Day Book
1852 [in pencil] John Jones
[P. 1]
September 30 Rainy. I came to the city and slept there with Edward Roberts.
Oct 1 Rainy. I went to Machynlleth and to the prayer meeting and slept at the house of Br. Richards.
Oct 2 Around with John Davis
3 Sunday. John Davis and I arose at 4:00 o’clock and off we went to Dolgellau and were there by 9:30. Preached at 4:00 o’clock, J. Davis himself. Heavy
rain and people very stubborn. The two of us slept at the house of Robert Parry.
4 Very rainy in the evening. J. Davis went away at 4:00 o’clock to the city and I went to sell books and slept at the same place.
5 Rainy. Around to arrange for a place to preach but failed everywhere even though I offered money for a place. Slept at the same place.
[P. 2]
6 Rain. To the city to a Saints’ meeting and slept at the house of E. Roberts.
7 Fine. To Machynlleth and to a Saints’ meeting and we had a very good meeting. Slept at the house of Brother Richards.
8 Fine. Sent a letter to Merthyr and to Dolgellau and went to Towyn with Ann Richards. I slept at the house of John Jones and Ann also. We had a hearty
welcome from Sister Jones.
9 Fine. I took Ann down to the sea and back. In the evening I went down to the sea and came back and slept in the same place.
10 Sunday. Fine. Prayer meeting at 10:00 in the morning, then I took John Jones and David Vaughen to the seaside and had lunch with D Vaughen.
[P. 3]
To the Saints’ meeting at 2:00. We had a very good meeting. We sang quite a lot in the evening, and I preached at 7:00 o’clock but not many came to listen.
Slept at the same place.
11 Fine. I went to Machynlleth and slept at the house of W. Richards by myself.
12 Fine. Around visiting and waited for a letter from Merthyr from Richards. To the prayer meeting. Slept at the same place. Also John Davis.
13 Fine. Went around selling books over toward Abercegir and environs. The two of us slept at the same place.
14 Fine. Around visiting. Wrote letters. The two of us went to the Saints’ meeting. Had supper with Br. Ellis every night and slept at the same place.
[P. 4]
15 Fine. Around visiting and in the usual meetings and slept at the same place.
16 Fine. To the city for account books.
17 Meetings there at 8:00, 10:00, 2:00, and 6:00. We had quite good meetings. One was baptized, John Roberts, and his wife was frightfully hateful. Slept
with J. Roberts.
18 Fine. I went to Machynlleth, and Ann was there. I had a letter from the president. I went around visiting until the 20th, then I went to Aberystwyth,
and I was there with the brethren and in a Saints' meeting Thursday night. I had a look at the town. Slept with Thos Jones and Wm Lewis at the house of
Mary Williams, widow.
22 Rainy. I came to Machynlleth and Br John Davis was there for the prayer meeting, and I slept at the house of Br Richards.
[P. 5]
23 Around visiting and writing throughout the day, and the two of us slept at the same place.
24 Sunday. To the Saints' meeting at 2:00, and we had a meeting like none we had had for a long time. All of the Saints were together. I preached at 6:00,
and we had a very fine meeting. The Saints were in their element ___________[yn Fistnab?]. I slept at the same place.
25 until the 28th around Machynlleth and slept at the same place.
28 Rainy. I went to the city. I got uncommonly wet. I got dry with my clothes on. I had a prayer meeting ther and slept with E. Roberts.
30 Rainy. I went to Festiniog soaked to the skin and very tired. I went to Jason's house and had a meal there. Afterwards I went to the house of D. Roberts
and slept there. But
[P. 6]
neither Dafydd nor his wife were there, just Dafydd's aunt.
Nov 1 Rainy. Dafydd Davis and I went to the Saints' meeting at the house of J. Roberts, Llanfrothan. We had a very good meeting. David Davis and Roberts
and I came back to the house of D. Roberts, and I slept there. I received money from the Brethren to pay for my lodging in Dolgellau 4/6 .
2 Fine. I went down to Harlach [Harlech]. John Davis was there. I had a meal there, and we had a Saints' meeting there at the home of D. Anwyl. I slept at
the house of C. Owens.
3 Rainy. J. Davis and I came over the top of the mountain to Dolgellau, and we got very wet. We went to my old lodgings in Dolgellau, Robert Parry, and
there was Richards. We went around for a bit, and the
[P. 7]
three of us slept together and had a very noble [nice] place.
4 Fine. Br Richards and I went to sell books and to testify (and J. Davis went to Festiniog). We went around to many houses. We did not receive food
anywhere, rather everyone looked at us in disbelief. The two of us slept in the same place.
5 Rainy. We bade farewell to the town and off we went, and we washed our feet alongside the road as a witness against them. And off we went to the city and
had a good time there distributing books. Then we went to Machynlleth and slept at the house of Richards.
6 Rainy. The two of us went to Aberystwyth and to the house of Lewce [Lewis] Davis. We had a meal there, and we dried our clothes and went to the house of
Mary Williams to
[P. 8]
sleep, the two of us and Thos Morgans of Fairrhos with us in the same bed.
7 Rainy. To the meeting at 10:30 a.m. in a large room at _______ [Cwlw brag?]. Several of the Brethren were present. J. Evans was the President of the
Conference. I preached in the meeting. At 2:00 Br Richards and Evans preached. At 6:00 Br J. Griffiths and D. John and Evans [preached]. We held a very
good council meeting after it. Br [name omitted] and I slept at the same place.
8 Rainy. Went around the town for a look and we saw the sea. The two of us slept in the same place.
9 Rainy. We came to Machynlleth and to the house of Br Ellis and to the prayer meeting, and back to have __________[supper?]. This morning there was an
earthquake at 5:00 [This sentence was written between the previous lines.]
10 Rainy. Around visiting and [The following line was added at the bottom of the page and then crossed out: "This morning at 5:00 there was an earthquake
throughout the whole country."]
[P. 9]
writing letters for Br Richards and slept at the home of Br Richards as usual.
11 Rainy. Around visiting and to the Saints' meeting and slept at the same place.
12 Rainy. Around visiting the same way.
13 Rainy. I went to the house of Isaac Jones and slept there because it was too wet to go further.
14 Rainy. I went to Towyn [and arrived in time] for the meeting at 2:00, and we had a very good meeting, and a prayer meeting at 6:00 (there was a bit of
the devil in the old woman). Slept there.
15 Fine. I came to Machynlleth and went around visiting. Slept in the same place.
16 Rainy. Around visiting and slept at the same place and had a meal with Brother Ellis.
17 Rainy. I went to the floods to
[P. 10]
David Edwards and Wm Morgans and it was very rough. I got a place to sleep in the same house as they were in.
18 Rainy. I went to Llanidloes and to the house of Wm Williams and I had a meal there, and he took me around the houses to sell books until nightfall. I
slept at the house of Brother Thomas Owens.
19 Fine. In the morning I went around to every house through the whole town except for two or three where I had worked the previous night, and today I sold
1/2 the books. Then I went through the floods after that to the Brethren to sleep.
20 Rainy. Throughout the day I went through Llanbrynmair selling books and to the city. And today Edward Roberts was
[P. 11]
in Riadr [Rhayader]. I received a hearty welcome there from the Saints and I slept at the home of John Roberts (I was soaked to the skin).
21 Sunday. Rainy through the day. We had meetings at 8:00, 10:00, 2:00, and 6:00 and we had a very glorious Sunday. Slept in the same place.
22 Fine. I came to Machynlleth selling books along the way and I came to the house of Richards. Slept there.
23 Rainy. In Machynlleth and around visiting. Went to prayer meeting and slept in the same place.
24 Rainy. Around visiting.
25 Did the same thing and went to the Saints' meeting. Slept at the same place.
[P. 12]
27 Rainy. I went to Towyn and Ann Rolands [Rowlands] came with me, but Ann did not come more than about three miles from town. I went and slept at the home
of J. Jones.
28 Rainy. Prayer meeting at 10:00. Saints' meeting at 2:00, and prayer meeting at 6:00, and we had very good meetings throughout the day. And Ann Rolands
was with us.
29 Fine and freezy. I went to send Ann off and slept at the house of J. J.
30 Freezy. I went to Harleth [Harlech] and to the house of James A. Anwyl and I had herring and bread to eat. Slept at the house of E. Owens.
31
Unusually rainy.
[Pages 13 and 14 appear to be notes, perhaps for a talk. Then the journal entries continue with the remainder of the 31 November entry and then
continuing on with December.]
[P. 13]
In the absence of the priesthood for centuries that went by, men had set up their own laws and rules, to govern, not only the ordinance of marriage, but
practically all the established ordinances of God. And it was revealed to man, in the absence of any notice of God. The nations of the earth appointed laws
of man, the union of man and woman, and also some for parents and children. The time in which this union was to disappear, especially by law. Children are
to be freed from their parents at some given and both men and women at their death are completely free from bondage, and then by the enlightened Christian
world the ordinances
[P. 14]
of God were in fact were destroyed and made earthly, and from that moment [a ohl egyd hyn?] they became carnal and devilish. The devil tried to put an end
to the works and wisdom of God.
[P. 15]
And about 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon I went toward Festiniog and I arrived there by 6:30 p.m. at the house of D. Roberts. We had a fairly good meeting.
Then I slept at the home of D. Roberts.
Dec 1 Rainy. At the house of Roberts throughout the day. And at 6:30 p.m. I went with R. Roberts to his house to sleep in Llanfrothen.
2 Fine. We went with him to Porth Madoc and Towyn and back. And by the time we got there J. Davis was there and off we went to Festiniog to the house of
Jason Thomas, and we had a meal with D. Davis and then went to D. Roberts' house to sleep.
3 Rainy. We came across the mountain to
[P. 16]
Bethesda, and by the time we got there we were soaking wet. We had rain every step of the way. We got a place to dry our clothes and slept and had a meal
at the house of Br John Davis who gave us a hearty welcome.
[No space or entry for the 4th of December, probably a correction for using the 31st of November for an earlier entry.]
5 We went to Bangor to the Caernarfon Conference and we saw Brothers Sims, Pary [Parry], and Roberts, Dyffryn Conwy. We had a council meeting at 11:00. A
preaching meeting at 2:00, and I preached there. And Pary [Parry] arose to ask if he could ask a question about the matter. I had preached but he did not.
A preaching meeting at 6:00. J. Davis and Roberts,
[P. 17]
Sims and Pary preached. And a big noise was made by the crowd and it kept up until the end of the meeting. I and J. Davis, and Mesach Williams slept at the
house of Hugh Foulk, and got to pay 6 apiece for our place.
6 Fine. We saw Pary and then off we went to see the bridges and to Caernarfon to Sims' house. We had a prayer meeting and slept there.
7 Jinkins and Mesach and I came to Harlech and slept at the house of Sister Owens.
8 They left and we stayed there to have a Saints' meeting, and we slept at the same place.
9 I went to Festiniog and slept at the house of D. Roberts.
10 Selling books throughout the town
[P. 18]
of Festiniog and David Edwards with me. To a council meeting at the house of Br Roberts and slept there.
11 Harlech. There we met Br Richards and his wife. Pary and Sims and some of the Brethren slept at the house of Sister Owens.
12 Had a conference at Harlech at the house of J. Anwyl. Meetings at 10:00, 2:00, 4:00 and 5:00, and there were a lot of the Brethren together. Slept at
the same place.
13 To Towyn with J. Davis and J. Evans and to the house of John Jones and slept there.
14 Bought new trousers for 14/3 and off we went to Machynlleth and slept at the house of Br Richards
15 There writing the account of the Conference. 16, 17, 18 writing and sleeping at the same place.
19 To the city. There a burning cauldron fell on my feet and burned them very badly. Slept at the house of E. Roberts.
[P. 19]
20 Meetings at 8:00, 10:00, 2:00 and 6:00. We had very good meetings. Slept at the same place.
21 I came to Machynlleth rather sore. I am still here now and I slept at the house of Br Richards, my feet very sore. In the prayer and Saints' meetings at
which time I received a woollen waistcoat from Ann Rolands.We had a concert on Christmas day and meetings all the following day.
27 At the house taking care of my feet.
[P. 20]
Exhortations. The feeling of the branch president toward his counselors. 2) The feeling of the elders toward the counselors and the president. 3) The
combined feelings of the elders toward their president. 4) The feeling of the President of the distributors toward the Saints. 5) And the Saints toward the
presidents. 6) The Saints toward their president. 7) The feeling of all toward the principles, duties, and presidents. 8) [Blank.]
[P. 21]
The Sea is like a lion roaring
And the angry waves are throwing
Rocks and seas in parts
And carrying them along the shore.
[P. 22]
A farewell and a wish for Zion.
My many friends and dear brethren
Lend me your ears to listen to my song.
I am going away to Zion
Away from all my enemies
Who live in Babylon.
For a long time my heart has longed
To travel the seas and mountains indeed
And go into the land of California.
This is God's Zion now.
2
In Zion we shall be taught properly
In the pure laws of our God
By Apostles of Jesus
And also by his Prophets
By those who are in the Church of God now
In Temples and Schools of every kind
We shall be taught and instructed how to live
[P. 23] Until we achieve perfection like unto that of the Son of God
In knowledge of the Father.
3
In happy delight, nearly everyone will be
In the well deserved delicacies of Zion.
There will be there no poverty
Nor deceit nor violence nor oppression
Among the family of God until the end of their days.
Rather all the families of Zion, great and small,
Will live in abundance, and unity
Encouraging everyone to come as one
Out of the captivity of the land of Babel.
[The last four pages give a summary by date of the places visited and the number of miles walked.]
[P. 24]
from Dolgellau
September 30 Dinas Mawddy 10
October 1 to Machynlleth 13 1/2
2 around visiting
3 to Dolgellau 16
4 around visiting 6
5 around visiting
6 to the city 10
7 to Machynlleth 13 1/2
8 to Towyn 12
9 around visiting 4
10 around visiting 2
11 to Machynlleth 12
12 around visiting
13 until the 17th 10
17 to the city 13 1/2
18 around visiting
19 to Machynlleth 13 1/2
20 around visiting
[P. 25] 21 Aberystwyth 18
22 around visiting
23 to Machynlleth 18
24 Sunday in Machynlleth
25 - 28 around visiting
29 to the city 13 1/2
30 to Festiniog 30
31 to Llanfrothan and back 12
November 1 around visiting
2 to Harlech 16
3 to Dolgellau 21
4 around visiting 4
5 to Machynlleth 24
6 to Aberystwyth 18
7 around visiting
8 around visiting 3
9 to Machynlleth 18
10 around visiting
11 around visiting
12 around visiting
13 to Penal 3
14 to Towyn 9
[P. 26] 15 to Machynlleth 12
16 around visiting
17 to the Dilifan 10
18 to Llanidloes 10
19 to the Dilifan 10
20 to Dinas Mowydd 16
21 around visiting
22 to Machynlleth 14
23 around visiting
24 -------------
25 -------------
26x
to Towyn
12
27x to x Towyn 12
28x x in Towyn
29x x
in
to Harlech 22
30x x to Ffestiniog 16
December 1 x to Llanfrothan
and Towyn
6
2 and to Llanfrothan, Towyn,
and back to Ffestiniog 20
[P. 27] 3 to Bethethesta [Bethesda] 26
4 Bangor 5
5 there--- 2
6 to Caernarfon 9
7 to Harlech 26
8 there--- 2
9 to Ffestiniog 16
10 there--- 7
11 to Harlech 16
12 there 1
13 to Towyn 22
14 to Machynlleth 12
15 yno--------
16 ----------------
17 ----------------
18 ----------------
19 to Dinas 13 1/2
20 there
21 to Machynlleth 13
[P. 28] 22 in Machynlleth
23 ----------------
24 ----------------
25 ----------------
26 ----------------
27 ----------------
28 ----------------
[Translated by Ronald D. Dennis, 1529 W. 1170 North, Provo, UT 84604, from the original journal, November 2003.]
[Translator's note: The year "1852" is written in pencil, an indication that it may not have been put there by John Jones. The year "1852", however, is
accurate. All brackets in the translation are the translator's. Some punctuation has been added.]
