Edward Jeremiah Price
Born 14 Aug 1818
Hanmer, Flint,
Wales
3rd Child and 2nd Son of
Peter Price and Mary
Lloyd
married Mary Jane Bishop
30 Mar 1852
Saint
Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri
died 1 Jan 1906
Paradise, Cache, Utah
Mary Jane Bishop
born 7 Dec 1818
Keel, Berriew, Montgomery, Wales
died 14 Mar 1904
Paradise, Cache, Utah
Edward Jeremiah Price (1818 – 1906)
Edward Jeremiah Price & Mary Jane Bishop
Price
Edward Jeremiah (age 85) & Mary Jane
Bishop Price (age 84)
Their home in Paradise, Cache, Utah – July 1903
In the early 1800's Hanmer, Flintshire, Wales
was a pleasant little village of approximately 518 inhabitants. It was located North East from Ellesmere near a spacious mere (lake). Rich
woodlands in the immediate vicinity and the country around it were strikingly
beautiful. It was in this picturesque setting that on 14 August 1818, a son was
born to Peter Price and Mary Lloyd.
On 20 August 1818, they journeyed the five
miles to Ellesmere, Shropshire,
England where
he was christened Edward Jeremiah Price. (He later dropped the use of his
middle name.) Peter was a hostler in a public house and later in the 1851 census, he is listed as being an agricultural laborer.
Edward was the third child born to this couple. Besides himself, there were two
brothers and four sisters: Thomas, Sarah, Eliza, William, Jane, and Mary.
When he was a young man, Edward enlisted in
the English Navy and served as a sailor for seven years. On 10 January 1852, he
was assigned to the ship Kennebec to sail to America. It was a "new and
commodious ship of one thousand seventy tons register, and went out of
Bramley-Moore Dock, at Liverpool, England, with three hundred thirty three
souls of Saints on board.
Included in the number of Saints were sixty nine
passengers whose fare was paid by the Perpetual Emigrating fund Co.--the first ones who emigrated by that means.
"Besides the Saints there were a number
of Irish emigrants on board, who were not supplied with sufficient provisions
to last them till the end of the voyage; but in order to lay in a sufficient
supply, they stole all they possibly could from the Mormon emigrants, who
consequently had to go short themselves, and were compelled to subsist on half
rations the last four or five days before landing. These Irish emigrants were
taken on board because there were not Saints enough to fill the ship. Peace and
harmony prevailed among the latter as a rule; also good health; the provisions
and water were good, and wholesome, and included oat meal and pork; but as the
English did not like oat meal and the Scotch could not relish pork, they
exchanged these articles of food with each other, to the great satisfaction of
both parties.
"The voyage throughout was a safe and
pleasant one, with the exception of one terrific hurricane, which swept the
deck clean of cook houses, water barrels, and everything else that could be
washed overboard." (The Contributor, Vol XIII, page 408)
While performing his duties as a sailor on
the Kennebec, Edward made the acquaintance of
a young woman, Mary Jane Bishop. She was emigrating
with the Saints to Utah
accompanied by her two brothers, William and James. Between the time they left England (10 January) and landed in New Orleans (11 March)
two months later, Edward and Mary Jane had fallen in love. At the time Edward
was not a member of the Church. However, the Latter-day-saint religion was not
new to Edward. His sister, Sarah, had been converted and baptized in 1841. She,
with her husband, Charles Smith, had emigrated to the United States
nine years earlier. They lived in Nauvoo for several years where two children
were born to them. They later emigrated to Utah and lived in Salt
Lake City for approximately twelve years (1849 to
1861). They then moved to St. George. As far as can be determined, there was
little or no contact between this brother and sister after Sarah moved to St.
George. However, we may assume that when Edward and Mary Jane arrived in Salt Lake City in 1852
that there was a reunion with Sarah.
Although we don't know the details of Edwards conversion, we can surmise that it was through the
influence of Mary Jane that he accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day-Saints and was baptized.
Because of the love he had for Mary Jane,
when the ship Kennebec landed in New
Orleans, Edward left the ship and his profession of
sailor, never to see his native homeland again. Together they continued on
their journey to Utah, following the council
of President Brigham Young for all faithful Saints to "gather to Zion."
Along with the other Saints, they boarded a
small boat called "The Pride of the West," and traveled up the Mississippi and arrived in St. Louis, Missouri
the latter part of March. They remained temporarily in St. Louis and this is where Edward was
baptized, 29 March 1852, by Thomas Davis and confirmed by an Elder Alexander.
The day following his baptism, Edward and Mary Jane were married by Elder
Thomas Wrigley. They were both 33 years of age at the time of their marriage.
It is interesting to note that when Edward
and Mary Jane stopped in St. Louis to be
married, a group of Saints from the ship Kennebec chartered an old dilapidated
steamboat, the Saluda, to take them up the river to Council Bluffs. The Saluda
made slow progress because of masses of ice floating in the river. The paddle
wheel broke and they had to tie up to make repairs.
The group resumed their journey and in trying
to get up steam, the engineers carelessly let the boilers get dry and red hot.
As the engines started, a tremendous explosion occurred, completely wrecking
the whole boat killing 26 people and seriously injuring many others. Many
people were blown into the middle of the river or out onto the shore. (The
Contributor, Vol XIII, p.409)
This was a great tragedy to those on board
the Saluda, but a day of thankfulness for
Edward and Mary Jane that they were not numbered with those poor unfortunate
souls.
The couple then joined a group of saints and
made the remainder of the journey to Utah.
Crossing the plains that summer must have been very trying for the Saints
because of the heat. Salt Lake City
was exceptionally hot, recording a temperature of 127 degrees in the sun on
July 27. However, the weather cooled early that year as there was an early snow
fall on September 15.
As the emigrants entered the valley that
summer, they were greeted with the beautiful sight of the recently completed
Tabernacle on Temple Square.
The first conference had been held in the building the Spring
of that year (1852).
It is interesting to note that as of this
year approximately 10,000 emigrant Saints had made their way to Utah.
Edward and Mary Jane lived in Salt Lake City
the first year after arriving in Zion and this is where their first baby was
born, a beautiful little girl whom they named Mary Jane in honor her mother.
Edward moved the family to Provo in March 1854 and they resided there
for approximately six years. They were among the early pioneers of Utah County.
Eight children were born to this couple and six of them died in infancy. Two
babies died at birth and the others lived from one month to eleven months
before departing this life. We do not know the cause of death of these little
ones, but we can only imagine the sorrow this fine couple must have felt at the
loss of these precious little babies.
Edward and Mary Jane were much older than the
average couple when they married and began raising a family. They were 34 years
of age when their first child was born and 46 when the last little son was
born. Of these eight sons and daughter, two grew to maturity. Mary Jane, the
first child, married Samuel Oldham and they were parents of 10 children; John
Lloyd, the fifth child, married Henrietta Sinfield and they had 11 children. So
although the couple only raised two children, these children brought to them a
noble posterity.
Glowing reports of rich country to the north
resulted in the rush to Cache
Valley in the spring of
1860 and many new settlements were formed. It was at this time that Edward took
his family, left Provo and with a group of
Saints became part of the "Cache
Valley rush." They
traveled through Wellsville, Logan, and Smithfield to reach the place where they settled, Franklin, Idaho.
(At that time Franklin was a part of the Utah Territory.)
Two groups of settlers founded Franklin. The first 13
families arrived 14 April 1860 and the second group came the next day. They all
moved their wagons close together for protection, removed wagon boxes to use
for homes, and arranged them to form a fort. This northern outpost of Cache Valley
was in Indian country and the men guarded the fort closely.
Franklin was named in honor of Apostle Franklin D.
Richards and is considered the mother settlement of all the other towns that
developed around her.
We don't know the exact time Edward and his
family arrived in Franklin,
but records indicate that it was sometime in 1860. In later years a monument
was erected by the Sons of Utah Pioneers in honor of the first settlers. The
names of Edward and Mary Jane appear on that monument.
In 1862 Edward learned that a number of saints
from England (primarily from Shrewsbury) had settled in Paradise, so he took
his family and possessions and moved from Franklin to the extreme south end of
Cache Valley and assisted in pioneering this new little community. It is
recorded that the family was received as members of the Paradise Ward on July
3, 1862.
This little town had first been settled in
1860 by a group of four families. It was located at the forks of the Indian
Trail through east canyon to Wyoming and the
trail which led to Ogden.
Chief Washakie and his tribe, as well as other tribes traveled these trails.
Because of theses conditions, it was not the best place for a settlement at
that time.
The settlers built log houses and some dug
outs in fort formation to protect themselves against the Indians who camped in
the river bottoms. Guards were on duty at all times.
In 1861 Apostle Ezra T. Benson came to
organize the settlement. He was so impressed with the beautiful little cove
with its surrounding hill sides with timber, the fine meadow lands in the river
bottoms, and the magnificent view of the valley to the north that he exclaimed,
"This is like a paradise." He suggested the name for the settlement
and it was unanimously adopted.
"The holy association of families can be
never-ending if husband and wife have been sealed in the holy bond of eternal
matrimony. Their joys and progress will never end." --Spencer W. Kimball
On December 13, 1865, Edward took Mary Jane
and made the trip from Paradise to Salt
Lake City were they took out their endowments and were
sealed for time and all eternity in the Endowment House. This was just two
months after the death of their little son, Peter. This must have been quite an
undertaking in those days. They must have felt an urgency to have this work
done because they made the journey during one of the cold winter months. In
those days it was a major excursion to make the trip to Salt Lake City by horse and wagon.
Due to the Black Hawk War in 1867-68, and as
it appeared that the Indians were becoming hostile in Northern Utah, the
settlers were advised to move the settlement three miles to the north to the
present site of Paradise. The country was more
open and the settlers could better protect themselves.
In the spring of 1868 Edward and his family
moved along with the other settlers, to the new location. All houses and
equipment were moved. It was a considerable sacrifice for the settlers to
commence a new settlement, but it proved the best thing to do as there was more
land available and a larger settlement could be made. There were approximately
50 families at this time.
The town was situated on the east bank of the
"Muddy" or "Little Bear River." At this point the valley is
about 5 miles wide. When the town was laid out it consisted of ten acre blocks
with building lots in each and with streets six rods wide. Most families raised
a little sugar cane and had a few sheep. The cane was taken to Hyrum and made
into molasses, while the wool was taken to Wellsville to be carded.
In the years 1869, 1870, and 1872 the
grasshoppers destroyed the crops. Men, women and children were called out with
brooms, sacks, sticks, aprons, and anything with which they could beat or drive
them into piles of brush where they were burned. Food was scarce, not a morsel
was wasted. With these conditions these good people learned habits of thrift
and good management that people today know nothing of.
Because Edward's only professional experience
was that of being a sailor, he had very little experience at farming. But he
did the best he could and learned by experience. His material possessions were
few. He owned the city lot where his house was located and a seven acre piece
of farm ground south of town which sustained him and his family.
In those days it was easier to get along
without money. There was no electricity, phones, etc., so there were no utility
bills. Homes were built of logs brought out of the canyons, so there were no
house payments. Travel was by horse and buggy, so there were no car payments
and no need for gasoline. They grew their own food and shared what they had
with their neighbors.
Mary Jane was a hard worker and did much to
help Edward with the farm work until their son, John Lloyd, grew old enough to
take over and help his father. When he became too old to do farm work, John
Lloyd took over the farm responsibilities, but Edward still kept a cow, pigs,
and chickens, and raised a garden of vegetables and fruit. He was self
supporting most all of his life.
"What is `Home, Sweet Home'? A roof to
keep out rain, four walls to keep out wind, floors to keep out cold? Yes--but
more than that! It is the laugh of a baby, the song of a mother, the strength
of a father; the warmth of loving hearts, light from happy eyes; kindness,
loyalty, comradeship. Home is the first school, the first church, for your
children. Where children are wanted, where even the teakettle
sings for happiness--that is Home, Sweet Home!" --Earnestine
Schumann-Heink
Home in Paradise
was a humble little two room cabin with a dirt roof, which was later replaced by
wood shingles. This home was located adjacent to the town square on the south
east corner. Even though the home was small, Edward and Mary Jane shared what
they had. When their daughter married, she and her husband lived with them for
a time in the little two room house. In later years their grandchildren, Edward
Price and Lloyd Oldham, lived with them.
Edward loved his children and grandchildren
and was especially tender towards them, perhaps because of losing so many of
his babies in infancy. He tried to teach them some of the skills that he knew.
Because he had been a sailor, he taught them how to splice rope. Some of them
were such good students that they "could splice a broken rope so that no
one could tell where the repair had been." This skill came in handy many
times as towns people would come to have their broken derrick ropes repaired
during harvesting time.
Edward and Mary Jane were dearly loved by the
grandchildren. Since they lived only one block from the school, the children
all clamored for their turn to go from school to their home for lunch at noon.
The grandchildren lived in the opposite end of town and didn't see the
grandparents very much in the summer. But when their father went to the south
field to irrigate, he took them along in his white top buggy to visit at
Grandpa's house and enjoy a piece Grandma's "curn" (currant) bread.
Edward was a man short in stature, then and
had bow-lets. In his later years he still had a full head of hair and sported a
trim beard. Mary Jane loved him dearly and catered to his every need--buttered
his bread, sweetened his tea, washed his face and combed his hair in a roll or
"rooster" on top of his head.
He had the habit of chewing tobacco, a habit
he acquired when he was a sailor. Most all sailors in those days chewed
tobacco. There were times when it saved their lives on board ship because of
lack of food.
A granddaughter, Maud Price Olsen, remembers
her grandfather as a "happy, good natured, submissive man, but a staunch
Latter-day Saint. I can remember hearing him bear his testimony on Fast Day.
His favorite song was `Oh, My Father.' He would ask the congregation to sing,
after which he would bear his testimony. He and his good wife were always at
church bringing their children with them."
At first, they attended church in a little
log building in which all meetings were held and school was conducted. Later, a
substantial rock building was erected on the town square for a meeting house.
At the age of 78, Edward was ordained a High Priest, 21 September 1890.
Following the death of his wife, Edward went
to live with his son-in-law, Samuel Oldham. A few years previously he had begun
to lose his sight and now was almost completely blind. He would sit on the
porch and when anyone would come to visit him, they would have to identify
themselfs because he could not see. He lived two years longer than his wife and
even though he was old and sorrowful, no one ever heard a word of complaint.
Edward Price was in his 87th year when he died on New Years Day, 1 January 1906,
in Paradise. His funeral was held in the
little rock church where he and his family worshiped and he was laid to rest at
the side of his wife in the Paradise
Cemetery.
A grandson, Edward Price Oldham, said of
Grandfather Price, "He was the most wonderful man that ever lived."
Compiled by a great great granddaughter,
Diane Norman Parker, with much assistance from her mother, Mildred Olsen
Norman.
Sources of information: Paradise Ward
Records; Price family records; recollections of Edward Price, Maud P. Olsen,
Irva P. James, Douglas Price; histories by Winifred O. Allen, and Virginia O.
Summers; History of Paradise by Nettie P. Obray; and the following
publications: History of a Valley, An Early History of Cache County, The
Contributor Vol. XIII.
Emigration: "The Emigration Records in the Church Historian's
Office revealed: Sailed on the ship "Kennebec" from Liverpool,
England 10 January 1852, a total company of 333 persons, including Edward
Price, age 32, seaman; William Price, age 23, printer & bookbinder; Mary
Bishop, age 28. This indicates that Edward Price & Mary Bishop crossed the
ocean on the same ship, and we know they married shortly after arrival in America."
[David E.Gardner, researcher, correspondence dtd 16 Dec 1948.]
