Andrew Sprowl was born in the town of Paisley, Scotland, on either the 15 or 16 of February 1816, depending on which records are consulted. His parents, Francis and Ann, were poor but honest people. Around seven years old Andrew went to work in a mill to help support his family as his other siblings had done. Prior to starting work, Andrew had three months of education during which he was taught the alphabet and to “read a little”. At age eight he was an assistant weaver helping his older brother. Ten years later, he completed an apprenticeship and became a weaver in his own right.
By the nineteenth century weaving was the predominant industry for Paisley.1 The population lived in poor, cramped conditions that were not conducive to healthy living. Urban residents in Scottish towns and cities were more vulnerable to tuberculosis, gastrointestinal disease, and other illnesses than those living in rural areas.2
The 1840s were also a difficult time for weavers in Paisley. There was a steady stream of people arriving in Scottish towns and cities looking for work. Industrialisation had created many jobs but working and living conditions had worsened. The millwork that many found themselves engaged in involved long hours, hard work, and was always subject to wider economic conditions.
In 1841 the Gilmour Street train station was opened which offered connections to parts of Ayrshire and Greenock. Two years later, however, the town was declared bankrupt on account of a financial crisis. Times were not easy and progress was not linear.
Latter-day Saints in early Victorian Paisley
Religion did not have an active role in the Sprowl family’s daily life Andrew later described himself as having a conception that there was “a power that controled[sic] men & things above that of the power of men…” from a young age.3
In the spring of 1840, Latter-day Saint missionaries Samuel Mulliner and Alexander Wright arrived in Paisley. The two native Scots had joined the church in Canada but had come to Scotland to begin proclaiming the restored gospel there.
On 4 May 1840, Andrew was baptised by Alexander Wright and later that week, on 8 May, Andrew was confirmed a member of the Church by Orson Pratt.4 The next day, on 9 May 1840, a Latter-day Saint congregation was organised in Paisley. Andrew's brother, Francis, had been baptised by Latter-day Saint missionaries a month earlier. When the branch was organised the congregation was described as numbering sixty people.5 A conference held in July 1840 reported five branches and more than 100 members in the Paisley area.6
A contemporary provided the following description of the Paisley branch in 1841:7
Dear Brother,—There is nothing but love and unity in our midst, and all is life and joy. We have laid seige [sic] to the empire of Satan, and expect, with the help of God, to reap a plentiful harvest of souls. We take four stations on Sunday mornings in the town, and then two go to Nielston. They have broken ground there, and baptised the first last week. 2 go to Barshead, where some are making enquiry, but none baptised yet. 2 more start for Renfrew. They have baptised, I think, 17 in that place. They organised that branch last Sabbath. You see we, are all at work, and the Lord is blessing us abundantly, which gives us great joy.
Conditions in Paisley in 1841-1843
Andrew’s mission coincided with a crisis that struck the town of Paisley from 1841-1843. A financial crisis hit the town which had been caused by the Panic of 1837 that had begun in America. Sixty-seven of Paisley’s 123 manufacturers were made bankrupt and the town council declared itself insolvent. At one time around a quarter of the town’s population was reliant on poor relief to survive.8
The human consequence of the economic crisis was of real concern. Paisley had a well-established history as a town of political radicalism. Chartists in the town were divided between the use of moral force and physical force. Opposition to Westminster’s diktats was firmly embedded in the town’s social memory and there was a ready tendency to challenge the social order when things were not right.9
When the economic downturn hit Paisley in 1841 the entire community was affected. British government officials recognised the threat to social order in Paisley and worked to try and improve the situation. A new Poor Law Act was passed in 1845, Queen Victoria was “persuaded to buy and wear a number of Paisley shawls and dresses”, which came as an attempt to popularise the product for the economic benefit of the town. The town also received large amounts of charitable aid. In a seven-month period in 1842, the town received almost more than one-third of the charitable aid given in the whole country which came to more than £12,000.10
It was in this context of an economic disaster that Andrew and others were proclaiming the restored gospel in Paisley and surrounding communities.11
Missionary experiences
Andrew Sprowl started to keep a journal shortly after his conversion.12 He documented his proselyting efforts after being ordained a Priest in 1841 and assigned to preach the gospel in nearby communities. The journal primarily captured his doings on a Sunday which often involved travelling to Neilston and other nearby communities to preach.
The route became a familiar one for Andrew. He had walked it most weeks as he preached to a fledgling congregation in Neilston. In August 1841 Andrew and William were headed to Neilston when they learned about Parley P. Pratt’s letter to Queen Victoria. William recorded:
…it caused some of the servants of Satan to snarl & show us their teeth but thanks be to God they have not the power to bite yet.13
The two men went on to visit George Caldwell who was “the first fruit of our labours here” and they held a meeting with a small audience. He was baptised in August 1841 and
In late August Andrew became ill with scarlet fever.
I got hands laid on & got better but went to work to soon & fell back, after 4 weeks illness I got better & on Sunday, October 4th, 1841, I resumed my labours & priched [sic] in the morning along with B. Camble at the west end of Paisley.
Later that year, in December 1841, Andrew and his companion, William Gibson, walked from Paisley to Neilston, which was approximately a two-hour walk. It rained the entire journey and Andrew remarked that they were drenched to the skin. The two missionaries got dry and were “non [sic] the wors [sic], thank God.”
Andrew’s journal captured a range of experiences as part of his missionary work. On 24 October 1841, he and William were in Neilston where they addressed a small gathering of people before presenting the sacrament.
B. Bibson [sic] bore testimony & after briking [sic] of bread & drinking of win, Elder Rew confirmed a brother & sister Eccels into the Church of God we held meeting at night & we spake to the Saints of the coming of Christ from the prophets & of thare [sic] duty to wards one another.
The Lord’s Supper, as Andrew and many of his contemporaries referred to it, was a regular occurrence in their Sunday afternoon meetings in Neilston.
When Andrew and William experienced low attendance at meetings they took the problem to their senior brethren. They were counselled to have bills printed that could be distributed advertising the Church’s principles. An agreement for space in a nearby tavern was reneged on when it was discovered that they were Latter-day Saints. Eventually, a small room was secured above the Caldwell’s home and efforts to spread and administer the Church in Neilston became increasingly co-ordinated.
There were some baptisms, but not huge crowds. The work was slow and progress took considerable effort, but in Neilston and in other nearby places such as Charleston the work moved forward.
A longing for home
Eventually, on 7 January 1851 Andrew left the British Isles and struck out to America to join the main body of the Saints with his family. After years of faithful service, he bid his beloved homeland goodbye. Leaving behind the difficult social, religious, and economic conditions he sought to gather with the Saints and help build Zion. Like many other pioneers, Andrew found the journey of crossing the plains difficult. He buried his wife, Mary, in Florence, Nebraska, and eventually made it to Salt Lake City where he settled in Sugarhouse.14 Mary's death was a bitter pill for him to swallow. After her death, he took his two children and explained that:
“God knows all things from the beginning, and He will not be unjust with any of his children. He will heal our wounds and our great sacrifice will, in the future, bring us a great blessing and a glorious reward.”
Later he was sealed to Mary and his children in the Endowment House. While kneeling at the altar Andrew felt Mary’s presence.
“The feeling of peace and joy which filled the house while President D. H. Wells was speaking the words pertaining to the sealing was above anything I have ever felt. God was there!”
A keen musician, Andrew often sang songs from his native Scotland. He also played in a band and was a talented musician. The following is a song he composed of his wistful longing for his native Scotland.
There’s a wee choose on the hillside, that I haven’t seen for years.
I’ve an awful longing feeling, and my eyes grow dim with tears.
When I think on all the happy days, I spent beside that spot,
And the games we played as ladies there, twill never be forgot.
There’s a wee hoose, mang the heather, there’s a wee hoose on the lea,
There’s a lassie in that wee hoose, waiting patiently for me.
She’s the picture of perfection, Oh, I may can tell a lee.
If you saw her ye would love her just the same as me.
Though I’m far away fra Scotland, and the scenes held in my heart,
There’s a beat for the old country in every pulse I feel.
Though other lands are bonnie and other fols are kind,
There’s one scene and one only that is ever on my mind….
There’s a wee hoose, mang the heather, there’s a wee hoose on the lea,
There’s a lassie in that wee hoose, waiting patiently for me.
She’s the picture of perfection, Oh, I may can tell a lee.
If you saw her ye would love her just the same as me.
Andrew never did return to Scotland, but his native land stayed in his heart until he died in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 25 April 1886.
Jim Hunter, ‘The Paisley Textile Industry, 1695-1830,’ Costume, Vol. 10, No. 1 (1976), pp. 1-15.
Peter Greaves, ‘Regional differences in the mid-Victorian diet and their impact on health,’ Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Open, Vol. 9, No. 3 (2018), pp. 1-6.
Andrew Sproul, life history in his journal, MS 1881, bx. 1, fd. 1, CHL,
Paisley Branch Membership Records, CR 375 8, bx. 6331, fd. 1, CHL.
‘News from the Elders,’ The Latter-day Saints Millennial Star, Vol. 1, No. 2 (1840), p. 44.
‘Minutes of the General Conference,’ The Latter-day Saints Millennial Star, Vol. 1, No. 3 (1840), p. 68.
‘Editorial Remarks,’ The Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, Vol. 2, No. 5 (1841), p. 77.
Tony Dickson and Tony Clarke, ‘Social Concern and Social Control in Nineteenth Century Scotland: Paisley 1841-1843,’ The Scottish Historical Review, Vol. 65, No. 179 (1986), p. 49.
Ibid, pp. 48-60.
Ibid, p. 50.
A. Dickson and W. Speirs, ‘Changes in class structure in Paisley, 1750-1845,’ The Scottish Historical Review, Vol. 59, No. 167 (1980), p. 71.
Andrew Sprowl, typescript journal, (n.p.), MS 1881, bx. 1, fd. 1, CHL.
William Gibson, typescript journal, 22 August 1841 (n.p.), p. 3.
Annie Sproul Jolley, ‘Andrew’s Faith,’ from FamilySearch.