Sailing “The Old Ship Zion”: The Life of George D. Watt

Authors

Ronald G. Watt

Keywords

G. D. Watt, George Darling Watt

Abstract

George D. Watt was a prominent figure in nineteenth-century Utah, but because he apostatized from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he is now an obscure individual in Mormon history. Watt was baptized in England in 1837, and five years later, he and his wife arrived in Nauvoo. After returning to England to serve a mission, he arrived in Utah in 1851. His knowledge of shorthand was valuable for recording speeches from Church leaders, which were published in the Deseret News and Journal of Discourses, and was also useful for helping develop the Deseret Alphabet. He later became associated with the dissident Mormon group the Godbeites and was ultimately excommunicated in 1874. He was a remarkable man whose pride and impulsiveness were detrimental to his spirituality and his reputation.

Ronald G. Watt, “Sailing ‘The Old Ship Zion’: The Life of George D. Watt,” BYU Studies 18:1 (1977).

Recommended Citation

Watt, Ronald G. (1978) "Sailing “The Old Ship Zion”: The Life of George D. Watt," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 18: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol18/iss1/5