traethawd l^af.

(The Book of Mormon, its origin. First treatise.)

Swansea: Printed and published by D. Jones, [1855?].

12 pp. 17.6 cm.

96. [Dan Jones.]

Llyfr Mormon, ei darddiad. Traethawd 2^.

(The Book of Mormon, its origin. Second treatise.)

Swansea: Printed and published by D.Jones, [1855?].

12 pp. 17.6 cm.

At the end of the first of these two treatises (item 95), Dan Jones boldy announces his intention to publish a series of pamphlets about the Book of Mormon: “It is intended to prove the truth of the Book of Mormon and defend it against the false accusations of the so-called ‘Priests’ and others, through various treatises as soon as it is convenient” (p. 12). It appears, however, that only these two were ever published. They most likely appeared during the second half of 1855. The price was one penny each.

In Wales, attacks on the Book of Mormon increased in proportion to the growth of Mormonism in that country. An exasperated Jones exclaimed on page 2 of his first treatise: “Never before has there been a book . . . which has had so much said against it by those who know so little about it, as the Book of Mormon.”

The first half of the first treatise consists of a general survey of the Book of Mormon’s reception since its publication twenty-five years earlier. Some of the opposition to it in Wales is mentioned, but few details are given. On pages 4 and 5, there is a bit of borrowing from Orson Pratt’s 1850 Divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon.

The second half is a translation of the early history of Joseph Smith, as written by Orson Pratt in his Remarkable visions (Edinburgh, 1840). Jones had used this material on two previous occasions—once in the July 1846 Propbwydy Jubili(pp. 17–21) and again in his Hanes Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaj(History of the Latter-day Saints, pp. 14–20, item 16).

Nearly all the contents of the second treatise were printed several years earlier, in the July 1846 Prophwydy Jubili (pp. 7–16) and again in Hanes Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf (History of the Latter-day Saints, pp. 4–12, item 16). The logic of modern-day angelic visitations is the main thrust; the source is unclear but was probably the writings of Orson Pratt.

Item 95: MH, UPB, USIC, WN

Flake no. A45

Item 96: MH, UPB, USIC, WN

Flake no. A46

(Item 95, title page)

(Item 96, title page)

97. Dan Jones.

Capt. Jones ar Formoniaeth, yn 1855.

(Capt. Jones on Mormonism, in 1855.)

(A collection of previously published items bound together.)

The two extant volumes of this title differ in their contents. The copy housed at the LDS Church Archives, in addition to volume 8 (1855) of Udgorn Seion, has the following items (in Jones’s order and according to my item numbers): 16, 18, 76, 48, 57, 95, 96, 89 (first state), 89 (second state), 93, 94.

The copy housed at the Harry Elkins Widener Library at Harvard University has all the same items except for 76, 48, and 57. Also their volume 8 of Udgorn Seion is lacking pages 369–84. (Harvard has a complete volume 8, however, bound with volume 9)

The USIC copy has the following dedication: “Presented to the Church Historians [sic] Office by the Author, Dan Jones.” The date of the dedication, January 1856, would indicate that all the items had been published during 1855 or before. The pre-1855 items were probably unsold pamphlets which Jones simply decided to bind with the 1855 items.

MH, USIC

98. Dan Jones.

Gweithiau awdurol D. Jones.

(Works authored by D. Jones.)

(A collection of previously published items bound together.)

The three extant copies of this item, two owned by the National Library of Wales and one in the hands of a private collector in Provo, Utah, vary in their contents. Furthermore, the title suggested in the book lists bound with items 102, 104, 105, 106, and 107—Gweithiau awdurol D. Jones—is not used for any of the three. All have “Traeth. Capt. Jones” (Treatises of Capt. Jones) on the spine,

(CHART: CONTENT COMPARISON OF EXANT COPIES OF ITEM 98)

traeth. being an abbreviation for traethodau, the Welsh word for treatises.

There is no table of contents in any of the three.

The preceding table is a comparison of the contents of the three copies; items are listed according to the order of their binding in the larger of the WN copies.

WN

99. Parley P. Pratt.

Priodas a moesau yn Utah.

(Marriage and morals in Utah.)

Swansea: Printed and published by Daniel Daniels, 1856. Translated from the Deseret News by Dewi Elfed Jones, Swansea.

[ii]–12–[l4] pp. 18.8 cm.

The practice of plural marriage among Mormons was officially announced to the Welsh in the 1 January 1853 Udgorn Seion (pp. 8–16). During the next several months, considerable attention was focused on this topic in the periodical. The first separate publication in Welsh on plural marriage, however, was the translation of Parley P. Pratt’s Marriage and morals in Utah.

The translation of Pratt’s pamphlet first appeared in Udgorn Seion for 7 june 1856 (pp. 177-83) and 21 June 1856 (pp. 193–201). The 13 September 1856 Udgorn Seion (p. 304) carried the announcement that Priodas a moesau yn Utah was off the press and available for purchase at the price of one penny. The translator, Dewi Elfed Jones, was a former Baptist minister who had converted to Mormonism in 1851 in Aberdare. The wording of the translation was somewhat changed from the periodical to the pamphlet. The basic meaning, however, remains unaltered.

Daniel Daniels, Dan Jones’s replacement in 1856 as the Mormons’ ecclesiastical leader and printer, included a brief preface

(Item 99, title page)

to the pamphlet in which he encouraged the Welsh to read what the Mormons had to say about themselves instead of relying solely on their preachers to learn of Mormonism. The preface is dated 2 September 1856.

The last leaf consists of a book list on the recto and a proclamation on the verso. The former advertises the following 24 items (in order listed and according to my item numbers): 65, 60, 70, 23 (volumes 1–8), 5 (volume 3 only), 20, 75, 78, 79, 84, 90, 87, 83, 85, 81, 34, 65, 32, 55, 67, 37, 39, 46, 26.

The proclamation on the verso has a Latin title: “Pro bono publico” (For the public good). It is an appeal to all Welshmen to keep their feet “free from the traditional fetters” and open their doors to the Mormon missionaries in their neighborhoods.

USIC, WN

100. Orson Pratt.

Y wir ffydd.

(The true faith.)

Swansea: Published and printed by Daniel Daniels, 1856.

[iv-l]–28 pp. 17.5 cm.

Printed wrappers—the title page on the front is enclosed in a double straight-lined border. On the rear is a book list and a list of fifteen Mormon meeting places in Wales. The inside pages are blank.

The true faith, the first of a series of pamphlets written in English by Apostle Orson Pratt, was published in Liverpool in August 1856. In the 8 November 1856 Udgorn Seion (p. 363), Daniel Daniels declared his intention to have the entire series translated into Welsh and published in Swansea. At the time of the announcement Daniels mentioned that the first of the eight pamphlets was almost ready. A month later, in the 6 December 1856 Udgorn Seion (p. 394), he said that the second pamphlet was

(Item 100, wrapper)

on the press and that the first would be in the hands of the readers before long.

On the title page of the blue printed wrapper for Y wir ffydd, in bold capital letters two-thirds of the way down, is “Pris dwy geiniog” (Price twopence). In the middle of the page is “A gyfieithwyd o’r Saesneg gan Dewi Elfed Jones” (Translated from the English by Dewi Elfed Jones). The book list on the back occupies about three-quarters of the space, with a list of fifteen meeting places for Mormons in Wales in the bottom quarter. The 25 items mentioned in the book list (in Daniels’s order and according to my item numbers) are 65, 60, 70 (with three different kinds of binding), 23 (volumes 1–8), 5 (volume 3 only), 20, 75, 78, 79, 84, 90, 87, 83, 85, 81, 34, 68, 32, 55, 67, 37, 39, 46, 26, 98.

Also bound with the pamphlet is a 4-page Catalogue of works published in Liverpool.

Although he does not indicate how many copies of the pamphlet were printed in the first edition of Y wir ffydd, Daniels mentions in his journal (p. [62], in private hands) a second edition of 800 of the first and second pamphlets of the series. And since he indicates a quantity of 3,800 for the other six pamphlets, the first two of the series probably numbered 3,000 in their first printings.

WB, WN

101. Orson Pratt.

Gwir edifeirwch.

(True repentance.)

Swansea: Published and printed by Daniel Daniels, 1856.

[iv-29]–56 pp. 17.5 cm.

Printed wrapper—the title page on the front is enclosed in a double straight-lined border. On the rear is a list of ninety-eight Mormon meeting places in Wales. The inside pages are blank.

(Item 101, title page)

(Item 102, wrapper)

The 22 November 1856 Udgorn Seion carries a segment of Gwir edifeirwch (pp. 373–77). The 6 December 1856 Udgorn Seion (p. 394) mentions that the pamphlet was on the press.

The bluish-green wrapper is similar in format to the wrapper of the first pamphlet of the series (item 100); the back of the wrapper, however, is devoted entirely to a list of ninety-eight Mormon meeting places in Wales. The Catalogue of works, the English listing of Mormon publications, was bound with Gwir edifeirwch, but there is no list of the Welsh.

WB, WN

102. Orson Pratt.

Bedydd dwfr.

(Water baptism.)

Swansea: Published and printed by Daniel Daniels, 1857.

[iv-57]–84 pp. 17.5 cm.

Printed wrapper—the title page on the front is enclosed in a double straight-lined border. On the rear is a list of ninety-eight Mormon meeting places in Wales. The inside pages are blank.

In the 10 January 1857 Udgorn Seion (p. 9), the editor states that Bedydd dwfr was nearly ready.

The light blue wrapper is similar in content to those of the earlier pamphlets of the Orson Pratt series.

The Catalogue of works bound with Bedydd dwfr is only 2 pages in length. Included also is a 2-page list of more than 40 Welsh publications. These are (in Daniels’s order and according to my item numbers): 65, 60, 70, 23 (volumes 1-9), 5, 20, 75, 78, 79, 84, 90, 87, 83, 85, 76, 77, 80, 9 1 , 82, 81, 89, 88, 95 (this could be either 95 or 96 or both, since the title given is simply TarddiadUyfrMormon [Origin of the Book of Mormon]), 93 (the title is altered to Dammeg y pren ffrwythlawn [Parable of the fruitful tree]), 98, 34, 69, 68, 37, 55, 67, 53, 62, 41 (erroneously entitled Darlithiau ar fedydd [Lectures on baptism] instead of Darlithiau ar ffydd [Lectures on faith]), 26, 39, 32, 71 (four items are then listed as being contained in item 71, a compilation of John Davis’s works: 31, 42, 38, 36—presumably because they were not available separately), 99. The last Welsh item listed is the series of pamphlets by Apostle Orson Pratt—the first three were available and the other five were being translated and prepared for publication.

Daniel Daniels then lists 9 newspapers and periodicals which were being published at that time by the Mormons in various languages (including the Welsh Udgorn Seion). He also mentions that the Book of Mormon and “various other works” were available in several languages. Details were in the Catalogue of works, the English listing that was bound with the pamphlet.

The last item on the page is a declaration of intent to make a second printing of Y wir ffydd (The true faith) and Gwir edifeirwch (True repentance), the first and second pamphlets in the Orson Pratt series. There was apparently a greater demand than the first printing had satisfied.

WB, WN

103. Orson Pratt.

Yr Ysbryd Glan.

(The Holy Spirit.)

Swansea: Published and printed by Daniel Daniels, 1857.

[iv–85]–112 pp. 17.5 cm.

Printed wrapper—the title page on the front is enclosed in a double straight-lined border. On the rear is a list of ninety-seven Mormon meeting places in Wales. The inside pages are blank.

(Item 103, wrapper)

(Item 104, title page)

104. Orson Pratt.

Doniau ysbrydol

(Spiritual gifts.)

Swansea: Published and printed by Daniel Daniels, 1857.

[iv–113]–l40 pp. 17.5 cm.

Printed wrapper—the title page on the front is enclosed in a double straight-lined border. On the rear is a list of ninety-seven Mormon meeting places in Wales. The inside pages are blank.

105. Orson Pratt.

Angenrheidrwydd am wyrthiau.

(Necessity for miracles.)

Swansea: Published and printed by Daniel Daniels, 1857.

[iv–l41]–l68 pp. 17.5 cm.

Printed wrapper—the title page on the front is enclosed in a double straight-lined border. On the rear is a list of ninety-seven Mormon meeting places in Wales. The inside pages are blank.

106. Orson Pratt.

Gwrthgiliad cyffredinol

(Universal apostasy.)

Swansea: Published and printed by Daniel Daniels, 1857.

[iv–l69]–196 pp. 17.5 cm.

Printed wrapper—the title page on the front is enclosed in a double straight-lined border. On the rear is a list of ninety-seven Mormon meeting places in Wales. The inside pages are blank.

(Item 105, wrapper)

(Item 106, wrapper)

107. Orson Pratt.

Breniniaeth y dyddiau diweddaf.

(Latter-day kingdom.)

Swansea: Published and printed by Daniel Daniels, 1857.

[iv–197]–224 pp. 17.5 cm.

Printed wrapper—the title page on the front is enclosed in a double straight-lined border. On the rear is a list of ninety-seven Mormon meeting places in Wales. The inside pages are blank.

After one brief statement in the 10 January 1857 Udgorn Seion (p. 9) concerning Bedydd dwfr (Water baptism, item 102), the only other mention made of the Orson Pratt series of pamphlets in extant issues is in the 13 June 1857 issue (p. 204). There Daniel Daniels states that he was sending the seventh and eighth pamphlets of the series with that issue of Udgorn Seion, and so it appears that the process of translating and publishing the entire series required approximately seven months.

These last five pamphlets are grouped together for discussion because all the available information about them is similar. The printed wrappers differ only in title and color. Those owned by the National Library of Wales have wrappers of the following colors: pink (item 103), pink (104), pink (105), yellow (106); their copy of the final pamphlet of the series is missing its wrapper. Those owned by the University College of North Wales at Bangor differ slightly: pink (103), pink (104), blue (105), light blue (106), pale orange (107).

Item 103 has no Catalogue of works or Welsh book list bound with it; all of the remaining four, however, have both, 2 pages each.

Items 103–107: WB, WN

(Item 107, wrapper)

(Item 64: Picture of book)