Dan Jones continued........

Dan Jones was one of the fellows who was with the prophet Joseph Smith when he was killed at Carthage. His name is not mentioned nearly so much as John Taylor's or Willard Richards or Hyrum Smith's, yet he was the man to whom Joseph Smith uttered his last prophecy, in the middle of the bleakest and most forlorn position possible, with literally no hope of the prophecy being fulfilled.

During a disruption (at Carthage), the Prophet got off the bed where he was resting and lay on the floor between John S. Fullmer and Dan Jones and spoke to each of them in turn. He asked Dan if he was afraid to die. Dan answered, "Has that time come think you? Engaged in such a cause [as the gospel] I do not think that death would have many terrors." The Prophet Joseph prophesied, "You will yet see Wales, and fulfill the mission appointed you before you die." Before the year 1844 was over Dan Jones was en route with a prominent entourage of other Church officials toward the British Isles, not only fulfilling the prophecy but further proving his own loyalty to the slain Prophet and the cause he died for.

Later Dan served a second mission and is generally credited with more than 6,000 convert baptisms, the translation of numerous missionary tracts into the Welsh language, and leading the emigration of many of his converts to the Great Basin. After their arrival in the City of the Great Salt Lake, some of those Welsh converts became the nucleus of the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Dan Jones has a long list of accomplishments, most importantly being a strong proponent of the restored gospel. He died firm in that conviction and is buried in the Provo City Cemetery. - Research by Kerry A. Shirts

For those of you who are interested, you may find a longer and more detailed history of Dan Jones, here.