Evan Evan Jones 1850

EVAN E. JONES 1850

Evan E. Jones was born in Pengarnddee, Glenmorganshire, South Wales, November 12, 1850, to Evan and Catherine Jones. He was the oldest son, a twin, and had sixteen brothers and sisters. When he was seven years old he began working in the coal mines with his father. He was very small for his age and was carried into the mine in a nose bag or sack by the mules. He told about these mules later, saying that they became so used to the darkness of the mine that when they came out they were blind.     Evan's mother and father joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints December 4, 1846. They were baptized and confirmed by Alfred Clark on a river bank. It was extremely cold and the ice had to be broken before the baptism could be performed. Evan grew up in the Church and saw his parents ridiculed by many of their closest friends and relatives because of their religious affiliations. They had to walk many miles at times to attend meetings and being Mormons was sometimes very hard.
On April 29, 1866, Evan and Catherine Jones and their eleven living children sailed from Wales to America. Six of their children had died previously. Evan E. was sixteen years old and being the oldest son was of great help in taking care of this huge family. They sailed on the ship "John Bright". There were 765 people on the ship. The voyage was directed by C.M. Gilbert. Some days were pleasant and calm and the vessel would sail many miles during the day, then a storm would arise and send them back farther than they had traveled in the previous day. On June 6, 1866, they landed in New York, having been at sea for six weeks. They traveled to Salt Lake City by way of St. Joseph, Missouri, and Wyoming with the Henry Chipman's Ox Team Company. Mr. Jones was in poor health from asthma and he was compelled to ride most of the way in one of the wagons that was loaded with luggage and provisions. Mrs. Jones and most of the family walked the entire distance. Most of the time the older children carried the smaller ones on their backs. Sixteen-year-old Evan drove four yoke of oxen from the Missouri River to the Salt Lake Valley. They suffered many hardships. Many times food was scarce. President Brigham Young sent out teams with supplies of food.
One night they camped where there was no water. They started out the next morning, the only morning they left camp without prayers. At noon that day the Indians made a raid on their cattle and drove away four hundred head. This left them in extremely bad condition. Some people had to help draw and push the wagons. The people in Salt Lake came to their aid and sent oxen to help draw the loads into Salt Lake Valley. The company arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 15, 1866. They were directed to the tithing yard and stayed there a day or two. They then went down south to Lehi, Utah. All of the family who were able to work went into the fields to pick potatoes and cut corn and sugar cane. They were paid in potatoes, corn, molasses and other produce and were able to live through the winter. A lot was purchased and a one room log house built where the entire family lived during the winter. Flour was $14.00 per hundred so the family lived almost entirely on potatoes.
In the fall of 1869 Evan traveled with his family to Beaver County. They went in one wagon, drawn by an ox and a cow. During the journey of over two hundred miles there were several snow storms. It took them two weeks to reach Adamsville where they made their home. A log cabin was again constructed with a dirt floor. In the spring of 1870 they cleared a piece of land and planted wheat. Grasshoppers destroyed the crop, so once again potatoes were the main fare. They didn't taste bread for weeks at a time. Some of the smaller children didn't know what it was to have shoes. Evan spent many nights in a little adobe house guarding the town from Indians. Soon, due to the poor health of his father, he went to work in the northern part of the state working on the railroad. He was one of the main supports of his family. On January 6, 1871, he married Lucretia (Cressia) Walters. David Adams performed the ceremony. In 1877 he and his wife went through the St. George Temple. He had known the girl who became his wife in Wales before she came to America in 1868. The story of Evan E. Jones after his marriage is one of hard work, with a lot of religion, fun dancing and singing mixed in. Soon after he was married he settled in Lehi where he was a miner. Cresia Jane, Mary Ellen (Nell), Evan and Walt, were all born in Lehi. Cresia Jane died in infancy. Evan was extremely loyal to the older people in his family. He left Lehi to go to Adamsville because his wife's mother desired him to do so. She was blind and lived with them. He farmed for a while in Adamsville and then moved to Frisco, Utah, where he worked in the silver mines. Edna, Eliza and Owen were born here. Tragedy also visited them here. Two children, Edna, seven years, and Leroy, fourteen months, died with Scarlet Fever within three weeks of each other. For some time he worked in the Lincoln Mine while living at Adamsville. To illustrate how much he loved dancing, the story is told of how he worked all day and then walked home to Adamsville through the hills, danced until late at night, and then walked back to work the next morning. After finally settling in Adamsville he was a successful farmer and stockman. Their home in Adamsville was a large two story brick structure. The family lived there from 1901 until 1940. All of the children attended school in Adamsville. Lucretia, Walter and Hazel also attended the Murdock Academy in Beaver. In addition to their own ten children, Mr. and Mrs. Jones raised an orphan, Charlie Larsen, who became a real member of their family. The following is a brief picture of family and farm life. Water was drawn from a well on the lot. Light was created from coal oil lamps. There was no electricity in Adamsville until 1940. The modern convenience most enjoyed by the family was a cream separator. The main crops on the farm were wheat, hay and potatoes. There was always a vegetable garden. Chickens, pigs, and cows were raised. Plowing was done with a hand plow, them walking by the horse, guiding the plow. In the fall when the grain was ripe a huge threshing machine drawn by eight span of horses would come to town to thresh the wheat. There was a lot of work for the womenfolk in the kitchen feeding these hard working men. The wheat was taken to the mill in Beaver to be ground into flour. All was used by the household, none was sold. The hay was used to feed the cattle. The cream separator was very important because it was from the cream and butter that was sold that they received cash from which to obtain things they did not produce themselves.
The people in Adamsville loved to dance. There were several men who played the guitar and mandolin and the music was good. Often they gathered at home and sang Welch songs. Evan and his wife were good singers of both Welch and English songs. When a pig was killed, head cheese and faggots were made. These were two delicacies enjoyed by everyone. Of course, at Christmas time and other special occasions, there was current bread, fruit cakes and all the trimmings. Mrs. Jones used to make a special Christmas pudding in a sack. She was also an excellent pie maker. Mr. and Mrs. Jones celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on January 8, 1921, at the Adamsville Ward Chapel. One hundred and fifty people gathered to honor this couple for their accomplishments as pioneers, parents and loyal church members. Evan E. Jones died August 31, 1928, at the Milford Hospital. Severe pain was felt in his right leg three days before his death. Medical service of the best available was given him. The cause of his death was pronounced cerebral embolis senile. He was seventy-eight years old and a high priest in the Church. Mrs. Ellen College of Lehi, his twin sister, was able to attend the funeral. The children who survived him were Mrs. Jack Walker (Nell), Mrs. Jess Walker (Kate), Mrs. Charles College (Eliza), Mrs. James Eyre (Hazel), Mr. Walt Jones, Evan E. Jones, and Charles Jones. He had twenty-three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. His wife died in 1926.