Dinah Davies Vaughn
Jones
Dinah Davies was born
in 1813 in Carmarthen, South Wales, the seventh of eight children born to
Samuel and Dinah Simon Davies. Her younger sister Ruth Elizabeth, was
born in 1815, and Dinah named her own daughter Elizabeth after this sister. Her
parents were married 1 April 1800 by “banns” at St. Peters, Llanllawddog Parish, and each of their children was
baptized (or christened) in this parish. Samuel was a cooper by trade, making
barrels and kegs of all sizes for sale. He died at the age of 41 and was buried
in St. Peters on 1 December 1818 when Dinah was five years old. Dinah’s
brother David was one of Queen Victoria’s guards.
Later in the city of Merthyr Tydfil Dinah met
and married William Vaughn. She had heard that the Vaughn men were generally
noted for their princely bearing and mental superiority, and the Vaughn women
were famously handsome. After meeting William’s family she agreed with the
description. William Vaughn was a grandson of Major Vaughn of Revolutionary
fame. William was born 20 December 1812 in Hay, Breconshire,Wales. His father was John Vaughn and his mother’s
name was Catherine. Both William and Dinah came from wealthy families and were
well educated, Dinah being a graduate doctor.
William and Dinah’s
first home was located in the section of Merthyr known
as Penydarren. Their marriage had been by “banns”
rather than by license. When they notified the Vicar of their desire to marry
he announced their intentions at church on March 2nd, 9th, and 16th. No one came forth
with objections, so they were married on 17 March 1834. Thomas Jones, Curate,
performed the marriage in the parish of Merthyr Tydfil,County of Glamorgan, with William Rowland and Daniel A. Lewis,
witnesses.
William worked in the coalmines where working
conditions were very poor. The mines were damp with the ceilings too low for a
man to stand. The coal was hauled out in small wagons usually by children,
because they were able to walk upright in the tunnels, and the men were
compelled to walk in a stooping position.
On 26 May 1838 William
and Dinah were blessed with their first daughter whom they named Martha. How
sad they were mine months later when Martha contracted the dreaded disease
smallpox and died on 5 March 1839. They had her such a
short time and missed her so much that when their second daughter was born 18
June 1840 they decided to give her the same name. This was a custom often
practiced in Wales at that time. On 8 April 1843 another daughter was
born to them and given the name of Dinah for her mother and grandmother.
New mines were opening
up that offered better working conditions, and the Vaughn’s moved about twenty
miles to the County of Monmouth and resided at Penmark, Bedwelty Parish. They were delighted when their first
son was born 13 September 1845 and given the name of William Samuel. A short
time later they moved back to their old home in Merthyr Tydfil. All went well until the children were exposed to
whooping cough. Martha was old enough to safely survive the disease, but the
little son died on 31 May 1847. It was a sad father who registered the death of
his 19-month-old son on 13 June 1847. Both parents grieved for the lost
children, as their daughter Dinah also died, leaving only Martha living. They
drew more comfort from their new religion than from any other source.
A little more than a
year before the Vaughns had been taught by
Mormon missionaries the only true gospel on the face of the earth. Both had
accepted the Church and were baptized Dinah on her birthday, 3 February 1846.
Knowing the principles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and
the plan of salvation gave them comfort and hope. The Vaughns spent
as much time as possible attending church meetings and in trying to teach
others.
They were mistreated
because of their beliefs, and some of their family would have nothing to do
with them. When the mission president was released and began making plans to
return to the United States the Vaughns decided
to go with him and join with the Saints. Dinah was expecting a baby, so a
trained nurse accompanied them. The group traveled to Pembrokeshire to
bid farewell to the Vaughn family still living there. While en route Dinah
became ill. They stopped at a farmhouse but were refused lodging when it was
learned they were Mormons. At the next farmhouse they were refused room in the
house but were allowed to use the barn. Here on a cold night during a raging
snowstorm Elizabethwas born 14 November 1849. While Dinah was regaining enough
strength to travel William and the mission president worked, and that included
some missionary work. William Vaughn baptized several people from this area. As
soon as Dinah was able they made their way to a seaport and sailed for Liverpool.
Here many saints were preparing to sail for America. William, age 41,
Dinah, 37, Martha almost 10 years old, and the infant Elizabeth sailed on the Josiah Bradlee leaving Liverpool on 5 February 1850 and
arriving in New Orleans two months later. There were 263 passengers aboard,
many of them saints with the same final destination as the Vaughns to join the main body of the church in the Salt LakeValley in the western United States. During
the voyage Dinah cared for the sick passengers and gained the appreciation of
Thomas Day, the president of the crossing.
The next lap of the
trip was also by water up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri.
Here William found work, and Dinah continued to care for the family as well as
the sick. Another little daughter Emmeline was
born. She was only ten months old when her father died in 1855. Perhaps the
dampness of the mines in which he worked had weakened his lungs and his
resistance causing his death in his early forties. Dinah, wanting to go west,
made her way to St. Joseph and continued to earn a living by her
medical work.
This is where she met
William Ellis Jones. His wife Louisa Leavitt had died, leaving him to care for
their small adopted daughter Martha Ann. [Martha Ann’s father was a French
Canadian and the mother a Puncah squaw.]
Dinah was older than William, but they felt that with united efforts they might
sooner come to Utah. So they were married 3 February 1856.
Martha did the
housework and cared for the two small girls while Dinah and William worked.
They moved many times trying to earn enough money to get a team and means to
cross the plains. Finally in 1861 he got a wagon, cow and flour enough for the
trip west. They still didn’t have a team, so they had to go with the Church
teams. They started for the Valley in July 1861 in the Joseph W. Young company.
After arriving in Salt
Lake Valley Dinah took up her medical practice and soon was recognized for her
work among the sick. Being absent from home so much of the time and having been
sealed to William Vaughn she consented to the plural marriage of her daughter
Martha to William Ellis Jones. Thus both mother and daughter were married to
William.] In 1864 William and Martha moved to southern Utah as
substitutes for the John Bennion family.
Dinah continued practicing in Salt Lake
City for many years, sending money home to her family when she could and
coming to care for them when they needed her services.
On 9 February 1877 her
daughter Martha died leaving five small children, the youngest fifteen months.
The following year Dinah moved home to Gunlock but continued to travel about
the area caring for women in childbirth. The mother often sent her husband to
bring Dinah by horse and buggy to their home. She made trips to Santa
Clara, Washington, Toquerville, Mountain
Meadows, Thurber, Pine Valley, Pinto, Mesquite, Woods Ranch, Diamond Valley,
Hamblin, Clover Valley, Hebron, and Modena as well as
in Gunlock.
She was beginning to feel the effects of old
age and decided to just care for the women of Gunlock, but it was hard to
refuse anyone. On 30 September 1889 Benjamin Platt came from Hamblin pleading
for her to come and help his wife, and Dinah went with him. Sister Platt had
been in labor all night and no one had been able to deliver her. The people
were very much alarmed by her condition. Dinah left Gunlock at nine in the
morning and arrived around noon. By two o’clock she had delivered the baby, and
all was well. Her fifty years of experience in this field had given her great
skill.
Dinah died on 23 May 1895 at the age of 82.
She had been in comparatively good health until about six weeks before her
death and had continued to help bring babies into the world. She had a strong
constitution, enduring without complaint her last illness. She had lived a good
life, given tremendous service to her fellowmen in easing suffering. This great
and good woman was laid to rest in the Gunlock cemetery.
A precious one from us has gone,
A voice we loved is stilled.
A place is vacant in our home,
Which never can be
filled.
God in his wisdom has recalled,
The boon her love had given,
And though her body slumbers here,
The soul is safe in Heaven.
William died 26 August 1898 at age 81.
Dinah and William enjoyed their last years
together in comfort and less poverty.
