British actress Elicia Allely Grist lived from 1827 to 1898. She joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in May 1853, approximately five months following her husband, John Grist’s conversion. Her decision to join the church came at a significant personal cost, as her parents responded by disinheriting her. Throughout their lives together, the Grist family relocated frequently across England and Ireland, residing in Birmingham, Dublin, and Liverpool.
The period in which Grist lived coincided with Britain’s Industrial Revolution, an era marked by sweeping economic, social, cultural, and political transformations. Among these changes was the invention of the steam printing press, which democratized access to printed materials and made them available to the expanding working class. This flourishing print culture provided a valuable public forum where individuals like Grist could articulate their values freely and document their religious experiences.