Dan Jones

Many families grow up and hear about their ancestors. "I'm related to..." I had never heard about Dan Jones until I was an adult. Once I found out I was so excited to know that I was related to such an amazing man. Dan Jones is my 4th Great Grandfather on the Dennis side of my family.

Dan Jones is Welsh and at sixteen years old married Jane Melling. Together they immigrated from Wales to the United States. Dan became known as "Captain Jones". He became the Captain of a Steamship named the "Ripple". But it hit rock and sank. He then moved on and became the Captain to The Maid of Iowa. He learned of a group that used his ship. This group of people were Mormons. Dan was very curious and wanted to know more. He went to Nauvoo and didn't expect a personal tour from Joseph Smith, the Prophet himself. He couldn't believe that the Prophet was so young, humble and caring. They became great friends and it didn't take long for Dan Jones to be baptized in January 1843. In April Dan used The Maid of Iowa to transport about 300 converts from Mississippi to Nauvoo. He also used his ship to bring building material and supplies for the Nauvoo Temple. Joseph Smith even preached from the deck of the Maid of Iowa more than once. Joseph Smith loved the Maid of Iowa so much that he became business partners with Dan Jones and co-owned the ship.

June 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were arrested and taken to Carthage Jail. John Taylor, Willard Richards and Dan Jones were asked to accompany them for support and protection. The night before Joseph and Hyrum were killed Joseph asked Dan if he was afraid to die.

Jones replied, "Has that time come, think you? Engaged in such a cause, I do not think that death would have many terrors.”

Smith replied with what many have identified as his "last prophecy": "You will yet see Wales and fulfill the mission appointed you before you die."

The next morning the Prophet asked Dan to deliver a letter for him. to Orville H. Browning in Quincy, Illinois. The letter asked Browning to act as the Smiths' lawyer in their upcoming trial. Dan Jones left the jail on horseback, bullets flew through the air toward him, but none hit him. In his panic Dan took the wrong road to Quincy and became lost. Later he heard that there was an anti-Mormon mob had been waiting to meet him on the correct road to Quincy. When Jones finally reached Quincy later in the afternoon, he learned that Joseph and Hyrum Smith had been killed by a mob at the jail in Carthage, Illinois.

Dan Jones did fufill the mission that Joseph Smith prophesied. Dan went back to Wales and  taught and helped baptized more than 3,000 people and helped them immigrate to America. President Hinkley explained Dan's different way of doing "missionary work" in the Ensign, September 1993.

 

He had an interesting missionary technique. It was essentially one of controversy, a technique not fit for our time but used well by him then. He feared no one. He moved with great boldness. Of his method it has been written: “He would often advertise in a town for several weeks that he was coming to ‘convert’ the whole town. He would inform the mayor, the city council, the ministers, and the police force of his intentions. He would have the local members of the church distribute thousands of tracts to all the city. When he arrived at the railroad station he was often met by all of the officials of the city and many excited citizens.”

Dan Jones died January 3, 1861. He is buried in Provo, Utah. His legacy for my family, and our church is much greater than I can describe. I am thankful for such a great man and example.