Thomas Davis Giles (1820 - 1894) Profile

Thomas Davis Giles (1820 - 1894)

Individual

death-date-qualifier-death

Thomas Davis Giles

birth-date-qualifier-birth

British Mission manuscript history and historical reports, 1841-1971

British Mission manuscript history and historical reports, 1841-1971, June 26, 1854.

British Mission manuscript history and historical reports, 1841-1971, December 1, 1850.

British Mission manuscript history and historical reports, 1841-1971, April 19, 1856.

British Mission manuscript history and historical reports, 1841-1971.

Index to the British Mission manuscript history and historical reports

Index to the British Mission manuscript history and historical reports, Item 199.

Index to the British Mission manuscript history and historical reports.

Thomas D. Giles reminiscences and diary

Thomas D. Giles reminiscences and diary. 1852 May - 1856 January.

Thomas D. Giles reminiscences and diary.

Zion's Trumpet: 1849 Welsh Mormon Periodical, translated and edited by Ronald D. Dennis (Religious Studies Center, BYU, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2001)

Zion's Trumpet: 1849 Welsh Mormon Periodical, translated and edited by Ronald D. Dennis (Religious Studies Center, BYU, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2001, Page 19.

Zion's Trumpet: 1849 Welsh Mormon Periodical, translated and edited by Ronald D. Dennis (Religious Studies Center, BYU, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2001).

Deseret News

Immigration to Utah

"Immigration to Utah", Deseret News, October 15, 1856, Page 6.

Transcript for "Immigration to Utah," Deseret News, 15 October 1856, 254

Deseret News.

Evans, Priscilla Merriman, Autobiography [ca. 1914], item 2, 39-41

Evans, Priscilla Merriman, Autobiography [ca. 1914], item 2, 39-41.

<xhtml:p xmlns:its="http://www.w3.org/2005/11/its" xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">. . . where we remained three weeks, waiting for our “Hand Carts” to be made. We were offer’d many inducements to remain there. My husband [Thomas David] was offer’d Ten dollars pr day to stay and work at his trade of “Iron Roller”. But money was no inducement, as we were anxious to get to Zion. Many who Stayed to better their circumstances died of Cholera and many apostatized from the Church. When the “Carts,” were ready we Started on a Three hundred &amp; 30 mile “walk”, to “Winter quarters” on the Missoura [Missouri] river. There were many who made sport of us as we walked and pulled our Carts. But the weather was beautiful and the roads excellent, and altho I was sick, and weak, and we were all tired out at night, Still we thot it a “glorious” way to come to “Zion.” We began our journey of “One Thousand 30 miles” on foot, pulling, our hand carts. Some families consisted of man and wife, and some, had quite large families, each cart had 100 lbs Flour, that to be devided and get more from the wagons as required. At first we had a little coffee and bacon, but that was soon gone, and we had no use for any cooking utencils but a frying pan. The flour was self raising. Mixed with water, and cooked in the frying pan[.] That was all we had to eat. After months of traveling we were put on half[-]rations, and at one time before help came, we were out of flour, for two days. We shook the flour sacks to thicken the gravy but had no grease of any kind. Our company was a Welch Co. of about Three hundred. There were about one doz in our tent. Six of whom could not speak the Welch language. Myself among the number. Dont you think I had a pleasant journey, traveling for months with about 300, people, of whose language I could not understand a word. My husband could speak Welch, so he could join in their festivities when he felt like it. There were in our tent a man with one leg (my husband)[,] Two blind[,] Thomas Giles being one of them, one man with one arm, and a widow with five children. The widow and her children and myself, were the only ones who could not speak the Welch language. My husband was commisary for our Co. There were five mule teams to haul the tents and flour. We were allowed to bring but 17 lbs of clothing[,] our bedding[,] Books, (quite a bit of Genealogy my husband had gathered during his missionary labors) and many other useful things were left in a store house, and were to be sent with the next emigration, but we never did recieve them. We had the tent for covering and had to sleep on the ground. I had a shawl and my husband an Over coat which was included in the 17 lbs of clothing we were permitted to bring. The remainder of clothing to make up the ammount was an oil cloth sack. Edward Bunker was the Captian of our Co. The Orders of the day were. “If any are sick among you, and not able to walk, you must pull them on your carts.” No one rode in the wagons. Sometime[s] a bunch of Buffaloes would come and the “Carts” would stop untill they passed, had we been prepaired like the people who traveled with teams, to kill Buffalo’s we would have had meat, and would not have come so near starving. One incident hapened which came near being serious. Some Indians came to our camp, and my husband in a joking way told an Indian, who admired me, that he would trade me for a Pony. He thot no more about it. But the next day, here came the Indian with the Pony, and it was no Joke with him. I never was so frightened in all my life. There was no place to hide, and we did not know what to do. The Captain was called, and they had some dificulty in settling with the Indian with out trouble. In crossing rivers the Women and children were carried over the deep places, and they waded the others. We were much more fortunate than those who came later, as we had no snow, and the weather was quite pleasant. My husband had the misfortune to lose his leg when 9 yrs old. While walking 20 to 25 miles per day where the knee rested on the pad it would gather and break and was most painful, but he had to endure it or remain behind. One incident will show you how they were fixed for grease. My husband and John Thain [Thayne] a Butcher in some way killed an old Buffalo. They sat up all night and boiled it to get some grease to grease the carts, but he was so old and poor there was not a drop of grease in him. No grease for the carts and no grease for even gravy for the little children. We reached Salt Lake City Oct 2-1856. </xhtml:p>

Transcript for Evans, Priscilla Merriman, Autobiography [ca. 1914], item 2, 39-41

Historical Department journal history of the Church

CR 100 137: Historical Department journal history of the Church, 1830-2008, October 2, 1856, Page 8.

Historical Department journal history of the Church.

John Parry reminiscences and diary, 1857 March-1867 September

John Parry reminiscences and diary, 1857 March-1867 September, March 1857.

We Camped in Ioway [Iowa] for three weeks to wait for Wagons, And for hand Carts. This was the first time for hand Carts to be used to go acros the Plains.
The first Company went a few days before us, Edmond El[l]sworth being Captain, 
Another Company started before us a few MacArthur [Daniel D. McArthur] days being Captain.
Thirdly the Welsh was organised as a Company Edward Bunker being head Captain, and David Grant, Myself, and George Davies, being Captains of hundreds, After we traveled the first Day and put up our tents, it began Thunder &amp; Lightening, and we had the aufulest Storm that I ever witnessed in my life.
(I omited to mention one of my conexion [connection] who came with us from Wales, Thomas Parry son of Robert Parry Newmarket, who we left at Ioway [Iowa] being engaged to drive a Team to Dan Jones over the Plains, But he got wet, and caught a Cold, and Died, in the neibourhood of Newton, Ioway [Iowa].)
After we got Dry the folowing day we started again and Traveled hard, our ration of food was half a pound of flour a day, and a little Tea and shugar and a very little of any thing else[.] we had a hard task to stand the Journey from Ioway [Iowa] to counsel [Council] Bluffs. Distance of about 300 miles, When at Newton we stopt over sunday, &lt;till&gt; and many of our Camp, on account of shortness of rations, Made their minds up to stop at this Place, and engaged with some of the Gentiles to work for them, And on Monday morning, several of the croude [crowd] turned one side with their Hand Carts, by going through the above Town, I went after them, while the Camp went a head, to puswade [persuade] them to come along, at last I prevaled on them, then we started after the Camp, which was far a head, and when I was aboute the midle of Newton, I was imediately Surrounded by a large croude of mobs, who was very mad, because I perswaded those that had promised to work for them, to come along[.] after a little talk the[y] did send several from the crowde to get Tar &amp; Feathers, to put on me, while I was surounded Brother [John] McDonald came, that had been in some store, and asked why did they stop me on the high way; and while they turned their atention to him, I slipt through the crowd and made my escape, by turning round a corner I turned my head and saw many coming after me[.] Then I took to run, and before I came to the Camp I was overcome by two rufians, who began to take hold of my colar, but I spoke very harch [harsh] and independant to them, and got from them, after a while I reached the camp and when Traveling along, Great many mobs came after us some on horses and others on foot, with Revolvers, Clubs &amp;c 
To try to perswade some of either men or Women to turn back, that they would get good situations or Farmes to them, &amp;c, &amp;c, But not one of them went, after a while they went back, they did not know me, as I did change my close [clothes],
then we traveled on from day to day until we at last came to Florence, where we had a fit oute to cross the Plains, (a few did stay on the way.) 
I laboured very hard to help some Widows and Fatherless, and the weak, to pull their Carts up hilly pleases [places], &amp;c, beside puling my own along with my Wife [Harriet] and my sisters Young Daughter, Elizabeth, 
We stopped at this Place aboute a week. James McGaw, had the charge of the starting of the emigration over the Plians [Plains],
In the begin[n]ing of August [blank space] 1856 We started over the Plians, Buried sister Emma Brooks, from N[ea]r Newmarket Wales, the Day before we started, her Death was caused by diarrhoea,
We had more food, now, than before, 7 lbs a week to cross the plians, and some few things beside, Yet not near enough, as we were working so hard in pulling our little Trinkets &amp; food only 17 lbs each was alowd beside our food, and we had an ox Team, to every hundred, to help us,
After traveling a few days, we saw tens of thousands of Buffalos, we killed a few to eat, We did wade the rivers, little Children 6 years of age did use to walk 26 miles p[er] day, one evening one old Brother was mised oute of my hundred, aboute 120 miles west of Laramie; it was ten o Clock when I found oute that he was missing. Then I and 2 more went to look for him, after we traveled 8 miles we met the old Brother coming along slowly, had been sleeping on the way, untill some wolfs came And Barked at him, then we did put him on our hand Cart and took him to camp,
Several died on the way, And only one little sick child that never was well, died oute of my Company, or hundred, all the way from Ioway [Iowa] to Great, Salt, Lake, City.
Somewere in the neighborhood of the uper crossing of the Platt[e] River, Teams From G, S, L, City, came to meet us with flour, which we was in much need, though not oute of flour, but not near enough to reach the Valley,
On a sunday at the pasific [Pacific] Springs, we met Parley, P, Pratt, the Twelve, and others going to the states, we also Met Patriarch John Smith, going to meet his sister, he gived us some, Salt, 
Indians met us some times, and helped us to pull our Carts, which was a great fun for them, we had no trouble of any kind in crosing the plians [Plains], only Fatigue, I, worked my self down, I did pull Samuel Brookss boy, Frank, for some hundreds of miles, as he was an Invaleed [Invalid], 
Hard pull up the Big Mountain, when we came in-site of the City, our hearts was overwhelmed with Joy, and thanksgiving to the Lord, that our lives was spared, through such a Journey, and traveling in such a maner, that history has no comparison.
When near the City My Father Met us on horse back, Tears of Joy filled my ey[e]s when met him, and we kissed one another,
We arrived in the City on the 3rd of October, and had a glance at President B Young [at] the time we entered the City, 
We camped on the Union Square.

Transcript for Parry, John, Reminiscences and diary, 1857 Mar.-1867 Sept., 55-60

John Parry reminiscences and diary, 1857 March-1867 September.

Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company financial accounts, 1849-1886

Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company financial accounts, 1849-1886, Vol. 2, Page 194.

Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company financial accounts, 1849-1886.

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days

Prophets of the Restoration

Global Histories

Revelations in Context

Women of Conviction

Joseph Smith Papers

Church Historian’s Press

More

Publications

Church History Museum

Historic Sites

Church History Library

Visit

Church History Catalog

Missionary Database

Pioneer Database

Treasures of the Collection

Pioneer Resources

Research

Church Historic Sites

Quick Links

Church History Biographical Database

/chd/landing

motherReferenceId

fatherReferenceId

Blaenavon, Monmouthshire, Wales, United Kingdom

birthPlace

associatedPeople

released

called

missionQualifier

maritalStatusWhenCalled

President of the Monmouthshire Conference.

Thomas Davis Giles

Alternate Names

Birth Date

Death Date

Gender

Sources