History of Shadrach
and Mary Williams Jones
Written by Mary Hardy
Williams
Copied from Mrs.
Olive Harding Facer
Shadrach Jones, son of David and Ann Lawrence Jones was born
17 November 1832 in Llanelly, Breconshire, South Wales. There were six
children: one girl and five boys: (1) John, born in 1828 at Pant-y-wain, Glamorganshire; (2) John G., born 27 November 1830 at
Llanelly, Breconshire; (3) Shadrach, born 17 November
1832 at Llanelly, Breconshire; (4) Adelaide, born 1834
at Cowbridge, Glamorganshire; (5) Eleazer,
born 1837 at Garnddiffaith, Monmouthshire.
The father, mother, and three children (John G., Shadrach,
and Eleazer) emigrated to America.
About 1847 or 1848 David Jones, father of Shadrach left Wales for America. He worked in the coal
mines in Wales and intended
to work in the coal mines in the United States. He expected his
family to join him as soon as he could earn money for their transportation.
He corresponded with his family regularly. The last letter
received from him stated that he had nearly enough money to pay for their
emigration and that he would have them come to him.
Soon after receiving this letter, two of the sons, John G.
and Shadrach, heard the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and
accepted the teachings. They were baptized into the Church on 9 June 1849 at Nantyglo, South Wales.
Shadrach Jones was then seventeen years of age, and his brother John G. was
twenty-one.
The two brothers and John G's wife Mary John Jones and
daughter Adelaide immigrated to this country and
then to Utah
5 years later in 1854 in Captain Stevens train. They were anxious to learn of
their father's whereabouts in America.
[Further research has shown that John G. and Mary Jones came with their
daughter in 1854 on the Marshfield
and that Shadrach and his wife Mary came in 1856 on the Columbia.]
John G. went to the coal mines where he [his father] had
worked and learned that his father had been killed in the mines but no one knew
what had become of the money he had saved with which to emigrate his family.
The mother struggled on the best she could in Wales to
support her four children. In the meantime Shadrach had married. John G. was
residing in Provo.
Shadrach had married Mary Williams, daughter of Thomas and Margaret Williams
and was residing in Willard, Box Elder
County, Utah.
When the mother and Eleazer first
came to Willard they stayed 6 weeks with Shadrach and his wife Mary. They then
went to Provo, Utah, to be with the older son John G. and
his family. John G. and wife Mary John Jones of Wales and 2 children came in
September 1859. John G. was anxious for his mother to live near him so he
bought a home for her and Eleazer which was located
at 1st North and 1st West in Provo.
She lived in this home until her death in 1872. Eleazer chose St.
Johns, Arizona, for
his home after his marriage. [He went to Arizona
in 1884.]
Shadrach Jones' wife Mary Williams was born in Wales 16 May 1834 and had immigrated to Utah with her parents
and other members of the family. They were sealed in the Endowment house in Salt Lake City.
There were no children born to this union, but they provided
a good home for many children who lived with them and partook of their love and
hospitality. Among those who lived with Shadrach and Mary Williams Jones was
Caroline Williams who came to them in her childhood and remained with them
until her marriage.
Evan Stephens spent a part of his young manhood with them
helping to build houses by carrying the mortar up the ladder to Shadrach who
was laying the stones.
Mary's sister Margaret and her two grandchildren Lizzie and
Luther Jones were given good home with this good woman, as was her niece Dagmar Williams.
Shadrach had learned to be a stonemason in Wales, and this
knowledge of building stone houses and stone walls here in Willard proved to be
a great benefit to the people not only in Willard where the rocks from the
nearby mountains were so plentiful, but his workmanship can be seen in many of
the settlements of Northern Utah and Southern Idaho. The mortar he used to set
the stone together hardened almost like cement does.
In the book written by Levi Edgar Young, The Founders of Utah,
is the following quotation. "The most beautiful old homes possibly of early
days were rock homes. It is said that the best and oldest of those are at
Willard. There was a humble old Welshman in early days who
used to build rock houses. His name was Shadrach Jones. One writer tells us
that one of the walls is two feet thick and the stones were laid in lime
mortar."
Another quotation taken from the book The Story of Utah by Evans has this to say: "Rock houses were not
uncommon in several parts of the country. This was especially the case in
Willard, Box Elder County, Utah, where there were many of them. The
walls were very thick and the mortar in which the rocks were placed became as
hard as cement. A Welshman named Shadrach Jones was well known in those days as
a builder of stone houses."
Prof. Evan Stephens when a boy lived with Shadrach and Mary
Jones in their rock home in Willard, and they were a source of inspiration to
Evan, and although Shadrach Jones was stone deaf he was the leader of a band of
musicians and he was also a choir leader in Willard.
He and his wife loved to dance. At one time they turned the
upstairs of their two-story rock home into a dance hall in order for the young
people to have recreation. The collection from the dances
were taken at a table placed at the edge of the hedge in the back yard.
Shadrach Jones was called to take a mission to his native
country Wales.
He left his home April 10, 1883. Two months later he contracted a cold which
developed into pneumonia. He died 24 June 1883 and was buried in Wales.
His wife Mary Williams Jones survived him thirty-eight
years. She passed away 4 February 1921 and was buried in the Willard cemetery.
(This information was sent to my sister Myrtle Jones Allred by Olive Harding Facer.)
Deseret News clipping 9 February 1921:
Willard, Feb. 8, 1921. Funeral services for Mary Williams
Jones of Willard were held in the Ward Chapel Monday afternoon under the
direction of Bishop Ephraim White. The speakers were John F. Merrill, George
Harding, John J. Ward, Bishop H. W. Valentine, Willard Facer, Bishop Joseph
Hubbard and Bishop White.
Mrs. Jones died at the home of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Facer in
the city Friday evening at 7:00 o'clock following a day's illness. She was born
in Wales
May 16, 1836 [EH film 183405 gives her birth date as 16 May 1834] and came to
this country locating in Willard. Her husband Shadrach died while performing a
mission about 38 years ago. Mrs. Jones never had any children. During the last
year of her life she was blind.
