Instrumental in Translating the Book of Mormon

Portrait of Melitón González Trejo, ca. 1872–1874

Melitón González Trejo, an officer in the Spanish army from Cáceres province, heard about the Church from a fellow officer who spoke about a group of Saints in the Rocky Mountains who followed a prophet of God. His interest piqued, Trejo determined to travel to America to meet them.

He requested a transfer and was sent to the Philippines in 1872, hoping the assignment would allow him to more easily travel to America. Trejo became so busy, however, that he forgot why he had come. Two years later, he became ill and was hospitalized. In the hospital, Trejo remembered his reason for coming to the Philippines and prayed for direction. He decided to travel to the United States as soon as possible.

Trejo arrived in San Francisco on July 4, 1874, and made his way to Salt Lake City. When he arrived, he met a Brother Blanchard who taught foreign languages at Brigham Young Academy. Blanchard taught him the gospel in Spanish and introduced him to Brigham Young.

Before Trejo arrived, Young had asked Daniel Webster Jones to translate excerpts from the Book of Mormon into Spanish for publication. Jones had learned Spanish on a mission to Mexico, but it was only with Trejo’s help that the translation was able to be completed. Trozos Selectos del Libro de Mormon was published in 1875. Later, Trejo and James Z. Stewart were called to translate the entire Book of Mormon into Spanish. It was published in 1886.