History of Adelaide Jones Meldrum.
Adelaide Jones was born 28 of April 1853 in
Sirhowy, Monmouthshire South Wales. She was the oldest daughter of John G
Jones and Mary John. They were converts of Henry John to the L.D.S. church and
were among the first of their land to come to America June 1st 1854,
in William Taylor’s company on the sailing vessel Marshfield.
They stopped a while in St. Louis for her father
to work in the coal mines to receive money to help them on their way. Here
David Jones, father of John G., was killed in the coal mines, and his wife Ann
Lawrence Jones emigrated to Utah and passed away in Provo, Utah. They came to
Utah in 1859 in Captain Stephenson’s train, arriving in Salt Lake in September
of that year; they came on to Provo the following month and located about where
woolen mill building now stands; afterward to 3rd North and 1st
East. At the age of eight Adelaide was baptized and became a very ardent
worker and member of the LDS church. As she grew older she worked in Sunday
School, Primary, Mutual and Female Relief Society.
She began teaching children both in church and
school. She taught school four years in one room of her father’s home. She
never received only small contribution from the parents for her faithful
efforts.
At the age of twelve her mother taught her to
card and spin wool. She was too small to reach the top of the spinning wheel,
so her mother had a twelve-inch block of wood nailed to a plank so she could
reach the spinning wheel. When she was sixteen years old her mother was
confined. Adelaide, by her mother telling her what to do, took care of mother
and baby, and here’s where she began her nursing career and she went out among
the sick and became a wonderful nurse. Dr. Fred W. Taylor said she was one of
the best gifted nurses in Provo. She also helped wash and lay out many dead
people and she and her mother helped make burial clothes for them and even some
time used their own clothes or collected from their neighbors.
She also sang in the tabernacle choir under the
direction of James E. Daniels and J. R. Weeks (?)
In March 1886 she was married to John Barkley Meldrum
who was a widower with 3 sons and a daughter. His first wife was Sarah Forsyth.
In September 1886 Adelaide’s mother was thrown from the back seat of a white
top buggy. She was just returning from a funeral and it broke her body terribly
so she passed away about 36 hours after the mishap.
Her son Ben was born in February 1888. As the
children grew older they were all assigned to different duties both in and
[outside the house.]
The boys grew to manhood and each learned a
trade. John was a carpenter and worked with his father until his father died in
1892. William became a plasterer and Frank a farmer. All worked hard to
attain their education. Minnie helped in the home where they took board for
the B.Y.A. (Brigham Young Academy) and Adelaide proved a wonderful mother to
all, and if any became ill she helped nurse them back to health; hers was one
of the first boarding homes for students close to B. Y. and she kept from 12 to
20 students at a time. The workshop had been converted to four or five rooms
for housing. Minnie was always by her side helping, and a more wonderful
daughter never lived. Adelaide also took another little girl, Grady Reese, 4
or 5 years old, who had lost both her parents, she stayed at the home several
years……..and they made butter and cheese for sale and products from the farm,
and Minnie and Adelaide did dress making.
Will and Ben both fulfilled missions to Germany and Scotland. About three weeks before Ben’s return from his mission Minnie had a terrible
accident by being burned with gasoline. A girl who was living in one of their
rooms was cleaning a bicycle at night and Minnie had been visiting there; as
she left the room the gasoline ignited and the girl, thinking to save the room,
grabbed the two-quart bottle and threw it, striking Minnie. The bottle exploded,
spreading flames all over her body and burning her severely. She lived 3 weeks.
This accident broke Adelaide’s heart and she was bedfast for a long time. She
then had to quit her working as she was never well again. John had married a
girl from Kaysville and left and gone to Wyoming(?). Will had married Elizabeth
Boyden. He was helping plaster the Auto Building at B.Y. They were hoisting a
radiator and asked him to help lift it. He did so and was struck with it
causing his death just nine weeks after his marriage. Frank built a home close
by and married Ella James of Ogden. They had five children. They were a great
comfort to Adelaide and helping her. A few years later he built on his farm
and in May 1929 both he and wife and a small daughter had Spinal Meningitis.
The father and mother passed away about 3 days apart and the little daughter
was sent to L.D.S. hospital. …she was left deaf and grand parents & uncles
and aunts took her. The little girl became a teacher of sewing in Ogden mute school.
Ben married Margaret Nibley, had a son Nibley,
daughter Judy Meldrum. He was a soldier in World War One and now lives in Los Angeles.
Aunt Adelaide was called home 21st of
December 1942 and was laid to rest in Provo City Cemetery being remembered by
her many friends and neighbors as a kind and faithful neighbor and a wonderful
nurse and hard worker and successful in what ever she tried to accomplish and
always gave faith and courage to all.
Author Unknown
