Joshua Williams's spiritual perseverance and success in Utah
Published October 5, 2026 at 1:52 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
Joshua Williams, a tailor by trade from England, experienced significant trials upon settling in Utah, including hunger, cold, and crop destruction by grasshoppers. Despite being initially unfitted for the harsh conditions, his unwavering faith allowed him to persevere. Over eight years, he transitioned through various manual labors before becoming successful, eventually owning a steam mill, a water mill, two farms, and other property, despite starting with nothing.
In Their Own Words
“I will say, if it had not been for an undying faith in my God, and His work, I should never have overcome the difficulties of such a life. ... I have suffered hunger and cold, have seen my children cry for bread, and did not have it to give them; have seen the grasshoppers eat up my last handful of grain and destroy a whole year’s labour in a few hours; have worked all summer to get a team, and had it die in the winter; in fact, have felt to say in my heart, “Oh Lord, how long shall this trial last?” and had it not been for a testimony of the truth still left, I should have fled from the country as from a plague. Yet the hand of the Lord has been in all, and to-day I know that He has never forgotten me. ... and I did not have one cent. in money or other property when I came here. — Millennial Star 32:3”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 18 January 1870 (Vol. 32, No. 3). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1870-01-18_32_3 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high)
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