[Paper presented at the Mormon History Association, July 8, 1987, held at Oxford University, Oxford England.]

If we were to believe some of the rhetoric of the nineteenth century we might come to the conclusion that the Irish made few, if any, significant contributions to the early development of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. For instance, on August 9, 1856 John Taylor wrote in the newspaper, The Mormon:

"We noticed a week or two ago the Irish American [newspaper] congratulating his country that not one genuine Hibernian [Irishman] had ever arrived in Castle Garden [New York] with the Mormon emigrants. Sometimes before that we saw a small paragraph in different exchange papers claiming only seven Mormons in all Ireland" (Taylor, 1856).

Hugh Quigley, western American historian, wrote later in 1878 that the Irish were "the only European people who contributed no recruits to the Mormon community [Salt Lake City] . . . there were very few of the Irishmen who joined the Mormons [in Utah] and not a single Irish woman!" (Quigley, 1878 pp. 544-¬546).

Similar charges were made in England a few years later. On September 1, 1885 the London Daily Chronicle contained an editorial claiming that prior to that date, "no native of the Green Isle [Ireland] had made his appearance in Salt Lake City as a believer in Mormonism." Two days later, an article headed "Irish in Salt Lake City" appeared in the same newspaper signed by Mr. Peter O'Leary affirming the editorial of the previous Tuesday. Mr. O'Leary claimed to have been in Salt Lake City at the time of Brigham Young's funeral [1877] and stated he found many Irish in Utah "but not one was a member of the Mormon Church" (Millennial Star, XLVII, 1885, p. 586).

By the turn of the century many people outside Utah still believed there were no "Irish Mormons" as evidenced in an article appearing in The Philadelphia North American in 1905 trying to explain "Why there are no Irish Mormons." (Deseret News, February 6, 1905)

Perhaps by this time many were convinced that few Irish men and women had joined the LDS Church in Ireland, and fewer yet had later immigrated to Utah. An examination of official church records at first seemingly lends some credibility to the claims. Elder John Taylor and other Mormon missionaries began proselyting in Ireland in 1840 and by the turn of the century in 1900 the Church could only claim approximately 800 converts in the Emerald Isle during the sixty year period. This was in a country that had a population of nearly eight million when the work began. The conversions were so sparse that Ireland was closed for missionary work for seventeen years between 1867 and 1884. Of the 800 known converts gained in Ireland between 1840 1900, approximately 227 were officially recorded as emigrating. How many of the 227 Irish converts in Ireland arrived in the Salt Lake Valley or other Mormon communities of the Church is not presently known (See Barlow, 1968, pp.204-205).

From all outward appearances it would seem that the assertions had some validity. . . the Irish had indeed, made little if any contributions to the early development of Mormonism. This is particularly so when compared to more than 50,000 LDS converts gained in England, Scotland and Wales who immigrated to Utah during the same period of Latter day Saint proselyting in the British Isles.

Contrary to popular opinion outside and occasionally within LDS ranks, the thesis of this paper is that Irish men and women have made significant contributions to early Mormonism. A few of the major contributions of Irish members will be noted.

1. HAROLD B. LEE: It has been observed that every country in Great Britain has produced a prophet/leader of the Latter day Saint Church. In her own unique way Ireland is no exception. On August 15, 1745, William Lee was born in Carrickfergus, Ireland. Twenty five years later he sailed for America and landed in Philadelphia in 1770. Within a year he married Susannah Chaffings and moved with his bride to North Carolina where, during the next few years, four sons were born to them. Tragically for the young family, Susannah died in April 1775, shortly after the birth of their fourth son, Samuel. Though none could have known at the time, Samuel Lee would eventually become the great great great grandfather of Harold B. Lee, eleventh president and prophet of the Church (Goates, 1985, p. 8).

2. CHARLES A. CALLIS: Charles Callis was born on at 6 Cornmarket Street on May 4, 1865 in Dublin, Ireland. He was a son of John and Susannah Quilliam Callis who had recently moved to Dublin, Ireland from Liverpool. Unfortunately, his father died on February 25, 1867, and later that summer the widowed Susannah moved back to Liverpool with her three small children. Susannah Callis later accepted the gospel in Liverpool, as did young Charles at the age of ten. He was baptized September 12, 1875, and a short time later immigrated to Utah with his family. He returned to Great Britain as an LDS missionary in 1893 94 during which time he presided over the Irish conference in 1894. After returning to Utah he became a lawyer and served as a member of the Utah Legislature. At the age of 37 he married Grace C. Pack in 1902 and they later became the parents of eight children. In 1906 Elder and Sister Callis were called as missionaries to the Southern States Mission and in 1908 Elder Callis was appointed as president of the mission where he served for more than twenty five years. In October, 1933 he was called as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. A Dubliner by birth, he died on January 21, 1947 having served as a General Authority of the Church for fourteen years. (Carter, Our Pioneer Heritage Vol. 13, 364 365).

3. IRISH CONVERSIONS OUTSIDE IRELAND: While there were admittedly relatively few (about 800) Irish who joined the Church in Ireland during the early years of Mormonism (1840 1900), there were apparently many Irish emigrants who were converted and joined in other countries. In the ten years between 1840 -1850 Ireland's population decreased dramatically. Upwards of one million died of starvation and another three million eventually immigrated to other countries, particularly England, Scotland and Wales. The Irish Diaspora was largely a result of a famine in Ireland during the decade which reached its height during 1845-1847. A famine in Ireland, incidentally, was prophesied and anticipated by LDS Church Leaders as early as 1840. Latter day revelation had also indicated that God would gather his people "by the mouth of my servants . . . and by the voice of famine" (Doctrine and Covenants 43:25).

It is now evident that many of the conversions to the Church in countries such as England, Scotland, and Wales included many Irish refugees. In a very significant way, they were literally "called by the voice of famine." By joining the Church in other countries, however, many lost the identity of being "Irish converts" and were often included in the records and statistics of the country in which they joined.

England: During the 1840's one tenth of Manchester's and one seventh of Liverpool's population were Irish emigrants. By actual count, the Liverpool branch records of the LDS Church for 1840 55 show there were nearly 2,000 converts in Liverpool during this period, and of those who reported their places of birth, 9% or about 180 converts, were born in Ireland. Of the large number who recorded no birth place, one British historian concluded that many of Liverpool's LDS converts were transients, which would accurately describe the Irish refugees in that city.

Scotland: Large number of Irish people also immigrated to Glasgow, Scotland during the famine years where it was reported that the streets were "literally swarming" with Irish men, women and children fleeing the famine. The Glasgow branch records for 1840 1851 indicated 1,240 converts during that time. Of those who stated their birthplace, 228 or 18% were born in Ireland. Another study found that during the famine years of 1845 47, about one in every three converts were Glasgow were actually Irish. On January 4, 1862, George Q. Cannon of the British Mission Presidency wrote:

"I understand there are more Saints in Glasgow and Western Scotland who are Irish and of Irish extraction than there are of Scotch; and this proves that they [the Irish] are susceptible to the truth when circumstances are favourable for their receiving it" (Millennial Star, XXIV, 1862, p. 134).

Wales: Many of the Irish fleeing the famine also sailed for Swansea, Cardiff and Newport in Wales. The poor law inspector for the Welsh coast reported that "great numbers of Irish landed . . . but the number could not be ascertained or even guessed." Considering this statement, it is interesting that Elder Dan Jones reported from Wales on October 17, 1846 that more than one thousand converts had joined the Church in Wales during the past eighteen months. Many of these "Welsh" converts were undoubtedly Irish (See Barlow, 1968, Chapter III, "The Effects of the Famine," pp. 28 40).

Other Irish famine refugees were likely converted to Mormonism in countries such as America, Canada, and Australia where they fled. Also, in 1844, Mormon converts and Irish fleeing their homeland were being shipped together to American by Reuben Hedlock, representing the LDS Church, and a Mr. Hiram Shaw who had large interests in Ireland. It is possible that some of the Irish refugees heard the gospel and joined the Mormons while crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

4. SECOND GENERATION IRISH CONVERTS. It is anticipated that many of the early converts to Mormonism will eventually be found to be of second (or even third and fourth) generation Irish ancestry. Fewer countries, if any, have sent a larger portion of their native born to foreign shores than Ireland.

It is noted, for instance, that by 1790 about 450,000 or 15% of the three million people residing in the American colonies were Irish born or of Irish descent (Doyle, 1981, p. 75). The names of towns, counties and cities in the United States today testify of the many Irish who helped settle American communities. Sixty five locations are named after people whose names bear the Irish prefix "O", and several others begin with "Mac." Numerous counties and cities in the United States bear Irish identities: there are 24 Dublins, 21 Waterfords, 18 Belfasts, 16 Tyrones, 10 Limericks, 9 Antrims, 8 Sligos, 7 Derrys, 6 Corks, 5 Kildares plus many others (Barlow, 1969, pp. 36 40). It is estimated that as many as 20% of Americans today trace at least one ancestor to Ireland. This is remarkable considering the geographical size of Ireland which is 32,595 square miles or approximately one third the size of Utah.

By the 1880's two thirds of the native Irish were living outside Ireland (Bryan, 1969, pp. 77). And by the 1920's, 43% of the Irish born were living abroad: 1,037,234 in the United States; 367,747 in England and Wales; 159,033 in Scotland; 105,020 in Australia; 93,301 in Canada; 34,419 in New Zealand; 12,289 in South Africa; 8,414 in India. These statistics are significant when compared with other European countries with traditions of emigration. While Ireland had 43% of native born living abroad in 1920, Norway had 15%; Scotland had 14% and Sweden 11%. Most European countries had only 4% of their populations living overseas at that time (Brown, 1981, pp.19 20).

As our genealogical research progresses, many Latter day Saints will likely discover Irish ancestry even though their ancestors were converted in countries other than Ireland.

5. EARLY IRISH CONVERTS. There were many Irish men and women who joined the ranks of Mormonism and are included in the first generation of Latter day Saints. They either joined in Ireland or other countries and made notable contributions to the early development of Mormonism (See Barlow, 1968, "Irish Mormon Pioneers in Utah," pp. 64 75 and Appendix C). Identification and/or biographies of approximately four hundred early Irish Mormon converts have recently been collected. Following are just five individuals so identified:

MAJOR HOWARD EGAN: Howard was born June 15, 1815 in King's County, Ireland and immigrated to Montreal, Canada. In 1842 he and his wife were converted to the Church by Elder Erastus Snow and then moved to Nauvoo. Howard became a member of the Nauvoo police and a major in the Nauvoo Legion. He had the honor of being with the original company of pioneers to enter the Salt Lake Valley in July of 1847. A diary kept by Major Egan during the journey is of great value and has been published in a volume titled Pioneering the West. He was an agent for the pony express and served as a successful missionary and intermediary with the Indians. He died on March 16, 1878 in Salt Lake City at the age of 63 (Jenson, IV, pp. 669 700).

JAMES B. FERGUSON: James was born in Belfast, Ireland on February 28, 1828. He immigrated with his family to Liverpool, and there heard the gospel and was baptized on May 25, 1842 in the River Mersey. He married Jane Robinson, an Irish girl living in Newton, England, and they emigrated in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1846. James B. Ferguson served in the Mormon Battalion with the rank of sergeant major and was appointed historian of the campaign. Sergeant Ferguson kept a vivid account of the famous infantry march to the Pacific Coast. After returning to Salt Lake City in 1848, he served as sheriff of Salt Lake County and as legislator and Territory Attorney General. He was a self-taught lawyer and a splendid speaker. He also participated in local dramas and played many roles in the works of Shakespeare in the Old Social Hall. The Irishman served as a missionary to Ireland in 1854 and later died on August 30, 1863 at the young age of 35 (Carter, Heart Throbs of the West, Volume 3, pp. 101-102).

JAMES SLOAN: James was born October 28, 1792, in country of Tyrone, Ireland. He joined the Church at an early age and immigrated to America and received a patriarchal blessing from Joseph Smith, Sr. on February 6, 1838. During the winter of 1838 39 he visited the Prophet Joseph Smith who was imprisoned in Liberty Jail. Along with other Latter day Saints he experienced the persecutions in Missouri. James Sloan was one of the first settlers in the Mormon community of Nauvoo. He was the first city recorder in 1840, and later served as secretary of the Nauvoo Legion. He was the first notary republic in Nauvoo and from 1841 43 served as General Church Recorder. Brother Sloan and his wife were called on a mission to Ireland in 1843. Upon his return, they moved to Salt Lake City where he later died a faithful member of the Church (Jenson, I, p. 254).

Two of the Irish women who were early converts to the Church were

CATHERINE CAMPBELL STEELE: Catherine was born in Ireland where both she and her husband, John Steele, joined the Church. They later emigrated to Nauvoo, Illinois where John became a member of the Mormon Battalion and Catherine was one of the few wives allowed to accompany her husband. They eventually arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley on July 29, 1847. A few days later, August 9th she gave birth to a baby girl, the first so born among the newly arrived Mormon pioneers (Carter, Heart Throbs of the West, Volume 8, p. 414).

MARTHA SPENCE HEYWOOD: Martha has been described as one of the first "women of intellect" in Utah. She was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1821 and immigrated to America. There she moved to New York where she was converted to the Church and joined the Saints in Kanesville, Iowa. She was poetess and writer whose early works appeared in the Frontier Guardian, an LDS newspaper in Kanesville. She later married Joseph Heywood and moved to Salt Lake City where she participated in recitals and dramatic readings and later assisted in the founding of an Elocution Society. The Heywoods moved to Nephi where Martha attempted to start a class in French but failed because of the lack of books. While a teacher, wife and mother of two children, she helped organize the Mount Nebo Literary Association. They moved back to Salt Lake City in 1856 where she joined and later read her works in the "Polysophysical Society" which later was replaced by the Deseret Theological Class (Utah Historical Quarterly, Winter, 1975, Vol. 43, #1, pp 27-40).

6. IRISH MORMON MISSIONARIES: As noted, many Irish men and women joined the Mormon Church in countries other than Ireland. (Over eight hundred early Irish Mormon convents have now been identified.) A number served LDS missions in the United States and other countries where they were called. It is significant, however, that some returned to their native land, Ireland, and were instrumental in preaching the gospel to their friends, relatives, and fellow countrymen. Among the Irish born LDS missionaries who returned to Ireland before 1900 A.D. were:

Missionary	Time in Ireland
William Black	1841
James McGuffie	1841
James Sloan	1843-1844
Paul Harrison	1845
Edward Sutherland	1850-1852
William Butler	1854
James B. Ferguson	1854-1855
James Craig	1855
Robert Marshall	1884-1885
George Wilson	1884-1885
Charles Callis	1893-1894

7. HYMNS: Words to several hymns used in Latter day Saint hymnals were written by three Irish men and one Irish women.

Cecil Francis Alexander, 1818-1895, the woman, was born in Londonderry, Ireland. She wrote the words to three hymns in the current (1985) hymnal: "There Is a Green Hill Far Away" (#194); "He Is Risen" (#199); and "Once In Royal David's City" (#205).

The only Latter-day Saint writer, Richard Smyth, was born on December 25, 1838, In Dublin, Ireland. He joined the Church in 1854 and immigrated to Utah in 1863. He was a missionary to Great Britain in 1870 and was the author of the hymn, "Israel, Israel, God is Calling" (#7), a popular hymn with British Saints in the early days of the Church. He died in 1914.

The two other male hymn writers were Thomas Moore and John Thomas Kelly. Thomas Moore, the Irish poet (1779 1852) wrote the words to "Come, Ye Disconsolate," (#115). John Thomas Kelly (1769-1854) was born July 13th in Dublin and wrote 765 sacred songs during a period of 51 years. Two of his hymns, "On a Mountain Top Appearing," and "Arise, Arise With Joy Survey," have been published in previous LDS hymnals. One of his hymns, "Zion Stands With Hills Surrounded," (#43) appears in the 1985 hymnal. This hymn is of particular interest since it was published in 1806, twenty-four years before the LDS Church was organized. We are not certain of the “Zion” of which Kelly wrote but it could have been Jerusalem (See Psalms 125) or even his native city of Dublin, Ireland and its surrounding hills.

It should also be noted that William Fowler, author of "We Thank Thee, Oh God, For a Prophet" was born in Australia on May 9, 1830. His father, John, was a native of Sheffield, England and his mother, Bridget Niel was born in Ireland. They returned to England where William was reared and eventually joined the Church. (For information on hymns see 1985 LDS hymnal and George D. Pyper, Stories of Latter-day Saint Hymns, 1939).

8. MICHAEL H. CHANDLER: Latter-day Saints are indebted, in part, to an Irishman for the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price. Chandler was an Irish immigrant who had moved to the United States in the late 1820's. He resided in Philadelphia with his wife Frances F. Ludlow and their six children, four of whom had been born in Ireland. Early in 1833 he acquired eleven Egyptian mummies and toured the eastern part of the United States for two years displaying (for a small fee) his Egyptian mummies. In 1835 he arrived in Kirtland, Ohio and brought with him four of the original eleven Egyptian mummies and some papyri. After some negotiation with Chandler, Joseph Smith and the Kirtland Saints purchased the mummies and papyri for $2,400. Among the papyri they found what Latter day Saints believed to be the writings of Abraham (Peterson, 1985 pp. 161 181). Six months after the purchase Oliver Cowdery recorded that the mummies had first been sent to Dublin, Ireland in 1832 where the Chandlers were supposedly living. It was also noted that Mr. Chandler's friends in Ireland forwarded the mummies to New York where they arrived at the custom house early in 1833 (Joseph Smith, Jr., History of the Church, Vol. 2; pp. 348-351).

The places of birth for Michael Chandler and Francis Ludlow and their first four children (Thomas, 1820; Ann, 1822; William H. 1824; and George W., 1827) in Ireland are yet to be located. This is also true of the documentation of the arrival of the mummies in Dublin in 1832. Nonetheless, Michael H. Chandler, the Irish immigrant, was instrumental in bringing the mummies and papyri, and ultimately the Book of Abraham, to the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Church.

9. IRISH CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COLONIZATION OF AMERICA: The Irish have also made significant contributions to the establishment of The United States of America where Mormonism had its origin.

The Book of Mormon states that America would be a land of promise to "all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord . . . [and] none shall come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord" (2nd Nephi 1:5 6). Elsewhere Nephi saw in vision the discovery of America, and the colonization by people "wrought by the Spirit." He also beheld the subsequent Revolutionary War fought by a people who were "delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations" (See 1st Nephi 13:12-19).

Suffice it to say that the Irish were in significant numbers among those "led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord" or "brought by the hand of the Lord," to America. This was so right from the beginning. As previously noted, when the first census was taken in 1790, 450,000 (15%) of the population was of Irish birth or descent. This was out of an approximate 3 million people in America (Doyle, 1981, p.73).

The Irish were later to immigrate to the United States in even larger number. Shannon notes "Beginning in 1820, when statistics were first gathered on foreigners arriving at ports of entry, 19,000,000 immigrants entered the United States in less than a hundred years; 4,500,000, or nearly one quarter of the total, were Irish" (Shannon, 1966, p. 28).

The Irish were also among those who fought in The Revolutionary War who were "delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations." O'Brien documents that British military officers noted the Continental Army contained "many" Irish soldiers sometimes estimated to be as many as half of the total army. But O'Brien estimates the number of Irish patriots fighting in the Revolutionary War to be 38 percent of the army (O'Brien, 1921, p. 135). Although his estimate may also have been high, the trend indicated was significant.

Eight of the forty presidents of the United States trace direct ancestral lines to Ireland. Another six presidents of the United States have Irish ancestors. Four of the fifty six signers of the Declaration of Independence were born in Ireland and another four were born of Irish parentage in the United States. Numerous others held high political office, were military leaders during the War of Independence, or made other major contributions during the early Colonization of America (see Barlow, 1987).

In conclusion, Latter-day Saints refute the claim that the Irish have not made significant contributions to the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. The assertion that few Irish men and women became Latter day Saints evoked a response by the Church as early as February 6, 1905. An article in the Deseret News claimed "there are quite a number of Irish people in the Mormon Church . . . The fervent, faithful Irish members, some of whom are in Utah and others in Ireland, Scotland and various parts of Europe, are living witnesses to the falsity of the gist . . . that 'there are no Irish Mormons."'

More precise figures are needed of the actual numbers of the Irish who joined the Church both in and out of Ireland. Their names, descendants, and additional contributions are yet to be determined through additional research. The fact remains that the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is, indeed, for all nations.

An Irishman, Elder George Wilson wrote the following from Ireland on September 17, 1884:

"The Gospel is for all nations of the earth, then why not include Ireland? I, for one, am interested in having the Gospel preached in my native country. There are many in Ireland who are just as honest and virtuous as are to be found in any other part of the world, and why not give it an equal show with other parts of this great empire? It is plain to my mind that the Lord has a great and mighty work to perform in this land . . ." (Millennial Star, XLVI, 1884, p. 667.)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barlow, Brent A. “History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ireland Since 1840”: Master’s Thesis, Brigham Young University, 1968.

Barlow, Brent A., “The Mormons and the Irish,” The Improvement Era, Vol. 72, #4, April 1969.

Barlow, Brent A. “Irish Immigration to America,” Unpublished Research Paper, 1987.

Brown, Terrence. Ireland: A Social and Cultural History, 1922-1979; Glasgow, Scotland: William Collins Sons and Company, Ltd., 1981.

Bryan, Walter. The Improbable Irish, New York: Ace Books, Inc. 1969.

Carter, Kate B. Heart Throbs of the West, 1939-1951, 12 Volumes, Salt Lake City, Utah: Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Publishing Company, 1950.

Carter, Kate B. Our Pioneer Heritage. Salt Lake City, Utah: Daughters of Utah Pioneers Publishing Company, 1970.

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Doctrine and Covenants, Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Doyle, David Noel. Ireland, Irishmen and Revolutionary America 1720-1820; Dublin and Cork, Ireland: The Mercier Press, 1981.

Goates, Brent L. Harold B. Lee, Prophet and Seer, 1972-1973; Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1985.

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Jenson, Andrew. Biographical Encyclopedia, 4 Volumes (Salt Lake City, Utah Deseret News, 1901.

Millennial Star. Liverpool, England, 1840-1967.

O'Brien, Michael J. A Hidden Phase Of American History, "Ireland's Part in America's Struggle For Liberty;" New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, 1921.

Peterson, H. Donl. “The History and Significance of the Book of Abraham,” in Studies in Scripture, Vol. II, edited by Robert L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson, Salt Lake City, Randall Book Company, 1985.

Pyper, George D. Stories of Latter-day Saint Hymns, Their Authors and Composers; Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1939.

Taylor, John, editor, The Mormon, II, No. 25, August 9, 1856.

Shannon, William V. The American Irish; New York: the MacMillian Company, 1966.

Smith, Joseph Jr. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Vol. II; Salt Lake City: Deseret News, Second Edition, 1948.

Utah Historical Quarterly, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Quigley, Hugh. The Irish Race in California and on the Pacific Coast; San Francisco: A. Roman and Company, 1878.

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