William Davies was born in Llanwonno, Glamorgan, Wales, Feb. 7, 1810, a son of Thomas Davies and Mary Jones. On March 3, 1810, he was baptized into the Church of England. He was the third child in a family of thirteen children which included seven boys and six girls. He had two sisters names Rebecca. The first one died in infancy and two years later when another girl was born, she was given the same name.
When William was about four years old, the family moved from Llanwonno to Llanfabon, a parish close by. He probably lived there until his marriage to Mary Jones about 1836 or 1837. This marriage most likely took place in Gelligaer, a parish next to Llanwonno located in Glamorgan County.
William was a farmer by occupation, like his father, and all of his children were born at Penywal Farm in Llanwonno except his first child, Mary, who was born in Geligaer.
William joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and was baptized January 12, 1850 by Thomas Morgan and confirmed January 13, 1850 by John Rosser, but evidently could not convince his wife, Mary, to join the church. At the time of his baptism he was farming 50 acres of land and was the father of five children; Mary, Lewis, Anne, Lydia and Leah.
On February 5, 1853, he sailed from Liverpool, England, on the ship, "Jersey," the voyage taking about six weeks. There were 314 saints aboard the ship under the direction of George Halliday and they arrived in New Orleans March 21, 1853. Imagine how William must have felt coming to a strange land and being unable to read or write the language. The "Jersey" carried about half Welsh and half English passengers who were organized into wards with a president and two counselors over each. These leaders enforced the most scrupulous cleanliness, with regular morning scourings and frequent fumigations and sprinklings with lime. They established rules of moral conduct and set hours of prayer and instructions and tried to regulate the bedlam of the galley. The behavior of the passengers was exemplary and after the first bout of seasickness their health was good. In every way it was a representative Mormon emigrant ship. Many of them were godly people who behaved themselves and hearkened to counsel and took pleasure from the adventure of their voyage, who flocked on deck to watch sunrise and sunset and were awed by the vastness of the ocean. They were edified by the instruction of the elders and faithful in their prayers. After six weeks they got up one morning to see the muddy gray-green water and later a great Mississippi River steamboat helped them over the bar and another of the same kind hooked on and towed them for four days upriver to New Orleans. There the presidents and their counselors fought off thieves and confidence men who swarmed the docks and handed the converts over to James Brown, once a captain in the Mormon Battalion and now the church agent charged with shipping the emigrants from New Orleans to St. Louis.
Brown and his assistants gave them more warnings: beware of swindlers and people who offered treats of ardent spirits, beware of eating too heartily of fresh meat and vegetables after their six weeks on salt pork, sea biscuits and rice. Brown arranged their passage on the steamer John Simonds--the fare to St. Louis $2.25 for adults, half that for children between three and fourteen, children under three, free. William traveled by boat up the Mississipi and landed at Keokuk, (now Florence) Iowa, where he stayed nine weeks.
He left Kanesville, Iowa, July 11, 1853, in the Joseph W. Young Company. The group was comprised of 321 people and 42 wagons and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley October 10, 1853--8 months after leaving his home in Wales.
His eldest son, Lewis, died in 1858 of a disease in his back, being just 16 years old at the time of his death. Lewis was probably named for William's eldest brother, Lewis Davies. This is a common practice in Wales to name ones children after brothers and sisters and it also helps the researcher identify families.
Even though William left his wife for the gospel's sake she must have still loved him for she gave their second son and the last child his name, though he had sailed for America 3 months before young William's birth.
Thomas Davies, William's father, was a well-to-do farmer who died the same day young William was born, May 29, 1853. What a time of sadness to be so far away when a new son was being welcomed and an elderly father being laid to rest. I don't believe most of us understand the price William Davies paid to accept the gospel.
Thomas Davies left money to all of his children. William's share was 100 pounds, the same as his brother, Lewis. His youngest brother, Thomas, received 200 pounds and his sisters each received 150 pounds except Margaret. She and Thomas' wife were to live off the interest of the 450 pounds which was to be invested by Thomas' friend. Whether William ever received his inheritance, I don't know. His youngest brother, Thomas, either inherited or bought the family farm, because he was living at Llandradach Isaf (the name of the farm) in 1871, employing two servants: a 39-year old man to help with farm work and a 15 year-old girl to help around the house. So the farm must have been a profitable venture for the Davies family for many years--we know they farmed it at least 40 years.
William Davies received his endowments in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City two years after crossing the plains and also did baptismal work for his mother, Mary Jones Davies; his father, Thomas Davies; his brothers, Morgan and Richard Davies; an uncle, Abraham Davies; a nephew, David Jones, all in 1870 in the Endowment House. The Logan Temple had not been completed then, so he took his wife, Sarah Hopkins, to Salt Lake City, and she was proxy for William's mother, and William was proxy for the male family members.
By 1861 (8 years after William had sailed for America) his wife was still running the farm, probably with the help of Anne, 16; Lydia, 14; and Leah, 12. Young William was attending school. Mary Davies, the eldest child, left her home in Llanwonno around 1860 and went to Llanfabon t live with her Grandmother, also named Mary Davies, who was a widow living on the family farm at Llanbradach Isaf. This farm was less than a mile from Ystrad Mynach where young Evan Evans was living. This is how Evan Evans and Mary Davies Evans met. They were married in Pontypridd, September 28, 1864. They were the parents of William Evans, my grandfather, who later came to Utah to live with his Grandfather, William Davies.
By 1881 Mary Davies was farming 90 acres at Penywal farm and employing one man to help her. Leah, age 22, and William, age 17, both unmarried, were living at home. Lydia had married Morgan Thomas about 1872 and Anne had married Daniel Davies.
In 1881, Mary Davies now 70 years old, was still living at Penywal Farm. She had increased the size of the farm to 113 acres (a good-sized farm in those days) which was more than double the land her husband was farming at the time he left her. So Mary was not only hard working but must have been a good manager as well. She hired a 32 year-old man in addition to her son, William, to help run the farm. A granddaughter, Margaret Evans, 13 years old, was also there when the census was taken. (This was probably Aunt Maggie: Margaret Evans Meyrick).
I don't know when William added the "J" to his name. It first appears in 1855 when he received his endowments. In Wales most people only had one given name. But maybe when he arrived in Utah and met others with two names he decided to add "John" as his middle name. His will say he was William J. Davies.
He had many "Mary's" in his life. His mother, Mary Jones; his wife, also Mary Jones; his daughter, Mary Davies; his sister, Mary Davies; and his third wife, Mary Pugh. (This is an indication of just how common a name Mary is among the Welsh people.
At the time of his death, William was farming 40 acres in Logan and his wife was farming 113 acres in Wales. Wouldn't they have made a great team had they been able to stay together: Of course his wife was left with a lot of farm equipment and William had to start all over accumulating tools and equipment when he arrived in Cache Valley.
William had 11 grandchildren (and maybe more. He never knew.) William Evans, son of his oldest daughter, Mary, was the only grandchild he was privileged to see. According to family history, he corresponded with his children and grandchildren in Wales and told them he would send them money to come to Utah. William Evans accepted the invitation when he was 17 years old and left his home in Wales August 28, 1883 and arrived in Logan, September 19, 1883, and was met at the train station by his grandfather. William made his home with his grandfather and helped with the farm work. William Davies died September 24, 1884, just a year after his grandson arrived from Wales.
At the time of his death, he left the following:
Land: about 40 acres
Animals: 2 horses, 1 cow and calf
Tools: 1 pick, 1 shovel
Farm equipment: 1 wagon, 1 buggy, 1 mower, 1 sulky rake, 1 plow, 1 harrow, 1 cultivator, 1 set of harnesses.
Household Furniture: 3 stoves, 3 tables, 2 cupboards, 1 bedsteads and bedding, 1 clock, 1 lounge, 6 chairs and crockeryware.
His will stated that everything was to be left to his wife, Mary, and upon her death it should be inherited by his grandson, William Evans.
It must have been the most difficult decision of his life to join the church and leave his wife and children to come to Utah. I don't know whether William Davies was considered "a man of means" or not judging by his real estate and personal belongings, but he left to his descendants a legacy very rich indeed--one that cannot be measured in dollars and cents nor bought with money. He was a hard-working farmer who could only sign his name with an "x", but he had a heart that knew the gospel was true and I shall always be indebted to him for that testimony.
Ann Davies married Daniel Davies in the Pontypridd Register's Office, January 29, 1877. Daniel was a colliery agent who was 38 when he married Ann. She was 34. They had no children and lived at 185 Waunlas Cottage on High Street in Cymmer Hamlet, Llantrisant Parish. Jenny Evans Lewellyn (sister of Evan Evans) lived with Ann and Daniel for a number of years while obtaining her education to become a school teacher, which she did. She continued teaching after she came to America.
Leah Davies married a farmer, David Rowlands of neighboring Eglwysilan Parish. They had no children of their own but adopted a boy, John Richards. Although Leah preceeded her husband in death, she had drawn up a will leaving her belongings to her husband, David, and John Richards. Nine years later, at David's passing, their farm in Llanwonno was left to John and his spinster sister, Margaret Richards.
Lydia's husband was also employed in the mining industry. She married Morgan Thomas, whose father, John, was a woodcutter. Lydia was 24 and Morgan 25 at the time of their marriage in the Baptist Church at Treforest. They were the parents of four children: Ithel, Gwendolen, Jessie and John.
Their mother, Mary Jones Davies, was a successful farmer. When she died she left the farm to William, her youngest son. She was a woman of some means who died at the farm where she had made her home for 48 years.
by Julia Evans Berntson, a gr. great granddaughter
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