A Mormon Testimony - The Journal of Edward Roberts, 1845-1865 Davrn A. PnnrrY F.o.* rtz Mo Ud*W-t W, r f . DTtvJt A MORMON TESTIMONY - THE JOURNAL OF EDWARD ROBERTS. 1845-1865 D,q,vro A. Pnsrrv' Gladstone's description of Wales as a'nation of nonconformists' was well exemplified in the county of Montgomeryshire. Denominational allegiances according to the 1851 Census of Religious Worship show clearly how dissent had triumphed at the expense of the Established Church.2 Differences of belief marked out divergent paths in the same way that differing interpretations over points of theological doctrine and practice gave rise to sundry minority sects. Although the absence of Quakers and Unitarians set a limit to the sectarian diversity in Montgomeryshire, small groups of Primitive Methodists, Arminian and Campbellite Baptists struggled to maintain their distinctive identity. So too did members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons as they were more commonly known, who are credited as having one congregation at Machynlleth in the official returns of 1851. Whereas Anglicans accounted for almost 20 per cent of those who attended a place of worship in the county, the Mormons, ostensibly, amounted to a mere 0.3 per cent of adherents in a single parish. That so few a number should have maintained a peripheral presence in the face of innumerable difficulties underlines the tenacity of their basic religious convictions. Yet, as is too often the case, they command but minor historical interest and are usually overlooked in standard works that devoutly chronicle seemingly greater causes. For the most part, Mormonism was synonymous with Merthyr Tydfil and Captain Dan Jones. Until very recently the only specialised work on the history of the Mormons in Wales came from the pen of T.H. Lewis.3 By now we are much better served. During the last few years Professor Ronald D. Dennis has produced scrupulously researched studies that have opened a new window on the subject.a Every major aspect of Welsh Mormonism has been explored, with special emphasis paid to emigration and the compilation of Mormon literary output in the Welsh language. Tracing the vicissitudes of the Mormon cause at grass-roots level in rural Wales, nevertheless, remains severely restricted as no local records have survived this side of the Atlantic. Mormon activists who emigrated to Salt Lake City took great care to include church records among their few belongings. Within this context, the journal kept by Edward Roberts deserves attention. Edward Roberts came from a humble working class background. Along with other members of his family he was one of the earliest Welsh converts to Mormonism. Indeed, the Roberts family intotowastoprovideadevotednucleusofbelieversforthefaithinmid-Wales.Edward Roberts did not figure prominently, yet he fulfilled an invaluable local role. A list of 94 Mormon meeting houses in Wales in 1857 appended to T.H. Lewis's account includes Dinas Mawddwy and the name of 'Ed. Roberts'.5 In accordance with a church directive in 1855, instructing members to keep written records, he began compiling - in Welsh, and in a fair hand - what was essentially a work of personal piety. Prefaced with a genealogical root and lM6n-Fyrddin, 3 The Dell, Tonteg, Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, CF38 lTG. 2I. Gwynedd Jones, Pattems of Religious Worship, in Montgomeryshire in the mid-Nineteenth Century, Montgomervshire Collections 68, 1980. rT.H. Lewis, Y Mormoniaitl yng Nghymru (Cardiff, I956). aSee especially Ronald D. Dennis, The Welsh and the Gospel, in V. Ben Bloxham, James R. Moss and Larry C. Porter (eds) Truth-Will Prauail (Solihull, 1987); The Call of Zion,The Story of the First Welsh Mormon Emigration (Provo, 1987); I4rels/r Mormon Writings From 1844 n 1862. A Historical Bibliography (Provo, 1988). 5T.H. Lewis, op. r'it. (note 3), 126. II2 THEMONTGOMERYSHIRECOLLECTIONS compactTO-page journal branch family history dating backto the mid-eighteenth century,the of the Saints over a twenty year un unaiorned accoun-t of his life and labour on behalf !iu", journal was written retrospectively' the period between 1845 and 1865.6 (As almost half the of an earlier version') Also precise dating of events in the first decade points to tire existence and a mundane record of included are details of baptisms, names of branch members' for insight into his personality payments. unfortunatelv, ,tt" j*-ul offers little opportunity expressions of personal thoughts and or private life. Unlike u i"u"tuiory diary- it contains fiw Roberts was a devoted family attitudes. All that can be said wiih confidence is that Edward remarkable energy and dedication' man who lived for his faith. AnC to this end he showed or issues of the day; the one Neither does the journal comment on contemporary events. first train journey in 1863 which exception de"m"O *orihy of n-I"tttion was Edward Roberts's brought him to Cemmaes Road. Wales began with the arrival of The main starting-point for Mormon missionary activity-in had emigratedto^the United States Captain Dan:on", i,r 1845- A native of Flinishire' hi "uriy Joseph Smith, founder of where he converted to Mormonism a few months prior to meeting proselytising forays along thewelsh the Church of Jesus crrrlrioir-utter-day Saints. Previous Monmouth and Glamor- border regions since 1840 had yielded modest results in Flintshire, Tydfil (with some 500 gan, during which time the industrial conurbation of Merthyr In order to build on these members) emerged as the dominant centre of Mormonism' chyfodi yn hen g.refVdd foundations Captain Dan Jones published Y farw wedi ei fyw-:,neu'r first of his many religious newydcl (The clead raised to lifi: or the otd religion anew\the his message As 'President of the"Mormon Church in Wales' Dan Jones radiated ;;i1;t.. Nonconformist widely, braving direct physical thlelts as well as fierce denigration-by loss of theirmembers' had ministers. A similarempiu.i, on udrrltbaptism, andthe consequent Given the level of opposition turned the Baptist denomination into a fbrmidable adversary. through the medium intheNonconformistpress, DanJones was obligedtocounterthe charges 1846 (and later renamed a Mormon periodical, Prophwyd Y Jubili,"introduced in July of well over 3'000 (Jdgorn Seion).While North Wales proved to be stubbomly barren territory' by the end of 1848' new converts were attracted to the church in South wales had travelled in his carriage During the course of his missionary work Captain Dan Jones doctrines of the Latter-day Saints to Montgomeryshire in the summ", of tg+S to preach the were held in a room under the town at Machynlleth. over a period of two days, five meetings his son David' and Thomas hall. Among those *tro tr"utA him speal were Robert Roberts, congregation of 30-35 Ellis (a local shoemaker who was to serve as minister of the small Robert Roberts purchased Dan Mormons that met in a room at Graig Fach, Machynlleth)J known, and its impact was Jones' treatise on y, ir" grefydd niwyctd, as it was popularly Captain Dan Jones returned to immediately felt within tris famity circie. Within a shortiime of converts he had gained' lt Machynlleth to preach a second time and consolidate the group other son' Edward' But so happened that both these visits were missed by RoberiRoberts's in his book struck a chord' though he had been unable to hear Dan Jones preach, the message great-grand-daughter of Edward Roberts A copy 6The original journal remains with Mrs Lorraine Starkey, Nampa, Idaho, in gonn, Germany, u which led to further correspondence and came to me for translation my wife,s cousin "oorr" 'la a great debt of gratitude in the writing of this article' acquaintance with professor Ronaid D. Dennis. I owe both g5 of the Returns Relating to w ales v ol ' Il, N orth wales ' TI. Gwynedd Jones (ed.), The Religiou,s Ce nsus of l L A C ilentlar (Cardiff. 1981), 5. 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