A Brief Biography of the Life of My Father and Family
(This was
found in Ina Jones’ Book of Remembrance)
John
G Jones was born November
27, 1830, at Llanelly, Brecknockshire, South Wales, Great Britain.
My
father David Jones immigrated to America in June 1848, but I lived
at home until about the time I was married, the 9th day of June
1852.
I
was baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, June 9, 1849,
at Nantyglo, Coalbrook
branch, Moncon.
In accordance to the counsel of Thomas Giles, President of the
conference I joined the Blina branch, January 1850 I
was ordained a teacher by William Williams, May 3, 1851. I was ordained a
Priest by Elder Thomas Reese. These offices I filled to the best my ability and
to the satisfaction of my presiding officers. During this time I was
miraculously saved from death upon three occasions. They were as follows:
1.
A heavy weight of coal falling from above me, by me instantly falling to the
ground I came out from under the weight unhurt.
2.
I was busily working when a stone of tons weight, which was over the spot fell,
and some unseen power turned this stone edgeways which just made it possible
for me to escape uninjured.
3.
The evil one seemed determined to destroy me. I was getting out iron ore, while
the work of digging coal was slack, when all of a sudden the roof came down
upon me. There was one stone which was judged to weigh from fifteen to twenty
tons, which covered me. I was in a very bad state, I
felt my breath leaving me. I prayed to
the Lord for breath and he gave me strength to my soul
that I could endure this awful weight. It took the men forty five minutes to
rescue me. It had to be done by digging from underneath and coming up to my
body. I was badly bruised and had to be carried home by the men. An Elder was
sent for and he had laid his hands upon me and prayed when I received much
relief. The doctor on examination found that no bones had been broken, but said
on account of my bruised body and its condition that I must lay still for many
days or inflammation would set in and cause death. I lay in this condition
until evening when the Saints of the branch came to the place and held a prayer
meeting for me. Before the close of the meeting the Elders anointed me and laid
their hands upon me. When they closed the prayer the President asked me how I
felt. I said, “No better.” They administered to me the second time and while
they were praying I felt the pain moving down toward my feet. At the close of
the prayer the President again asked how I felt. I answered the pain was moving
toward my feet. The third time they
anointed me and prayed. The pain passed from my body through my feet and
troubled me no more. The President inquired of me how I felt, and I told him.
He commanded me in the name of Jesus Christ to arise and walk, which I did.
Unbelievers
had gathered outside as it had been told that I was going to be administered to
by the Elders. “If we see John G Jones walk tonight we will believe there is
some Supreme Power with the Latter-day Saints.” But as soon as the healing was
done they were not willing to acknowledge any power from the Lord, but said,
“Oh the devil, he could have walked before if he had of tried to.” This was
told me by a friend that was out in the crowd. I testify that the power of the
Lord rested upon me and I was healed upon this occasion.
February 9, 1852 I was
married to Mary John, daughter of Henry and Margaret John. As Henry John’s wife
had recently died, we made our home with him until he and his son Daniel came to
America
in March 1853.
While
we remained in Wales
our home was used for the Saints meetings and a resting place for the Elders.
April 28, 1853 our first
child was born and we named her Adelaide.
She brought much joy to our heart.
For
five years after my baptism while I remained in Wales, it gives me great pleasure
to say, that I was diligent in the spreading of the Gospel by preaching,
distributing tracts, and conversation. My wife also took an active part in this
respect with me, and we had the privilege of bearing our testimony to thousands
of people. We met many of the rebuffs given the Elders but our faith did not
falter as we knew the Savior had met just such things for the Gospel’s sake.
One day in tracting I went to a house where a number
of Baptists were gathered, I had been to the house on previous occasions, so
the name of Mormon was given me when introduced by the man of the house. This I
enjoyed very much as it saved me the trouble of doing so. The minister being
present, he immediately began to upbraid me in a very harsh language, saying,
for the people not to listen to or have anything to do with me. When he stopped
I attacked him for approaching a stranger in such a manner. I offered to
discuss the principles of our faith with him, as he called us fools and
unlearned, etc. To give him the privilege of introducing his belief before the
company and then I would introduce the principle of our belief and let the
company be the judges on the result, but in doing so we must take the scripture
for our argument. Then he screamed at the top of his voice five or six times “No,
No, No, it is no use to talk to the Latter-day Saints, (which he called us
this time) for they have all the scripture at their tongues end.” Then the man
of the house and all present said my proposition was fair and the minister
ought not to back down in as much as he had started the conversation. But they
were unable to prevail upon him to meet me. I then bore my testimony to all
present and they gave good attention to what I said. I told them that I knew
that the principles of the Latter-day Saints were from God and would bring
salvation to all present who would obey them.
I
went to hear this minister preach that night but my presence so overcame him
that he had to close without saying much.
March 1854 we started on our journey for the United States of America.
Owing to the ship with which we were to sail being taken by the English
Government to carry troops to Russia
to serve in the “Crimean War” we were forced to remain eleven days at Liverpool and take ship Marsfield.
April 1, 1854, she
moved out of dock in to the river and there anchored eight days then left for New Orleans, USA. The first two weeks we had
very rough weather. Other complications set in besides sea sickness, with me,
and I was nigh unto death. The Lord was with me and heard and answered my
prayers so much that I was healed of my sickness. The other five weeks the
weather was beautiful and all enjoyed themselves very much. There were two
births but no deaths upon the ocean.
The
Saints numbered 400 souls and were under the direction of President William
Taylor.
We
held regular meetings on board the ship and a number of the sailors were
converted to the Gospel on this trip. They were baptized and came to Utah with the saints.
We
landed at New Orleans
May 29, 1854.
Many crowded upon the boat to see the peculiar Mormons. From the appearance of
the intruders I judged that they were not the best class of men.
June 1, 1854 we sailed up
the Mississippi on the ships James Robb and
Grand Turk and June 7th we landed at quarantine quarters, three
miles from St. Louis.
Here we were retained six days on account of the false report being circulated
that the saints had taken the Cholera. We landed in St. Louis June 13th where my
father-in-law [Henry John] met us. He hauled us to a place called the “Top of
Hill”, near the Gravois at the outskirts of what was then the city.
In
1855 my father-in-law immigrated to Utah.
August 6, 1855 our
second child was born and we named him John. He was a fine child. He died of
croup October 31, 1856,
and was buried November 1,
1856 at the County Farm Burial Ground, Gravois.
About
this time I bought a coal pit which did not prove profitable to me as it had
been worked to its limits before I purchased it. Being sold to me on
misrepresentation I got my money back with the aid of Judge Johnson.
While
repairing timber here in the coal mines, a boy by mistake shoved a car into the
open pit where I was working, by some unseen power I was pushed to the floor
and the car passed cutting my shoe and sock from my foot, but not injuring my
body. This greatly surprised all in the mine that I was not killed. Thus again
did I greatly rejoice for the protection of my Heavenly Father. My testimony
was greatly strengthened as I escaped with only a bruised foot where I might
have had a mangled body.
April 20, 1856 I was
ordained an Elder in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Richard
Evans at Gravois, St. Louis,
Missouri, and placed to preside
over a district of Saints. I remained in St. Louis
until the spring of 1857, then I moved to Coalchester,
Illinois eight miles from McComb-McDonald Co. By the instructions of President Orson Eldredge of St. Louis Stake I organized a branch of the
church at Coalchester and presided over it until I
moved to Utah
in 1859.
August 30, 1857 in Illinois our third child
was born and we named her Mary Ann.
The
month of June 1859 found us on the old trail of the Latter-day Saints going
from Coalchester to Florence
where we joined the company under the leadership of Edward Stephensen,
and crossed the plains, landing in Salt
Lake City, September 16, 1859. The many incidents that happened to
the saints in general on the plains were our common fate, but the feeling that
time and space will not permit them retold here. While I was in Salt Lake City
President Brigham Young employed me to assist in constructing the wall around
the block east of the Temple.
My
family and I moved to Provo
October 1859, purchasing a quarter block from George
M. Giles for a home for us. We still own the ground.
Under
the hands of David Curtis I was ordained a Seventy December 6, 1859, and was assigned to the
twentieth quorum.
Being
a mason by trade I have taken a very active part in aiding to construct the
leading buildings and enterprises in Provo and have held stock and help to
maintain many of them such as the Provo Woolen Mills, East Co-op Store,
Exchange, Tabernacle, Brigham Young University, and others that are too
numerous to mention. Not alone did full attention to my trade, but worked at
other vocations. The great Provo Bench Canal on the North of Provo river, The
East Union Canal south of Provo river, either of which are many miles in length
and irrigate thousands of acres of land; I helped to build them from start to
finish. Scarcely is there a road in the near-by canyons that did not have me as
one of its builders. I learned to till the soil and produce from the earth such
as is required to sustain life by so doing. I have taught my sons by practical
experience should circumstances ever require, that either of them can produce a
living from Mother Earth.
The
spinning wheel had its day in our home, as in the home of many of the early
saints.
From
1860 to the present time I have never been idle in the church, but always ready
to respond to those who are in authority when they have called on me.
Between
the years 1859 and 1876 were born to us six sons and two daughters, making
eleven children in the family. In 1875 I erected as a home what was considered
at the time one of the most modern brick dwellings of Provo City.
I
was called to preside over the first district of Seventies in Provo, and was set apart for this by Karl G. Maeser. The Seventies were divided at that time into two
districts called the first and second. In the spring of 1878 I was called to be
one of the Presidents of the twentieth quorum but as I received a call to go on
a mission my ordination was postponed until my return. On the 5th of May 1878 I left
for a mission to my native land “Wales.” My missionary experiences
were a pleasure to me. I bore my testimony to thousands of people and had the
pleasure of leading many down into the waters of baptism. During the last year
of my labors in Wales I was
placed in as President of the Welsh conference, and on returning home in 1880 I
was president of the company of Saints immigrating to Utah
on board the ship Wisconsin
on June 5th.
August 24, 1883 I was set
apart as one of the Presidents in the forty-fifth quorum. I worked in this
capacity until 1902. I was set apart by Joseph W. Young one of the first
Presidency having been transferred from the twentieth quorum to the
forty-fifth. I was acting senior President of the forty-fifth quorum of Seventy from 1894 to 1902 on account of President S. S. Cluffs’ hearing being so bad that he was unable to act.
“There is no flock, however watched and
tended,
But one dead lamb is there,
There is no fireside, how soe’er defended,
But has one vacant chair.”
In
1865 we mourned the loss by death, of our son Daniel. He was laid to rest in
the Provo City Cemetery.
In 1883 we placed in the cemetery our daughter Mary Ann, the wife of Richard J.
Nuttall. In 1886, September 27th, came the
greatest trial of my life when my dear wife and companion was taken by death
from me. May 5, 1889,
my youngest son Benjamin was stricken by death. In all our sorrow and trouble
we only get consolation by the Holy Spirit.
“Why
should we mourn for death is sweet,
To
the soul that dies in Jesus love,
Tho called to part, we soon shall meet,
In holier happier realms above.”
July 6, 1902 I was ordained
a High Priest by President David John of the Utah Stake.
July 13, 1902, I was called
and ordained to be a Patriarch, President Joseph F. Smith being mouth. Since which time I have given a great number of blessings to the
children of the Latter-day Saints. For many years I have desired this
latter gift, that before I was laid to rest that I might have the privilege to
hold the office of Patriarch and of blessing my children. This being granted my
soul is filled with great joy. When I look upon my passed labors it reflects
light, joy and happiness inexpressible.
N.B.
March 14, 1914 at
9:30 a.m., he finished his
mission in this life and enlisted in the ranks of those who have gone to our
Lord and maker.
NOTE: I am unaware as I type this who
N.B. is, but have typed it as close to the original as my typing permits.
Robert E. Jones, 3340 Aida Lane, Anaheim, Calif. 11-15-65 (Bob Jones signature)
