Biographical
Sketch of the Life of Pioneer Benjamin Isaac
Written
by Phebe I. Markham, granddaughter
Benjamin Isaac was
born September 17th, 1823 at Trefchan, Carmarthenshire,
Wales, the son of Rees Isaac and Margaret Phillips Isaac. At the age of
nineteen he learned the mason trade and became very efficient at that work
while a young man. In 1843 he married Phoebe Davis at the same town and county
where he was raised. They then moved to Landouror, Carmarthenshire. August
2, 1844 their first child was born, a daughter whom they named Margaret. July
1, 1847 another daughter was born, named Mary. Ann, the third child, was
born December 25, 1851. Sarah, the fourth daughter, was born April 7,
1854. All four daughters were born at Landouror, Carmarthenshire, Wales.
Grandfather and grandmother Isaac
heard the gospel of Jesus Christ in the year 1848 and were baptized by Henry
Evans at Landouror, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Benjamin Isaac was
baptized August 10, 1849. Phoebe Davis Isaac baptized August 20,
1849. Grandfather had one brother who joined the church, and grandmother had
one sister who joined. Six years after their baptisms they left their relatives
and friends to sail for America. On Monday, February 18, 1856 a
company of Saints numbering four hundred fifty-four left Liverpool, England under
the direction of Daniel Tyler on the ship Caravan. They were nearly six
weeks on the trip across the Atlantic Ocean. While on this journey a child
was born to one of their nearest friends, John O. and Margaret Thomas, this
little daughter who was born on the ship is now my mother’s sister, Emma
Frances of Mammoth. She was fourteen days old when the ship landed at New
York, March 27, 1856. They had a very rough voyage at that time of the
year. This company of 454 saints settled at Pitston Ferry, Pennsylvania.
Grandfather was chosen and set apart as President over this branch of Latter
Day Saints while they remained at Pennsylvania, which was four years.
Another baby girl was born while at this place, September 24, 1856 named
Emma. Grandfather continued his work as a mason, but most of the men worked at
the coal mines. Old pioneers who are still with us tell of the fine times they
did have while at Petston, though the Saints worshipped the Lord in that
small branch and were as one in their worship as well as in their enjoyment.
They had a splendid choir. The sisters sang and the brothers played different
instruments. Grandfather played the clarinet. This branch did much good while
at this place. But they were anxious for the time when they could move
westward. The coal mines were dangerous and they were glad to face the dangers
of the trip across the trackless plains, that they might work on top
of the earth in tilling the soil or helping to build themselves a city where
they could worship as they wished.
Benjamin Isaac won the lasting friendship of
the saints in this branch. He was kind-hearted and very energetic in his work.
When the time came for this branch of Saints to prepare for moving westward,
all were happy to do so. They sold all they had, to buy the best wagons and
oxen they could get for the journey. Two weeks before leaving Pennsylvania,
their first son was born, June 4, 1860. They named him Thomas John.
John Smith who
afterwards became the fifth presiding patriarch of the church was called by
Brother George Q. Cannon, who then acted as emigrant agent on the frontiers, to
lead a company to the mountains. So on June 18th, 1860, grandfather and grandmother with a company consisting of
39 wagons and 359 souls, left Florence, Nebraska in the John
Smith company. We can see by the number of saints there that the 39 wagons
could not of held more than their provisions and bedding, so those that could,
were compelled to walk. This noble band, as all others before them, braved it
cheerfully. They walked all day until their feet were sore and bleeding. Then
in the evening would sit around their campfires and sing praises to God, feel
rested by morning and go on their way rejoicing. A number of babies were born
on this journey, my mother’s sister Margaret was one of them, making two of my
mother’s sisters being born while on this journey from Wales, one of the
ship and one of the plains. Grandmother Isaac has told me many times how she
walked all day carrying her baby, and when they were just two weeks’ from their
journey’s end, her little son died and was buried by the wayside, being nearly
four months old, as they had been nearly 3 ½ months on the plains. This was a
sad blow to the young mother, but they marched on uncomplainingly, but sad to
their journey’s end, which was September 1, 1860, arriving in Salt
Lake City. They remained there but a short time, then moved south to
Spanish Fork, the old corner at Spanish Fork was always their home. They built
an adobe house and grandfather, being a mason, went from place to place to
work. He was also a decorator with plasterparis, so he was a ready and
busy man in cutting rock for foundations, laying adobe, plastering and
decorating the walls and ceilings with beautiful designs made of plaster paris.
He worked on the Salt Lake theater which was completed 1862. He
also cut rock for the Salt Lake Temple, helped with the rock acqueduct on
North Temple in 1865-1866; The old assembly hall, the tabernacle in 1866-1867; Zions Co-operative
mercantile institution in 1867-1868; the Provo meeting house 1867; the court
house at Provo, the National Bank of Deseret1867-1870 on east temple and 1st South; the Provo Woolen Mills 1871-1872; worked some on
the St. George Temple in 1873; the Zions Saving Bank 1875; the Manti
Temple 1878. Nearly all the public buildings and old homes in Spanish Fork and
many in Provo, he helped cut the rock, lay the brick or adobe and plaster
them. The old meeting house at Spanish Fork, which is now the Winona theater,
stands as a monument of his work. The center decorations in the ceiling from
where the chandeliers hang, and also the border around the walls which is
designed in clusters of grapes is made of plaster paris and was
grandfathers work. Many admire and speak of the work today as the work of an
artist with the trowel. The same artistic interior decorating is still in many
of the buildings throughout Utah. There was much to do in his line of work
that he was never idle and was always ready.
In 1869, the first
telegraph line came through Spanish Fork. It’s office was in one of
the rooms of the Isaac home for seven years. The first operator was from
Springville, then Emma Isaac, grandfather’s daughter. She was operator for
three years. Then she was sent to different places as operator, American Fork, Lehi,
Dry Creek, Sandy, Richfield, (at this place, she lived with Brigham Young’s son’s
family). From there, to Monroe, then to Nephi. (In Col. Thomas
L. Kane’s writings about his experiences with the Mormons from “Treasures of
Pioneer History,” he tells about his travels through various Utah cities,
one of them, Lehi in the year 1874, quote: “We left the train at Lehi.
It was not an attractive looking place, and I went no farther than the depot,
where a crowd of stages, baggage wagons, and hurrying men intercepted the view.
As I sat warming myself at the ticket office stove, a young lady, chief
telegrapher from the Salt Lake office, with her dress neatly looped over her balmoral skirt,
tripped up to the table where sat the Lehi telegraph clerk, a woman,
too; and, after an effusive greeting, the pair subsided into business.”
“The Lehi office
was thoroughly inspected; satisfactorily, as it appeared from the tones of both
ladies; the curt, dry, question and answer of the catechism ending in a
pleasant chat, seasoned with adjectives and girlish interjections. Thousands of
years behind us in some of their customs; in other, you would think these
people the most forward children of the age.” This lady operator in Lehi was
undoubtedly Emma Isaac, as she was sent to Lehi from Salt Lake
City in the same year that Col. Kanevisisted there.)
In 1866 Grandfather acted as Captain in the
Black Hawk Indian War. Grandmother made sacks and sacks of crackers every week
at her home to be sent to the men on guard against the Indians. She also had
her share of pioneer life as all pioneer women did. Grandfather had a small
farm and consequently, grandmother was kept busy making butter and cheese,
drying fruit, gleaning, spinning and weaving. There had also been four sons
born to them, John, August 4, 1861; Benjamin, January 28, 1863; David
Rees, July 15, 1864; William, December 15, 1866. These babies all
died except Benjamin Jr., who was the only son that lived—Making this family
five girls and five boys.
Benjamin Isaac, Jr.,
learned the mason trade with his father while he was a boy. Grandfather made
the first hay fork in the valley and they say the Jackson hay fork of
today is very similar. He also carved a violin from an old apple tree which
grew on his lot. This instrument is still in use by a Mrs. Noye of Ogden.
The instrument has been restrung several times and violin repairmen have
pronounced it of fine workmanship. The Isaac’s were lovers of music.
Grandfather gave most of his children lessons on the organ and different
instruments. They also loved to sing and their home was always made happy by
music and song.
Benjamin Isaac married Mary Jones, January
3, 1870, as his second wife. There were no children born of this union. Mary
was a beautiful singer for those days, and was very popular in Spanish Fork and
vicinity.
In 1880, Grandfather
was called on a mission back to Pennsylvania, the place he and his family
had lived for four years before coming to Utah. Missionaries those days
were called at the semi-annual conference at Salt Lake City and it
was at this conference in April 1880, he received his call. He left Salt Lake the
latter part of July. He kept a diary of his missionary experiences which is
very interesting. He kept the number of miles he walked each day, and the
gospel talks he had. He walked 3,795 miles and his gospel conversations were
twice or three times that amount. He worked his way into many of the homes by
plastering their cellar to building a chimney. Preaching the gospel of Jesus
Christ while working, to any of the family that was helping him, did a
tremendous amount of good, and he converted and baptized quite a number of
souls. He baptized David Davis and family, and also David Griffiths and his
family, and then helped them start to Utah. Mrs. Grims, a sister,
living now at Soldier Summit, was also a convert, and was baptized by Benjamin
Isaac. The latter part of his mission, he and John H. Williams were companions.
He was honorably released from his mission in 1883 to return home.
He was of a retiring
disposition and did not care for public speaking. Several of his old friends
now living, say that the day he was to speak people liked to hear him because
he was so cheerful and encouraging, full of wit and humor, having a good story
to tell for all occasions. His health was very much broken after returning from
his mission. He suffered from ulcers of the stomach and on February 27,
1886, three years after his return home, he died at his old home at Spanish
Fork. Grandmother lived twenty-five years after his death then she died June
11, 1911 at Benjamin Isaac Jr.’s home at Spanish Fork.
Grandmother was 89 years of age. They both passed to the great beyond true and
faithful Latter Day Saints true to the cause for which they left their native
land. Longfellow says:
All
are architects of Fate, working in the walls of time
Some
with massive deeds and great,
Some
with ornaments of rhyme.
From
the structure that we raise
Time
is with materials filled,
Our todays and
yesterdays
Are
the blocks with which we build.
Build
today, then strong and sure
With
a firm and ample base
And
ascending and secure
Shall
tomorrow find it’s place.
This is true of the life of Benjamin Isaac. He
did his work well, lived an honorable life, set a splendid example for his
posterity to follow.
