DAVID THOMAS DAVIS –
Biography
David Thomas Davis, son of Thomas and Mary Davis was born in
Little Mill, Llanybydder Parish, Carmarthenshire, South Wales, 10 August 1819.
The first fifteen years of his life was spent on the farm
where he became familiar with all the details of farm work and stock raising.
At the age of fifteen he went and worked in the coal mines at Dowlais until he
was thirty years of age. At the age of twenty-seven (1846) he married Daisy
Davis, daughter of Thomas and Mary Davis. She was born in Fishguard,
Pembrokeshire, in 1827. He then left Dowlais and went to Aberdare where his
wife died 1 January 1850.
On 16 February of the same year he was baptized a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was ordained a teacher. He
acted as a teacher in the branch for almost a year, and in the spring of 1851
was ordained an Elder. He was then called on a mission 1 June 1851 without
purse or scrip. After an absence of two years he returned home to Llanybydder.
He was then put in as second counselor to the president of the branch. He
remained here until the spring of 1853. He was called on another mission to
Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, South Wales. He remained a traveling elder for two
years. He was ordained a counselor to Ben Jones, president of the Llanelli
Conference. He was counselor for one year and then went as a traveling elder
until the year 1856.
In April 1856 he left his folks and started for Zion. When
David arrived in Liverpool, Captain Dan Jones put him in as cook to work his
way across the sea, which he did. He worked his passage to Boston and from Boston to Iowa. He took care of Captain Dan Jones’ goods. They stopped at Iowa for three months getting ready to cross the plains. They started August 1856. He drove
a wagon and four yoke of cattle. They traveled until they came to the Platte River (upper crossing) and they had to stay here for twelve days on account of a
heavy snow storm which came upon them. They had nothing for their cattle to
eat, and they had to cut down the limbs of cottonwood trees for their cattle to
eat. They lost about thirty head of cattle – they died of hunger – and they had
to buy some more before they could move from there.
They then traveled until they came to Devil’s Gate. It
stormed all along, so they had to stop here again and unload their wagons in
the houses left by the mountaineers. They left twenty men to stay as guards
over their goods. The rest came along with empty wagons. They had nothing to
eat but beef. They killed one ox that had given out, and all they had to eat
was beef alone. They traveled very slowly through the deep snow until they
reached Bridger. Here they stopped three days. There was a crowd of men sent by
Brigham Young to help.
MARY WILLIAMS, wife
of David T. Davis – Biography
Narrative – written by her sister Sarah W. Jones
Her father – William Williams, born about 1810 in Llanelli,
Carmarthenshire, South Wales. Died in a coal mine accident in Carmarthenshire, South Wales on 2 June 1851.
Her mother – Ann Williams, born August 1814 at Llanelli,
Carmarthenshire, South Wales. Died 2 July 1889 at Pleasantview, Oneida County, Idaho.
Mary Williams was born at Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, South
Wales, 13 July 1844 (or 4 July 1846). Died 16 January 1918 at Spanish Fork, Utah County, Utah.
Ann Williams and four daughters and a little sick boy, six
years old, left Wales in May with a company of Saints.
“We embarked at Liverpool 22 May 1856 on the packet ship Horizon
with Captain Reed, a Scandinavian and a gentleman. The passengers on board
numbered 856, of whom 635 were perpetual emigrating fund, 212 ordinary and 7
passengers. I believe all were Mormons. On 30 June the steamer Huron
towed the Horizon to the Constitution Wharf at Boston. When emigrants
landed they took cars for Iowa City, crossing through that city on 4 July. The
journey from Iowa City occupied a little over three months. On 2 October
Captain Bunker’s handcart company arrived in the valley. They had left Iowa City on 23 June of which I, Sarah W. Jones, was one of them. Each company had nearly
five souls with 100 handcarts, 5 wagons, 24 oxen, 4 mules, and 25 tents. They
heroically walked the entire distance from the point of starting to Salt Lake, wading rivers, crossing deserts, climbing mountains, a distance of 1,300 miles.
Some deaths occurred among the aged and sickly, but the great body of Saints
arrived safe and in excellent condition at the journey’s end.
Mary would have been 10 years, 2 months, 24 days old on
reaching the valley.
Sarah would have been 13 years, 4 months, and 28 days old.
The little boy spoken of who started with them – William by
name – was their only brother. He died on the plains and was buried by the
roadside in a shallow grave. They could not tell where he was buried. While he
was sick his mother had to carry him as well as pull the handcart with the
girls, making her task doubly severe. All the girls were sealed to their
parents at the Logan Temple 14 December 1888. Two had died, however, before
that time – Ann who married Griffith Charles and lived at Logan, and Margaret
who married Reese Williams by whom she had a son Reese. When Reese Williams
died Margaret married Wm. W. Jones, a brother to my husband [Lewis William
Jones], and they moved to Montana and joined the Reorganized Church. She came down to visit her mother at Pleasantview when she was taken ill. She died 11
June 1887 and was buried at Samaria. Her mother Ann Williams died the following
7 July, and they lie side by side. Mother, Ann Williams, married Joseph
Aldredge after coming to Utah. He preceded her to the grave.
Compiled by Lewis Dan Jones, son of Sarah Williams Jones.
