Malad Valley Pioneers

BEN DAVIS EVANS

(Contributed by Mrs. Hanna Deschamps)

Ben David Evans, son of Thomas L. Evans and Jane Edwards, was born in Yatalfia, Glamorganshire, South Wales, on March 15, 1844.  He started working in the tin-works at the age of eight years, where he remained until he immigrated to America in the spring of 1866, with his mother and sister, to join his father and older sister who had come to this country two years previous.

They came on the sailing vessel, “John Bright,” and it required five weeks and three days to make the journey across the Atlantic Ocean.  They landed at Castle Garden, N.Y., and continued their journey to St. Joseph, Mo., then up the Missouri River to Nebraska City.  After remaining there five or six weeks they began their journey by mule team under Captain Ricks.  After a long and perilous journey across the plains, encountering a great deal of trouble and privation, they arrived in Salt Lake Valley in the summer of 1866, where they joined their loved ones.

For a short time Mr. Evans worked there assisting William and Morgan Davis, plasterers, but in a few weeks, he with his father’s family, moved to Malad, arriving in the fall of 1866.  In the following spring he obtained employment with the Western Union Telegraph Company between Salt Lake City and Cheyenne, Wyo.  From there he was transferred to Montana.  After working for the company three years he became foreman and for many years was known as “Telegraph Ben.”

He was married Oct. 10, 1872 to Mary Jane Jones, a pioneer of 1865 to Malad.  They were married in the Endowment House at Salt Lake City.  He remained foreman for the company for 14 years and, at intervals, was permitted to return home to visit his family and plant his crops as he had obtained a farm some four miles east of Samaria, near his father’s.  This did not bring him much satisfaction for quite frequently he would see his efforts consumed by grasshoppers.  Finally, becoming tired of being separated from his family, he returned and resorted to farming which occupation he followed until he retired of old age.

While living on the farm, the family was a happy one as Mr. Evans was of a very cheerful disposition.  Quite frequently at night he would gather his family about him and engage in singing and story telling, both being arts he knew quite well.  Each summer he would take his family for a two-weeks’ vacation to some place where nature could furnish amusement such as Soda Springs where they could see the many wonders, or Lava Hot Springs.  Other families would usually accompany them, some of them being the Palmer family, the James E. Jones family, and many others.  These were enjoyable trips and always remembered by his children.

A remarkable thing in the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Ben D. Evans was the fact that a black face was to be established in their home.  One day while they were living on their farm, their children being then quite young, a small, ragged dirty Negro boy came to their home begging protection, as some people had stolen him from his home in the South and were very mean to him.  Naturally, this father and mother, who had children of their own, could not turn the boy away, but bathed his unkempt body, sheared his wooly head and put clean clothes on him.  He was then one of the family.  And you can imagine the surprise to the neighborhood, and also to the people of Malad, to see the poor little black waif taking his place with white boys and girls in school and church.

This boy was given the same opportunity as their own children.  He had his pony, bridle and saddle and could ride very well.  He frequently complained of boys at school “picking on him.”  Mr. Evans taught him to box and use his fists in self-defense yet kept a restraining hand on him when he used them too freely.  This Negro was known as Tom Brown and, after having a fairly good education, he assisted on the farm until, at the age of 21 years, after the family had gone to church, he ransacked the house, taking Mr. Evans’ gold watch, his revolver, a five dollar bill and, saddling his horse, rode away never to return, although repeatedly he begged to return.  He moved to an Idaho town not far away and whenever he saw anyone from Malad he inquired how “his folks” were.

Mr. Evans was the father of ten children.  He died May 15, 1928.  On Oct. 10, 1922, he and his wife celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary and were surrounded by a host of friends.  His devoted wife lived six years after him, having spent a useful and happy life.