Evans, Catherine (Deer) - Biography

CATHERINE DEER EVANS

My maternal grandmother was born 1 February 1846 in the town of Neath, Glamorganshire, Wales to David Deer and Margaret Jones. She died 16 August 1909 in Logan, Utah.

Grandma Evans was a fine looking woman with beautiful gray hair. She had a stately carriage and a love for the cultural or finer things of life. She had a tragic life in many ways. Her mother, Margaret Jones, died when she was three years old. Her father's second marriage was to Catherine Davis. They had a large family. Grandmother spent much of her time helping with the care of these children; consequently she learned very little about keeping house. She came to America with her family when a young girl of nineteen.

They landed in America the day that Lincoln was assassinated, 14 April 1865.

I know very little of her meeting or romance with her first husband, my

grandfather, Elias Clarkson. His parents never came to America, but he had a brother in St. Louis, William Clarkson. Grandma's folks lived in a mining town called Coalbranch just north of Alton, Madison County, Illinois. Mother remembers going to her grandmother Deer's place many times. She remembers especially living with this Grandmother before they came to Utah.

Grandma had left her husband and gone to live with her stepmother. Her father, David Deer, died in 1868 just three years after coming to America. He longed to go to Idaho to see his oldest daughter Mary who had joined the LDS Church as a young woman. She had left her native land along with some other converts and missionaries. On arrival in America they joined a company that crossed the plains and entered Salt Lake Valley in 1854 or 1855. David Deer died before this wish was fulfilled, but Grandma and her children were destined to cast their lot with the Mormons. She had three children at this time. Mother was the oldest, then Aunt Agnes and the baby, David George. She had lost a little boy two years old of pneumonia and he was buried in Alton.

It seems this stepmother, Catherine Davis Deer, was very kind to Grandma and her children. She gave her a room in her home to fix up into a little store so that she could earn enough money to visit her sister, Mary, in Idaho. Of their first impressions when coming to Utah, mother has written in her story. She was then a child of nine years. They arrived in Ogden in 1877 and were met by Aunt Mary and her son, Sam Davis, who took them in a covered wagon to their home in Samaria, Idaho. They lived with Aunt Mary for a while and joined the Church. Grandma and mother were baptized on the same day. Leaving the children in Samaria, the two sisters, Mary and Catherine, went to stake conference in Brigham City, Utah.

At this time Samaria belonged to Box Elder Stake. They had dinner at the home of John Evans. Other guests that day were Jonah Evans and Samuel Morgan, a brother of my grandfather, David Morgan. Jonah fell in love with Grandma at first sight. The next day he invited the crowd to his home for dinner. There he proposed marriage to Grandma and she, being lonely, was attracted to this fine man. They were married by Apostle Lorenzo Snow who later became President of the Church. Aunt Mary went back to Samaria without her sister and told the children they had a new papa. Later Jonah and his bride came to Samaria for the children. Jonah was a widower with a family of boys. He was supervisor of the Co-op farm two and one-half miles north of Brigham City. Here they lived in a home of dobie and brick, the new part being brick. Mother and Aunt Agnes slept on a lounge in the big kitchen and the boys in two tiny bedrooms. Three years later Apostle Lorenzo Snow sent Jonah to Samaria to be the Bishop. They had a large frame house. Just north across the street and east on that block lived the David Morgan family. The David Bowen family lived just west on the same block.

Grandma had six children by Jonah Evans, three of whom died when small children, a little boy, Milton, and two little girls, Frances and Esther. The boy died of pneumonia and the girls of measles just eight days apart. Irene, Fanny and Ethel reached maturity. Grandma Evans had many deaths in her family and much heartache as well as all the hardships of pioneer life. Bishop Evans later married a young woman just slightly older than mother. Grandma had raised his large family of boys as well as her own children, so it must have been a great trial to her to live in polygamy. She was separated from Bishop Evans, just what the cause was I don't really know, but he called for her on his death bed and asked her forgiveness. She was really in love with this man and must have felt great joy in the reunion if only for a short time.

Later she married Robert Wilson of Brigham City. He lived only a year after their marriage so Grandma was again left a widow and homeless. He willed much of his property to her, but his family broke the will and took most of it away from her.

I remember her best when she was older. She came often to our home in Logan and would stay for a month or two at a time. During her later years she lived with her children and often stayed with Judge Call's family in Brigham City. She sewed for them, and they treated her as one of the family. We loved to have her come to our home. She liked novels, and mother would read aloud to her while she sat and sewed quilt blocks or carpet rags or did the patching and darning for the family. She gave us kids a toothbrush each and showed us how to use it. She always liked to have us wash up nice and comb our hair for meal time. She had nice table manners. She always spoke in a low voice and hated coarse manners or talk. She never ate much. She always quit eating while she was still comfortable. She was a staunch Republican. I remember walking downtown with her to a big Republican rally before a presidential election. I was too young to vote then; anyway my folks were Democrats.

Grandma died in our home in Logan. Mother was washing as Grandma seemed better that morning. I sensed that she wanted to tell mama something although she couldn't speak. I called mother and she sent for a neighbor, Fanny Morgan, to come as Grandma was worse. They raised her up for a drink of water, and she died before they could lay her down again. She was sixty-three years old. They took her to Samaria for her funeral and burial.

- Catherine Morgan Hess, Granddaughter