David John (29 January 1833 – 24 December 1908) was a leading figure in Utah at the dawn of the 20th century. He served as a stake president in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and a member of the Brigham Young University (BYU) board of trustees. John was born in Little Newcastle,

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

, Wales. He was raised in a Baptist family and studied for the ministry. He joined the LDS Church in 1847. His parents were so opposed to the Church at that time that, on the advice of

Orson Pratt Orson Pratt Sr. (September 19, 1811 – October 3, 1881) was an American mathematician and religious leader who was an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints). He became a member of the ...

, John ended his association with it for a time and continued to study for the Baptist ministry. In 1856 he returned to association with the LDS Church. He was rebaptized on 6 February 1856. John was ordained an

elder An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and tr ...

on 29 March 1856 and in June began to serve as an LDS missionary in various parts of Wales. By December he was the president of the Flintshire

Conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...

in which position he served a year. He also served as a counselor in the Presidency of the Welsh Mission from December 1857 to December 1858. In January 1859 he was reassigned to the Nottingham Conference in the British Mission. He also served as president here from that time until March 1860. He then served about a year as pastor of the "pastorate" which consisted of Nottingham and two other conferences, for a total of about 100 Branches. This is a position that has only really existed in mid-19th Century Britain in the history of the LDS Church. In modern usage if pastor is applied to any specific LDS position it would be to the

bishops A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

who preside over individual

Wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

. John emigrated to Utah in 1861. In 1860 he had married Mary Wride in Cardiff. In 1862 John was called as a counselor in the bishopric of the Provo 3rd Ward. He served in the bishopric for 15 years. John was called as superintendent of the Utah Stake

Sunday School A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

in 1865 in which position he served until 1893. From 1877 to 1901 John was a counselor in the Utah

Stake Stake may refer to: Entertainment * '' Stake: Fortune Fighters'', a 2003 video game * ''The Stake'', a 1915 silent short film * "The Stake", a 1977 song by The Steve Miller Band from '' Book of Dreams'' * ''Stakes'' (miniseries), a Cartoon Netw ...

to first

Abraham O. Smoot Abraham Owen Smoot (February 17, 1815 – March 6, 1895) was an American pioneer, businessman, religious leader, and politician. He spent his early life in the Southern United States and was one of seven children. After being baptized a member ...

and then Edward Partridge, Jr. At this time the Utah stake covered all of Utah County. In 1883 he was ordained a bishop and appointed the regional presiding bishop of Utah Stake, overseeing the activities of the various bishops in Utah County in temporal matters. John was simultaneously regional presiding bishop and a counselor in the stake presidency and Stake Sunday School Superintendent. However, his position of regional presiding bishop was a paid full-time position, somewhat like various full-time positions in the Presiding Bishops office today. He also served another mission to Great Britain in the early 1870s. At the start of his time in Utah John worked as a school teacher and then was trustee of the Provo district schools for 15 years. He was also a partner in the firm of Smoot and John, a lumber business he ran with Abraham O. Smoot. BYU HLD

John married a second wife, Jane Cree, in 1865. He had nine children with Mary and 11 children with Jane. In 1887 he spent time in prison for violating the Edmunds Act. Among John's children was Mary John who married Benjamin Cluff, who served as president of BYU during part of the time John was the vice president of the Board of Trustees. John served as president of the stake from 1901-1908. At the time of his call as president the stake was divided, and reduced to Provo, Springville, Utah and the farm area that would latter become part of Orem, Utah. He also served as vice president of the Brigham Young University Board of Trustees, with

Joseph F. Smith Joseph Fielding Smith Sr. (November 13, 1838 – November 19, 1918) was an American religious leader who served as the sixth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was the nephew of Joseph Smith, the founde ...

, who was also president of the LDS Church as president, making John the senior member of the board who could devote a large amount of his time to its operations. John served on the Brigham Young Academy and then BYU board of trustees from 1891 to 1908. David John wrote a diary that has been cited for historical purposes, including his comments on Utah receiving statehood.Marriott Library, University of Utah, Utah Statehood Resources list
/ref> One of

Helaman Halls The Book of Mormon mentions three men named Helaman ( ). The first was the son of King Benjamin, king of the united Nephite-Zarahemla kingdom who lived in the 2nd century BC. Besides his genealogy, information about the first Helaman is limite ...

at BYU is named for David John.

Sources

External links

David J. Evans letter to David John
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L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Brigham Young University {{DEFAULTSORT:John, David 1833 births 1908 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries Brigham Young University people Mormon missionaries in England Mormon missionaries in Wales Mormon pioneers Converts to Mormonism from Baptist denominations Welsh emigrants to the United States Welsh Latter Day Saints Welsh Mormon missionaries Welsh Baptists Welsh leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Latter Day Saints from Utah

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Further reading

External links