James Lloyd Griffiths
Autobiography
I was born in Pengarnddu,
Glamorganshire, South Wales
October 31, 1863. My
fathers name was John Jenkin Griffiths and my mothers
name was Eleanor Lloyd.
He was born May 3, 1837 in Aberaeron,
Cardiganshire, South Wales. She was born
June 20, 1838 (24 May, 1836) in Thlanellthe, (Llansilio-Gogo)
Cardiganshire, South
Wales. I don't know the date of grandpa and grandma's death but
you can get that
from Moreland or from Aunty Maggie England as she has a full record. My paternal
grandfather's name was Jenkin Griffith and
grandmother's name was Nancy (ANN).
I don't
know her maiden name. My maternal grandfather's name was Josiah Lloyd
that is all I know of them.
Grandfather Griffith was a coal miner his
father was a local member Methodist but
joined our church and remained in it only for 3 days. Couldn't
stand the persecution.
My father joined the church when he was 14 years old in 1852. Grandma (Eleanor
Lloyd
Griffiths) emigrated to Utah in 1864 in May with aunt May (Mary
Ann Griffiths
Jones) and myself.
I was six
months old at that time. I don't know the exact date nor
the name of the sailing vessel nor do I know the date we arrived in
Beaver but I think
in November. Our
trip across the Atlantic was pleasant only for
one incident that was
when we were caught in a storm and was driven about 3 hundred miles off our
course
and the old boat leaned over on her side so that no one could stand on deck for
three
days. So imagine what we went through not being able to call for help and being
tossed at the mercy of the waves all the time until the ships crew adjusted the
ballast
and the old ship righted itself.
After landing in Boston,
we came to the Missouri river by train and
then started across
the plains by ox team. Grandma knew no one in the company only a young girl
named
Margaret Reese who after coming to Utah
married Daniel Williams. John Williams
mother of Thomas, Idaho. She was a great
comfort to Grandma. They lived together
and shared all the hardships together such as gathering buffalo chips for fuel.
Carrying
me in turns as I was too mean to ride without them and they could not ride as
the teams
were too heavily loaded. So all the people that were able to walk could not
ride so day
by day they had to trudge along in the hot sun and dust clouds with not any too
much
to eat and their clothes and shoes did not stand the trip any too well.
Besides there was the danger of Indians at
every turn though I don't think their train
was ever molested. Still they were in eminent danger all the time. They saw
hundreds
of Indians on the war path with their faces painted red and great feathers in
their hair.
Then there was the lack of water to contend with and thirst to endure. Our
train had a
few oxen stolen by Indians but no one killed.
Another particular hardship was in
crossing the Platte River in Nebraska.
The water
was waist deep and the able bodied of the
train had to wade the river by holding to
ropes fastened to the wagons. The water was cold and the river
half a mile wide. If
you are reading the day by day with the Pioneers in the Salt Lake Tribune that
will
give you a far better account than I can. But the Pioneer trek is identical to
ours only
the road was better and well defined and I guess some regular camps were
located and
our train knew where to find water and feed whereas the first Pioneers had to
find all
these things out for themselves. And had to make the road and hunt feed and
water
which was very difficult at times.
Another great danger was the stampede of
thousands of buffalo in one herd. They
would run over anything in their way so it was very dangerous to us if the
buffalo in
their stampede should head for the train. No train could survive the impact of
a
stampede as they would crush all in their path.
Wagons cattle and people and leave
many dead buffalo in their wake. On a small creek in what is now Sweetwater,
Wyoming, we lost quite a number of
cattle by drinking the water which had too much
alkali in it. That
is the reason they named the stream Sweet Water. Finally after
months of hardship we reached the Great
Salt Lake Valley.
After a short rest in Salt
Lake City camped on the old square where now is Pioneer Park.
At that time the city
was just a good sized town.
We soon left for Beaver, our destination
arriving some time in November 1864. There
we moved to a one story building not up but down under the surface called a
cellar or a
dugout where it rained the cellar 2 days after it cleared up our side and some
times we
had to carry the floor out in buckets or pans or whatever we had and all this
time dear
old sweet mother would go out and wash clothes for our living. Such things as
flour,
molasses, dried fruit, butter, eggs anything we could make use of. She would make
our own candles for lighting up the home, make her own soap out of old grease
and
saleraties instead of using lye as is now used.
We had a fireplace in the cellar on which
we or grandma done the cooking. Our
utensils consisted of a large Dutch oven, a frying pan and something to boil
water in, a
few plates, knives, forks and spoons brought from the old country. No electric
stoves
or lights not as much as the Indians have today.
So we had it hard for a time but were
never hungry or cold as there was plenty of sage brush and wood.
Then father came in 1865, a year after us
and oh what joy on seeing him after a year of
such anxiety and hardships. We were surely happy and thought all our troubles
were
over. Our cellar was located on the northeast corner of the block where now
stands the
beautiful Beaver High School. Well from there we
moved to Greenville to a log house
and some land, lived there a year or two and then moved to Adamsville, a
new town at
that time, moved our log house and after a little we moved back to Greenville
back and
forth several times finally to locate in Adamsville permanently until grandpa
moved to
Idaho.
Grandpa Jones (John J Jones) and
his family came from the same place in Wales that
we came from but they came I think in 1866 but I am not right sure but your
dear
mother (Sarah Ellen Jones) was born in
Lehi where they settled when they came to
this country. She was born September 22, 1869. I think I am not so sure and they
moved to Adamsville in 1869 that I am sure of so we were raised together nearly
all
our lives. We were married in Beaver in aunt
Margaret's home on the first day of
January 1886 and lived in Adamsville, Aberdare and
Frisco. Part of the time I was
away working at the mines while she lived with Grandpa and Grandma Jones. We
lived for awhile with uncle John and Aunt May from
there we moved to Frisco in 1890
where after a few months of very happy life she died on the 19th of October and was
buried in Beaver on October 21 leaving us all to mourn the loss of a dear wife
and
mother. Enoch Cowdell, a justice of the peace married
us.
I remained single until 1894 at which time
I married Clara E Slaughter in the Manti
Temple after being sealed to your mother and having you (Sarah Rosetta
Griffiths
Jensen) and Lloyd adopted to us. After we were married we went to live in Aberdare
and then moved to Frisco where I engaged in teaming, hauling wood and
logs to the
mine in 1904. I had the contract to haul coal, lumber and machinery to New House
and continued for four years. Had four big teams on the road all the time then we
moved to Idaho and spent 3 years there then moved back to Frisco and bought the
old
store and were there for 13 years also had the post office, finally the store burned
down
then we moved to Milford but while in Frisco I was county commissioner for four
years and state road agent for 2 years.
We have made some mistakes and had our ups
and downs. I have raised a good family
and tried to do all I could for them at all times and I am happy to know I had
their love
and respect. I am now seventy one October 31,
I feel well in body and mind if only I
could get rid of this rheumatic I would feel fine.
James Lloyd Griffiths
Milford
May 3,1934
