David Thomas Davis –
Biography
David Thomas Davis, son of Thomas and Mary Davis, was born
in Felinfach (Little Mill) Parish, Llanybydder, Carmarthenshire, South Wales on August 10, 1819. The first 15
years of his life were spent on the farm where he became familiar with all the
details of farm work and stock raising. At the age of fifteen he went and
worked in the coal mines at Dowlais. He worked there
until he was thirty years of age.
At the age of twenty-seven in 1847 he married Miss Daisy
Davis, daughter of Thomas and mary
Davis. She was
born in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire,
South Wales in 1827.
He then left Dowlais and went to Aberdare
where his wife died on January 1, 1850.
On February 15, 1850, he was baptized a member of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was ordained a teacher. He acted as a
teacher in this branch for almost a year. He was ordained an Elder in the Spring of 1851. He was then called on a mission on June 1,
1851, without purse or scrip. After an absence of two years he returned home to
Llanybydder (or Aberdare).
He was then put in as a second counselor to the President of the Branch, where
he served until the spring of 1853. He was called to serve another mission to Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, South Wales. He remained a traveling elder for
two years. He was then ordained a counselor to Ben Jones, who was president of
the Llanelli Conference. He was counselor for one
year, and then he went as a traveling elder through Carmarthenshire, South Wales, and the North Pembrokeshire
Conference. He remained as a traveling elder until the year 1853.
In April of 1856 he left his folks and started for Zion. When he arrived at Liverpool, England,
Captain Dan Jones offered him a job as a cook to pay his way across the sea. He
worked his passage to Boston and from Boston to Iowa
City. He took care of Captain Dan Jones’s goods. They
stopped in Iowa for three months, getting
ready to cross the plains (Iowa City
was as far as the railroad would take them). They started across the plains in
1856. He drove a wagon and four yoke of cattle. They traveled until they
reached the Platte
River upper crossing.
They had to stay there for twelve days on account of a heavy snow storm which
fell upon them. They had nothing for their cattle to eat, so they had to cut
limbs from cottonwood trees for their cattle to eat. About thirty head of
cattle died from hunger. They traveled until they came to Devil’s Gate. It
snowed all the way, so they had to stop there and unload their wagons in houses
left by the mountaineers. Twenty men were left as guards over their goods. The
rest went along with empty wagons. They had only raw beef to eat. They killed
one of the oxen that had given out. Because of the deep snow they traveled
slowly until they reached Bridger. They stopped here for three days. They were
met by some men that Brigham Young had sent out to meet them and other
immigrants. There was plenty of flour and other provisions for them. They
traveled until they came to Bear River, then onto Weber
Canyon down to Coalville,
and then to Big Mountain. There the snow drifts were 20
feet deep, and they had to shovel snow to make a road for the wagons. Traveling
to Salt Lake City,
they arrived December 14, 1856. This was indeed the HAPPIEST day of his life,
for after 1000 miles, he had at last arrived in the Promised Valley,
a place he had toiled so long to reach.
He stayed in Salt
Lake three days and then
went to Box Elder and stayed with W. P. Thomas a while, then he came to Spanish
Fork and settled in there on February 18, 1857, and made his home here the rest
of his life.
He met Mary Williams (again), a beautiful black-eyed girl he
had met on the ship coming over. He was so kind and good to her and her mother
and sisters that she never forgot him. They were married October 28, 1860, when
she was 16 years old. They were very happy together and were the parents of ten
children. Three died in infancy. Seven were raised to good men and women, three
boys and four girls. It was a happy and contented family, a family that loved
and respected their kind parents.
“The longer I live the more I appreciate my wonderful
parents, and I am thankful to my Heavenly Father that I was born to such
parents. My father was a man of sterling integrity. A
faithful Latter-day Saint and a good, kind loving father and useful citizen.”
Daisy Davis Fail, daughter.
“When David T. Davis left this world, it was like the sun
had gone behind the clouds.” Maggie Evans Richardson,
granddaughter.
“Of all kind and good men there was none his equal; his life
was one of love to all. If his dear hand would touch me, I know his faith would
heal me.” Maggie Davis Evans, daughter, on her death bed.
Note: David T. Davis
crossed the plains with the John Hunt wagon train, which left Iowa
City on September 2, 1856, and arrived in Salt Lake City on December 15, 1856. The John
Hunt wagon train traveled with the Willie and Martin handcart companies.
