Jane Elizabeth Manning James

Jane Elizabeth Manning (samples long 1822–1908) i bin wan long ol faef pikinini we oli bon insaed long famli blong wan fri Afrika- Amerika kapol long Konektikat, long wan taem we plante long ol blak pipol insaed long Yunaeted Stet, oli bin stap olsem ol slef.¹ Olsem wan yang adalt, hem i bin joenem Niu Kanan Kongregesen Jos long 1841, be 18 manis afta, long Winta blong yia 1842–43, wetem samfala memba blong famli blong hem, mo hem, oli bin baptaes insaed long Jos Ia blong Jisas Kraes blong Ol Lata-dei Sent. I no longtaem afta, Jane wetem ol narawan insaed long famli blong hem, oli bin wantem joenem Ol Sent long Nauvu, mekem se oli aot long Konektikat, mo travel i go long Niu Yok, mo oli bin plan blong travel long ol stim bot mo ol kanal bot. Be, oli no bin letem olgeta long sip from se oli bin blak, mekem se oli mas wokbaot long kolosap 1288 kilometa ia we i stap. Long Peoria, Ilinoa, ol lokol atoriti oli bin askem kwestin long Famli Mannings, se oli ol slef we oli ronwe o no, mo oli bin askem ol pepawok blong olgeta blong pruvum se oli fri. Fasin blong agensem man from kala blong skin, i bin wan samting we bae i kam blokem Jane long ful laef blong hem.

Foto blong fes blong Jane Manning James

Fes blong Jane Manning James.

Jos Histri Laebri mo Akaev i glad blong serem

Taem hem i bin kasem Nauvu, kwiktaem Jane i kam fren wetem Josef mo Ema Smit. Hem i bin laef wetem tufala mo i bin wok insaed long haos blong tufala. Long wan taem, Ema i bin invaetem Jane blong i akseptem se bae oli adoptem hem olsem wan pikinini, i kam insaed long Smit famli, mo hemia tru long wan prishud siling.² Jane i no bin akseptem, hemia from hem i no bin andastanem niufala praktis ia, be hem i bin biliv strong long rol blong Josef olsem wan profet. Samtaem afta, hem i bin talem: “Mi bin save Profet Josef. Hem i wan man we i stret mo i gud tumas; i no gat wan narawan we mi bin luk we i olsem long wol ia. … Mi save stret se hem i bin wan profet, from se mi save hemia.”³

Tru long ol storian wetem Josef mo wetem mama blong hem, Lusi Mak Smit, Jane i bin lanem moa abaot Buk blong Momon mo translesen wok blong hem, mo i kam blong andastanem mo respektem ol odinens blong tempol.

Jane i bin maredem Isaac James, wan blak konvet we i gat fri laef, mo hem i blong Niu Jesi. Tufala, wetem boe blong Jane, Sylvester, oli bin aot long Nauvu long 1846 oli go long Wes wetem Ol Sent. Long manis Jun long yia ia, boe blong Jane mo Isaac, Silas, i bon i kam long wol ia. Long nekis yia blong hem, famli ia i bin krosem ol flat ples, mo oli kasem Sol Lek Vale long samples Septemba blong yia 1847. Isaac mo Jane, tufala i gat sikis moa pikinini, mo tu (2) long olgeta nomo i bin laef i longwan i bitim Jane. Semmak olsem ol narawan we oli bin kam stap long Sol Lek Vale, Jane mo Isaac i bin wok had blong lukluk long famli blong tufala. Isaac i bin wok olsem wan wokman, mo wanwan taem, i draevem hankat blong Brigham Yang, mo Jane i bin stap wivim ol klos, i mekem ol klos, mo i wasem klos, olsem we hem i bin mekem long Nauvu.

Raorao blong tufala i bin mekem se Isaac mo Jane i divos long 1870. Afta long hemia, Jane i bin mared sot taem wetem wan foma slef, Frank Perkins, be i no longtaem afta, i gohed blong stap olsem wan singgel mama mo bubuwoman. Nid long saed blong mane mo ded blong ol trifala pikinini blong hem i mekem se Jane i gobak wok. Hem i bin mekem mo salem sop, mo tufala nara boe blong hem oli wok olsem ol wokman. Long 1890, afta we hem i bin stap longwe blong 20 yia, Isaac i kambak long Sol Lek Siti, i kambak long Jos, mo i gat wan gudfala rilesensip wetem Jane. Taem hem i ded wan yia afta, oli bin holem fenerol seves blong Isaac long hom blong Jane.

Truaot long ol hadtaem blong laef blong hem, Jane i gohed blong komitim hem long fet blong hem long ol tijing blong gospel, mo i tekem se membasip blong hem insaed long Jos, i impoten tumas. Hem i mekem ol donesen i go long wok blong bildim tempol, mo i bin tekpat long Rilif Sosaeti mo Young Ladies’ Retrenchment Sosaeti (Sosaeti blong Ol Woman we Oli Sapotem Wok blong Laef Simpol).⁴ Jane i bin gat janis blong gat fulap eksperiens wetem ol presen blong Spirit, mo hem i bin gat ol visen, ol drim, ol hiling tru long fet, mo i toktok ol lanwis. Samtaem afta long laef blong hem, hem i bin raetem: “Fet blong mi long Gospel blong Jisas Kraes, i strong nomo i stap tedei. No. Sapos i posibol, ating i moa strong bitim dei ia we mi bin baptaes.”⁵

Bitwin 1884 mo 1904, Jane i bin stap toktok o raet oltaem i go long ol lida blong Jos—Jon Teila, Wilfod Wudrof, Sina D. H. Yang, mo Josef F. Smit— mo i bin askem raet blong hem i kasem tempol endaomen blong hem, mo blong hem i save sil.⁶ Long tetaem ia, ol blak man mo woman we oli ol Lata-dei Sent, oli no bin gat raet blong tekpat long plante long ol odinens blong tempol. Long 1888, stek presiden Angus M. Cannon i bin givim raet long Jane blong hem i mekem ol baptaes blong ol famli blong hem we oli bin ded finis.⁷ Long en, ol lida blong Jos oli bin letem hem blong hem i sil, tru long proksi wok, blong hem i joenem famli blong Josef Smit, taem we hem i bin wan wokman blong olgeta long 1894, we i wan samting we i bin hapen wan taem ia nomo. I nomata se hem i no bin kasem tempol endaomen o famli siling long taem we hem i bin laef, ol odinens ia, oli bin mekem long bihaf blong hem long 1979.⁸

Hem i bin ded long 16 Epril 1908, taem hem i bin gat 95 yia, mo i bin oltaem wan fetful Lata-dei Sent. Deseret News i givim ripot se: “I gat samfala pipol we oli bin luksave olgeta se oli gat moa fet mo oli moa fetful bitim Jane Manning James; mo nomata se hem i wan simpol woman, namba blong ol fren mo ol pipol we hem i save olgeta, i bitim ol handred.”⁹

Ol Risos blong Jos

James Goldberg, “The Autobiography of Jane Manning James: Seven Decades of Faith and Devotion,” Dec. 11, 2013, history.lds.org.

Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, “Jane Manning James,” Ensign, Aug. 1979, 26–29.

Laef Stori

Olgeta buk ia oli givim moa infomesen abaot topik ia. Taem yu go lukluk olgeta, o yu yusum risos ia, mifala i no meksua o talem se wanem i stap insaed o ol tingting blong hem we i raet, i stret.

Jane Elizabeth Manning James autobiography, samples long 1902, we oli talem long Elizabeth J. D. Roundy, Jos Histri Laebri, Sol Lek Siti.

Ol Not

1. Mama blong Jane i bin stap olsem wan slef, be hem i bin kam fri tru long loa blong Konektikat we i bin letem hemia blong hapen. Jane i bon i kam long wol ia, olsem wan fri woman, be fasin blong stap wan slef i bin wan samting we i bin folem loa long stet ia, kasem taem we Jane i bin aot. Blong save abaot bigfala laef blong Jane, luk long Henry J. Wolfinger, “A Test of Faith: Jane Elizabeth Manning James and the Origins of the Utah Black Community,” insaed long Clark Knowlton, ed., Social Accommodation in Utah (Salt Lake City: University of Utah, 1975), 126–75 mo Quincy D. Newell, “The Autobiography and Interview of Jane Elizabeth Manning James,” Journal of Africana Religions, vol. 1, no. 2 (2013), 251–91.

2. Leta blong Sina D. H. Yang i go long Josef F. Smit, 15 Jen 1894, Jos Histri Laebri, Sol Lek Siti.

3. “‘Aunt’ Jane James,” insaed long “Joseph Smith, the Prophet,” Young Woman’s Journal, vol. 16, no. 12 (Dec. 1905), 551, 553.

4. Eighth Ward Relief Society Minutes and Records, 1867–1969, Eighth Ward, Liberty Stake, Aug. 20, 1874; Oct. 20, 1874; Dec. 21, 1874; Jan. 20, 1875; Mar. 22, 1875; May 20, 1875; Nov. 20, 1875, vol. 1, Church History Library, Salt Lake City [blong wan smol taem, Jane i bin yusum famli nem ia, Perkins]; “Ladies Semi-monthly Meeting,” Woman’s Exponent, vol. 22, no. 9 (Dec. 1, 1893), 66. Jane i bin givim mane i go long wok blong stap bildim ol tempol blong Sent Joj mo Mantae, mo i bin helpem Lamanaet (Indien) Misin. Luk long Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, “Jane Manning James,” Ensign, Aug. 1979, 29.

5. Laef stori blong Jane Elizabeth Manning James, samples long 1902, we oli bin talem long Elizabeth J. D. Roundy, Jos Histri Laebri, Sol Lek Siti, 22.

6. Leta blong Jane E. James i go long Jon Teila, 27 Dis 1884; Leta blong Jane E. James i go long Josef F. Smit, 7 Feb 1890; Leta blong Jane E. James i go long Josef F. Smit, 31 Ogis 1903.

7. Leta blong Angus M. Cannon i go long Jane E. James, June 16, 1888; luk tu long Tonya Reiter, “Black Saviors on Mount Zion: Proxy Baptisms and Latter-day Saints of African Descent,” Journal of Mormon History, vol. 43, no. 4 (Oct. 2017), 100–123.

8. Laef stori blong Jane Elizabeth Manning James, samples long 1902. Jane i bin talem laef stori blong hem blong oli raetem; hem i bin talem long Sol Lek Siti, samtaem bitwin 1902 mo 1908; Ronald G. Coleman mo Darius A. Gray, “Two Perspectives: The Religious Hopes of ‘Worthy’ African American Latter-day Saints before the 1978 Revelation,” insaed long Newell G. Bringhurst and Darron T. Smith, eds., Black and Mormon (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2004), 54. Luk tu long Quincy D. Newell, “The Autobiography and Interview of Jane Manning James,” Journal of Africana Religions, vol. 1, no. 2 (2013), 256, 275 (note 34).

9. “Death of Jane Manning James,” Deseret News, Apr. 16, 1908.