Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All USU Press Publications USU Press 2009 The Mormon Passage of George D. Watt: First British Convert, Scribe for Zion Ronald G. Watt Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/usupress_pubs Part of the History of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Watt, R. G. (2009). The Mormon passage of George D. Watt: First British convert, scribe for Zion. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press. This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the USU Press at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All USU Press Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Mormon Passage of George D. Watt Author’s Collection Author’s George D. Watt, ca. 1860. The Mormon Passage of George D. Watt First British Convert, Scribe for Zion Ronald G. Watt Utah State University Press Logan, Utah Copyright ©2009 Utah State University Press All rights reserved Utah State University Press Logan, Utah 84322-7200 www.usu.edu/usupress Manufactured in the United States of America Printed on recycled, acid-free paper ISBN: 978-0-87421-756-8 (cloth) ISBN: 978-0-87421-757-5 (paper) ISBN: 978-0-87421-758-2 (e-book) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Watt, Ronald G. The Mormon passage of George D. Watt : first British convert, scribe for Zion / Ronald G. Watt. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-87421-756-8 (cloth : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-0-87421-757-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-0-87421-758-2 (e-book) 1. Watt, G. D. (George Darling), 1812-1881. 2. Mormon converts--England- -Biography. 3. Ex-church members--Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints-- Biography. 4. Ex-church members--United States--Biography. 5. Spiritualists--United States--Biography. I. Title. BX8695.W38W38 2009 289.3092--dc22 [B] 2009038729 CONTENTS Illustrations vi Preface vii Introduction: “On the Lord’s Business” 1 1 Early Life in Britain 9 2 Journey to America and Nauvoo 34 3 Mission to Britain 58 4 Across the Wide Atlantic and on to Zion 82 5 Life and Times in Utah: Politics in the Territory 108 6 Reporter for Zion 125 7 Deseret Alphabet 141 8 Family and Life in Salt Lake City 160 9 A Man for All Seasons: Intellectual Activities 188 10 Sermons of Obedience: Traveling with Brigham Young and to Britain 210 11 Life-Changing Events: Leaving the Office, Businessman 225 12 Spiritual Wanderings: Apostasy and Spiritualism 247 13 Family and Farm Life in Davis County 263 Index 285 ILLUSTRATIONS George D. Watt ii Manchester, England 8 Manchester Poorhouse 15 Orson Pratt 33 Nauvoo Temple 57 Northern England and Southern Scotland map 61 George D. Watt engraving 77 Busy Harbor at Liverpool, England 81 Liverpool to Salt Lake City map 85 Old Salt Lake Tabernacle with bowery 128 Willard Richards 140 Title page of Deseret Alphabet First Primer 148 Deseret Alphabet letters with English translations 149 Alice Longstroth Whittaker Watt 165 Elizabeth Golightly Watt 168 Sarah Ann Harter Watt 173 Martha Bench Watt 177 Brigham Young Homes, showing Watt home 184 George D. Watt 186 Salt Lake City Main Street 187 George D. Watt 191 Ira Ames drawing 194 Brigham Young drawing 195 Unknown person, possibly Albert Carrington 195 Neanderthal Man drawing, probable drawing of Heber C. Kimball 196 Unknown Person 196 L. Snow asleep 197 Daniel H. Wells and W. W. Phelps 197 Possibly George A. Smith and an unidentified woman 198 Travels throughout Utah map 212 George D. Watt 234 Advertisement of Watt, Sleater & Ajax 237 Watt large house in Kaysville 266 Elizabeth Golightly Watt and family 279 Sarah Ann Harter Watt and family 280 PREFACE I started this endeavor more than three decades ago, researching and writ- ing about the life of an ancestor who intrigued me. Driven by curiosity, my search extended to sources at the LDS Church Archives where I worked. “Journal History,” primarily a newspaper-clipping file, with its index proved a wonderful place to begin. I expanded to other sources like the Millennial Star and some church records. I had earlier started this quest by reading a small red volume, a biogra- phy by Ida Watt Stringham and Dora Dutson Flack, entitled England’s First “Mormon” Convert: The Biography of George Darling Watt, which gave me an outline of my ancestor’s life but nothing more. The more information I found, the more I doubted the authors’ interpretations. For a while, I did not believe that the “Little George” stories, written by George Watt in the Juvenile Instructor, were true and for a short time even wondered whether my George was the author. After I completed a thorough analysis of those writ- ings, however, I became convinced he was the author, and the stories were the autobiography of his youth. I also wondered if he had later gone to live with his grandparents in Scotland as his obituary says, but a discovery of shorthand letters has now proven this fact correct. After thirty years of interest in this man, I have many people to thank, even some I may not remember. After I finished my first book-length man- uscript, A. J. Simmonds, Chad Orton, and Ronald K. Esplin critiqued that early draft. I have benefited from having colleagues and friends show me sources because they knew I was working on Watt’s biography. W. Randall Dixon, Michael Landon, Chad Foulger, Jay Burrup, Scott Christensen, Linda Haslem, Melvin Bashore, Pauline Musig, Steven Sorensen, William W. Slaughter, April Williamsen, Jeffrey O. Johnson, Clint Christensen, and William Hartley all provided me with materials. Russell Taylor, Larry Draper, and K. Haybron Adams kindly helped me at the L. Tom Perry Special Collections at Brigham Young University, and Ronald E. Romig found some material at the Community of Christ Archives. Yvonne Christensen helped vii viii The Mormon Passage of George D. Watt me find information at the Davis County Courthouse, and Linda Ross gave me information from the Kaysville Cemetery database about three little Watt girls who died. I appreciate the support of administrators and friends who encouraged and listened to me: Donald T. Schmidt, Jeff Anderson, Glenn N. Rowe, Blake Miller, Matthew Heiss, Ronald W. Walker, Richard E. Turley Jr., Linda Haslam, Jim Kimball, and Richard Jensen. I will always be grateful for the support of Leonard J. Arrington, who in his inimitable way helped me and all others interested in Mormon history. Ronald O. Barney, David Whittaker, Gene Sessions, Lavina Fielding Anderson, Walter Jones, Polly Aird, and Ben Bennion read all or some chapters. Will Bagley showed me two letters, held by a cousin of mine, which led me to court cases at the Utah State Archives, and I thank its staff, especially Alan Blain Barnett. Ardis Parshall showed me Watt’s writings about practical agriculture and economic theory in Salt Lake’s Semi-Weekly Telegraph, and without that input, I could never have made him a complete person. Barbara Bannon and John Alley contributed their editing skills. I also owe a great debt to LaJean Purcell Carruth, whose ability to read shorthand provided me with transcriptions of Watt’s diary and letters that I knew nothing about. Shawna Stroebel gave me insight and found sources on Watt’s early life, and Robert Holbrook helped. William (Bill) Sanders at the Layton Heritage Museum helped me with sources on his later life. Harris Adams went above the call of duty by traveling to the Davis County Courthouse in Farmington and doing some of my research. He also took me to the geographical sites of Watt’s homes and the schoolhouse his chil- dren attended. Leon R. and Clara Jeppesen allowed me to photograph Watt’s Volcanic lever-action repeating pistol. Claude and Linda Jeppesen, some other cousins, brought some of Watt’s shorthand notes to my atten- tion. Derek Farnes drew the maps for the book. Thanks to Peter Witbeck for sending me a photograph of Watt that I had never seen before. I thank all of these people for their help. Without those sources, this biography would be poorer and much less complete. To the four members of my family who “volunteered” for the George D. Watt committee—Marva and Ralph Watt, Sharm Stevenson, and Suzy Sutherland—I can never show enough appreciation. They helped me many times, showing me errors, always supporting me, and sometimes acting as my cheerleaders when I became discouraged. I would also like to express my thanks to my good wife, Barbara, who listened to my long stories of Watt’s life. She calmly stood by me, even when Watt was the only subject on my mind. To these five people, I dedicate this book. George D. Watt penetrated my heart and soul. I have championed his achievements and wept at his failures. He was so superhuman at times and so fragile at other periods in his life. To me his life is a tragedy, and yet I Preface ix have defended him. He so wanted acceptance and love, but he sometimes made decisions that pushed people away from him. His wives stood by him, and when he died, three of them stayed in the community, where they suffered much mental and emotional anguish. Only Martha remar- ried and left the troubled glens of Kaysville to return to little Manti with her second husband. Even though I have had the help of many, the mistakes in this book are mine alone. INTRODUCTION “ON THE LORD’S BUSINESS” On May 15, 1868, an argument between Brigham Young, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and George D.