Malad Valley Pioneers

BENJAMIN AND AGNES WILLIAMS

(By Terril B. Williams)

Benjamin Williams, son of John and Rebecca Morgan Williams, was born in Nantyglow, Monmouthshire, Wales, May 5, 1839.  He married Agnes Smart, daughter of Joseph and Eleanor Corns Smart, in Wales.  Agnes Smart was born August 22, 1840, in Tridayer, Aberythau Monmouthshire, Wales, or Glanmorganshire.

Benjamin and his older brother, John, were the only children in the family.  They worked in the coal mines in Wales and as a result of the position Benjamin had to take to dig the coal, his left side became bent and he was never able to straighten it.  As a result he always walked in a curved position. 

The Williams brothers and their wives embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Wales and soon after their marriages emigrated to the United States of America.  They located first at Shawnee, Perry Co., Ohio, where they were again employed as miners.

Agnes Williams was a very neat seamstress.  In Shawnee, she felt the need of using this talent to help the family by taking in sewing.  One of the neighbors had Negro slaves for whom clothing had to be supplied by the slave owners.  In the slave family was a small “nigger boy.”  The boy needed overalls so his white mistress asked Agnes if she would make some for him.  She consented and when they were almost made, she decided they would look better if they had little pockets in them.  She put two in front but when the mistress saw them, she had Agnes take them off saying, “A Negro can steal enough without having pockets to hide things away in.”

When the Civil War broke out Benjamin Williams went as a teamster in the army.  He drove a four-mule team on a cannon wagon.  When the cannon was placed in the proper position, the mules were unhitched and hidden so they would not be shot.

During his absence in the army, his little son, Benjamin, was born.  The state of Ohio was overrun with soldiers.  The town Agnes and her family were living in was threatened by an attack.  She was living near the Ohio River with her sister-in-law, the wife of John Williams.  Their father-in-law was living on the opposite side of the river.  He decided it was to dangerous for his sons’ families to stay there any longer.  He sent a man with his wagon across to get them and bring them to his home to safety.  The man he sent got drunk and failed to arrive so both of the women decided they had better try to cross it themselves.  Agnes’ baby was only three days old and the baby of John’s wife was twelve days old.  They carried the babies in their arms.  Catherine, Agnes’ oldest child, clung to her mother’skirts.  The water was very cold and as a result, Agnes’ baby lost the use of his legs through cold and exposure.  He lived to be 21 years of age but never waked and had to crawl to get about.

When living on the Ohio River, Benjamin Williams was considered to be a champion swimmer. T he young men found much enjoyment in swimming contests.  They would line up on the bank and at a given signal would swim to the opposite bank.  One day, the five best swimmers were selected to enter the final contests.  Benjamin Williams was one of those selected and was declared the champion.

When they left Ohio for the West, Agnes drove a team of cows belonging to another emigrant the entire distance in order that her children might ride in a wagon.  At night she milked the cows, part of the milk she put in a pail with a lid on it.  She tied the pail to the reach of the wagon.  The motions of the wagons would churn it into butter.  They had fresh milk and butter every day while crossing the plains.  Benjamin Williams also drove a wagon across the plains for an emigrant family.

They arrived in Salt Lake City and then came on to Willard, Utah where an Uncle Moses Dudley and his wife, Mary Ann Williams Dudley, lived.  Mary Ann was a sister to Benjamin’s father, John Williams.  They decided to locate at Willard.

Two of their children, Catherine and Rebecca, died while they lived her and were buried in the “old Willard cemetery.”

The Williams’ took a very active part in the religious and social affairs of the settlement.  They lived where the home of GeorgeBraegger now stands.  They were good singers and entertainers.  Evan Stephens invited them to sing in his choir and to enter contests in Salt Lake City.

In the meantime, Agnes’ mother and her second husband, David Prosser Jones, had emigrated to the United States and come to Willard.  They decided to go on farther and settle at Cherry Creek, Oneida County, Idaho.  The Williams’ also decided to locate there and for a short time, they lived with David Jones and his wife.

Their next move was to Henderson Creek a few miles south of Cherry Creek.  Here they obtained a ranch and built a log house on it, near the state highway.  Their barnyard became a camping ground for freighters on their way to and from California and Montana.

At Henderson Creek, five of their children were born.  Their youngest son, Thomas, was born after they moved to Malad City.

They built a home in Malad and Benjamin Williams freighted to Montana for about two years.  For the next four years, he carried mail from Corinne, Utah to Oxford, Idaho.  Later, he carried mail from Malad to Collinston, a distance of 75 miles round-trip.  He furnished his own “white-top buggy” and horses.  He had stations for exchanging horses at several points along the route.  Some of the men he hired for this route were Edward and Robert Lloyd, Hyrum James, Harry Mifflin, Ralph J. Harding and his sons, Edwin, John, Joseph, and his daughter, Lucretia.

Besides the mail he carried passengers, freight and express.  He ran this mail route for 12 years.

Ben Williams bought the first melodian and the first organ ever to be brought to Malad Valley.  He bought them for his crippled son, Benny, who became a real musician.  He would play the organ while his mother pumped the treadles for him.

Ben Williams also went in the furniture business with Rone Thomas and Joseph Dudley. Later he sold his share to them and went in to the furniture business for himself.  He also had a confectionery store joining the furniture store on Bannock Street.

The home life of the Williams was a happy one.  They were all exceptionally good singers and entertainers.  Their home was a gathering place for the young folks of the neighborhood.  They would dance and sing around the melodian and organ.  Agnes Williams always found something for refreshments.

Agnes was a Relief Society teacher for years, having for her companion, her dear friend, Ruth Thomas.

Benjamin Williams died Feb. 10, 1904.  His wife lived for 15 years after his death.  Her death occurred May 13, 1919.  Both were faithful and devoted Latter Day Saints.  They were both buried in the Malad cemetery.