George Phillip Adams was born on August 4, 1 817 in West Haverford,
Pembroke, So. Wales. He married Sarah Ann Beynon
on November 22, 1845.
Children born to
this union were a daughter - Sarah (2nd child buried in Wales), Benjamin Nephi,
Clement Carlos, George Alma, John Henry, William Isaac (the middle name was
later changed to initial AJ), and a daughter, Matilda.
In his diary he states
that he felt a desire to seek further knowledge concerning the principles of
baptism and the laying on of hands as taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. As I began to discuss with them (the missionaries) on
several points-they got pretty alarmed and began to inquire of me if I did mean
what I said-My answer was to the advice of Paul, "to prove all things and
hold fast in that which is good," so I did intend to do so. He was
baptized the next day, October 8, 1849.
He came to America in 1860 and settled in Utah in 1864. Four years later he and his
wife and four children, Benjamin Nephi, Clement Carlos, George Alma and John
Henry moved to Malad,
Idaho.
On November 5,
1868 he was ordained a High Priest by James Chivers
and on Jun 7, 1869, he was sealed to his wife by Elder Wilford
Woodruff at the Endowment House in Salt
Lake City, Utah.
He passed away on
June 5, 1897, at his home in Malad, Idaho.
It was the custom
in those days to have burial clothes and all related items already except for
the marking of the temple garments.
Bishop George
Stewart and Thomas Thomas (son of William Howell
Thomas) were called to wash and prepare the body for burial. They later said
there was a pulling force working against them as they tried to dress the body,
but the task was accomplished.
Sometime
afterward as the family was assembled, it was noticed that the body was not at
rest (a moaning of sorts seems to come from it). Several ideas as to the cause
were explored but to no avail.
A granddaughter,
Margaret, (or Mag, daughter of Benjamin Nephi) was
coming from the woodshed with her arras loaded with wood and as she stepped
through the doorway, she said a voice said, "check the garments" (at
the time she was the only one of the family that had received her Temple
Endowment).
Bishop Stewart
and Brother Thomas were called again to come and examine the clothing and they
found that the garments had not been marked. The garments were removed and
properly marked and the corpse redressed. Thereafter the body seemed to be at
rest-a testimony that the Temple
Endowment is God given.
The
following was copied as close as possible from a Xerox copy of the hand written
history of his great-great grandfather, George P. Adams, by Joel L. Tapley December 10, 1980:
I was born according
to the Acount that I have had in Haverfordwest
in the County of Pembroke in the year 1817. My Father at
that period of time had two females pregnant at the same time and instead of
marrying my mother he married the other and for that reason I was rather rejected
and dispised for as soon as I was born I was put out
to Nurse and was treated rather roughish and nockt about
from one to another until I arrived to three years old in which time my Grand
Father and Grandmother took me after which I was taken pretty good care of untill I Came to Care for my self. I was from 18 to 19
years ofAge when I went to service to A fanner and
after Awhile I went off like a Bird out of his nest to try my luck to the Iron
Factories after which I went through many Difficulties Before I could get on properly
through being strange and unacquainted with the Customs and forms of a strange
Country but after A lettle time I got to work in the
Iron Ore and then I got Along better and after A little I got familier with things and to get A little money so as I was
Able to get my self some Cloths and other Nessasaries:
I was About 20 years of Age when I went to the Iron Works and was between nine
& ten years a nocking About as the general
customs of youth are after which I got married to one after the name of Sarah Beynon in the year 1845 and I never was very much inclined
to any of the religious partys. I was rather holding
with the ideas of the Deist because I never Could see
any Correspondence with the Different Creeds of the Day so I was rather opposed
to them all. I was Aware that there must needs bee that A great reformation of
things was Necessary to take place but I Could not see no union for the world
for any Body of people would petion for any grant another
would opose it so I was rather inclined to what they Called
the Charter and the Denornenatians of the Day was
opposed to it and this was the cause that persuaded me to A rather dislike to
any of them. I wanted the Working Class to have their rights and I could not
understand how it was going to come to pass without unionization and I saw that
union could not be passed at all without seeing alike so in this Kind of way it
passed on untill the year 1849 in which A great Harm
took place an awfull malady Made its appearance
called the colerah. This made A
great measery Among the people and Numbers Joined relegeon some to one Sect and others to other sects some to
the Baptists some to the Methodists asome to the
independents and some to the Westleans but 'my lot
fell with the Primative Methodists. I recieved A ticket on tryal to see
if I had the composition in me that would compose A ranter
but after I began to follow the Societese I also
began to reade their Article which thay told me was the New Testament but I could not see the
Article and the forms and notians that thay inbibd corresponding and the
more I read the more contradictions I found so in this state of Meditatians my mind was called to reflect upon some princeples which I had heard through one and so the other
that were embraced and cherished by a people called the Latter-Day saints.
Now I found that
the Article that the Premetive held represented to me
confirmed that principles taught by the Latter Day Saints and seemd to Direct all together contrary to what they profesed to believe which Caused no small stir in my mind
so
after the space of about Six weeks after my Forming them I felt A desire to see
farther about it so I began to Discus with them on several points such as Baptizarn and the Laying on of hands and so forth so they
got greatly alarmed alarmed and began to
inquire of me if I did mean what I said; and my Answer was according to the
Advise of Paul which was to prove all things and hold fast in that which is good
so I did intend to do so this Discource fast in that
which is good so I did intend to do so this
Discource fast in October on the 7th/ 1849 and on the
8th, 1849 I went and got Baptizd by AAuthorized Servant of God and was adopted into the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and from that time I am Able to rejoyes in the fullness of the Everlasting Gospel and in
the glorious influences of the Spirit of the God of Israel and if I hapen to peruse A little in the old Article which is so
much Cherishd by all Denomenations
of people which is Called the Bible I am Able to Comprehend the Spirit in which
it has been wreten and also what people it Aludes to so I am able to enjoy in the Age I live in: in
which time God the Eternal Father is once More Communicating his mind and will
to the Children of men so as they may understand his great purposes.
A Key for the Wise by
George P. Adams
When we pass behind the vaille we pass from sorrow and Strife where we will meet
and each other greet in the bloom and viggar of life
this may seem to many Strang but tis
eternal truth we have got to come again and enjoy the Days of youth this is the
grand secrete that never has been told unto the wise nor Noble nor Learned of
the world but it has been from Heaven reveald in
these the Latter Days unto the meeke and pure in
heart as thay may know his ways this is what all the
Prophets saw that livd in Days of Yore all things
would be restord again Exactly as before. Some one
may ask the question as to what will be the cause the answear
come so forceibly the very selfsame Laws this is the
grand Establishd Law we may rely upon but if we
disregard that Law well then its goodby John. This is
One of the brightest genies there is nothing to
compare and all the theologans may refute it if thay Dare.
Information submitted by:
David Nielson
