Extract from the Manuscript History of the British Mission

The town of Llanelly is located 12 miles northwest of Swansea and 12 miles northeast of Merthyr Tydvil. The Llanelly Branch was a center for the church in that part of Wales in the mid 19th century. When the Carmarthanshire Conference was divided in the summer of 1852, the Llanelly Conference was created. The Lanelly Conference continued to exist April 1863 when it again was called the Carmarthenshire Conference.

The Llanelly Branch was listed on 26 Dec 1847 as having 103 members including 62 new members who had been baptized since the last conference. A year later the branch hit its highest number of 180 members. Following are some of the statistics reported for the Llanelly Branch during its existence:

A new chapel of the church was dedicated in Llanelly in January 1849 about which occasion Dan Jones wrote on 29 Jan 1849:

As we had a new chapel to open here (Llanelly) on Sunday, I set off and only arrived in the middle of the afternoon meeting. This is a very commodious and well built chapel, situated in the centre of town, and will accommodate above a thousand persons with seats. Yesterday, during each meeting, it was crowded to overflowing, notwithstanding public notices had been published in every other chapel here prohibiting any of their members attending upon the penalty of being 'turned out of their synagogues;' ... Doubtless they were much mortified at their discomfiture, and chagrined when some of them had to pass our chapel and saw it crowded inside with attentive hearers, and the streets outside and round the lower windows thronged with people... Our public meetings continue through today also. Cheering news salute my ears daily of the progress of the gospel in Wales. In this town over two hundred have been baptized in the last two years, more than a dozen in the last few days past, and the place all in an uproar now.

Several missionaries wrote of traveling through Llanelly and holding meetings there during the 1860s and 1870s:

• 24 Jan 1864 Jacob G. Bigler wrote from Ireland, "In Wales I preached in Cardiff, Llanelly, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydvil, and Tredegar, visiting the saints in Swansea and other towns, comforting the saints. Brother Thomas E. Jeremy being my companion while in Wales. We held conference meetings in Cardiff, Llanelly, and Tredegar."
• 1 Nov 1864 Evan A. Richards wrote from Llanelly, "Since the conference at Merthyr I have been busily employed traveling from branch to branch, finding the saints increasing in faith and good works. We have baptized ten last month."
• 23 Oct 1868 Albert Carrington visited the Welsh conferences and met with the members in Llanelly
• 19 Feb 1872 David John from New Milford, Wales, "Tomorrow I leave here to return to Merthyr and on my way shall visit and hold meetings at Carmarthen, Llanelly, Swansea, and Neath, arriving in Merthyr on Saturday and shall spend the Sabbath with the saints in Tredegar."
• 12 Jul 1875 Thomas C. Martell from New Milford, Wales, "After returning to Merthyr in company with Elder Thomas D. Evans, I visited the branches and preached in Neath, Swansea, Llanelly, and Kidwelly, meeting with some good brethren and sisters at each place."
• 25 Nov 1875 Thomas C. Martell from Kidwelly, "I returned to Carmarthenshire by way of Neath and Swansea. At each place we had very good meetings. Leaving the saints at Llanelly in excellent spirits, I proceeded on an extrended tour through Carmarthen and other cities."
• 26 Jul 1879 Joseph R. Matthews, "Pres. Jones and I lately visited a portion of Carmarthenshire District. At Llanelly we held an open-air meeting, our audience numbering between 300 and 400 people, who treated us with civility and consideration. At the conclusion of our meeting, an effort was made to create some disturbance, but was overcome."

From 1847-1868 there were 459 baptisms registered in the Llanelly branch record. In Oct 1868 the Carmarthenshire Conference was held in the Atheneum Hall in Llanelly. Meetings were attended by several visitors and it was reported that the spirit of inquiry was increasing in the neighborhood. In Apr 1869 the branch was reported in good condition with ups and downs in regard to emigrating.

At the Monmouthsire Conference at Ebbw Vale on 30 Aug 1868, William C. Thomas spoke of how he was born and learned of the church at Llanelly, Carmarthenshire. He related some of his early experiences in the church previous to his moving to Utah. He was also listed as arriving in Liverpool from Llanelly on 16 Jan 1869.

[NOTE: No indication is given as to when the Llanelly Branch was discontinued or a complete list of the branch presidents after 1857. This information will require further research, but hopefully will be more complete as time goes on.] 

Branch Presidents in the Llanelly Branch included the following:

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