A couple of weeks ago, my sister-in-law and my nephew stayed with us for a few days. She had this terrific idea to go to the Salt Lake Cemetery and visit the graves of some of our prophets. This is something I have not done before. I have been to that cemetery once, with Chris, to find a couple of specific graves. It was a good idea and a lot of fun.
The view from the cemetery!
While we were there, I got this brilliant idea. (Most of my ideas are brilliant, by the way.) You see, some of my ancestors are buried in the Salt Lake Cemetery. So, I went to the office and found their location. I can't believe I've never done this before. I'm a cemetery-visiting fool. It's what we do. And I have an intense interest in these particular ancestors. Why haven't I done it before? I don't know. But now we have.
I think it would be a great idea to tell stories. It should be known that my idea of doing family history is to corner my Uncle Bert at family parties and make him tell me stories. I'm pretty sure I remember the stories correctly, but if you want the most accurate versions, please contact my uncle in Tonga. (He's a missionary now.) It should also be known that when I start telling stories, I get a little carried away.
In the late 1840s my great-great-grandfather, John Davis, was working as a printer in Wales and was hired to print anti-mormon literature. He read it and became curious about these Mormons and decided to find out the truth. He investigated the church, converted and was baptized by Dan Jones. If you are familiar with Mormon History, you have probably heard of Dan Jones. John Davis began to write rebuttals to the anti-mormon literature he was printing. He wrote the truth about the Mormons and his new faith. He wrote and published his responses anonymously and his employer never found out who was writing them.
This picture is of a few of my cousins and siblings and our families by Dan Jones' grave in Provo. I have heard many people talk with love and appreciation about the missionary who first introduced them to the gospel. I don't think those feelings disappear over generations. I look forward to meeting and thanking Dan Jones someday.
After joining the church, John Davis was called as a counselor in the mission presidency. He translated The Book of Mormon into Welsh. He also translated the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants into Welsh. He published a bi-weekly periodical called
Udgorn Seion (Zion's Trumpet) for the Welsh saints. He also published a Welsh hymnbook. About half of the songs were of his own composition. I studied Welsh in college and my professor, who was very familiar with John Davis (calling him a personal hero), said that John could write equally well in both Welsh and English. One of his hymns, written in English, is in the hymnbook we currently use:
What Was Witnessed in the Heavens? Whether or not you like the music to this hymn is between you and Evan Stephens. But lyrically, the hymn is really quite brilliant, teaching profound doctrine of the Restoration in a question/answer form.
In the early 1850s, John and his wife, Elizabeth, and their 2-year-old daughter, Julia, left Wales to travel to Salt Lake City. They arrived in St. Louis and bought supplies to help them cross the plains. John had to learn to hunt to provide for his family. One of the first things he tried to shoot was a buffalo. That didn't go so well. After that, the family mostly ate rabbits.
After arriving in Salt Lake, John met Brigham Young who sold him some property in downtown Salt Lake City. John worked as a printer for a local newspaper. His wife, Elizabeth, loved to sing. She brought an instrument called a concertina from Wales and would often have friends over to sing. She sacrificed much, everything, for the gospel, but was cheerful and enjoyed life. She had beautiful long, thick hair. Shortly after arriving in America, she cut off a large amount of hair and gave it to a neighbor who had lost all her hair. This lady wore it as a wig for many years. Elizabeth was very frugal and found ways to ration her money and her flour. Even under most trying times, the Davis family was never without flour. They were able to share with those less fortunate. When John had to quit his work with the newspaper because of ill health, Elizabeth surprised him with $100 she had saved. With this money, they were able to open a small shop in their home.
Elizabeth loved to help those newly arrived in Salt Lake, especially if they were from her homeland, Wales. During the rush of emigrants, she might give a hundred meals in an average week. Countless people throughout Utah could claim they ate their first meal in Salt Lake City at her house. These visitors often spent a few nights sleeping in the house. Elizabeth put straw mattresses in every available space, even the kitchen. I love the fact that these people are my great-great-grandparents.
John and Elizabeth had one daughter, Julia. Julia married Joseph Lafayette Rawlins. Now I would like to entertain you by telling you the Rawlins story. Again, if you want accurate dates and stuff, contact Uncle Bert. This story is kind of long.
The earliest record of the Rawlins family in America is 1640. For those of you keeping track, that is just 20 years after the Mayflower. Let's fast-forward to the 1830s. I'm doing this off the top of my head and I'm not looking up dates. I apologize to you history-purists. A man named James Rawlins was living along the banks of the Mississippi River. Mormons had been driven from their homes in midwinter had crossed the river on the ice. Some of the Mormons sought refuge at the Rawlins' home. James listened to their plight and their teachings. He converted to the faith. He moved, with his family, to Nauvoo, Illinois. One of his sons was named Joseph Sharp Rawlins. Joseph married Mary Frost (Joseph and Mary--a match made in heaven). Mary's father had also converted to the church and came to Nauvoo from Tennessee. He died soon after he arrived there and his wife and most of his children never joined the church.
Joseph and Mary had one daughter while living in the Nauvoo area. They left Illinois in about 1846. Because of religious intolerance and the fear of a new, dominating culture in their area, other residents of Illinois and surrounding areas persecuted members of the Church. My ancestors were among many whose homes were taken illegally. They were forced to leave the United States of America. Because of their religious beliefs, they were not seen as equal citizens, not protected by the arm of the law, and forced to leave the country.
Joseph and Mary stayed at Council Bluffs, Iowa for a time. It was there that they had their second daughter. Just a couple days after this daughter was born, the family had to start on the westward trek. Because of this, Mary was an invalid the entire trip. Joseph's and Mary's faith was strong and they endured their trials with courage and without complaint.
After arriving in Utah, they eventually settled in Draper. Today, Draper is part of the mass suburban sprawl that is Salt Lake Valley, but back then, Draper was total wilderness. It was so far from city center and a difficult land to farm. Joseph and Mary had their third child, and only son, Joseph Lafayette Rawlins after arriving here. Little Joseph grew up in Draper. He had to help on the family farm. His oldest sister married quite young (of her own free will to someone her own age and she was his only wife) and his other sister passed away. Joseph was very lonely. His father was often called away on Church assignment. He was asked, with other men, to go south (Moab area) to build a fort to protect saints from the Native Americans. This was very difficult. The Native Americans in that area were very hostile and attacked the men building the fort. One of the men was scalped. The pioneers had to leave, one or two at a time, and travel off the beaten path back to Salt Lake. It took Joseph Sr. some time to get home. Of course there was no mail or any way to contact him.
Later, Joseph Sr. was asked to go back to the plains in the midwest and help handcart pioneers find their way to Salt Lake. He was called Captain Rawlins and did this at least twice, perhaps more. During these long absences from his home, Joseph Jr. had to work on the farm. He did not like this kind of work. He had an intense desire to go to school and felt that the requirements of the church (resulting in having his dad away) kept him from his education. In Draper, he encountered many wild animals. He saw nice ones, like deer and antelope, but also many coyotes and once he found himself between a mama bear and her cub. That's not a good place to be. The Native Americans would travel through Draper during certain times of the year. When they would get close to pioneer settlements, they would set up camp and make war calls and do war dances late into the night. They did this with the intent to intimidate the pioneers. Native Americans would sometimes come right into the homes of the pioneers and steal their food. Joseph Jr. once saw a Native American man in his kitchen holding a bag of flour. He doesn't know how she did it, but his mother got the food back. Native American children would tease Joseph by shooting arrows at him with their bows. They were very good with their bows and arrows and those arrows never hit Joseph, but came within inches.
Joseph Jr. (Joseph Lafayette) was raised in these trying circumstances. While his parents' trials were probably even more intense, they relied on their faith to see them through. Joseph, on the other hand, allowed his trials to overwhelm his faith until his doubts were most prevelant. He did go to school and get a decent education. When he was old enough, he attended the University of Deseret (now the University of Utah) and advanced quickly. Even though he felt that he was way behind in math, by age 19 he was teaching higher math at the University. Now I realize that teaching at the University of Deseret in the 1870s isn't the same as teaching at Harvard in 2010, but still, the guy was no dummy.
He eventually left Utah to pursue a law degree in Indiana. It was while there that he decided he was done with his parents' faith. He came back to Utah, largely because he ran out of money and had bad health. He openly and publicly denounced his parents' faith. In his autobiography, he briefly describes his parents' reaction, mainly the looks on their faces. He defiantly pretends not to care, but he knew he broke their hearts. These people had lost everything, travelled across the country, started over in a wilderness, and given their all to their God. Their only son not only wasn't grateful, but rejected all they lived for.
Joseph Lafayette Rawlins married Julia Davis, who also denied the faith of her parents. He passed the bar and began to practice law in Salt Lake. Just one year after he passed the bar, he argued a case before the Supreme Court of America. He won the case. The opposing lawyer acknowledged that if Mr. Rawlins hadn't gotten involved, he would have made a lot of money. Joseph applied for a job as city attorney. He thought he wouldn't be hired because he wasn't Mormon, but Brigham Young was a man with a fair mind and hired the man who was best for the job. Joseph often represented the Church or the city in court. He had a successful career.
Joseph joined the fight for Utah to become a state. He felt that one of the most important things Utahns could do was to align our political parties with the national parties. He introduced the Democratic party to Utah. (Yes, and thanks to Grandpa Joe, Democrats were here before Republicans.) He spoke at a convention and his speech was reprinted in the New York Times. (That's a big deal.) He was very opposed to prophetic leadership and to the practice of plural marriage.
Joseph was elected as a representative for the territory of Utah. At that time, such was the prejudice against our church that Mormons were not allowed time to speak in Congress...ever. Because Joseph was not a Mormon, he was allowed to hold office and to speak. He was scheduled to speak on behalf of Utah's statehood. The opposition attempted a filibuster so that he wouldn't have time to argue his point. He ended up with less than 5 minutes to make his speech. He spoke so eloquently and intelligently that a senior member of the Senate gave him the time he needed to finish his argument. He answered all of the questions the lawmakers had about Utah, Mormons, and the people who live here. Because he had personally worked with the leaders of the church, as their legal representative, he could vouch for their integrity: when they said they would stop practicing plural marriage, they did. Allowing Utah to enter the nation as a state was put to a vote. Obviously, the outcome was favorable.
On July 24, 1896, United States President Grover Cleveland signed the papers that made Utah a state. He then presented the pen, made of copper, to Joseph Lafayette Rawlins. Joseph was immediately elected, as a non-mormon and a Democrat, as the first senator from the State of Utah.
Although I disagree with his religious choices, I am proud that my heritage includes Joseph Lafayette Rawlins. Joseph and Julia were the parents to Boyce, born in 1890, who is my grandfather.
Do you remember why I brought this up? We visited the graves of John and Elizabeth Davis and Joseph and Julia Rawlins.
