John's
Childhood days were spent with his parents on the farm at Blackthorne.
His complexion was fair and he had blue eyes and black curly hair. He stood 5
feet 7 inches tall but owing to his bending over the anvil year after year he
became round shouldered and didn't appear that tall. When he was sixteen, he
was sent to England
as an apprentice to the Kings horse shoer, where he remained for seven years. (At that time it
was the custom for a tradesman to pay a boy's parents a given amount of money
for the labor of their son. The son worked for the tradesman until the money
was earned. During this time he learned the trade.) When his apprenticeship was
completed he returned to Wales.
After hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he was so convinced of
its truthfulness. He joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He
was instrumental in converting his father's household. While tracking he met
Jane Emma Merrifield whom he baptized into the church. John married her and his
friend, James Denning married her sister.
The two
couples sailed for America
from Liverpool, England on February 25, 1853 on the ship, "International"
under Captain Brown. On their third day out on the Irish Channel, John and
Jane's first child was born.
They were
six weeks crossing the ocean and landed at New Orleans April 23, 1853. Their company,
the Daniel Miller Ox Team, crossed the plains. John was captain over 20
teamsters and he also did the blacksmithing for the entire company. They
arrived in Salt Lake City
on Oct 17, 1853. Here John was reunited with his
parents who had preceded him by two weeks. They all settled in Brigham City and were pioneers of that
section.
Here his
skill as a smithy was an asset to the community as he made all kinds of farm
implements, wagons and sleighs. He is credited with making the first steel plow
to be used in the Salt Lake Valley. He traveled extensively gathering scrap iron,
which he used in his blacksmithing. He was looked up to as the best workman in
his field, and as called an ideal blacksmith.
The winter
of 1855-56 was very hard on the family. Their oxen died and they had to live on
Sego Lilies. In the spring of 1857 John married his second wife, Mary in the
endowment house by Brigham Young.
At this time
Brigham Young asked John to go and help colonize the Saint George area. Owing
to the
fact that his parents were getting on in years and the trip south would be
difficult for them, John asked to be released and instead go to the Malad
Valley. He was given
permission and so he sold his place in Brigham and in 1864 John and his
families all moved to Malad City, Idaho.
He had seen the territory before while searching for iron and was impressed
with the valley.
Settling a new territory was not without its problems and
hardships but the families survived loss of their cattle and being eaten out by
grasshoppers and crickets in the year of 1866.
John was
very industrious and his neighbors were often awakened in the early hours by
the sound of his hammer and anvil. He was respected as the best workman in his
line. The men used to say that if they had a technical piece of work, they took
it to John. If he couldn't do it, none of the rest need try. John helped build a sawmill and also took a great interest in fruit trees. He
planted a large orchard and specialized in grafting trees. With his skill in
grafting, he was able to grow a tree that produced 11 different varieties of apples on one tree.
John is credited with helping to survey the town of Malad.
He helped section it off and establish boundaries.
In about
1867 the Marsh Creek was diverted from over the Malad-Marsh
Valley Divide to provide water for the first flourmill and for irrigating purposes.
Also during this same time water was brought down from the springs on the east Malad mountains, and a flume was
built over Deep Creek to bring the cold mountain water to the town. John Jones
was one of the surveyors for this project, which involved many of the early
pioneers. John only had a hand held leveler which he used to help him get the
right slope in dividing the Marsh Creek so half of it would go to Malad and half to Downey.
John also helped survey the Malad and St. John Cemeteries.
John owned the block between 3rd and 4th north and 1st and 2111 West. This land is diagonally
east from the Malad Elementary School at present.
John built
two log homes and a blacksmith shop on the block, and both families helped homestead
a farm up to Deep Creek. The famed "Arthur Williams Grove" is part of
the original faun, which he homesteaded.
John was a
minuteman and had to go to scout around for Indians. One time he was gone for
two
weeks and
all feared he had been killed.
There was
a huge evergreen tree on the corner of 4th North and 200 West that marked the
spot where John J. built a log cabin for his second wife, Mary and her
children. Mary planted it and the tree was about one hundred and thirty years
old when the city cut it down and used it for the middle of the town traditional
Christmas tree.
John
believed in paying his debts on time, for instance he always paid the school
teacher for his
children's education on time and he had a lot of children.
John was
arrested for polygamy on March 18, 1886 and was liberated March 19, 1887
from a
Detroit, Michigan prison. While there the officers treated him very
kindly. They let him stand guard while they slept.
He was thankful for his membership in the church and he considered
it a great blessing to pay tithing and always felt thankful for the testimony
he had of the Gospel. He held many positions in the church as president of the
Teachers' and Elders' quorums. He was a High Priest and became counselor to
Bishop Daniels and Bishop George Stewart, 1884-1890.
The families whole life centered around
their religion. They were a devout people teaching their children the
principals of the Gospel. Prayer was an important part of their lives
John and his
family liked to keep many of the old Welch traditions, in particular the "Eisteddofods". Once a year they would meet and have
contests to reward the best poets, readings, dramas, musicians, soloists,
choral groups and artist of every kind.
He was
honest. His word was his bond and he believed in doing good
to all people, He taught his
family to be honest in their dealings with their fellow man.
John died on 9
January 1899.
In 1954 he had
over a thousand descendants In 1965 he had over two
thousand descendants In 2005 WHO KNOWS?
MARY
JONES WILLIAMS
Thomas Jones and his wife Ruth Thomas were married on 26 February
1827. They lived in Pant-Maur, Carnarthenshire
in South Wales, where they worked on a fare
raising and taking care of
horses.
In this home between the years of 1828 to 1847, eleven children
were born. Mary was their 5"' child. She was born 12 January 1837. She had
an older brother James and three older sisters, Eleanor, Elizabeth and Ann.
Those younger than Mary were Margaret, Llethice,
William, Daniel, and John. Three of her siblings died in their youth - Llethice, Daniel, and John.
Mary had a very pretty face, naturally curly brown hair, and was
full of life. She won everyone's love because of her sweet disposition.
Cheerful and happy most of the time, she loved her family, she loved life, and
she loved her native land.
Mary grew up
knowing the virtue of work. Because she only had one older brother, she and her
sisters no doubt had to help with the fanning. She also helped with the many
household tasks that are necessary in a large family. Mary never had the
opportunity to go to school.
Sometime during
the year of 1849 missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) came into the countryside
teaching of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Jones family with their
kindliness and warm hospitality entertained these missionaries. They soon
embraced this new religion and in a short time every member of this family were
baptized and received strong testimonies of its truthfulness. Mary was baptized
March 18, 1850.
This new
religion brought peace and joy to their hearts, but they were often downgraded
and persecuted by their former friends and neighbors. It wasn't long before the
Jones family had a strong desire to join with the main body of the church which
were gathering in the Rocky
Mountain region of the United States, with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah.
It seemed a hopeless desire for they were too poor to purchase transportation
to the "New World".
In Salt Lake City,
leaders of the church organized what was known as the Perpetual Emigration Fund
Company..."with the purpose of aiding the hopelessly poor Saints to
emigrate." Those assisted were to
repay the loan after arriving in Utah,
where public work would be provided. During the 1850`s thousands of Saints were
aided by the fund. In 1855 a new plan was given. Teams and wagons had proven
too expensive and too slow. A plan to have the Saints cross the plains pulling
and pushing handcarts was given. The Jones family chose this plan. Those that accepted this plan were given a warning,
"It is our constant desire not to mislead the saints concerning the
difficulties of the journey to Utah.
We wish them calmly to make up their minds that it is not an easy task, and to
start with faith, trusting in Israel's
God for success, and seek
of Him continually, by prayer and supplication."
The Jones family sailed from Liverpool,
England on
April 19, 1856 on the S. Curling. They were with a group of 707
Latter-Day Saints all destined for handcart travel to the Salt Lake Valley.
The S.
Curling docked in Boston,
Massachusetts after approximately
38 days of sailing. They remained on the ship a few days until arrangements
were made to travel to Iowa City, Iowa by train. Part of this several days
journey was made in cattle cars.
In Iowa City, Mary and her
family were outfitted with
their handcart. They were assigned to the Third Handcart Company which was made
up of the people from Wales.
Only a few could speak English. On 28 June 1856 they began the 1300 mile
journey, 320 people and 64 handcarts under the direction of Edward Bunker. Each
adult carried 17 lbs., and each older child 10 lbs. Other provisions were carried in the carts. They
slept in tents. Mary's mother
Ruth was ill and had to ride in the cart most of the way. Mary was in charge of
making and cooking the bread each day. As this group passed through the towns
in Iowa some
of the people would laugh at them, others cheered themon.
Mary fell
in love along the way with a young man by the name of Richard Williams. They
planned to be married when they reached the Salt Lake Valley. Shortly after they arrived,
Richard left for the gold fields of California
and she never heard from him again.
The Third
Handcart Company was welcomed to the Salt
Lake Valley
on 2 October
1856. They came from the lush green
mountains of Wales
to a mountainous desert. Their task now
was to help make it "Blossom as a rose".
After a short time in Salt Lake City,
Mary went with her parents to live in Brigham City,
Utah, a growing settlement some 70 miles north
of Salt Lake City.
She was now near her 20th birthday. She
struggled hard to learn the English language.
In Brigham City, the Blacksmith
was a
fellow
countryman by the name of John Jones Williams. He and his wife Jane had
emigrated from Wales in 1853. As the two families became acquainted, Mary
consented to become the second wife of John Jones Williams. They were married
in Salt Lake City
on 6 March 1857. The doctrine of plural marriage had been revealed to ..."raise up seed unto me." Mary accepted it in all virtue
and purity of heart. She learned to love and respect her husband and was a
devoted wife all the days of her life.
While they lived in Brigham
City, Mary gave birth to five children, Azariah,
Franklin, Rosanna, Ruth Elizabeth, Lodema Louisa, and
Mary Ellen. Little Lodema
Louisa only lived a few months.
In the year of 1864, John J. Williams brought his families to the Malad
Valley.
Mary worked hard to make a home for her family. Life was a
struggle. Like all pioneer women her work began at dawn and continued on into
the night. Mary took time to beautify her yard, surrounding it with beautiful
flowers and trees.
During the years of 1867 and 1879, Mary gave birth to 7 more
children, Clara Violate, Thomas Oliver, Margaret Victoria, George Jones, Martha
Mae, Annie Sophia and Hannah Adell. Sorrow was not a
stranger to Mary as three of these babies did not live to their first year -
Clara Vilate, Martha Mae, and Hannah Adell.
There was a
very close bond between the two families of John J. Williams. The two wives, the
half brothers and sisters for the most part lived in harmony and had love for
each other. Both families helped homestead a faun in the Deep Creek area north
east of Malad. Descendants of these families are
proud to still own part of that farm and ranch. Some of John's descendants
still own part of the city block in town also.
John J. Williams died 9 January 1899 leaving Mary a widow for
fourteen years. With her own
children grown and married she became a dedicated grandmother. Mary died on 27
February 1913.
John J. Williams
information submitted by:
Carolyn Barnes.
Mary Jones information submitted by:
Tami Williams from a life history written
in
December 1980 by Dawna
W. Nielsen,
great granddaughter
