Louis A. Bertrand: A French Convert Who Translated the Book of Mormon into His Tongue (1850s-1860s)

Louis Auguste Bertrand (born John Francis Elias Flandin) was an early leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in France. Soon after his baptism he played a pivotal role in the translation of the Book of Mormon into French, and he also translated the Doctrine and Covenants, placing the scriptures of the Restoration into the tongue of his nation. He later served as president of the French Mission and oversaw its closure in 1859-64 amid the hardships of the Second Empire. His wife, however, did not share his faith, and he carried that sorrow even as he carried the gospel to his countrymen. His labors are a faith-promoting witness that the Lord gives to His faithful converts the labor of translation, that the Book of Mormon might go forth in every tongue, and that this sacred work is often borne at the cost of the translator's own hearth.

Fuller account of this event (as retold in France: Stories of Faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints):

In Paris, the missionaries spent their time translating the Book of Mormon into French, preaching occasional sermons, and meeting with Parisians who were curious about the Mormons. In the midsummer of 1850, John Taylor and Curtis Bolton stopped at the offices of Le Populaire, the newspaper of Étienne Cabet, founder of the communitarian Icarians. There they met a charismatic editor calling himself Louis Alphonse Bertrand. Forty-two-year-old Bertrand was an idealistic man who had spent much of his life in search of adventure and freedom. Born Jean-François Élie Flandin, he assumed the name Louis Bertrand to protect his family when he became active in radical politics. These six converts became the core of the first branch in Paris. Bertrand became a fierce advocate for the Church in France. Shortly after his baptism, Bertrand was dismissed from his post at Le Populaire. He began assisting Curtis Bolton in producing L’Étoile du Déséret ( Star of Deseret ), the French-language organ of the Church, and translating the Book of Mormon into French. Early in 1851, John Taylor was forced to flee the country after publishing a pamphlet entitled “The Kingdom of God,” which was seen as politically inflammatory.