William James Barratt (25 January 1823 – 10 September 1889) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

convert to

Mormonism Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of t ...

and became the first

Latter Day Saint The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

to live in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

when he was sent there as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. However, he ultimately

apostatized Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal religious disaffiliation, disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of emb ...

from Mormonism. Barratt was born in

Burslem Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It is often referred to as the "mother town" of Stoke on Trent. T ...

North Staffordshire The federation of Stoke-on-Trent was the 1910 amalgamation of the six Staffordshire Potteries towns of Burslem, Tunstall, Stoke-upon-Trent, Hanley, Fenton and Longton into the single county borough of Stoke-on-Trent. An anomaly in the history ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The date of Barratt's conversion to Mormonism is unknown, but Latter Day Saint missionaries first preached in the Burslem area in 1839. He was the only member of his family to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. On 11 July 1840,

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

George A. Smith recorded in his diary that he had ordained the 17-year-old Barratt to the office of elder and had set him apart to preach as a missionary in Australia. Barratt's parents had already decided to emigrate to Australia and Barratt had decided that he would accompany them and eventually join the main gathering of Latter-day Saints in

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state. ...

. On 17 July, Barratt's ship left

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

for Australia. The Barratts arrived in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

on 16 November 1840. Barratt found employment as a shepherd's cook in Mount Barker. Barratt tried preaching in Australia, and was successful in

baptizing Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

a few people, but quickly became discouraged at the moral tone of the settlers there. One of the people he did baptize in 1842 was Robert Beauchamp. Shortly thereafter, Barratt lost interest in Mormonism and became involved in the

Congregational church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

in Encounter Bay. Because of this, Beauchamp, not Barratt, became the leader of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) in Australia and eventually the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the church's Australasian

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

. Although missionaries from the LDS Church arrived in Australia in 1851, there is no record of Barratt attempting to contact them or vice versa. Barratt became a prominent land owner in the Bald Hills and Inman Valley areas of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. He married Ann Gibson and fathered seven children. Barratt died at Bald Hills, South Australia and is buried at

Victor Harbor, South Australia Victor Harbor is a town in the Australian state of South Australia located within the City of Victor Harbor on the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula, about south of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide. The town is the large ...

References

*John Devitry-Smith
"William James Barratt: The First Mormon 'Down Under'"
''BYU Studies'', vol. 28, no. 3 (June 2007) pp. 53–66 *Ruth Goldthorpe (1989). ''Our Honourable Inheritance : A History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Australia'' (Adelaide) *Marjorie A. Newton
“Pioneering the Gospel in Australia,”
''

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

'', October 1986, pp. 32–41 *—— (1991). ''Southern Cross Saints: The Mormons in Australia'' (Laie, Hawaii: Institute for Polynesian Studies)

External links

Letter from William Barratt to Alfred Cordon 15 July 1840
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barratt, William 1823 births 1889 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries Australian Latter Day Saints Australian leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints British Latter Day Saints Christian missionaries in Australia Converts to Mormonism English Latter Day Saint missionaries English Latter Day Saints English emigrants to colonial Australia English leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Former Latter Day Saints Mission presidents (LDS Church) People from Burslem People from South Australia