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Daniel Davies Llystin Farm
Daniel Davies brother to Esther Jones
Son of John & Margaret (Evans) Davies
Born 16th September 1793 Llystin Farm
married Sarah Thomas 7th March 1819 Llanegwad
Born 1797 died 1965
Died 29th April 1849 buried on the banks of Missouri
During the 1840s many people in Brechfa became Mormons, influenced by Thomas Jeremy, a local Mormon convert who had formerly been a preacher with the Annibynwyr. In 1849 a large number of them emigrated to America, including Daniel Davies, a farmer of 291 acres
There are many strange events we encounter in life Thomas Jeremy who baptized Daniel Davies and his nephew Ricy Davies Jones my great-great grandmothers brother into the Mormon faith lived some sixty miles to west of were I live and one of my neighbours on a nearby farm are descendants of Thomas Jeremy and our families have know them throughout all our lives
(Annibynwyr - the Union of Welsh Independent Chapel's - non conformist - Nonconformity was a major religious
movement in Wales from the 18th to the 20th centuries.)
Daniel & Sarah Davies left Wales with the Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints) for Utah, America in 1849. They journeyed from the Brechfa to Swansea some 35miles away and boarded the Troubadour for Liverpool were they are recorded as traveling on the Buena Vista on the 26th February, 1849 for a 55 day journey and they arrived in New Orleans on the 19th April, 1849, at New Orleans were a journey of much sadness and tribulations was to begin, they boarded the Highland Mary a steam driven river boat to travel the great Missouri River forCouncil Bluffs. Their native river was the Cothi rich in Salmon and very different from the Missouri. Daniel died on the 9th May, 1849 on the Highland Mary, probably from the Cholera outbreak, Sarah and children continued their journey with the Saints.
The Buena Vista passenger list records, Dan Davis 57 Farmer, Sarah Davis (nee Thomas) 51, Dan Davies 18 (born 18th July, 1831), Ann Davies 19, Sarah Davies 22, Mary Davies 12 and Diana Davies 11, it does not show John or Lettie traveling.
Daniel Davies born 18th July, 1831 married Mary Ann Rees born 5th December 1858 in Aberdare on the 21st June, 1875 at Salt Lake she had traveled from Liverpool in 1868
There is no record found on Ann, the only Sarah I can find is recorded as being born in Carmarthen on the 22nd April, 1825 and marrying James Jones born Llansawel 16.08.1828 on the 31st August, 1861 he had traveled out in 1856 on the Sam Curling. Mary born 2nd December, 1835 married Thomas Daniels born 18th January, 1831 Brechfa.. Diana born 12th April, 1837, there is no record of her marrying.
Mary Daniels (nee Davies) husband Thomas Daniels was a passenger on the 1849 Buena Vista sailing, like Mary’s family, he traveled with his parents Dan & Mary Daniels and his brother David (Age 13) his father was recorded as a Stonecutter, I can find no trace of his brother.
Their descendants have returned to visit the Davies ancestral home at Llystin Farm, Brechfa this information was given by the present occupants and hopefully we will be reunited with them.
I have a biography of Daniel M. Davies the son of Mary Daniels (nee Davies) and Thomas Daniels written in 1938 – Daniel M. Daniels who died June 25, 1938 at the age of 82, took a very prominent part in the development of this section of Idaho. He was mayor of Malad for three terms, served as a commissioner of Oneida County, was president of the Malad Valley Irrigating Company for six years, and when the Malad Creamery Company was organized in 1918, he was made its first president and held the position until about four years ago when he resigned on account of ill health.
Mr. Daniels was a member of the Mormon Church and was a High Counselor of the Malad stake for man years.
Mr. Daniels was born at Brigham City, Utah December 20, 1856 a son of Thomas and Mary Davis Daniels. The Daniels and Davis families originated in South Wales; were early converts to the Mormon religion and came to Salt Lake City in 1849.
Daniel Daniels came to Malad with his parents in 1865 and he has been a resident of this valley since that time.
In his early years, he accompanied his father on freighting trips from Corinne, Utah to various Montana points. He learned how to drive oxen and guide a wagon over the rough trails and roads, and in a few years, he was a freighter on his own account. He kept up freighting to Montana points until the railroad was built to Silver Bow in 1879. When he took his last load to Silver Bow, he sold his outfit of wagons and oxen.
Returning south, he bought mules and another outfit and for several years, freighted goods into the Challis district of Idaho, to the mining camps in that locality. Mr. Daniels spent 28years in the freighting business.
Mr. Daniel’s other occupations were farming and cattle raising. He was the first person to homestead in the Daniels section, and built the first house there in 1877.
Mr. Daniels was married to Miss Mary Evans Jones, March 20, 1883, who died the following year. In 1885, he married Miss Catherine E. Owens, who was born at Malad, December 27, 1868, daughter of John E. and Mary Owens.
At the time of his death he was survived by his wife and the following children : Dan Daniels, Leroy Daniels, Luther Daniels, Russell Daniels, Mrs. Steve Stayner of Malad, Mrs. D.L. Bush, Y Daniels (nee Davies) husband Thomas Daniels was a passenger on the 1849 Buena Vista sailing, like Mary’s family, he traveled with his parents Dan & Mary Daniels and his brother David (Age 13) his father was recorded as a Stonecutter, I can find no trace of his brother.
Driving a team of oxen yoked joked to pull a covered wagon was something totally foreign to many of the Welsh, John Johnson Davies a pioneer who crossed a few years later described the difficulties the Welsh in his group had with this new challenge after breakfast was over we got the cattle together and tried to yoke them up I can assure you that this was quite a task for us and after we got them hitched to the wagon we started out now comes the circus and it was a good one. The Captain was watching us and telling us what to do he told us t take the whip and use it and say who a duke gee brandy and so on now the fun commenced then we went after them pretty lively when the cattle went gee too much we would run to the offside yelling at them whoa and bunting them with the stock of the whip then they would go haw too much and we were puffing and sweating, with respect to how well the Welsh in his group managed Dan Jones wrote to William Phillips on 12th October, 1849 - The Welsh are holding up under the difficulties of this journey and are learning to drive oxen better than my expectorations and are winning praise from all the other camps of the saints for their organization their virtue and their skill and especially for their singing, Signing is something which was far more natural for the Welsh than driving a team of oxen became, the trademark of the Welsh as they gathered around their camp fires at night.
Another noted talent of the Welsh was their poetry, Williams Lewis who had won several prizes for his verses in the old Country wrote verses of the trek.
When they – the Welsh reached the Valley John Parry was asked by Brigham Young to organize a choir with his compatriots. ‘ Eighty-five Welsh voices were to join him and one of those voices, was Uncle Ricy – Ricy D Jones.
The following account was found and supplied by Gwenda Lanagan
(descendant of Jane Jones Daniel Davies neice daughter of his sister Esther)
An account of the departure from Swansea was published in the Cambrian Newspaper
(first English language newspaper to be published in Wales and ran from 1804 to 1930)
The Cambrian Newspaper 16th February, 1849 – Emigration to California – The Latter Day Saints : On Tuesday last, Swansea was quite enlivened in consequence of the arrival of several wagons loaded with luggage, attended by some scores of the ‘bold peasantry’ ofCarmarthenshire, and almost an equal inhabitants of Merthyr and surrounding districts, together with their families. The formidable party were nearly ‘Latter Day Saints’, and came to this town for the purpose of proceeding toLiverpool in the Troubadour steamer, where a ship in readiness to transport them next week to the flittering regions of California. This goodly company is under the command of a popular Saint, known as Captain Dan Jones, a hardy traveler, and a brother of the well know John Jones of Llangollen, the able disputant on the subject of ‘Baptism’ He arrived in the town on Tuesday evening, and seems to enjoy the respect and confidence of his faithful band. He entered the town amidst the gaze of hundreds of spectators and in the evening he delivered his valedictory address at the Traders’ Hall, to a numerous audience, the majority of who were led by curiosity to hear his doctrines, which are quite novel in this town. Amongst the group were many substantial farmers from the neighborhoods of Brechfa and Llanybydder, Carmarthenshire: and although they were well do so, they disposed of their possessions, to go to California, their New Jerusalem as they deem it, where their fanaticism teaches them to believe they will escape from the general destruction and conflagration that is shortly to envelop this earth. It is due to them, however, to state, that, they are far from smitten by the mania for gold, the discovery of which has imparted to the modern El Dorado such notoriety of late. They seem animated only with the most devout feelings and aspirations which
seem to flow from no other source (judging from their conversation) than a sincere belief that the End of the World is at hand, and that their Great Captain of Salvation is soon to visit his bobl yn ngwlad y Saint (people in the country of the Saints) It is their intention, we are informed, not to visit the gold regions, but the agricultural districts, where they intend, they say, by helping one another, to reside in peace and harmony, and to exemplify the truth of ‘brotherly love,’ not in name, but in practice. Amongst the number who came here were several aged men, varying from 70 to 90 years of age, and ‘whose hoary locks’ not only proclaimed their ‘lengthened years,’ but render it improbable they will live to see America; yet so deluded are the poor and simple Saints, that they believe that every one is against them, however infirm and old they may be, will as surely land in California safely, as they started from Wales. Their faith is most extraordinary. On Wednesday morning, after being addressed by their leader, all repaired on board in admirable order, and with extraordinary resignation. Their departure was witnessed by hundreds of spectators, and whilst the steamer gaily passed down the river, the Saints commenced singing a favorite hymn.
On entering the piers, however, they abruptly stopped singing, and lustily responded to the cheering with which they were greeted by the inhabitants.
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The records shows ‘ In 1849 the ship Troubadour departed from Swansea to Liverpool, some 249 passengers then sailed on 25 Feb 1849 on the Buena Vista from Liverpool, port of arrival New Orleans on 10 of April 1849.
Some 77 of the passengers from the Troubadour sailed on the ship Hartley which docked at New Orleans o the 28th of April 1849 …… fifty four days after leaving Liverpool on March 5th 1849. On this ship the other 161 passengers were English, Scots and a few Irish.’
The first ships carrying Saints left Liverpool in 1848 five in all with a total of 754 people and in 1849 nine ships left Liverpool with a total of2078 people all bound for New Orleans and their forward journey to their Zion.
The first Mormon missionary from Zion for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was James Burnham in October, 1840. The first branch was at Overton, Flintshire with 32 members, Merthyr Tydfil 1844 with six branches. Numerous publications were put out by Captain Dan Jones one such publication was called ‘Prophwyd y Jubili ‘ (The Prophet of the Jubilee) which earned him the title ‘Father of the Welsh Mission’ The first Welsh Saints to go to Salt Lake was in 1849, the recorded figure is 250 by 1852 5,000 Welsh converts had made the journey.
The immigration of the Welsh in 1849 earned them to be recorded as the first foreign speaking pioneers in Utah. My next account of their journey is taken from that, that has been written by Lynne V. Cheney Wife of the Vice President of America in 2006 Bush Administration of her great-great grandmother, who shared her passage the Davies family and Ricy Davies Jones (John & Esther's son, Daniels nephew)………
‘ In 1849, twenty-two year old Katurah Vaughan, who had never been more than a few miles from her birthplace in Carmarthenshire, traveled to Liverpool, England, and boarded a ship the Buena Vista with her new husband William and 247 other Mormon emigrants, she undertook a fifty three day journey across the ocean to New Orleans. There Katurah, pregnant now, boarded a steamer to St. Louis, then a second one the Highland Mary, bound for Council Bluffs, Iowa, a gathering place for Mormons. And then tragedy struck. There was an outbreak of cholera on the steamer, and dozens of immigrants died . One family lost three children in two days, another three in three days. A new mother died along with her nine day old son. And Katurah Vaughan’s husband died and was buried on the east bank of the Missouri . The cholera outbreak caused the captain of the Highland Mary to try to force the Mormons of the steamer when they reached St. Joseph, Missouri, but authorities there refused to receive them. When they reached Council Bluffs, even their fellow Mormons did not want to help them until a church elder made clear that God required mercy of the faithful. Katurah and others were taken in. Some months later, Katurah’s son was born, and some months after that, the little boy died. In June 1852, Katurah, traveling in a train of some sixty wagons, left Council Bluffs and headed West on the Great Platte River Road. That fall, she cameto the valley of the Great Salt Lake, and there she met and married a farmer, Charles Vincent, who was also from Wales. Katurah and Charles had six children and thirty-five grandchildren, one of whom was my grandfather. I learned so much about nineteenth century Wales, where she was born, and about what the end of the Napoleonic Wars meant to tenant farmers like her father. I learned about the early days of the Mormon
Church, when Missionaries were being sent to place like Wales even as persecution in this country (America) threaten their very existence of the Latter Day Saints. And I learned about bravery and endurance.
Records show that Daniel & Sarah’s son Daniel married a Mary Ann Rees on the 21st June, 1875 at Salt Lake City her records record this marriage and another marriage on 21st January, 1892 at Perry, Utah to Nelson Franklin Davis, my Mother recalls talk that Daniel returned toWales, this might have been as a Missionary and he might have well gone back out to America, one record I have found shows him dieing onthe 11th September, 1887 at Perry Box Elder, Utah. Their daughter Mary born 22nd December, 1835 married Thomas Daniels on the 20th May, 1852 at Salt Lake City like herself Daniel was from the Brechfa Valley, Carmarthenshire their son Daniel M Daniels born 20th December, 1856 at Brigham City he took a prominent role in the development of Oneida County, Idaho, he was Mayor of Malad for three terms, served as a commissioner of Oneida County, was president of the Malad Valley Irrigating Company for six years and when the Malad Creamery Company was organized in 1918 he was made its first president and held that position until he retired, he was married to Mary Evans Jones on the 20th March 1883 sadly she died one year later and he remarried in 1885 Catherine E Owens. At the time of Daniel M. Daniels death on the 25th June, 1938 he was survived by Eight children and Eight brothers & sisters.’
Lynne V Cheney
Wife of the Vice President of America
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When Sarah & Daniel Davies left Wales with their children for the promised land so many miles away they took with them their Daniel’s sister Esther’s son Ricy Davies Jones, my great-great grandmother Ann’s (Mamgu) brother, they traveled from the Brechfa to Swansea some 35miles away, were they boarded a ship for Liverpool called the troubadour at Liverpool they onward journey was aboard the Buena Vista a fellow passenger was the prominent Mormon Captain Dan Jones.
During the 1840s many people in Brechfa became Mormons, influenced by Thomas Jeremy, a local Mormon convert who had formerly been a preacher with the Annibynwyr. In 1849 a large number of them emigrated to America, including Daniel Davies, a farmer of 291 acres
(Annibynwyr - the Union of Welsh Independent Chapel's - non conformist - Nonconformity was a major religious
movement in Wales from the 18th to the 20th centuries.)
Daniel & Sarah left Wales with the Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints) for Utah, America in 1849. They journeyed from the Brechfa to Swansea some 35miles away and boarded the Troubadour for Liverpool were they are recorded as traveling on the Buena Vista onthe 26th February, 1849 for a 55 day journey and they arrived in New Orleans on the 19th April, 1849, at New Orleans were a journey ofmuch sadness and tribulations was to begin, they boarded the Highland Mary a steam driven river boat to travel the great Missouri River forCouncil Bluffs. Their native river was the Cothi rich in Salmon and very different from the Missouri. Daniel died on the 9th May, 1849 on the Highland Mary, probably from the Cholera outbreak, Sarah and children continued their journey with the Saints.
The Buena Vista passenger list records, Dan Davis 57 Farmer, Sarah Davis (nee Thomas) 51, Dan Davies 18 (born 18th July, 1831), Ann Davies 19, Sarah Davies 22, Mary Davies 12 and Diana Davies 11, it does not show John or Lettie traveling.
Daniel Davies born 18th July, 1831 married Mary Ann Rees born 5th December 1858 in Aberdare on the 21st June, 1875 at Salt Lake shehad traveled from Liverpool in 1868
There is no record found on Ann, the only Sarah I can find is recorded as being born in Carmarthen on the 22nd April, 1825 and marryingJames Jones born Llansawel 16.08.1828 on the 31st August, 1861 he had traveled out in 1856 on the Sam Curling. Mary born 2nd December, 1835 married Thomas Daniels born 18th January, 1831 Brechfa.. Diana born 12th April, 1837, there is no record of her marrying.
Mary Daniels (nee Davies) husband Thomas Daniels was a passenger on the 1849 Buena Vista sailing, like Mary’s family, he traveled with his parents Dan & Mary Daniels and his brother David (Age 13) his father was recorded as a Stonecutter, I can find no trace of his brother.
Their descendants have returned to visit the Davies ancestral home at Llystin Farm, Brechfa this information was given by the present occupants and hopefully we will be reunited with them.
I have a biography of Daniel M. Davies the son of Mary Daniels (nee Davies) and Thomas Daniels written in 1938 – Daniel M. Daniels who died June 25, 1938 at the age of 82, took a very prominent part in the development of this section of Idaho. He was mayor of Malad for three terms, served as a commissioner of Oneida County, was president of the Malad Valley Irrigating Company for six years, and when the
Malad Creamery Company was organized in 1918, he was made its first president and held the position until about four years ago when he resigned on account of ill health.
Mr. Daniels was a member of the Mormon Church and was a High Counselor of the Malad stake for man years.
Mr. Daniels was born at Brigham City, Utah December 20, 1856 a son of Thomas and Mary Davis Daniels. The Daniels and Davis familiesoriginated in South Wales; were early converts to the Mormon religion and came to Salt Lake City in 1849.
Daniel Daniels came to Malad with his parents in 1865 and he has been a resident of this valley since that time.
In his early years, he accompanied his father on freighting trips from Corinne, Utah to various Montana points. He learned how to drive oxen and guide a wagon over the rough trails and roads, and in a few years, he was a freighter on his own account. He kept up freighting to Montana points until the railroad was built to Silver Bow in 1879. When he took his last load to Silver Bow, he sold his outfit of wagons and oxen.
Returning south, he bought mules and another outfit and for several years, freighted goods into the Challis district of Idaho, to the mining camps in that locality. Mr. Daniels spent 28years in the freighting business.
Mr. Daniel’s other occupations were farming and cattle raising. He was the first person to homestead in the Daniels section, and built the first house there in 1877.
Mr. Daniels was married to Miss Mary Evans Jones, March 20, 1883, who died the following year. In 1885, he married Miss Catherine E. Owens, who was born at Malad, December 27, 1868, daughter of John E. and Mary Owens.
At the time of his death he was survived by his wife and the following children : Dan Daniels, Leroy Daniels, Luther Daniels, Russell Daniels, Mrs. Steve Stayner of Malad, Mrs. D.L. Bush, Y Daniels (nee Davies) husband Thomas Daniels was a passenger on the 1849 Buena Vista sailing, like Mary’s family, he traveled with his parents Dan & Mary Daniels and his brother David (Age 13) his father was recorded as a Stonecutter, I can find no trace of his brother.
Driving a team of oxen yoked joked to pull a covered wagon was something totally foreign to many of the Welsh, John Johnson Davies a pioneer who crossed a few years later described the difficulties the Welsh in his group had with this new challenge after breakfast was over we got the cattle together and tried to yoke them up I can assure you that this was quite a task for us and after we got them hitched to the wagon we started out now comes the circus and it was a good one. The Captain was watching us and telling us what to do he told us t take the whip and use it and say who a duke gee brandy and so on now the fun commenced then we went after them pretty lively when the cattle went gee too much we would run to the offside yelling at them whoa and bunting them with the stock of the whip then they would go haw
too much and we were puffing and sweating, with respect to how well the Welsh in his group managed Dan Jones wrote to William Phillips on 12th October, 1849 - The Welsh are holding up under the difficulties of this journey and are learning to drive oxen better than my expectorations and are winning praise from all the other camps of the saints for their organization their virtue and their skill and especially
for their singing, Signing is something which was far more natural for the Welsh than driving a team of oxen became, the trademark of the Welsh as they gathered around their camp fires at night.
Another noted talent of the Welsh was their poetry, Williams Lewis who had won several prizes for his verses in the old Country wrote verses of the trek.
When they – the Welsh reached the Valley John Parry was asked by Brigham Young to organize a choir with his compatriots. ‘ Eighty-five Welsh voices were to join him and one of those voices, was Uncle Ricy – Ricy D Jones.
The following account was found and supplied by Gwenda Lanagan (descendant of Jane Jones)
An account of the departure from Swansea was published in the Cambrian Newspaper, (the Cambrian was the first English language newspaper to be published in Wales and ran from 1804 to 1930) The Cambrian Newspaper 16th February, 1849 – Emigration to California – The Latter Day Saints : On Tuesday last, Swansea was quite enlivened in consequence of the arrival of several wagons loaded with luggage,
attended by some scores of the ‘bold peasantry’ of Carmarthenshire, and almost an equal inhabitants of Merthyr and surrounding districts, together with their families. The formidable party were nearly ‘Latter Day Saints’, and came to this town for the purpose of proceeding toLiverpool in the Troubadour steamer, where a ship in readiness to transport them next week to the flittering regions of California. This goodly company is under the command of a popular Saint, known as Captain Dan Jones, a hardy traveler, and a brother of the well know John Jones of Llangollen, the able disputant on the subject of ‘Baptism’ He arrived in the town on Tuesday evening, and seems to enjoy the respect and confidence of his faithful band. He entered the town amidst the gaze of hundreds of spectators and in the evening he delivered
his valedictory address at the Traders’ Hall, to a numerous audience, the majority of who were led by curiosity to hear his doctrines, which are quite novel in this town. Amongst the group were many substantial farmers from the neighborhoods of Brechfa and Llanybydder, Carmarthenshire: and although they were well do so, they disposed of their possessions, to go to California, their New Jerusalem as they
deem it, where their fanaticism teaches them to believe they will escape from the general destruction and conflagration that is shortly to envelop this earth. It is due to them, however, to state, that, they are far from smitten by the mania for gold, the discovery of which has imparted to the modern El Dorado such notoriety of late. They seem animated only with the most devout feelings and aspirations which
seem to flow from no other source (judging from their conversation) than a sincere belief that the End of the World is at hand, and that their Great Captain of Salvation is soon to visit his bobl yn ngwlad y Saint (people in the country of the Saints) It is their intention, we are informed, not to visit the gold regions, but the agricultural districts, where they intend, they say, by helping one another, to reside in peace
and harmony, and to exemplify the truth of ‘brotherly love,’ not in name, but in practice. Amongst the number who came here were several aged men, varying from 70 to 90 years of age, and ‘whose hoary locks’ not only proclaimed their ‘lengthened years,’ but render it improbable they will live to see America; yet so deluded are the poor and simple Saints, that they believe that every one is against them, however infirm and old they may be, will as surely land in California safely, as they started from Wales. Their faith is most extraordinary. On Wednesday morning, after being addressed by their leader, all repaired on board in admirable order, and with extraordinary resignation. Their departure was witnessed by hundreds of spectators, and whilst the steamer gaily passed down the river, the Saints commenced singing a favorite hymn.
On entering the piers, however, they abruptly stopped singing, and lustily responded to the cheering with which they were greeted by theinhabitants.
The records shows ‘ In 1849 the ship Troubadour departed from Swansea to Liverpool, some 249 passengers then sailed on 25 Feb 1849 on the Buena Vista from Liverpool, port of arrival New Orleans on 10 of April 1849.
Some 77 of the passengers from the Troubadour sailed on the ship Hartley which docked at New Orleans o the 28th of April 1849 …… fifty four days after leaving Liverpool on March 5th 1849. On this ship the other 161 passengers were English, Scots and a few Irish.’
The first ships carrying Saints left Liverpool in 1848 five in all with a total of 754 people and in 1849 nine ships left Liverpool with a total of2078 people all bound for New Orleans and their forward journey to their Zion.
The first Mormon missionary from Zion for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was James Burnham in October, 1840. The first branch was at Overton, Flintshire with 32 members, Merthyr Tydfil 1844 with six branches. Numerous publications were put out by Captain Dan Jones one such publication was called ‘Prophwyd y Jubili ‘ (The Prophet of the Jubilee) which earned him the title ‘Father of the Welsh
Mission’ The first Welsh Saints to go to Salt Lake was in 1849, the recorded figure is 250 by 1852 5,000 Welsh converts had made the journey.
The immigration of the Welsh in 1849 earned them to be recorded as the first foreign speaking pioneers in Utah. My next account of their journey is taken from that, that has been written by Lynne V. Cheney Wife of the current Vice President of America (2006) (Bush Administration) of her great-great grandmother, who shared her passage the Davies family and Uncle Ricy ……… ‘ In 1849, twenty-two year old Katurah Vaughan,who had never been more than a few miles from her birthplace in Carmarthenshire, traveled to Liverpool, England, and boarded a ship theBuena Vista with her new husband William and 247 other Mormon emigrants, she undertook a fifty three day journey across the ocean toNew Orleans. There Katurah, pregnant now, boarded a steamer to St. Louis, then a second one the Highland Mary, bound for Council Bluffs, Iowa, a gathering place for Mormons. And then tragedy struck. There was an outbreak of cholera on the steamer, and dozens of immigrants died . One family lost three children in two days, another three in three days. A new mother died along with her nine day old son. And Katurah
Vaughan’s husband died and was buried on the east bank of the Missouri . The cholera outbreak caused the captain of the Highland Mary to try to force the Mormons of the steamer when they reached St. Joseph, Missouri, but authorities there refused to receive them. When they reached Council Bluffs, even their fellow Mormons did not want to help them until a church elder made clear that God required mercy of the faithful. Katurah and others were taken in. Some months later, Katurah’s son was born, and some months after that, the little boy died. In June 1852, Katurah, traveling in a train of some sixty wagons, left Council Bluffs and headed West on the Great Platte River Road. That fall, she cameto the valley of the Great Salt Lake, and there she met and married a farmer, Charles Vincent, who was also from Wales. Katurah and Charles had six children and thirty-five grandchildren, one of whom was my grandfather. I learned so much about nineteenth century Wales, where she was born, and about what the end of the Napoleonic Wars meant to tenant farmers like her father. I learned about the early days of the Mormon
Church, when Missionaries were being sent to place like Wales even as persecution in this country (America) threaten their very existence of the Latter Day Saints. And I learned about bravery and endurance.
Records show that Daniel & Sarah’s son Daniel married a Mary Ann Rees on the 21st June, 1875 at Salt Lake City her records record this marriage and another marriage on 21st January, 1892 at Perry, Utah to Nelson Franklin Davis, my Mother recalls talk that Daniel returned toWales, this might have been as a Missionary and he might have well gone back out to America, one record I have found shows him dieing onthe 11th September, 1887 at Perry Box Elder, Utah. Their daughter Mary born 22nd December, 1835 married Thomas Daniels on the 20th May, 1852 at Salt Lake City like herself Daniel was from the Brechfa Valley, Carmarthenshire their son Daniel M Daniels born 20th December, 1856 at Brigham City he took a prominent role in the development of Oneida County, Idaho, he was Mayor of Malad for three terms, served as a commissioner of Oneida County, was president of the Malad Valley Irrigating Company for six years and when the Malad Creamery Company was organized in 1918 he was made its first president and held that position until he retired, he was married to Mary Evans Jones on the 20th March 1883 sadly she died one year later and he remarried in 1885 Catherine E Owens. At the time of Daniel M. Daniels death on the 25th June, 1938 he was survived by Eight children and Eight brothers & sisters.’
Lynne V Cheney
Wife of the Vice President of America
When Sarah & Daniel Davies left Wales with their children for the promised land so many miles away they took with them their Daniel’s sister Esther’s son Ricy Davies Jones, my great-great grandmother Ann’s (Mamgu) brother, they traveled from the Brechfa to Swansea some 35miles away, were they boarded a ship for Liverpool called the troubadour at Liverpool they onward journey was aboard the Buena Vista a fellow passenger was the prominent Mormon Captain Dan Jones.
The Troubador Steam Vessel - Swansea - Master James Beckett
Saints by Sea - Buena Vista departs Liverpool 26th February 1849 arrives New Orleans 19th April, 1849
For shipping list please click here
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Welsh Mormon History account of Daniel Davies - Llystin Farm
Daniel Davis and his Family
Daniel Davis or Davies and his wife Sarah Thomas were in the first company of Welsh Saints to leave for Zion in 1849.
Though small in stature, Daniel Davis was a man of indomitable will and unswerving faith. He had been the first member of his family to listen to the missionaries and the first one to be baptized. Then when a company of Welsh Saints was being organized to “gather” to Zion, he sold his good farm at a great sacrifice and prepared to emigrate with Dan Jones as captain of his company. He defrayed the expenses of emigrating not only his family of eleven but seven others as well.
Daniel Davis, or Davies as he was known in Wales, was born at Llystyn, Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn, Carmarthenshire, and baptized 16 September 1793. His parents were John Lewis (1747-1829) and Margaret (1754-1828). He married Sarah Thomas of Cwrt Farm, Llanegwad, Carmarthenshire, 7 May 1819. Her parents were Stephen Thomas and Lettice David, and she was born in May 1797.In
1849 Daniel Davis and Sarah Thomas had seven living children. A son Stephen (baptized 6 Nov 1833) had died in infancy, and their daughter Margaret (born about 1820), the wife of Daniel William Thomas, had died in 1844, leaving two children, David Davis Thomas (born 7 June 1840) and Hannah Thomas (born 20 May 1843). They came to Utah in 1852.As they made their plans to go to Zion, their son John Ira Davies, even though he was a member of the Church, decided to remain in Wales with his wife Jane. Later his son Daniel Davis (born 10 Oct 1854) came to Utah and lived first in Perry then in Ogden. Lettice, the second daughter of Daniel Davis, with her husband Benjamin Thomas and two small children, Daniel age two and Anne four months, planned to go to Utah with the rest of the family. The four younger girls in the family, Ann (born about 1827), Sarah (born 1 Jan 1829), Mary (born 22 Dec 1834), and Diana (born 11 Apr 1836) were all eager to go, since their friends and relatives had made life unendurable for them since their conversion to Mormonism. Diana, the youngest, had been the first of Daniel Davis’ family to ask for baptism. While he had been explaining the principles of the gospel to his wife Sarah, Diana had listened and been converted. He had been overjoyed to think that his baby girl was the first of the family to receive the gospel. Daniel Davis had only one son to go to Zion with him, his son Daniel, a boy of eighteen. The boy was handicapped because his leg had been amputated in order to save his life when he had blood poisoning at the age of sixteen. (In later years a relative showed his son William Thomas Davis, a missionary, where the leg had been buried in the Brechfa Churchyard). In the area around Brechfa, Llanegwad, and Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn many farms were being sold as the first Welsh company prepared to go to Zion. Within a few years half the population of the area went to Utah. In this first company there were 122 converts. They left Wales in February 1849. After a tiresome journey of seven weeks, they arrived at New Orleans and transferred to steamboats to go up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to Winter Quarters. The dreaded disease cholera struck the company as they steamed up the rivers. A severe trial awaited the Davis family, for when they reached the Missouri River their indomitable leader and father was stricken by the disease and died in a few hours. The steamboat pulled up to the bank of the river and Daniel Davis was buried in an unmarked grave 29 April 1849. Sarah Thomas Davis, her crippled son, and her daughters went on with the company and began their journey across the plains with ox teams. This Welsh group was part of the George A. Smith company. Losing her husband was a great trial to Sarah Thomas. She was in a strange land with a large family to manage, and she could not speak a word of English. David Lewis, a relative and an old bachelor who had come with the Davis family, stayed loyally by her on the journey and remained with the family all his life. At last after having traveled continuously for nearly 7,000 miles, Salt Lake City was finally reached in October 1849.There were no vacant houses, so they lived in a dugout the first winter. This was quite a change from a well-furnished ten-room house and a large farm, but they were willing to forsake all for the Gospel. In 1854 Sarah Thomas Davis and her family moved to the Welsh fields south of Brigham City. They were greatly blessed and secured good land and a home there. The beautiful, brown-eyed, black-haired daughters grew to maturity and married in Utah. Sarah Davis married Benjamin Phillips and later moved to Montana and then to Oakland, California. On 20 May 1852 Mary Davis married Thomas Daniels, the son of Daniel Daniels, one of the leaders of the Welsh company they first lived in Brigham City, but in 1865 they moved to Malad, Idaho, where they were among the first settlers of that community. Diana Davis, the yo9ungest daughter, married William Nicol Fife on 9 July 1854 and made her home first in Salt Lake City and then in Ogden. Daniel Davis, the son, did not marry until 21 June 1875 when he married a Welsh girl, May Ann Davis. Sarah Thomas Davis lived with her son Daniel Davis in the Welsh settlement south of Brigham City. She was a good, kind, charitable Latter-day Saint and highly esteemed in the community. On 17 January 1864 she was walking home from Brigham City with some school boys, the Thomas brothers, when she had a heart attack and fell to the roadway dead. She never moved or unfolded her arms. She was buried in the Brigham City cemetery. Through the years the family of Daniel Davis and Sarah Thomas has multiplied and scattered throughout the United States. The conversion of one Welshman to Mormonism may have seemed unimportant at the time, but it has had a profound influence upon his descendants.