INTRODUCTION
John Thomas, Tailor, was born 20 Aug 1837 in Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales, the first child of John Thomas (also a tailor) and Mary Robert. Mary Robert Thomas bore 13 children in all, 11 male and 2 female. Several of the sons survived to immigrate to the United States.
JT married Elizabeth Saunders 19 Jun 1858 in Llanelly. She bore him six children, but died giving birth to Sarah on 8 Dec 1869. JT placed Sarah with his wife's childless sister, Mary Saunders Bowden, in Swansea. He then with his surviving children (Mary, John, Morgan Saunders, and Nancy) followed his parents and brothers to Logan, Utah, USA. (His first child, Elizabeth, died at age 5.)
In Logan JT married Mrs. Mary Thomas Smith, a widow, on 15 May 1871. She raised his children by Elizabeth, his first wife. JT and Mary did not have children.
On 29 Aug 1884 JT took another wife, Karen Kirstine Jensen, age 19, in the institution of plural marriage, as then practiced by some faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). Their first child, Carrie Inger, was born 17 Nov 1885 in Logan. Less than a year later in September, 1886, JT left on a mission to Wales. Several references in this journal suggest that JT may have been sent to Wales to avoid arrest and prosecution for plural marriage, or related offences. (See JTMJ 1:47.) Histories of this period show that some men with plural wives were sent on missions or other church assignments out of the territory of Utah to avoid arrest. (Family tradition, however, does not support this theory.)
JT served in Wales for about 3 years. It contains many references to the people he met and the places to which he travelled, many miles on foot. If JT seems to the modern reader preoccupied with his meals and lodging places, this is not surprising. In that age it was common for LDS missionaries to rely on the local population, members and nonmembers, for bed and board. JT was no exception. Only a little money arrived from home; and he did not work to support himself. It was perhaps fortunate for JT that he was in his native land. His relatives, friends, and connections were scattered throughout southern Wales. And he relied principally on them and on the members of the church for his support.
JT was a dedicated correspondent; and his chronological lists of letters sent and received may be found in theses volumes. We ask any reader with knowledge of JT's letters or other information concerning his life to write Robert Thomas Baer, 403 Moraga Avenue, Piedmont, California, 94611, USA, or telephone (415) 653-8734.
We also earnestly seek contact from the descendants of JT and Elizabeth Saunders, that is, the descendants of those children that immigrated with him to the USA, and of his daughter, Sarah, who stayed in Wales in the care of her foster or adoptive parents, John and Mary Saunders Bowden, of Swansea and Morriston.
Finally, several of JT's brothers immigrated to the USA with their father and settled in Utah and Idaho. We know very little about them or their descendants. We would greatly appreciate the opportunity to make contact with the descendants of these good men.
John Thomas Family Organization: The descendants of John and Karen K. Jensen Thomas and their 6 daughters and 2 sons.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In the summer of 1988 the John Thomas Family Organization held a reunion at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The reunion was organized that year by Wilford Thomas, Jr., and Stephen Thomas, grandson and greatgrandson of JT, respectively, and their wives. In preparation for that event the Thomases spent many hundreds of hours in family history research. A stunning breakthrough pushed our history back to the 1500s. Their efforts inspired this work. Thanks, Steve, for copying the journals.
My wife and children have been patient with me as I have labored at the computer. I am grateful to them. My brother, Donald Keith Baer, and his wife, Sally, prepared the master of Volume 1 for copying. Sally's employer, Ned Clyde Construction, Concord, California, contributed the laser printer. (One of the principals, Ned Clyde, is my former next door neighbor and softball coach as a teenager.) Ruth Moses Bell, daughter of Carrie Inger Thomas Moses, provided the photograph of Sarah Thomas Bowden. My uncle, John Thomas Smith and his son, Rodney Smith, (Bay Cities Litho, San Francisco, California) counseled me on the publication of Volume 1 of this work and printed Sarah's photograph. Finally, I thank my mother, Kathryn Smith Baer, for maintaining contact with the far flung Thomas family and instilling in me a love for this part of my family heritage.
Ronald D. Dennis, Professor of Portugese, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, taught himself Welsh to aid in the study of his own family history. He has published books on the Welsh-Mormon immigration. He kindly translated the Welsh passages in this journal and has encouraged me in this effort.
A. J. Simmonds, Curator, Special Collections and Archives, Utah State University Library, Logan, Utah, helped me locate information about Thomas B. Cardon.
Genevieve Porter (Mrs. Ralph "M") Johnson, Logan, Utah, furnished information about, and letters by, her grandfather, Thomas B. Cardon, a prominent Logan businessman. These materials have helped me understand the historical context of JT's mission to Wales.
Vivian D. Wellman, Reference Librarian, Church Historical Department, located an example of a 19th Century publication of the Sunday School, "Helpful Visions", which explains the references to visions in this journal.
Gary Topping, Curator of Manuscripts, Division of State History, Salt Lake City, Utah, kindly furnished photocopies of documents mentioned in this journal, including the death notice of John John from the Millennial Star and a transcript of the First Presidency's letter to the General Conference of the Church, held at Coalville, Utah. He also located Pleasant Valley, Utah, and identified the United Order Foundry, Logan, from an obscure reference in this journal.
Nia Henson, Assistant Keeper (Accessions), Department of Manuscripts and Records, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, provided information about the death of Thomas Harris by shipwreck.
I am grateful to these scholars, strangers to our family, who have nevertheless given of themselves to help us preserve and understand our past.
Robert Thomas Baer, June, 1992.
DEDICATION
Since this is JT's journal, he will be the center of attention, and his labors and sacrifices will always be before us. The three years he dedicated to missionary work, during his middle years, bespeak a soul devoted to the service of the Savior. His example has affected all of us, his descendants. Exercising the prerogative of a transcriber, however, I dedicate this work to the women in JT's life: his mother, Mary Robert Thomas; his first wife, Elizabeth Saunders Thomas; his second wife, Mary Smith Thomas; and his third wife, Karen K. Jensen Thomas. His mother gave him life. Elizabeth gave him six children, and in doing so gave her life. Mary reared another woman's children. Karen ("Carrie") gave him 8 children; and on JT's death in 1914, she remained a widow for 44 years. I say: Well done, thou good and faithful servants. (See Matthew 25:21)
