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LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, Andrew Jenson, Vol. 3, p.658-660 Jones, Dan, familiarly known as Capt. Dan Jones, and recognized as the founder of the Welsh Mission, was born Aug. 4, 1811, in Flintshire, Wales, the son of Thomas and Ruth Jones. He received a college education, emigrated to the United States about 1840 and located in the Western States, where he became the owner and captain of a little river steamer called "The Maid of Iowa." He is first mentioned in Church history when he brought a company of Saints (in charge of Parley P. Pratt and Levi Richards) to Nauvoo, Ill., in April, 1843, these Saints having been detained during the previous winter at St. Louis, Mo., and other places, after their arrival from England. It was on this occasion Dan Jones first met the Prophet Joseph Smith, who, in stepping up to him, said: "God bless this little man." Soon afterwards he became a convert to "Mormonism," and was baptized in the early part of 1843. In May, 1843, the Prophet Joseph Smith purchased a half interest in the "Maid of Iowa," and Capt. Jones commenced running the boat between Nauvoo and Montrose as a ferry boat. When the Prophet Joseph was arrested at Dixon, the following June, Capt. Jones with a force of armed men navigated the rivers for the purpose of intercepting steamboats which might be engaged in kidnaping the Prophet Joseph into Missouri. In May, 1844, the Prophet bought out the interest of Dan Jones in the "Maid of Iowa." When the Prophet started for Carthage June 24, 1844, Dan Jones was one of the brethren who accompanied him, and from Carthage he was sent with two others with an important message to Gov. Thomas Ford. He spent the night of June 26-27, 1844, with Joseph and fellow-prisoners in Carthage jail, and when all were apparently fast asleep, Joseph whispered to Dan Jones: "Are you afraid to die?" Dan answered: "Has that time come, think you? Engaged in such a cause, I do not think that death would have many terrors." Joseph replied: "You will yet see Wales and fulfill the mission appointed you before you die." In the morning of June 27th, Joseph requested Dan Jones to descend and inquire of the guard the cause of a certain intrusion which had taken place during the night. Frank Worrell, the officer of the guard, who was one of the Carthage Greys, said in a very bitter spirit: "We have had too much trouble to bring 'Old Joe' here to let him ever escape alive, and unless you want to die with him, you had better leave before sundown, and you are not a damned bit better than him for taking his part and you will see that I can prophecy better than 'Old Joe,' for neither he nor his brother nor any one who will remain with them will see the sun set today." Joseph directed Jones to go to Gov. Ford and inform him what he had been told by the officer of the guard. While Jones was going to Gov. Ford's quarters, he saw an assemblage of men and heard one of them, who was apparently a leader, making a speech, saying: "Our troops will be discharged this morning in obedience to orders and for a sham we will leave the town, but when the governor and the McDonough's troops have left for Nauvoo this forenoon, we will return and kill those men if we have to tear the jail down." This sentiment was applauded by three cheers from the crowd. Capt. Jones went to the governor, told him what had occurred in the night, what the officer of the guard had said, and what he had heard while coming to see him, and earnestly solicited him to avert the danger. His Excellency replied: "You are unnecessarily alarmed for the safety of your friends, sir; the people are not that cruel." Irritated by such a remark, Jones urged the necessity of placing better men to guard [p.659] them than professed assassins, and said, "The Messrs. Smith are American citizens, and have surrendered themselves to your Excellency upon your pledging your honor for their safety; they are also master masons, and as such I demand of you the protection of their lives." Governor Ford's face turned pale, and Jones remarked, "If you do not do this, I have but one more desire, and that is, if you leave their lives in the hands of those men to be sacrificed — —." "What is that, sir?" he asked in a hurried tone. "It is," said Jones, "that the Almighty will preserve my life to a proper time and place, that I may testify that you have been timely warned of their danger." Jones then returned to the prison, but the guard would not let him enter. He again returned to the hotel, and found Governor Ford standing in front of the McDonough troops, who were in line ready to escort him to Nauvoo. The disbanded mob retired to the rear, shouting loudly that they were only going a short distance out of town, when they would return and kill "Old Joe" and Hyrum as soon as the governor was far enough out of town. Jones called the attention of the governor to the threats then made, but he took no notice of them, although it was impossible for him to avoid hearing them. Jones then requested the governor to give him passports for himself and friends to pass in and out of the prison, according to his promise made to the prisoners. He refused to give them passes, but he told General Deming to give one to Dr. Willard Richards, Joseph Smith's private secretary. While obtaining this, Jones' life was threatened, and Chauncey L. Higbee said to him in the street, "We are determined to kill Joe and Hyrum, and you had better go away to save yourself." Afterwards Almon W. Babbitt met Dan Jones in the street and informed him that Joseph wanted to see him, but not being allowed to pass the guard, Brother Babbitt brought a letter from Joseph, which he handed to Dan Jones with directions to take it to Quincy forthwith. The guard, being aware of the letter, told the mob that "Old Joe" had sent orders to raise the Nauvoo Legion to come and rescue him. The mob gathered around Jones and demanded the letter. Some of them wanted to take it from him by force and said that Jones should not get out of Carthage alive, as a dozen men had started out with their rifles to waylay him in the woods. Having previously ordered his horse, Jones took advantage of their disagreement and started off at full speed. By mistake he took the Warsaw road, and so avoided the men who were lying in wait for him. In 1845 Dan Jones, complying with a former call, left Nauvoo on a mission to Great Britain, and on his arrival in Liverpool, England, he was assigned to labor in Wales, his native country. He proceeded at once to Merthyr Tydfil, where he organized himself and family into the Welsh conference and commenced preaching the gospel with such success that in the course of a couple of years he became the means of baptizing and adding to the Church about two thousand souls in Wales. He also circulated thousands of pamphlets in the Welsh language. Persecution raged against him, but the more his opponents persecuted him, the better success he had. Elder Jones also published a monthly periodical in Welsh, entitled "Phophwyd y Jubili" (The Prophet of the Jubilee). Among his other publications was the "Compendium," or book of reference (288 pages), illustrative of the doctrines of the Church. All the publishing was done in Merthyr Tydfil. Having finished his mission in Wales, Capt. Jones sailed from Liverpool Feb. 26, 1849, with 249 emigrating saints on board the ship "Buena Vista." The company arrived in Kanesville, Iowa, in May, 1849, and crossed the plains [p.660] with Dan Jones as captain, in twenty-five wagons. Under date of Aug. 12, 1849, Geo. A. Smith wrote as follows, while crossing the plains: "Capt. Dan Jones understands his duty and surely he has done nobly in building up the kingdom of God in his native land and conducting the company he has across the mighty deep." The Welsh Saints were included in Geo. A. Smith's company. After the arrival in the Valley the so-called Welsh settlement was formed on the west side of the river Jordan, but most of the Welsh Saints subsequently became residents of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Wards, Salt Lake City. The arrival of the Welsh company under Capt. Jones was practically the introduction of the Welsh element into the Church. In the fall of 1849 Dan Jones was called to accompany Parley P. Pratt and others on an exploring expedition to southern Utah. On this journey the captain rendered efficient aid to the expedition and was closely associated with Elder Pratt. The company returned to Salt Lake City early in 1850. After that we find Dan Jones prominently associated with public affairs in the city until he, later in the year, was called to locate in Manti, Sanpete county, where he was elected mayor of the city April 7, 1851. There also he ran a threshing machine and took part in all kinds of pioneer labor. In August, 1852, he was called on a second mission to Wales, during which he again did a splendid work in his native country and published the "Udgorn Seion." Returning from this mission in 1856, he had charge of a large company of Saints (703 souls), who crossed the Atlantic in the ship "Samuel Curling," which sailed from Liverpool July 6, 1856. He crossed the plains together with a number of other missionaries, who passed the different emigrating companies of saints which crossed the plains that year. Early in 1857 Capt. Dan Jones commenced navigating the Great Salt Lake in the "Timely Gull," a small boat built and owned by Gov. Brigham Young. The little vessel was anchored in Black Rock harbor Feb. 13, 1857, with a general cargo, mainly composed of cedar wood, fine salt and flagging for sidewalks, yards and cellar floors, which articles were offered for sale. The "Timely Gull" was the first vessel of any consequence ever launched upon the waters of the Great Salt Lake. In 1859 it was suggested that the stone coal which had just been discovered in Wales, Sanpete Valley, should be hauled from that place to the head of Utah Lake, from which point Capt. Jones would boat it across the lake to supply the citizens of Salt Lake City with fuel, but this enterprise, seemingly, did not prove a success. In the meantime Capt. Jones moved to Provo, where he resided until the time of his death, which took place there Jan. 3, 1861. Capt. Jones married three wives during his life time and when he died he left six children, two by each wife Dan Jones as a missionary was known as a most eloquent and rapid speaker, having both the English and Welsh languages completely at his command, and with his earnestness and force he could hold his audience spellbound for hours together. |
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