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John McCarthy From Records at Church Historian's Office
John McCarthy was born April 6, 1830, in Rathware, Sneaden, Ireland, the son of John McCarthy and Catherine Gaffney. John went to Australia, and while there heard the gospel preached by the missionaries who had been sent from Utah. Brother McCarthy believed this new religion and was baptized May 2, 1852, by Elder Chas. W. Wandell, in Sydney. He immediately commenced to preach the gospel, and at a quarterly conference held in Sydney, January 7, 1852, was sustained as a traveling Elder.
On September 7, 1855, Brother McCarthy sailed from Sydney, New South Wales, on the American bark "Julia Ann," bound for San Francisco, California, with 56 souls on board, 28 of whom, including two missionaries, were Latter-day Saints on their way to Utah. On October 3, about nine o'clock p.m., the vessel struck on reefs off Scilly Island. Shortly afterwards, the sea became broken, and in about an hour the vessel, with a tremendous crash, dashed head-on to a coral reef.
She immediately swung around with her broadside to the reef, and the sea made a complete breach over her at every swell. Directly after she struck, Captain Pond ordered all the passengers into the after-cabin. A scene of indescribable confusion followed as the steerage passengers rushed into the cabin, and several mothers were seen holding their undressed children in their arms as they snatched them from their slumbers. In a few moments the fear was in some measure delayed by a sailor who came to the cabin for a light, and who told the passengers that although the ship would be lost, their lives would be saved, as they were close to the reef.
By the aid of the "spanker boom" and the expert swimming of one of the sailors, a rope was carried ashore and fastened to the reef, by means of which many succeeded in making their escape in comparative safety, from the vessel. Five, however, were drowned. After working for three days in making a raft to convey them to the Scilly Isles (about 12 miles distant), the island was reached, but its only inhabitants were rats and sea-fowls; there was no fresh water to be seen in any direction.
By scraping holes, however, in the sand near the water's edge with a pearl shell, they were enabled to obtain water, which by filtration through sand was rendered comparatively fresh and palatable. They kindled a fire by the aid of a sun glass and roasted some shellfish and made a very light repast.
It was not until the 3rd of December 1855, that the unfortunate emigrants were taken from their lonely and exiled condition on the Scilly Islands by the untiring perseverance of Capt. Pond, connected with the charitable good feelings of Capt. Latham, master of the schooner "Emma Packer," who came to their relief. They were first taken to Huahine, one of the Society Islands, thence to Tahiti, where they were most kindly treated by the inhabitants.
Elder John McCarthy, after returning to Mopiti, commenced to preach the gospel there, found favor with King Tapoa, and soon had the satisfaction of baptizing the king's interpreter, Captain Delano, a Maltese by birth, who could speak seven languages. Brother McCarthy ordained this man an Elder and was enabled through him to preach to the natives, who received his testimony with much favor. After about three weeks' stay at Mopiti,
Elder McCarthy sailed for the island of Riatea, where he baptized a Spaniard by the name of Shaw and ordained him an Elder. He remained on that island two weeks, where he obtained passage for Tahiti in a French sloop, and from thence sailed for San Franciso, California, where he arrived April 14, 1856.
After arriving in Utah, Brother McCarthy settled in Smithfield, Utah, and on May 8, 1877, left for a mission to Europe (British Isles), where his missionary labors proved very successful. He returned home November 6, 1878. |