However, within the next few decades the country expanded rapidly, particularly during the Napoleonic wars, which required a lot of raw materials provided by mining towns in Wales like Merthyr Tydfil or Aberdare.

[4] This prosperity halted when the war ended and demand for Welsh products like coal and wool fell, which drove a large migration of workers to the industrial towns.

Davis printed several Mormon periodicals influential among the Welsh Saints, most notably the "Udgorn Seion," which he edited from 1849 until his emigration in 1854.

[12] He wore many hats during this time, acting in the roles of "editor, author, bookseller, preacher, counselor, scribe, secretary and church doctor."

In addition to translating, he wrote many edifying tracts expounding and defending Latter-day Saint beliefs, as well as a hymnbook with over 500 songs, many of which were his own composition.

His dealings with the Latter-day Saints in the Welsh mission brought him into circles with early Mormon leaders such as F. D. Richards, Erastus Snow, and future prophet John Taylor.

The Latter-day Saint missionaries had been proselytizing there for more than a decade without the benefit of a Welsh translation of the Book of Mormon because the language was not widely spoken in the farming communities surrounding this small branch, and hence not needed.

Davis’s exposure to proper grammar, exposition of ideas, logic, and to the printing world in general, equipped him well to serve as editor of all church publications in Wales.

Instead of translating it all at once, Davis released a 16-page “signature” every other week in the Udgorn Seion (Zion’s Trumpet) which contained part of the scripture.

On 26 July 1851, a month before finishing the Doctrine and Covenants, Davis started gathering subscriptions for the translation of the Book of Mormon.

Davis encouraged his team of distributors and church leaders to be very aggressive in getting subscriptions, but by 6 Sep 1851 they had only 1,223 signatures and decided to delay the printing.

As early as November 1853, Davis and his family started preparations for their emigration to the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah.

He closed his accounts and transferred operational management of the Welsh mission and printing presses to Captain Dan Jones.

The passengers spent their time on the voyage with entertainment including mock trials, dancing, band music, weddings, and daily religious meetings.

The company made their way by steamboat and wagon to St. Louis, Missouri, where they remained for three weeks gathering provisions for the trek westward across the Great Plains.

[23] Almost immediately after the Davises reached Salt Lake City, Davis started teaching English to the new Welsh Saints.

The next day, they received word of general Albert S. Johnston's army approaching the Great Salt Lake Valley during the Utah War.

Various Christian sects, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) started printing large amounts of tracts, pamphlets, books, translations, and hymnals expounding their doctrines.

Although these efforts were ecumenical at the opening of the nineteenth century, by mid-century the printers started showing more interest in denominational printing.

Shortly before he was killed, Smith told Captain Dan Jones, "you shall have $1100, and the start for Wales, not with your fingers in your mouth but prepared to buy a press, and do business aright.

When he emigrated to the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1854, he took his printing expertise with him and established presses, periodicals, and newspapers throughout the Western United States[30] In addition to his personal writings such as his songs, he also worked professionally with both secular and religious printing establishments such as the "Deseret News," "Valley Tan" and "The Mountaineer" (later called the "Daily Herald").

He was unemployed for one year until he and his wife, Elizabeth, opened a small store in their two-story house with one hundred dollars she had saved without his knowledge.