Lewis, David G - Family History Information

“Some were Latter-day Saints

“Some were Latter-day Saints.”

 

            It appears the descendants of David T. LEWIS and Kezia YATES had two pair of Progenitors who joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England and Wales before coming to America.

 

            First, as recorded in the Biography of Esther Lewis GUNNELL, sister of David T., their parents, Thomas LEWIS and Mary Ann GRIFFIS (or JONES), joined the Church in Wales before embarking at Liverpool for America the 2nd of February 1854, their destination to have been Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

            Second, the parents of Kezia, John YATES and Agnes LOW, and also joined the Church either in North Wales or at Manchester, England. It seems there is no written confirmation of Agnes’ baptism but John YATES was baptized July 12, 1842, ordained to the lesser Priesthood May 12, 1843 and ordained an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood, March 2, 1845. (See copy of the ancient document, “Certificate of Ordination,” dated May 2, 1847, Manchester England. Copies of both this document and John YATES Family Bible Records were supplied by Mrs. Lillian We   Pickering, R. #3, Manhattan, Kansas – grand-daughter of David and Kezia LEWIS.)

 

            According to family tradition the John YATES family landed at New York, and instead of going on to Salt Lake City they came only as far west as St. Louis, Mo. and chose to settle in the southern part of the city. At that time about 10,000 saints lived in the area of St. Louis, may who had been driven from their homes in Nauvoo, Illinois, and others who more recently had come from the British Isles and other ports. As late as 1871 there was an LDS Chapel at Gravois near where the Lewis and Yates families lived and where Melchizedek YATES, married Martha WAGSTAFF, April 26, 1871.

 

            There were also many groups of the WAGSTAFF family who had joined the Church in England and came to America at that time, their destination, as given in Ship Records, “Salt Lake City, Utah.”  Having landed at New Orleans and coming up the River to St. Louis, some of them also chose to remain in St. Louis, as did Martha’s father, George WAGSTAFF. (See Microfilms of Ship Records, Liverpool to New Orleans from 1849 to about 1860, also 1870 Census Records of St. Louis Township, St. Louis County, Missouri, and 1880 Census Records, Ward 26, St. Louis, Missouri – Central Public Library, 14th and Olive Streets, St. Louis, No.)

 

Note: George WAGSTAFF also had a son John WAGSTAFF family who had joined the Church in England and came to America at that time, their destination, as given in Ship Records, “Salt Lake City, Utah.”  Having landed at New Orleans and coming up the River to St. Louis, some of them also chose to remain in sty. Louis, as did Martha’s father, George WAGSTAFF. (See Microfilms of Ship Records, Liverpool to New Orleans from 1849 to about 1860, also 1870 Census Records of St. Louis Township, St. Louis County, Missouri, and 1880 Census Records, ward 26, St. Louis, Missouri – Central Public Library, 14th and Olive Streets, St. Louis, Mo.)

 

Note: George WAGSTAFF also had a son John WAGSTAFF who married Emma WEBB, older sister of Fran Charles WEBB who married Esther Rosella LEWIS, daughter of David and Kezia.

 

            As great bodies of the saints moved westward the LDS Chapels disappeared and those who chose to remain behind turned to other churches, as did David and Kezia who joined The Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, (Church of England), in 1872 and Melchizedek and Martha YATES sometime later. (See record of Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, now kept by the Reorganized St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Office), 4712 Clifton, St. Louis, Mo.)

 

            Also, according to family tradition the given names, “Jemima, Kezia and Keren-happuch,” taken from the book of Job, Chapter 42, Verses 12-15 – were given the Lewis and Yates (and Low) daughters for seven (7) generations, the seventh being the daughter of Gertrude Webb CARROTHERS and great grand-daughter of David an Kezia. It appears the custom may have originated in the LOW family and was carried into the YATES and LEWIS families.

 

Quote: Job 42: 12-15, “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than the beginning - - - - “He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemima; and the name of the second Kezia; and the name of the third Keren-happuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.” – End of the Book of Job.

 

Pleae note: John and Agnes YATES named their three daughters in this order “Jemima, Kezia and Kerenhappuch. They also gave their four sons Biblical names, “Thomas, Ebenezer, Jabez and Melchizedek.” - - “Melchizedek, king of Salem,” Genesis 14: 18 and Hebrew 7: 1; “Christ, the most High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek; The Holy Melchizedek Priesthood of God and the Higher Priesthood of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”  Hebrew 5: 1, 5 & 6; 3: 1.

 

(Myrtle Williams Gunderson – Dec. 1976)

None

Immigrants:

Lewis, Esther Griffiths

Lewis, Thomas

Jones, Mary Ann

Lewis, Evan Griffiths

Yates, Kezia

Lewis, David G.

Lewis, Eleanor Griffiths

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