Taliesin Hughes
Sr., son of James Hughes and Margaret Jones, was born 13 July 1843 in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire, South Wales. He had four brothers and three
sisters. Maria, Taliesin (my grandfather), Gomer, Mary, Mathew, Lewis, Daniel, and Sarah Ann. All the children except Sarah Ann, who was
born in America, were born
in Glamorganshire, Wales.
Mary died in Wales
when a young child.
The Hughes family
must have always had religious leanings as one thing that stands out in all of
the family histories was the identification of a small Church, Egwlsbach. When the Mormon missionaries came to the area in
about 1850 to
preach the Gospel, it may have been
quite easy for the Hughes family to accept the message of the restored church
and be baptized. More difficult may have been the decision to leave their
beloved Wales and join the
body of the Church in the west of America.
The decision was
made and in April 1855 James and Margaret gathered their family and sailed for America on the ship Chimborazo
with Peter Vesper as captain, having 431 souls on board. My grandfather,
Taliesin was 12 years old at this time. On the ship the families furnished
their own beds, either straw ticks or feather beds, and cooking utensils. They
also cooked their own meals. Food was measured out, with so much for adults and
a smaller portion for children. Many testified that they had enjoyed more of the
spirit of God on shipboard than ever before. They enjoyed excellent health all the
way, sea-sickness excepted. The saints employed their extra time in making
tents and wagon covers for the plains.
Some of the
immigrants continued on to St. Lewis by way of Pittsburg,
but James Hughes and his family went to Pottsville,
Pennsylvania, where, being an
engineer by trade, James secured work in the coal mines, the work he knew best. In Pottsville
their eighth child, Sarah Ann, was born. A short time later the family moved to
Casevville, Illinois, a few miles east of St. Louis, where they lived for about three years.
James again securing employment running an engine at a coal mine.
Two short years
after Sarah Ann was born, Margaret. wife of James and
mother to seven living children, died. She was buried on the bluffs overlooking
the Mississippi River near Caseyville,
Illinois. We can imagine the
tender feelings of this
father, living in a new land, losing his beloved wife, and now being the only
living parent of seven children. The friendly shores of Wales beckoned
him, and being disheartened, he didn't have the courage to continue the journey
to join the saints in the west.
The parents of
his wife, Margaret, had apparently immigrated to America and crossed the plains
before 1859. Soon after Margaret's death,her
brother, William Jones, journeyed to Caseyville to help the family. The
children wanted to continue the journey west, to join the saints. Their uncle, William,
with the consent of their father, made arrangements for the children to travel
in an 1859 company of saints in charge of Captain Horton D. Haight.
The two oldest children, Maria and my grandfather Taliesen,
were 17 and 16 years old. They took the
responsibility of the family. Their father, James, remained in Illinois, continuing his work and was to follow later, however, the children never again saw their father as
he returned to Wales
and there married a woman by the name of Margaret Jenkins. He died there 14
January 1879 at the age of 64.
The children
arrived in Utah
on September 7, 1 859 after a hard and tedious journey across the plains and
mountains. There were not many families with this train as the wagons were
freighted with merchandise, machinery and etc.
The Hughes family
went on to Willard, Utah, to live with their uncle for a time.
The children then moved on to Logan.
Later, Grandpa made four trips with ox team to Florence,
Nebraska to help bring saints to Utah. In the 1860s,
while yet a young man, he freighted on the Montana road in the days when the Indians
claimed possession. By dividing his provisions with them and also due to the friendliness
which he manifested toward them they allowed him to go and come unmolested.
Grandpa was an
excellent swimmer, having swum the Bear River
many times before the bridge was built. He said many was the time he walked to
Logan and swain the river when he came to it to get the little boat on the
other side and then rowed back to get his clothes.
Grandpa married
Elizabeth Roberts of Logan 9 January 1867 in Logan, Utah at Elizabeth's mothers home. Elizabeth was
born in Llanfrothen, Wales
and had immigrated to America
with her parents. After their marriage, Taliesin and Elizabeth lived in their
own home in Logan, Utah.
In the spring of
1868, with three other families from Logan, set
their eyes on Malad Valley,
Idaho and settled in Samaria, Idaho.
There they would finally find a haven and permanent home for their family. When
the settlers first moved to the Malad Valley,
the grass grew everywhere up to a man's waist. The sagebrush often grew as tall
as an ordinary man and six to eight inches in diameter at the butt. It was a hard
struggle to clear the land for planting.
Elizabeth gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl,
James and Catherine on 11 October 1869. They were born prematurely and only lived
a short time. Soon after the death of their first children, Taliesin and
Elizabeth received their endowments in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. Twin girls, Ann and Margaret
were then born on 8 February 1871. Margaret was weak at birth and died 10 days later.
Ann survived and grew up and was married to John William Cowley and together
they raised a family.
On 6 March 1874,
a third set of twins, David and Hyrum, was born to Elizabeth and Taliesin.
These little boys thrived and it looked like they would grow up to be strong
men; however, in June 1879, two years after their mother's death, they died
from diphtheria within two days of each other.
Elizabeth gave birth to a little girl, Maria,
on 23 January 1877. Maria grew to maturity, married Thomas Williams and
together they raised a family.
Sadly, Elizabeth would not be
able to raise her two daughters, Ann, and Maria as she passed away 16 May.
1877. It must have been a great trial for this couple to have
three sets of twins and a single and to have only two of them survive to
maturity.
On 9 September
1877, Taliesin Hughes and Jane Mason, an 18 year old girl, traveled to Logan and were married.
They were later sealed in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Jane Mason, my
grandmother, was the daughter of Elizabeth Mason and Thomas Mason. She was born
in Dukestown. Mornouthshire,
South Wales, 22 January 1859. Jane's parents
were converted to the Mormon faith in April, 1848, and like the parents of
Taliesin, desired to immigrate to America to be with the saints. Because
the family was poor, it wasn't possible for all of the family to secure passage
at once, so Jane's mother, Elizabeth, with her two little girls, Jane, four
years old, and Mary seven years old, sailed on the vessel, John Bright, for America. Jane's
father, Thomas, and her brother, Dan, would come later, after they had earned
enough money for their passage. Another daughter, Elizabeth, was married and
stayed in England.
Four other children, David, William, Joseph, and Ann died in early childhood.
It was a great
responsibility for Jane's mother to leave her husband in Wales and
travel with two young girls, six and eight years, across the ocean. During the
voyage, an awful storm came up while they were crossing the Atlantic
ocean in a sailing vessel. She said it
rained, lightened, thundered and the wind tossed the ship like a cork and the
big waves came up on the deck. The captain of the ship said the ship would be
dashed to pieces and it would go down. There was no chance so he locked himself
in his cabin. But there was a group of Mormon immigrants on the ship who held a
prayer meeting and asked the Lord to preserve their lives. During the night the
storm ceased and the Saints gave thanks to their Heavenly Father. In the morning
the captain came out on deck and as he looked at the peaceful waters, he told
the Saints only their prayers had saved them as it was one of the most terrible
stores he had seen.
On arriving in America they
started across the plains by ox team, walking most of the way and then when my
grandmother became very sick with mountain fever her mother was heart sick from
worry. Many of the company in the train were sick so it was decided that most
of them would go on and leave a few well ones to take care of the sick. The
captain of the train came over to their wagon and said they would have to stay
and come later when the rest of the sick people were ready to follow. He asked
grandmother if she would like to have someone administer to her. There were two
elders who went around in the evening and blessed the sick. Grandmother said if
she could only have David Jones (some called him David the Poet) bless her, I
know I would get better. So he went and asked him. His family and wife were
very sick and he was mixing bread. He rubbed the dough from his hands and went
to the wagon and blessed her and told her that she would be able to continue
the journey with the company. The next morning grandmother was well and walked
all day with her mother and sister, Mary.
Upon arriving in Salt Lake City, Utah
25 September 1866, grandmother, her mother and sister had no place to go. They
were truly strangers in a strange land. They sat on their carpet bags, crying, and
wondering what to do. A very dear friend, Brother Simons, who had known them in
Wales and who lived in Woods
Cross, Utah,
had read their name on the emigrant list. He came and took mother and two girls
to live with his family in their one room home until Thomas Mason,
grandmother's father, and his son Dan, arrived in Salt Lake City two years later. Now life was
a little easier for the family. They resided in Willard, Utah
for several years. But then decided it would be wonderful to own a home and
land in Idaho, so they moved to Samaria, Idaho
and bought a home. They enjoyed being among so many of their Welsh friends.
This is where Taliesin and Jane became acquainted.
Twelve children,
seven girls and five boys were born to the union of Taliesin and Jane, my grandparents:
Elizabeth, Taliesin. Thomas, Margaret, Mary, Jacob, Sarah, Ada, Joseph. Edward, Eva and Isabella. Seven were born in Samaria.
In 1890 the
pioneering spirit brought the Hughes family to Pleasantview, Idaho.
They were among the first settlers in that little community, moving their frame
home from Samaria
to Pleasantview, a distance of about six miles. Other
settlers there at the time were: Lewis Dan Jones, Stephen Wight, Thomas Davis,
Isaac Isaacson, Joseph Thorpe, Jerry Jones, Peter Camp, David Joseph Davis,
Will Wight, Jonah Evans, and Charles R. Thomas and their families.
In the Pleasantview area the Indians had a hunting ground and
there was sagebrush everywhere. Grandfather's family helped to build the
bridges, bum the sagebrush, build the fences, and produce the crops. They
helped to open up the country and lay the foundation upon which that small
community was built.
Grandfather was
an influential citizen in both religious and civil affairs. He was superintendent
of the Sunday School for many years and donated the
land where the first schoolhouse was built. This small white frame building was
also used as the first church house. Later a large three room brick school was
built as well as a church house to accommodate the growing population of the
community.
Grandfather and
Peter Fredrickson of Malad owned and operated the
first thresher in the valley, which they operated for 17 seasons and became
recognized experts with it. They threshed grain all over the valley.
Grandfather also owned an old Osmond binder which he operated for many seasons.
Grandmother was a
pioneer, along with her husband in settling Pleasantview.
She was a very thrifty person, helping Grandfather build the home and for a
large family. Grandmother did the knitting for the children as well as all the
sewing, washing and ironing. She was a beautiful seamstress and did sewing for
many people. She was the second postmistress in Pleasantview.
When her
daughters grew older, Grandmother bought a carpet loom and they wove carpet for
people in the valley. This made it possible for the girls to be able to work at
home. They also had bees for many years and produced several hundred pounds of
honey and beeswax each year.
Grandmother was
active in the Pleasantview Ward. She was called to be
the first president of the Primary and was also secretary of the Relief
Society. She always saw that the children attended Church. Her education was
meager, but she read a great deal and was a beautiful writer, never misspelling
a word.
On 11 January
1907 Taliesin and Jane sold the homestead to the two eldest sons, Taliesin Jr. and
Thomas M., and moved to Logan,
where the younger children could receive advanced schooling. They lived in Logan for fifteen years
but always had a longing to return to the farm in Pleasantview
where they had spent so many happy years. In 1922 they moved back to Pleasantview and built a new home just south of the old
home. (The homestead home was destroyed by fire on 24 July 1943) They dug a
flowing well and piped water into the house. They enjoyed their comfortable
home for eight years. Jane's later years were spent sewing for her
grandchildren and doing beautiful crocheting and tatting. Her hands were never
idle. Jane died 11 March 1929 and was
buried in the Pleasantview, Idaho, cemetery.
Taliesin was not
a man who cared to appear in public nor to give alms
to be seen of men. His gifts in time and means were generous, but always on the
quiet. He was an active tireless worker. He loved to read until his eyesight
began to fail him. He was totally blind the last two years of his life. This
was a great handicap to him, especially since he had lost his hearing earlier
in life. He lived the last year of his life with his children who took good
care of him. He was always patient even in the midst of growing families. He
died 28 November 1930 at the age of 87 and was buried in the Pleasantview cemetery.
At his funeral,
President Louis D. Jones said,"Tally has raised
a fine family, They are a valuable asset to the community
in which they reside. Tally has been very active all his life and very
ambitious. He came to Malad Valley
at an early date and helped lay the bridges and build the roads and fences. He
had very little schooling, but was an intensive reader and kept himself well
posted on all news; local, state and national." At the time of his death,
he was survived by ten children, one hundred and thirty-eight grandchildren and
eighteen great grandchildren.
Compiled and written by:
Carol Eliason (granddaughter) 2004
