A Brief History of Thomas Price Smith

By Ron Larter

A brief history of the Latter-day Saint pioneer, Thomas Price Smith, who was the father and founder of the LDS Church in Norfolk and Suffolk. This book depicts his life from the time he was born, his character and religious inclinations, his emigration to the states and his trek across the plains to Utah.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781447558545

Book preview

2008

A Brief Outline of Thomas Price Smith

In Thomas Price Smith’s effort to take the restored gospel to virgin grounds, he was beset with personal challenges, physical suffering and emotional anguish. Enduring the heat of summer and freezing winters he covered hundreds of miles on foot that often left him with troubled feet. Not only did he endure physical suffering and moderate to severe persecution for the gospel’s sake, he was also beset with deep emotional anguish with regards to the all too frequent deaths of his children and the recurrent sickness of his spouse. Yet in spite of all that, he continued to labour in the missionary field.

Thomas Smith made a submission that he had many weaknesses, yet this biography shows he was a man of great strength who carried within him a deep compassion for his fellow beings and a determination to serve the Lord with unwavering faith.

Researching the history of Thomas Price Smith has left me without any doubt whatsoever that he was a chosen vessel in the Lord’s work. The angels of heaven no doubt had supported him, and I’m sure Heavenly Father had his part to play in the circumstances that brought Thomas into the LDS Church, and of his calls that led to him serving in Worcestershire and a large part of East Anglia.

His humble, compassionate, yet powerful character was an asset to his calling that had persuaded many to accept the true church, from which numerous branches were created.

Thomas Smith, serving as a preacher with the Wesleyan faith then afterwards with the United Brethren, was eventually baptised into the LDS Church in April 1840.

He was well known in his own village of Deerhurst for his early preaching, and later he became a prominent and well loved figure in LDS church history as he began to excel his labours teaching the restored gospel.

By a twist of fate, he was called to serve as President of the Worcestershire Conference in the late 1840s. Then in 1847, while still President of the Worcestershire Conference, and by another twist of events of his own doing he made a request to serve in Norwich where the gospel was not yet taught.

His desire was granted when he received a call from the Apostle Orson Spencer to serve in his chosen vineyard in Norfolk.

Evidence points to the fact that Thomas Smith was the first Mormon missionary to set foot in Norfolk, arriving in Norwich in March 1847.

Within the first year he baptised 130 people and built a chapel in the city, and because of his great success he was eventually released as President of Worcestershire Conference and called to serve as President of the Norwich Conference when it was organised in Aug 1848.

After four years of service within the Norwich Conference area, he had desires to emigrate to the states and requested permission to leave England. A few weeks later, in December 1850 he received permission to leave England to begin a new life with saints in Utah, which he did with his family in January 1851. They made the overland trek that summer to Utah where he lived for 45 years until his death in 1896.

Thomas Price Smith was a true and dedicated pioneering saint who had touched countless hearts and changed the lives of thousands of people who became latter-day saints in the Midlands, East Anglia and across the world in Utah.

His life story, now captured in this book, can still touch the lives of people today, if they will but open their hearts and take the time to read it.

An Incredible Prophecy by Rev W. W. Pym

Prior to 1847, East Anglia was groping in the dark with regards to the true identity of God and the fullness of the gospel, but in 1842, unknowingly to the speaker, an amazing prophecy was made by a local Church of England minister, Rev W. W. Pym.

On the 21st anniversary meeting of the Norfolk and Norwich association for promoting Christianity among the Jews, Rev Pym gave a speech relating to prophecies in the Bible, saying, chronologists had calculated the time God has appointed to set the children of Israel free, which was fast approaching. Some contended that it would take place between 1840 and 1850, while others fixed the time between 1844 and 1847. Rev Pym said he favoured the time period 1844 to 1847.

He went on to say, ‘though the period in which we live, together with the signs of the times, declare that the events anticipated