| John Silvanus Davis | |
| Birth Date: | 7 June 1822 |
| Birth Place: | Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, Wales, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Death Place: | Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States |
| Occupation: | Writer, poet, printer and translator |
| Spouse: | Elizabeth Phillips |
| Parents: | James Silvanus and Ann Walter |
| Children: | Julia Elizabeth Davis |
John Silvanus Davis (US: sɪlvɔnʌs; Welsh: Davies; 7 June 1822 - 11 June 1882)[1] was a Welsh writer, poet, printer and early defender of the Latter-day Saints in South Wales during the mid-1800s. He translated the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants into Welsh.
Davis was born during a period of rapid industrialization in South Wales during the mid-1800s.[2] At the opening of the 1800s, Wales was mainly an agrarian society. However, within the next few decades the country expanded rapidly, particularly during the Napoleonic wars, which required a lot of raw materials provided by mining towns in Wales like Merthyr Tydfil or Aberdare.[3]
This prosperity halted when the war ended and demand for Welsh products like coal and wool fell, which drove a large migration of workers to the industrial towns. Merthyr Tydfil's population had increased from 7,705 in 1801 to 46,378 in 1851, up to 10,000 of which were migrant workers. The result was a permanent state of uncertainty in these towns.[4] It was in this milieu that Davis spent his early years.
He was baptized into the Congregational Church, though his father eventually started his own congregation, which was not uncommon in the non-conformist chapels of Wales. Davis followed in his father's faith as a young man.[5]
Davis received a fair education and developed a talent for literature.[6] He began writing poetry when he was thirteen, under the direction of his mother. His writing appeared in various Welsh magazines.[7] Davis continued to write poems, songs and hymns for the rest of his life, a practice his daughter Julia Elizabeth Davis also enjoyed.
Davis first became interested in the Latter-day Saints in 1845. He heard about them from the Reverend John Jones, a fellow printer, who was printing Mormon tracts in Llanybyther.
Davis was baptized on April 19, 1846,[8] and then ordained a teacher and priest within the next two years. He defended Mormonism vigorously in periodicals, tracts, poems, and books. He also actively engaged directly with both local and visiting preachers. He himself traveled on foot throughout Wales and Dublin as a missionary for his newfound religion.[9]
In 1848, Davis was called as first counselor to William S. Phillips,[10] president of the Welsh mission. The two managed the affairs of the printing office in Llannerdy. Davis printed several Mormon periodicals influential among the Welsh Saints, most notably the "Udgorn Seion," which he edited from 1849 until his emigration in 1854.[11] He wore many hats during this time, acting in the roles of "editor, author, bookseller, preacher, counselor, scribe, secretary and church doctor."
Davis translated the entire Book of Mormon for free, a few pages at a time, using only one quill pen. These pages were sent to the editor of the "Seren Gomer" who examined them and said they were "so perfect a translation". He also said it was too bad Davis spent such valuable time on something as “worthless a work as the Book of Mormon."[12] The parts were then published and sold--all in under one year. The first copy, bound in Moroccoan leather, was taken to Brigham Young in Utah by emigrating Welsh elders.
Davis also translated the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. In addition to translating, he wrote many edifying tracts expounding and defending Latter-day Saint beliefs, as well as a hymnbook with over 500 songs, many of which were his own composition. He is credited a great deal for the success of the LDS Church in Wales.
His dealings with the Latter-day Saints in the Welsh mission brought him into circles with early Mormon leaders such as F. D. Richards, Erastus Snow, and future prophet John Taylor.[13]
Davis married Elizabeth Phillips (1823 - 1906) on December 30, 1850, in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. They met each other through their association with the Latter-day Saints in the Cwmbach branch of the Welsh Mission.[14] They had one daughter, Julia Elizabeth Davis (1851 - 1946), who married Utah's first senator, Joseph L. Rawlins.
As early as November 1853, Davis and his family started preparations for their emigration to the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah. He closed his accounts and transferred operational management of the Welsh mission and printing presses to Captain Dan Jones.
On January 15, 1854, Davis received first word that the emigrants were to set sail for the United States on February 1. With only two weeks notice, the Latter-day Saints hastily gathered in from the countryside with what they could. John and Elizabeth saw their parents one last time before joining the others at Liverpool.[15] [16]
The Davises boarded the ship "Golconda" in the late evening of January 31, 1854. Four days later, the ship set sail with 477 people. The weather was rough for much of their journey across the Atlantic Ocean. However, it warmed when they reached the Bermuda Islands. The passengers spent their time on the voyage with entertainment including mock trials, dancing, band music, weddings, and daily religious meetings.[17] [18]
The "Golconda" reached the Port of New Orleans in the United States six weeks later. The company made their way by steamboat and wagon to St. Louis, Missouri, where they remained for three weeks gathering provisions for the trek westward across the Great Plains.
After leaving St. Louis, they passed by several Native Americans who were receiving gifts from the United States government. The Native Americans were also trading with pioneers, emigrants, gold diggers, and other people heading West. Crossing the Great Plains in the 1850s was a dangerous undertaking, often resulting in hunger, privation and death. Both Davis and Elizabeth fell ill to cholera along the way. The company arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley in July 1854 after a journey of seven months and three weeks.[19]
Almost immediately after the Davis' reached Salt Lake City, Davis started teaching English to the new Welsh Saints. He taught various subjects for most of his life on topics ranging from writing to astronomy, both of which he knew well.[20]
Davis first met Brigham Young in December 1854. Young advised Davis to go into farming, but when he found out he was a printer, directed him instead to pursue his trade at the Deseret News. Davis built a two-story house on a lot in Salt Lake City he purchased from Brigham Young. It was known as the "Big House" for years. Davis lived in various places in Salt Lake City for the rest of his life, improving the lot and buildings wherever he lived.[21] He lived in Salt Lake City at 4th South and 2nd East until his death.
On July 23, 1856, Brigham Young invited several prominent Latter-day Saints, including the Davises, to join him at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon for a 24th of July celebration. The next day, they received word of general Albert S. Johnston's army approaching the Great Salt Lake Valley during the Utah War.
The Latter-day Saints had been driven from the eastern United States and were determined to stand their ground in Utah. Brigham Young ordered the Saints to bury the foundation of the Salt Lake Temple to protect it from destruction. Then, the Davises, along with the Deseret News staff and the presses, moved to Fillmore until the end of the Utah War. They returned to Salt Lake City in September 1858.[22] [23]
In addition to his personal writings such as his poems, he also worked professionally with both secular and religious printing establishments such as the "Deseret News," "Valley Tan" and "The Mountaineer" (later called the "Daily Herald"). Davis became the foreman of the "Daily Herald" in August 1859.[24] [25]
In December 1858, Davis was elected as public printer for the legislative assembly.[26]
In 1861, Davis was forced to give up printing due to ill health. He was unemployed for one year until he and his wife, Elizabeth, opened a small store in their two-story house with one hundred dollars she had saved without his knowledge. The business flourished until 1870, when Brigham Young and other businessmen formed Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI)[27] [28]
In his final years, Davis manufactured and sold a root beer called Cronk Beer popular among Mormons.[29] [30] [31]
Davis died on June 11, 1882, in Salt Lake City, Utah after a lingering illness.[32] He "was of a retiring disposition, gentle but impressive in manner, a deliberate thinker, and a vigorous writer."