John H. Williams
(Written in 1953 by Ora W. Jones)
John Heneys Williams, the son of John H. Williams and Sara Jane Davis, was born in Ogden, Utah, Feb. 18, 1856. He was the eighth of 11 children, five brothers, William D., David D., Thomas D. George and Joseph D; five sister, Ann, Mary, Eliza, Katherine and Francis. His mother was born in Kidwelly, Wales and his father at Pembray (sic). His parents were married at Kidwelly, Carmanthenshire (sic), South Wales.
In the year 1855, after the death of his wife, Francis Henneys, John Williams and three sons, Richard, David and John II, together with John's wife, Sara Jane and two children, William (Bill) and David, and Gwen, the wife of David, left Liverpool on the ship, Amazon, together with Dr. Morgan and other Malad Valley pioneers for America. They were eight weeks on the water.
At first they settled in Pennsylvania and worked in the mines; then left by ox cart to cross the plains to Utah. One winter they camped at Council Bluffs, encountering many hardships. They then moved on to Ogden.
John Sr. did not live long after they arrived and he was buried at Ogden. Richard stayed there and his descendants are mostly settled in the vicinity today. For many years he was the only plumber in the city. David and his wife, Gwen, and family moved to Slaterville, Utah. Many of his descendants moved back to Ogden later. John H. and his wife, Sara Jane, had seven children now and had buried a small girl, Katherine. When John H. Jr., their eighth child, was six months old, they moved up to Muddy Creek, Utah, now known as Woodruff.
John H. and Sara Jane had much misfortune including a large fire which destroyed their home after which they again moved on to Malad Valley and took out a homestead at Gwenford, Ida. He raised hay, grain and cattle and the children went to a small grade school in Samaria. The older children married. John died at the age of 52 and left his son, John H. Jr., 15, now the oldest boy home, to support his mother and the family.
John worked hard. In those days they used a cradle to cut grain and a scythe to cut the hay. They had old threshing machines with no straw carrier to move the straw and a horse and pole had to be used to pull away the straw.
John loved music and acquired a violin and learned to play many pieces by ear. His love of music attracted him to a talented young pianist, Rebecca Morse, daughter of Richard and Maria Morse, who attended the small grade school with him at Samaria.
Rebecca's parents were also pioneers, she being the first girl born in Samaria. They were active members of the LDS Church and Richard Morse, besides being county commissioner at the time, had served three missions to England. His wife, Maria, had been converted by him and returned with him to make their home in the states. They had a large homestead and operated sort of a rooming house and, Mrs. Morse, having traveled with a doctor six years in England, took u nursing and doctoring in a small way. They and Nat Ireland had been the first to get pianos in the Valley and Rebecca, and her sister took lessons from Edward Woozley Sr. in St. John. He traveled by horse and cart to their home. Rebecca traveled with him often as accompanist at his musical entertainments.
In 1887 John and Rebecca were married. John took out a homestead south of his father's and built a two-room log house, getting the logs out by himself. To this union eight children were born. John continued to farm, raise cattle and worked for ten years buying and selling cattle for the Ogden Packing Co. When his oldest son was four an epidemic of diphtheria hit the Valley and their boy, Johnnie, died of it. John also contracted it, then malaria fever and was ill for nearly a year. When he was able he went forward again and became an active politician. He worked hard to assist his father-in-law, Richard Morse, get elected as Senator, only to be denied his seat because of the signing of the Manifesto denying Mormons the right of voice and office in the government.
John later went into the sheep business with his brother, Tom, now a school teacher in Samaria, but Tom did not live long and, at his death, John sold the sheep but continued to farm. During the next few years he owned and operated a meat market, millinery shop and confectionery in Samaria. He also bought a small farm at Big Hollow.
In 1917 he sold his farm at Gwenford and moved his family north of Samaria on a farm left his wife by her parents after their death. Her built a larger house, educated his children in Malad, Salt Lake and Brigham Young College. For the next 25 years he was engaged in raising potatoes, grain, hay and beets. He was active in experimental research in plant and animal life and is at present an active gardener and horticulturist. He has always been charitable in contributions to the improvement of church and public welfare.
His wife died in May, 1933, and since that time he has sold his farm and spent most of his time with his daughter, Mrs. Glen P. (Ora) Jones, where he now resides in Malad.
In 1926 one daughter, Mrs. Morris (Winnie) Jones, passed away and some years earler (sic) he lost another small son, Leslie. Besides his five daughters, Mesdames Dave (Mattie) John, William E. (Mae) John, Morris (Lena) Stuart, Glen P. (Ora) Jones, Malad; Mrs. Louis (Edith) Telesco, Fresno, Calif., he has 27 grandchildren and 51 great grandchildren, most of whom reside in the County.
Since moving to Malad John has been faithful in the LDS Church, he is an elder and has had his wife sealed to him in the Temple. He has lived a clean, honest life and lived to see the first electric light, first automobile, radio, railroad, combine, telephone, cement sidewalks, paved roads, airplane and television set come into the Malad Valley. He and his wife cheered Lindberg on his return from the first transatlantic flight and, as he sat in his daughter's living room Sunday, Oct. 6, 1953, at the age of 83, watching (the) LDS conference on television he said, "Truly, I have lived a full life. I have seen the fulfillment of prophecy in the fullness of times and I don't know of an enemy I have in the world."
