2020
George Bywater’s Book
December 2020


George Bywater’s Book

As part of my calling as a Church history specialist in Merthyr Tydfil Stake, I was curious to know what items local libraries might hold relating to the Church. I found that Swansea reference library had a first edition of Llyfr Mormon—the Book of Mormon in Welsh, dated 1852. The Book of Mormon was translated and distributed in instalments and by subscription. Members who paid their ‘book money’ and collected all the instalments could then have them bound according to their preferences—and their purse. There was no indication of who this copy might have belonged to, but in Swansea University library there was another first edition Llyfr Mormon, this time with an inscription on the flyleaf: “George Bywater’s Book. July 30th 1852”. A little research identified the owner as George Gwilym Bywater (1828–1889) who joined the Church in 1848 in Garndiffaeth (Monmouthshire) along with several other members of his family.

George left Liverpool for Utah Territory aboard the Golconda in 1854. More than 450 Saints were on board, about half of them Welsh. Then six years later, in September 1860, he was called to return to the British Isles as a missionary. The Missionary Database (1830–1930) shows that he was set apart by George Q. Cannon and served for four years. So, although he appears on the 1860 U.S. census living in Utah, he also appears on the 1861 UK census—living in Eglwysilan (about 12 miles north of Cardiff), with his occupation given as elder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Deseret News for 5 October 1864 reports his return to Salt Lake City at the end of his mission, in company with another returning missionary, Thomas Jeremy, who had served as president of the Glamorgan Conference [District] with George Bywater as his counsellor.

The remainder of George Bywater’s life is well documented, as is his work on the Utah railroad as an engineer. The Millennial Star of 9 June 1898 included a notice of his death and quoted the Deseret News, which spoke of him in glowing terms. “Of his heart and of his brain, words of the highest praise might be spoken without doing him full justice. He belongs to that class of men whose numbers are so limited and who, instead of being forgotten when they are gone, are honored more after they are dead than while they are living.”

He was obviously very well respected, and his memory is well preserved through these references to his life and work, but why George Bywater’s book would be left behind in Wales is a mystery. Was it passed on to a family member or friend who likewise served a mission in Wales? Or was it somehow lost when he returned home early from his second mission, due to ill health? Whatever the reason, there was his Welsh Book of Mormon more than 150 years later, on the shelf in the library—and available for loan! I borrowed it—for the pleasure of holding something that old and significant, even for a short while, and so that I could show it to other members of the stake. But I also suggested to the university librarian that the book was valuable in more ways than one and might be kept in a more secure location. It now resides in their special collections. It’s still available on request, but more carefully preserved.

That experience has left me wondering how many other such treasures are hidden away in libraries around the UK. These documents help to tell the story of the early days of the Church in Britain through the individuals who were part of the story. They are tangible reminders of the heritage of faith which we benefit from so many years later.