Henry John (1851-1922)

HENRY JOHN

In the little country of Wales far across the sea all of my grandparents were born. It is a small but lovely, hilly little country. Mining is the natural resource of income. Coal miner heading the list. It is a green inviting place, the houses are built even with the sidewalks and stand tall and stately. The people are as a rule short of height but a little plump. They are a very jovial people, laughing a great deal. They do not have to have a lot of worldly goods to be contented. For the most part they are energetic and musical, singing their hearts out as well as being loving and kind. But their families are their greatest interest.

At this period, Wales was in a financial depression. Money and jobs were very difficult to get. This was not the only worry but there was also a religious revival and much dispute about Wales being forced to join the Church of England.
The church had been restored to the earth in 1830 so was relatively new. The communication and transportation almost put Europe and America in different worlds, yet Joseph Smith, Jr., was prompted to send missionaries to Europe. Some went to Wales where hundreds of families welcomed the truth and immigrated to Utah. Among these families were my ancestors.
Some histories have been written of my grandfather, Henry John, of which I am deeply appreciative and thankful. In this I would like to write of him as I remember him for the first and early part of my life and also histories and his diaries I have read.
Henry John was born February 15, 1851, at Cathry, Pembrokeshire, South Wales, to Thomas John and Margaret Thomas. He was the fifth son in the family of nine children. His father was an excellent shoe maker and taught his sons to be very meticulous in making shoes. He did well at this business but became discouraged at this time of depression and worked his way to New York on a ship to see if he might better himself and family by coming to a new country. He was disillusioned and became very ill. He returned to Wales. Here his aunt came in with the news that she was attending meetings which she believed were telling the truth.
He went to the meeting probably more out of curiosity to see what his aunt (his mother?s sister) was so enthusiastic about, but he recognized the truth. He was baptized February 15, 1859. Persecution was great and on April 16, 1861, the family sailed on New York Manchester Ship for America. All but the oldest girl, who had married and moved away, left. She was lost track of and never heard from again. This ship was an old one, and the trip was 33 days. They had a hard difficult trip. This ship sank shortly after.
Work was plentiful in New York as the Civil War was demanding help in all fields. The shoe making trade was good making military equipment, shoes, boots, belts, etc. Soon they made enough to take them to Winter Quarters, Nebraska. In about 14 months they left for Nebraska on an immigrant train. The engineer being anti-Mormon was heard to say, ?I?ll send these Mormons to Hell before night comes.? Shortly after a fire broke out in the baggage car and swept through the entire train. The only thing saved by the Thomas John family was a few balls of thread for sewing shoes.
They suffered many trials as the 60 wagons and 700 immigrants moved across the plains. Thomas John was heard to say, ?I?ll never grumble if I can ever get to the valleys, even if I don?t have a shirt on my back.? His son Henry said in his diary, ?I believe Father kept his word, for I never did hear him murmur, though at times he surely had cause to do so.?
They arrived in Salt Lake City October 17, 1862. That same afternoon they took off for Wellsville, arriving October 22, 1862.
President Brigham Young came to their wagon and invited them to church. There wasn?t room enough in the church for all. The children were dusty and dirty from the long trip so Thomas declined the invitation. President Young took him arm in arm and said we are all dirty and walked him off to church. This very day they were all taken to a stream of water and re-baptized.
They soon found a small house, much too small for such a large family, but soon the older boys were hired out and the girls were hired in homes to help with the many household tasks of those days.
After about six years in Wellsville several families moved to Haytown later known as Portage. Thomas and the older boys went but Henry was left to help his mother. He was disappointed but looked eagerly to the time they could go.
He was fifteen at this time. In the fall his father sent word he could come. They went with a group to East Portage. It was a great disappointment to Henry as he looked out over the vast sage brush country but decided not to grumble. If it was good enough for father, it was good enough for him.
Soon they homesteaded land in the North end of Portage. It covered many acres because both father and boys homesteaded. It reached from the foothills at the West to the river on the East. About the center of this vast area they built their first home. Later a brick home was built which indeed was a monument to the pioneer builders. Some of the grainaries still stand in good shape today. The house was still a mansion but burned to the ground several years ago. It had housed several generations.
Grandfather, Henry John, met Margaret Rees who was born in Broadway, Waltonwest Parish, Pembrokeshire, South Wales November 15, 1858, to Thomas Rees and Rebecca Williams. She came from Wales while as a child. There was a large family and little means. Great-grandfather Rees was a very faithful man and did a lot of preaching of the gospel in Wales. Great-grandmother was also very faithful. They did not all come together but came as their finances would permit. Just when and how many children came at a time we do not know but the father and mother and some of the children came on the Ship Minnesota September 29, 1872.
They came across the country by train. Grandmother was the only one in her family that stayed in Portage after they married. Her father died and was buried there.
The Rees family settled in Portage. At first they lived in a dugout which was replaced with a house as soon as it was possible. It was humble but love, contentment and harmony were always found within this home. Laughter and fun shut out envy and hate.
Margaret was a small girl, approximately five feet tall weighing about 105 pounds. She had healthy skin which she took pains keeping clean. She would wash her face with soap and water, then wash it in buttermilk and rinse in cold water. She had beautiful long dark brown hair, almost black. It was long enough to sit on and it had a beautiful wave. She also took much pride with it, washing and brushing it often. She always gathered a few twigs of sage brush and steeped them and rinsed her hair in the tea. Sometimes she would rub an egg through her hair and then rinse. This kept it soft and fluffy.
Grandfather and grandmother had a wonderful life together. They both labored hard. They lived in a lovely brick home, adding to it as their family became larger. It had four bedrooms, two on the main floor and two on the second. One of the bedrooms upstairs was kept locked for a period of time. This was for Grandfather?s brothers that had married in polygamy to take refuge from the law officers. Grandmother always kept it clean with clean straw and quilts to keep them warm and comfortable when they had to come in through the window.
Grandfather answered a mission call to Great Britain March 16, 1898. Grandmother was left with a large farm and ten children and expecting the eleventh. During the time of his absence she had a birth, a death, and a wedding. Her oldest son must be dressed properly for this big event in his life. She gathered wool from the fences that had pulled from the herds of sheep as they passed through. This she cleaned, corded, made into cloth and then made into a suit. Her son always said he was very proud of it. She also made gloves, stockings, and other things. The socks and gloves sometimes made them itch as wool will do. She also went in the early part of summer after summer into North Canyon above Portage taking the cows to feed in the hills. She took the small children with her and left the older ones with Grandfather on the farm to help him. In the canyon she milked the cows morning and night. Took care of the calves. Made butter from the cream. She sold the butter to the cooks for the shearing corral which was located in that area. If there was more than they needed she would walk miles to the store to exchange it for calico, thread, etc. Her butter was in demand and she never had to worry about it aging in the store. Ethel and Brigham always went to the canyon with her and loved to tell of experiences there. Grandmother also made cheese. There was one room in her home that she called the milk room. This is where she did the churning, cheese making, and sitting the milk in a long line of tin pans for the cream to raise. She also had a large pantry and a one-room basement. Both were filled to capacity with fruits and vegetables. She made jam from berries by adding sugar each morning, beating then letting the sun cook it. It was delicious. Her floors were scrubbed with lye and were clean enough to eat on.
Grandfather planted the best of seeds to be found and the best fruit trees. His buildings were built of the best material to be had. He was very exact in his planting, every row had to be straight and spaced perfectly. In his diary he tells of how many rows of potatoes were planted and the kinds, and where the seed was obtained. Many times he wrote, ?Margaret helped me with the planting all day.? He grew apples, pears, plums, prunes, rhubarb, gooseberries, currants, strawberries, and raspberries. Many of these fruits were dried and stored for winter. The apples, potatoes, carrots, turnips, cauliflower, cabbage, squash, and pumpkin were stored in a root cellar. They also had beef, lamb, pork, and always plenty of chickens for meat and eggs. The pork was home cured and was very good. Yes, this home was well provided for. The hay and grains were fed to the animals and also sold or exchanged for other things.
Grandfather?s father had two wives. One grandfather and his children always called Aunt Jane. She lived close to grandfather. She was lovingly and tenderly taken care of. Just as much as his own mother. Grandmother and her children also were thoughtful of Aunt Jane.
While Grandfather was on his mission to Great Britain, Grandmother sewed carpet rags and had carpets woven enough to cover a long hall, the parlor, the stairs and bedrooms. She was so proud to have the floors covered when Grandfather returned. It has always been a joke with the family; Grandfather was educated, had a nice personality, could communicate well with everyone and a nice appearance so he had been assigned to the wealthier parts of London to labor. He had seen the best of homes. When he came home he walked through the house and said, ?Well, we must get busy and do something about our home.? This hurt Grandma?s feelings but she never let Grandpa know. She was so kind and patient, never lifting her voice and ever trying to help someone. She never thought of herself. When she was amused she would laugh until the tears rolled down her cheeks and her whole body shook.
Their oldest son Parley?s wife died leaving three small children. They immediately took the children and gave them loving care. There were treated the same as their own. There wasn?t much difference in some of their ages. One of the girls tells how she cried a lot and Grandmother would make a bed of two chairs with pillows on them by the window and get her interested in watching something outdoors. Then Grandmother would go on with her work.
Another granddaughter tells how she had to come a long way to school and nearly every morning would get ill as soon as school started. (She was a delicate little girl). The teacher would get an older child to take her to Grandma?s who lived close by. Grandma would toast some bread and make a cup of tea and put her on a bed. She says she remembers feeling better as soon as she saw Grandma.
This family in the winter evenings gathered in the parlor around the organ and sang together. Grandpa always saw that a large pan of red Jonathan apples were polished and ready to eat. They were crisp and cold. The corn from their own field was popped, salted, and put in a large bowl. How the children loved to hear it pop and watch the popper fill.
The kitchen was very large with a long table from one end to the other. Grandma was an excellent cook and the table was well filled with good food. She baked large batches of bread every day. It was delicious, made from live yeast that she kept indefinitely. She also had a specialty of currant bread and plum pudding. How her children (though grown and families of their own) missed these special treats she made so well.
The table was always crowded because Grandma not only fed her large family but almost always at three meals a day there were others. Sometimes hired help, other times just people dropping by for the day or a few days visit. One of the granddaughters said her table being so long and so many people reminded her of ?The Last Supper.?
Grandfather did most of the buying for the family. Grandma?s clothes were of the best material, almost always in dark blue or gray. Some of them had a foot or more of silk embroidery. She always had a beautiful gray shawl which she generally wore but she did have a black plush coat for special occasions.
In his diary, Grandpa tells of Grandma helping plant, milk, and carry water to the flowers. This was very hard work for a woman. He also tells how he helped with the house work. He was a very good bread maker and took over efficiently when Grandma went to assist those of her family in sickness or child birth.
In later years they sold their memorable home to their eldest daughter and her husband and large family. They built a home in the town of Portage. Here they made a home that was as near as I can imagine like the Garden of Eden. On that lot were various fruits, vegetables, and shrubs with flowers everywhere. They had electricity from a generator and hot and cold water, a bathroom, a lovely phonograph with high class records, an organ and a library that was envied by many.
Grandfather was a scholar and his learning went into all fields. After a hard day?s work he would stay up until very late hours studying, keeping up with the world on all phases. He would also arise very early, stir up a good fire with plenty of wood and coal and settle down to the table and study. Grandma used to say, ?No use trying to have that table clear, Grandpa has all of his studies where he wants them so don?t touch.? His library table was of black ebony and beautiful. I don?t see how he could resist those beds. They were the best with lovely wool blankets and beautiful quilts, quilts Grandma had made. How I loved to crawl in one of them, they were so soft and comfortable. Perhaps it was a joy to him to put the evenly cut wood from the wood house stacked to the top with neatly piled wood. The coal was in a bin in one side of the woodshed. All out of the weather. He was a school teacher, held many civic jobs and worked in many church capacities. But his family and church were predominent in his life. He also in his later years filled a mission to California. In England he was instrumental in bringing 31 souls to the truth.
Although he did a great deal of good on his missions his diary shows his thoughts constantly were of his family at home. He also showed this by the beautiful poetry he wrote to his family. This is one of the poems he wrote home to a friend while in England on his mission, August 10, 1898.

I am in that far off country from home and friends so dear
Yet One above is watching me, his still small voice I hear.
I often think of friends at home, of friends so kind and true,
I know they often pray for me, that God may guide me through.
I know his care is over me, I?ll serve Him night and day,
I?ll strive to learn His Holy Law, His precepts I?ll obey.
I?ll thank Him for the many friends he has kindly raised to me,
While far away in distant lands, beyond the mighty sea.
My heart is filled with gratitude, that tongue can ne?er express,
That I?m sent to preach the Gospel, God?s children to bless.
We call upon the great and small, we visit rich and poor,
And tell them that the Lord again the Gospel has restored.
The Elders meet upon the street and sing and preach and pray,
And ask the people to repent for all have gone astray.
And when the Gospel has been preached to all the nations round,
We?ll gather home to Zion where peace and love abound.

In March, 1922, he went to Salt Lake City with his son Arthur to see him set apart for a mission to Mexico and to see him off. They were going to the P.B.O. laughing at a joke that had just been told when he fell dead close to the steps of the P.B.O. March 7, 1922.
An account of an epidemic a graveside service was held in Portage Cemetery, March 9, 1922. Brother Robert Harris said, ?I am sure that this body will not lay here overnight. I have never known a man to live as near like the Savior as Brother John. Surely he will rise with the first resurrection, and that has already begun.?
Grandmother was seriously ill and could not go to see Arthur off. It was indeed a great shock to her to hear that Grandfather was gone but as sick as she was she said, ?I will not let this kill me, I will prove that I can stand it for a year.? She had a tumor on the spleen and the doctors said if she was their mother they would not operate. She suffered unmerciful pain for the year but the morning of March 1, 1923, she closed her eyes in sleep for the last time.
Grandmother, a kind, humorous, loving, patient woman. One of the best had gone to join a caravan of loved ones gone before. In her funeral it was said, ?She was untiring in her work for the Lord, she gave help to anyone in need, she visited the sick and shared where ever she could. Everyone admires and appreciates her devotion and love to her family and her Lord. The day was never too cold, too wet, and her own health never too poor to give service where it was needed.? Grandfather wrote lines often that Margaret was spending a day or so with one of the children because a new baby or sickness was there. He also said he was cleaning the house ready for her return.