Dan Jones (4 August 1810 – 3 January 1862) (often referred to as Captain Dan) was an influential Welsh

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

. Jones is well known for having heard the " final prophecy" of

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, ...

, namely, that Jones would fulfil a mission to

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

before he died.

Early life

Jones was born in

Halkyn Halkyn ( cy, Helygain ; Flintshire Welsh: ''Lygian '') is a village and community in Flintshire, north-east Wales and situated between Pentre Halkyn, Northop and Rhosesmor. At the 2001 Census the population of the community was 2,876, increas ...

, in the county of

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

, north-east Wales, the sixth of Thomas Jones and Ruth Roberts's eight children. When he was sixteen years old, Jones became a sailor. On 3 January 1837, Jones married Jane Melling, a childhood friend from Halkyn. In 1840, Jones and his wife emigrated to the United States, where Jones became captain of the ''Ripple'', a steamship on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. The ''Ripple'' primarily carried passengers between

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. After the ''Ripple'' struck a rock and sank, Jones captained the '' Maid of Iowa'', which could transport approximately 300 passengers.

Conversion

During his travels on the

, Jones heard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which had recently moved its headquarters to Nauvoo, Illinois, a city on the river. Jones sought out the Latter Day Saints to learn about the new religious movement. He believed what the missionaries told him and was subsequently baptized into the church in January 1843. The following April, Jones used the ''Maid of Iowa'' to transport approximately 300 English Latter Day Saint converts from

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

to Nauvoo. Jones also used his ship to haul freight required for the building of the

Nauvoo Temple The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.''Manuscript History of the Church'', LDS Church Archives, book A-1, p. 37; reproduced in Dean C. Jessee (comp.) (1989). ''The Papers of Jose ...

preached from the deck of the ''Maid of Iowa'' on more than one occasion.

Joseph Smith and the "final prophecy"

In June 1844,

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

and

Hyrum Smith Hyrum Smith (February 9, 1800 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, J ...

were arrested and imprisoned in

Carthage Jail Carthage Jail is a historic building in Carthage, Illinois, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It was built in 1839 and is best known as the location of the 1844 killing of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint mov ...

. With

Willard Richards Willard Richards (June 24, 1804 – March 11, 1854) was a physician and midwife/nurse trainer and an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He served as second counselor to church president Brigham Young in the First Presidency of th ...

and John Taylor, Jones was chosen to accompany the Smiths to jail to offer support and protection. The night before Joseph and Hyrum were killed, Joseph Smith asked Jones if he was afraid to die. Jones replied, "Has that time come, think you? Engaged in such a cause, I do not think that death would have many terrors.” Smith replied with what many have identified as his "last prophecy": "You will yet see Wales and fulfill the mission appointed you before you die." The following morning, 27 June 1844, Smith asked Jones to deliver a letter on his behalf to Orville H. Browning in Quincy, Illinois, requesting that Browning act as the Smiths' lawyer in their upcoming trial. As Jones departed the jail on horseback, bullets were fired at him, but none struck him. In his haste and panic, Jones took the wrong road to Quincy and became lost. It was later learned that a mob had been waiting to intercept him on the correct road to Quincy. When Jones finally reached Quincy later in the afternoon, he learned that Joseph and Hyrum Smith had been killed by a mob at the jail.

First mission to Wales

In late 1844,

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...

asked Jones to return to

as a

for the church. Jones and his wife traveled to England with

Wilford Woodruff Wilford Woodruff Sr. (March 1, 1807September 2, 1898) was an American religious leader who served as the fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1889 until his death. He ended the public practice of ...

and a number of other persons who had been asked to serve as missionaries in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

. After approximately one year and little success, Jones was asked to preside over the missionary efforts in Wales. At this time, there were just over 200

Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

s in Wales. Under Jones's leadership, between 1845 and 1848 the missionaries in Wales baptized approximately 3600 people. In terms of population, one out of every 278 people in Wales at that time was baptized into

Gordon B. Hinckley Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 200 ...

“The Thing of Most Worth”
''

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

'', September 1993, 2. When Jones left Wales, there were seventy-two

branches A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term ''twig'' usually r ...

of the church and 4645

s. In 1846, Jones began to publish a

Welsh-language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has al ...

periodical for the church entitled '' Prophwyd y Jubili''—''Prophet of the Jubilee''. It was the first periodical to be published in a language other than English from the Church. In 1847, Jones published the most famous of his many Welsh-language pamphlets and tracts, "Hanes Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf" ("History of the Latter-day Saints").

Pioneer

On 26 February 1849, Jones departed Wales with over 300 Welsh

converts. Jones sailed from

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

on the ''Buena Vista'' and from New Orleans to Council Bluffs, Iowa by riverboat. Once Jones and the Welsh converts arrived in Council Bluffs, the church organised the first Welsh speaking branch of the church in the United States with Jones serving as the

branch president A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, th ...

. On 13 July 1849, Jones and many of his Welsh converts left Council Bluffs with other pioneers in the George A. Smith company. Jones arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on 26 October. Like many early

s, Jones practised plural marriage. On 8 November 1849, shortly after his arrival in the

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state ...

, Jones married his first plural wife, Elizabeth Lewis.

Second mission to Wales

After arriving in the

, Jones settled in Manti and was elected mayor in 1851. However, in 1852 church president

asked Jones to again return to Wales as a missionary. During this second mission, which lasted until 1856, Jones baptized approximately 2000 persons in Wales, most of whom eventually immigrated to Utah. In 1852, Jones oversaw the translation of the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude d ...

into the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...

; it was only the third language other than English that the book had been published in (previous translations having been published in

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

and French). Jones was briefly the editor of '' Udgorn Seion'', the church's

periodical that succeeded Jones's '' Prophwyd y Jubili''.

Later life and death

Jones returned to Utah in 1856. However, upon his return he began to suffer ill health, probably partially as a result of his missionary exertions and life's extensive travels. Jones became the captain of the ''Timely Gull'' on the Great Salt Lake, a vessel that was owned by

and used to carry salt,

cedar wood Cedar is part of the English common name of many trees and other plants, particularly those of the genus ''Cedrus''. Some botanical authorities consider the Old-World ''Cedrus'' the only "true cedars". Many other species worldwide with similarl ...

, and

flagstone Flagstone (flag) is a generic flat stone, sometimes cut in regular rectangular or square shape and usually used for paving slabs or walkways, patios, flooring, fences and roofing. It may be used for memorials, headstones, facades and other co ...

. On 8 November 1849, Jones married a second plural wife, Elizabeth Jones Lewis, in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

. On 18 February 1857, Jones married his third plural wife, Mary Matilda LaTrielle, in Salt Lake City. Jones' first wife, Jane, died on 24 February 1861. Less than one year later, on the 24th anniversary of his marriage to Jane, Jones died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

at Provo, Utah Territory, at the age of fifty-one. Jones was survived by six children—two from each of his wives. His first wife gave birth to eight children that did not survive childhood.

Legacy

Apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

has stated that Jones "must certainly be included in the half dozen or so most productive missionaries in the history of the Church." One of the dormitories at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, is called the ''Dan Jones Building''. An official publication of the church pays tribute to Jones, stating that, "Dan Jones, asone of the greatest missionaries" in church history.'' Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2002
p. 1

Written works

*Dan Jones (1845). ''Y fanw 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, Wales: William Bayley. *—— (1846). ''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, Wales: John Jones. *—— (1846). ''Atebydd y gwrthddadleuon a ddygir yn fwyaf cyffredinol drwy y wlad yn erbyn Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf, a'r athrawiaeth a broffesant : mewn ffurf o ymddyddan, er symud y rhwystrau oddiar ffordd y Cymry ymofyngar, heb "anmhwyllo ynghylch cwestiynau, ac ymryson ynghylch geiriau, o'r rhai y mae cenfigen, ymryson, cableddau, a drwg dybiau yn dyfod : ac na ddaliont ar CHWEDLAU ac achau anorpben, y rhai sydd yn peri cwestiynau, yn hytrach nag adeiladaeth dduwiol, yr hon sydd trwy ffydd: gwnaed AWBfelly"'' (''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 obstacles from the path of the inquisitive Welsh without "doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, tailings, 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 VERYONE''). Rhydybont, Wales: John Jones. *—— (ed.) (1846–48). ''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''). Monthly. Rhydybont, Wales: John Jones. *—— (1846). ''Y glorian, yn yr hon y gwelir David yn pwyso Williams, a Williams yn pwyso David, neu, David Williams, o Abercanaid, yn gwrthddweyd ei hun, wedi ei ddal yn 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''). Rhydybont, Wales: John Jones. *—— (1847). ''Adolygiad ar ddarlithoedd y Parch. E. Roberts, (Gweinidog y Bedyddwyr yn Rymni,) yn erbyn Mormoniaeth, pa rai a draddododd yn Nghaersdem, Medi yr Ail, ac yn Bethania (Capel yr Annibynwyr,) Medi y Trydydd, yn Nowlais'' (''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''). Rhydybont, Wales: John Jones. *—— (1847). "Amddiffyniad y 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'"), ''Seren Gomer'' (''Star of Gomer''). Rhydybont, Wales, January 1847. *—— (1847). ''"Haman" yn hongian ar ei grogbren ei hun! neu Daniel Jones (ddall) a'i lyfr yn profi gwirionedd Mormoniaeth!!'' (''"Haman" hanging from his own gallows! or, Daniel Jones (the blind) and his booklet proving the truth of Mormonism!!''). Rhydybont, Wales: John Jones. *—— (1847). ''Hanes Saint y Dyddiau Diweddaf, o'u sefydliad yn 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''). Rhydybont, Wales: John Jones. *—— (1850). ''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, Wales: John Davis. *—— (1854). ''Amddiffyniad y Saint : sef, gwrth-brofion o gam-gyhuddiadau maleis-ddrwg dyn o'r enw Rees Davies, o New Orleans, yn erbyn 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, Wales: D. Jones. *—— (1854). ''Annerchiad at offeiraid, parchedigion, pregethwyr, a holl athrawon crefydd yn Nghymru'' (''Proclamation to priests, reverends, preachers, and all teachers of religion in Wales''). Merthyr Tydfil, Wales: D. Jones. *—— (1854). ''Anffyddiaeth sectyddiaeth!'' (''Atheism of sectarianism!''). Merthyr Tydfil, Wales: D. Jones. *—— (1854). ''Dadl rhwng Bedyddiwr ac Anffyddiwr'' (''A debate between a Baptist and an atheist''). Merthyr Tydfil, Wales: D. Jones. *—— (1854). ''Peidiwch a'u gwrando'' (''Do not listen to them''). Swansea, Wales: D. Jones. *—— (1855). ''Anmhoblogrwydd "Mormoniaeth"?'' (''Unpopularity of "Mormonism"?''). Swansea, Wales: D. Jones. *—— (1855). ''Yr anweinydd i Seion'' (''The guide to Zion''). Swansea, Wales: D. Jones.

Notes

References

* Rex LeRoy Christensen, “The Life and Contributions of Captain Dan Jones,” Master’s thesis,

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah ...

, 1977. * Rex LeRoy Christensen
“I Have a Question: I've heard that a Dan Jones was one of the most successful missionaries of the early church. Can you tell me more about him?”
''

'', March 1982, p. 19. * Ronald D. Dennis
“Dan Jones, Welshman: Taking the Gospel Home”
''

'', April 1987, p. 50. *

“The Thing of Most Worth”
''

'', September 1993, p. 2. * Shannon W. Ostler
“Dan Jones—Welsh Missionary”
''

Friend Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. In some cultures, the concept of ...

'', October 1987, p. 40.

External links

WelshMormonHistory.org resources on Dan Jones
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Dan 1810 births 1862 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries 19th-century translators American Latter Day Saints American sailors British Latter Day Saints Converts to Mormonism Editors of Latter Day Saint publications Mayors of places in Utah Missionary linguists Mormon missionaries in Wales Mormon pioneers People from Flintshire Translators of the Book of Mormon Welsh Latter Day Saint writers Welsh Latter Day Saints Welsh Mormon missionaries Welsh emigrants to the United States Welsh leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Welsh-language writers