The Biography of Ann (Jones) Lewis

By Martha Lewis

Mother Ann Lewis was born January 4, 1864, daughter of David and Mary Jones at Pencader, South Wales, the oldest child of a family of nine children.

Ann and her brother, David S., sailed with their parents across the Atlantic Ocean, taking six weeks to make the trip to America.

They landed in New York and Grandma Jones, their mother, was very sick. As soon as her health would permit, they journeyed westward in a covered wagon. Grandpa walked most of the way, carrying David S. on his back across the plains.

They settled in Willard and lived with Dave Edward's father and mother first winter. Grandpa worked as a carpenter and built the first Grist Mill in Willard and later built many of the homes, some of which still stand.

Grandmother rented a peach orchard from Titus Davis, grandfather of Dick Davis, and ran it on shares; she dried $100.00 worth of peaches in one summer.

In the fall they moved to a farm in North Willard where Tom S. was born. They had no furniture except the table, chairs and clothes chest Grandfather made; their bed was a pile of straw and blankets in one corner. The stove was a fireplace in which they burned the sagebrush they gathered by the roadside.

One day Grandpa went to Brigham to get Grandma a little tea and sugar. He paid $1.50 for a pound of sugar and $1.00 for 1/2 lb. of tea. While he was gone, Grandmother took a chill. Ann, only a little girl, piled sagebrush on the fire and the chimney caught ablaze. Thank fortune Uncle Tom and Stephen came just in time to save their home. The washing had been done that day and the water was still in the basement and he found it very handy to throw on the fire.

Uncle John and Aunt Jane were also born in Willard.

In the early spring of 1874, they moved to Malad and lived in a one-room log house owned by Tom Stephens where Uncle Evan Jones was born. Soon after this, Grandfather took up a 160-acre farm on Devil Creek and a little later bought a lot from David Stephens Sr. and built the home in which Uncle Dannie, Aunt Mary Ellen and Aunt Sally were born.

When the family moved to St. John, Mother Lewis was twelve years old. Then there was no school or church house so she with her friends walked to Malad to school. She was a lovely girl; always full of life and her sunny disposition won her many a friend.

Later Mother Lewis was chosen 1st Counselor of the first M.I.A., Catherine Lewis being the president. She was also secretary to the Relief Society many years. She was married to William D. Lewis, August 23, 1882, at the home of her father by Richard R. Evans. They had a lovely turkey supper and received many beautiful and useful gifts, among them were a shovel, mop stick, broom and bucket given by David S. Thomas.

They moved to their little home, which consisted of a one-room log house. Everyone loved to visit this little home. It was always clean and brightly decorated with beautiful flowers, for Mother has always had the gift of growing flowers.

Children came to bless this home and as the family grew, the house grew also until they boasted of four rooms, with roses boarding the little path to welcome everyone.

Eleven children were born and raised in this house and in 1907, they built the house she lives in today; it has always been a home to everyone. Many are the young girls and boys who have stayed and taken of the hospitality of this patient and kind mother.

In 1910, Elmer was born and at that time Mother Lewis wondered how she could raise another child, but he grew up to be such a comfort and help to his mother, for when he was eleven years old, his father died ending a life of a most thoughtful and loving husband and father. The home was sad and lonely, as Father Lewis was a man who was always home and helping in every way he could.

Three years later her son George's wife, Janie, died, leaving three children for Mother to raise. She worked hard to keep them clean and well fed, nurs­ing them when ill and trying every way to help the tiny tots to forget the loneliness they felt from losing their darling mother. She sewed, mended and work­ed and made a happy home for them. She kept Ruth, the baby, until she married two years ago.

She served as president of the Religion Class for several years.

She moved to Logan to put Elmer through college, staying four years, at which time she was House Mother in the Fraternity House, mothering fourteen to eighteen boys. She gave them their meals and a mother's love and advice.

Later she moved to Bozeman, Montana, at which place she lived three years enjoying the companion­ship of her three sons, who lived there.

She came back the spring of 1938, to enjoy her old home and her children who lived there and her many, many kind friends and loved ones.

Her home was not left untouched by the awful war. She contributed one son and fourteen grandsons, three of whom are still serving overseas.

She is now 82 years old, enjoying life as only one can with the sunny disposition she has. Her health isn't the best, but considering the work, worry and trouble she has seen, she is a wonder to me.

May God bless her, so we can keep her many years yet to enjoy her motherly counsel and love.

(From St. John, Oneida County, Idaho: A collection of personal histories from the time of the first settlers to the present day, p. 199.)