John and Rheumina Earl

John and Rheumina Earl

John Earl, son of William, who was the son of Henry Earl, was born Sept. 8, 1827 n Scarborough, York County, Ontario, Upper Canada, near present Toronto, Canada. He
was nine years old when his parents joined the Mormon Church and two years later his family moved to Kirtland, Ohio. He was part of the group called “Kirtland Camp” that traveled 870 miles and arrived in Far West, Missouri Oct 2, 1838. Records indicate that John was baptized in Nauvoo in 1843 and he would have been 16 years old at that time. He married Rheumina Wilson but no date or place of their marriage is known to me. Their first child was born in Salt Lake City and named Milton William. Their second child was also born there but their next three children were born in Farmington.
At the coming of Johnston’s Army to Utah, John moved his family to Smithfield, Utah. During his time in Farmington, he acquired a farm South and West of town. He worked as a farmer and as a blacksmith. As a blacksmith he worked with his father-in-law, Whitford Gill Wilson. On May 2, 1870 he received a deed for a lot near now what was the main entrance to Lagoon Resort for $37.55 and he built his own blacksmith shop on a corner of that lot. A barn was dug into a slope, west of the shop, with a frame structure over the dugout area. In the upper part he kept hay to feed the animals below, His rock home was built set back from main street and North of the other buildings. The remainder of the lot was his garden area where he grew excellent vegetables and planted some Black Walnut trees, which had grown very large as I remember.

Older members of my family tell me that at least once a summer Grandfather would load his buggy with fresh vegetables and make a trip to each one of his children’s home. After he had divided his supplies with them and had a visit he would return home.

It was quite generally understood that John Earl was not a religious man. Here are a few quotes from people who knew him better than I. “Grandpa John Earl was at the meeting when the mantle of the Prophet Joseph Smith fell upon Brigham Young.” Gertrude Earl Hansen West. Bishop Hess said, ‘There is a place in Heaven for John
Earl. Hilton H. Welling, president of the Bear River Stake said, “John Earl was a diamond in the rough, he did not live his religion but he would have fought or died
for it.” His son, John H. Earl said to me, “I never heard my father say a word against the Church or its people. Nine of his children were married in the temple or endowment house. The 10th child, Mildred died before the age to marry. Grandmother Rheumina and John Earl were endowed in the endowment house in Salt Lake City, Nov. 7, 1863. Amasa L. Clark, at the age of one hundred and one said, “John Earl loved his fellowmen but he did not say long prayers.
“When Grandpa John Earl visited, he often took his grandchildren fishing on Bear River south of Fielding. Old Bell pulled the one horse buggy. Grandpa Earl had made a one legged stool which was strapped to his body so he could move about and his stool always went with him.” Quote from Leo.
Eleanor Earl Vause, who lived with Grandma and Grandpa Earl for 16 years as a child, four to twenty years of age, after her own mother died said of him, “John Earl was good to people in need. He would often take a sack of flour, a sack of potatoes, some honey, etc. and leave it, in the early hours of the day on their doorstep. He never left any evidence of who had placed these items there. He may not have paid his tithing but substituted this method of giving instead. He would give lodging to anyone who asked including tramps. Eleanor did not remember Grandpa or Grandma ever writing a letter or any other documents. They did read, but not very much. They apparently had little or no formal schooling. “Grandfather was a brusk man. He often chatised me and on occasions he whipped me. When I stayed out after bed time I was locked out of the house and had to sleep where I could. Early on the morning of the 4th of July he would get up and fire an old cannon, he owned, to wake folks for the day. The old cannon later was located in the south area of Lagoon, south of the ponds.”
She also said, “Grandma Wilson, mother of my grandmother was a sweet old lady. The parades would always stop in front of her place and the band would play for her. She would, stand, braced in the doorway of her home and do a dance for the crowd.”

Gertrude Earl in her letter of Oct. 3, 1966, said, “Dear little Grandma Earl (Rheumina) used to cook some wonderful meals for us in her home. How well I remember her sending me to the cellar, under the house, to bring up delicious ground cherry preserves, and just about as choice, concord grape preserves. I’m sure I could tell you about where every piece of furniture stood, also, the old water pump south of the kitchen door. The pump had a tin cup fastened to the chain which was attached to the pump. Everybody drank out of this same cup.”
Grandfather Earl was always neat in appearance, he wore a dark suit, a “derby” or “duffy” black hat. He was a joker as most Earls were. He usually walked with a cane but used it to hook about the legs of children. He was gruff and not entirely lovable. We children shied away from him. Most of us carried food from our homes to him and we were always welcome.
I trust that this brief record of these Grandparents will give us a greater appreciation of them. In the main they were genuine parents and grandparents and we have a right to be proud of them as our pioneer ancestors.
Prepared by their Grandson, Frank J. Earl