A SHORT HISTORY OF JOHNSTOWN – by Ethel John Roderick (daughter of Henry John)
The place we call Johnstown is located, at the North end of Portage; often called the
North string. I do not have the date of it's beginning, but it was the family of Thomas
John who settled there. They were as follows: Thomas and Margaret John who were the
parents; their children were- William, Charles, James, Levi, Henry, Ann, Mary Jane, and
Letitia.
Thomas had two wives - Margaret and Jane. Their homes were situated in this order - On
the extreme south and west of the road Letitia and William H. Gibbs built their home.
Nearer the road William had two homes just a short distance apart. Ann's home came next,
Then James had two homes a short distance apart, Then Thomas, the father's home. Henry's
home was next to this and a little to the north of Henry's home was Jane's home. Charles'
homes were next and to the north of the line was Levi's home.
These men all had families and there being as many children or more in Johnstown than in
Portage, they naturally wanted a school house built in the center of Johnstown, but the
people in Portage wanted it in Portage, so the John's gave in and the school was built in
Portage, But Henry taught in the log room that he had lived in. He and his father built
two long benches for the children to sit on. He had quite a nice sized school of boys and
girls - all Johns children. But it was decided it should be all one school, so Henry
stopped teaching and the boys and girls went to Portage. Most of the Johns people had
good singing voices, The majority of them loved to dance and play the fiddle, They were
talented and enjoyed life.
They were good religious people and extremely hard workers, and they were prosperous in
their labors.
For a number of years they went up into what is known as Middle canyon and cut the wild
grass which was plentiful and hauled it home to feed to their cattle and horses in the
winter. They all burned wood to cook with and to warm their homes, so they hauled wood
from the canyons.
The water from the springs in both North and Middle canyons was brought down to the
valley to irrigate the land.
You can see that the homes were quite close together as they were all built on the West
side of the road. I would think Johnstown was about 1 1/2 miles long. And it extended up
to the foothills to the West -- clear to the North end.
They all liked to own good machinery and harnesses for their horses. They liked their
cattle and horses fat. They built good granaries for their grain and sheds to protect the
animals from the cold. You can see they were the very best of people.
Johns town included the land from the hills on the West side of the valley to the Malad
River on the East. It is a lovely level country with good rich soil. At the present time
Henry John's grandsons own most of it- These grandsons are- Lorin John, Thomas Asael
John, and Henry Roderick, all industrious, hard working men.
The John’s people also planted trees, both for shade along the sidewalk and fruit trees.
"I am a long ways from being the oldest in the family so I don't know too much about
this- But I think we can all take our hats off to the memory of Thomas and Margaret John
and Johnstown."
I have heard it said that Thomas John planted the first wheat in Portage.
- Ethel J. RoderickSTORY
OF THOMAS JOHN AND FAMILY
Thomas John and his wife, Margaret Thomas, lived in a little town of
Mathry In Pembrokeshire, South Wales, with their family of nine children —
Phoebe, William, Charles, Ann, James, Levi, Henry, Letitia, and Mary Jane.
Thomas John was a very religious man. His mother died when he was just
a baby, so he was raised by his grandmother, Elizabeth Murrow Phillips. She
took a great interest in him and taught him to read at a very young age.
When he was six years old an old gentleman came to their home, and he asked
grandmother Phillips if the boy knew his alphabet. His grandmother quickly
said, "His alphabet, why he can read." The old gentleman said, "If he can
read a chapter from the Bible for me without a mistake, I will give the lad a
Bible for his own." Thomas immediately picked up the Bible and read a chapter
for him and did it so well that the man gave him a new Bible, at six years of
age.
They belonged to the "Independent Church." Thomas was very active in
this church. Ha was superintendent of the Sunday School, which had an
enrollment of about 500 people.
He was a shoemaker and a very good one. He had so much business that
it became necessary to teach it to his sons, William and Charles so they
could help him. They went from house to house and made shoes for entire
families, and also the servants in each household.
Thomas John Joins the Church
Thomas John, a humble shoemaker by trade, found it harder and harder to
give his family the things of this world. In his shop where he worked long
hours making boots for his selected customers, he had the time to listen to
the tales and reports of the people as they came into his shop. The timely
conversation was of the land of America and the opportunities that awaited
the immigrant. He listened while they told and retold of the prosperity of
this new world where s man who had a mind to, could obtain lands and
possessions unlimited. As he listened, he made a decision that he would go
to this new land of opportunity. So in 1848, he left his family and signed
as a cook on a ship to pay his passage and crossed the great Atlantic Ocean.
Disillusionment met him. Work was not as plentiful as he had been let
to believe. Then, to make matters worse, he took sick. He had a felon on
his hand. He found a little work in the iron works in Pennsylvania. Wages
were low, he was discouraged, and on every side be saw the marks of a new
rising world — vices and evil. He decided that America was too wicked a
place to bring up a family. Thoroughly discouraged, he returned to his
native land and arrived in Liverpool in the spring of 1849.
When he arrived at Liverpool, he met a group of men and women all fired
up with the prospect of going to America. They asked him many questions about
America but he tried to discourage them and stop them from going. They said,
"It makes no difference what you say, we are going to Zion. The Lord has
spoken to man again; he has restored the true and everlasting gospel in that
part of the world. It is Zion, and we are going."
Thomas thought, "Surely those people are crazy," for ha had seen
nothing but sin and wickedness.
He left them thus and returned to his home, but the more he thought
about it, the more he was impressed with what they had said. One day soon
after this, he was informed by his Aunt Mary Phillips, his mother's sister,
that she had joined this group of believers who were called Mormons. She
invited him to a cottage meeting. He attended this meeting and when a
friend asked what he thought of it, he said, "I don't know what to think.
There were some strange things transpired. He told of the prayers offered in
the meeting and of singing "Come, Come, Ye Saints" and "We Thank Thee Oh God
for a Prophet." Many stood up and bore their testimony to the divinity of the
Gospel. Then an old lady spoke in another language. She spoke a pure
Greek. When she sat down an old gentleman on the opposite side of the room
arose and spoke in English and gave the interpretation of what she had said.
It seemed the interpretation was perfect, yet he thought neither of them knew
one word of Greek. Both Thomas John and Mary Phillips knew that the gospel
light had entered their minds and were sure it was the Gospel restored again
in the last days. Thomas and his wife continued to investigate the
principles of Mormonism until they became converted. In the month of May
1851, be was baptized and confirmed a member of the church by Elder Phillip
Sykes, who was on a mission from Spanish Fork, Utah.
They were all baptized and as soon as they became members of the
Church, severe persecution was upon them. By working, saving and planning,
they were able to leave this persecution behind and immigrate to America.
The oldest daughter, Phoebe, had married James Cusworth and had moved to
London. She was lost track of but the rest of the family sailed for America
on April 16, 1861.
* * * *
Yes, business was good until he joined the Mormon church. When his
friends learned that they had accepted Mormonism, they left him. They
mistreated the children at school and threw mud at their door and even beat
the children at school, until the children had to be kept home. Of course,
that also affected the shoemaking business.
He struggled with the world to support his family, but now it seemed
that the world had closed every avenue of support against him.
When even his friends had turned against him, he was quite in despair,
so one day while he was working on his shoes in a room by himself, he paused
a moment and offered up a prayer. He said, "Father, if I have done wrong and
offended thee, please forgive me and let me know and I will retrieve my
ways." Immediately he felt a light resting on his head and he felt as if warm
oil was flowing down over him and all doubt left him. This heavenly feeling
continued to flow down over him until it reached his waist, when he felt a
joy unspeakable and he cried out, "Father, I am satisfied." His son Henry
said, "Father never doubted since that day."
They moved from place to place and continued making shoes, and as soon
as it became known that they were Mormons, they would be driven out. But they
continued until they had saved enough to come to America. They left Wales in
March 1861.
Their trip was indeed no pleasure trip, for they encountered many
severe difficulties on their way. They were 33 days on the ocean, which was
considered pretty good in those days. They sailed on the New York Manchester.
This was an old vessel and it sank soon after this trip.
The Civil War was on when they landed in New York, so they found plenty
of work making shoes, boots, knap sacks, belts, cartridge boxes and other
military equipment. They saved enough to pay their way to Winter Quarters,
Nebraska. After staying in New York about 14 months, they boarded an
immigrant train for Florence, Nebraska. The engineer hated the Mormons, and
consequently he was heard to say, “I'll send these Mormons to hell before
night comes." Shortly after this, a fire started in the baggage car and swept
throughout the train. What a sight it must have been seeing those poor
immigrants searching through that burning inferno to salvage at least part of
their belongings, so precious to them.
Thomas John recognized the carpet in which their belongings were
bundled, but it was almost completely burned. The only thing they saved out
of the entire bundle was a few balls of thread for sewing shoes.
They remained in Florence about 6 weeks, then were taken to Utah in
church trains. In their group there were 60 wagons and about 700 immigrants.
On their journey to Utah they were given rations of food, supplied by
the Church in Salt Lake City. Thomas advised his family to save as much of
their ration of flour as they could. He had heard that there was a trading
post somewhere along the way, and he thought inasmuch as their clothes and
bedding had all been destroyed, they could trade some flour for some buffalo
robes or Indian blankets.
Their captain, Mr. Miller, was very selfish and unfair, and when he
learned that they ware saving the flour, he told them that they could have no
more until they had used what they already had. He later took the flour from
them and when they arrived at the trading post, it was Mr. Miller who drove
away with the new buffalo robes rather than Thomas John. He had used their
flour to trade in. But Grandfather was heard to say, "1 will never grumble if
I can get to the valleys, even if I don't have a shirt to my back." His son
Henry said, "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, and that very
afternoon they took off for Wellsville, Utah.
They arrived in Wellsville October 22, 1862. A conference was being
held there, and when Brigham Young saw the John family, he came over to their
camp and invited them to go to church with him. Thomas made the excuse that
they were too dirty and they had no clean clothes to change into, but
President Young said, "We're all dirty, " and he took his arm and walked off
to church arm- in- arm.
The meeting was held in a small building, a school, and it was so
crowded that the children had to stand outside. While they were standing
there, a Brother Maughan walked up to them and took them all to his home for
dinner. The dinner had been prepared for President Young, but for some
reason, be did not come. The children received the benefits from it. They
said they were quite embarrassed because they were dirty and Mrs. Maughan's
home was immaculately clean and she was dressed in the finest clothes that
could be bought in those days. She had a beautiful white table cloth on the
table. It had been months since this family had been privileged to sit
around a table to eat. It was a real treat for them.
A brother Rigby offered them a house to live in. H was 14 x 16 feet,
with a dirt floor and an opening for a window, but no glass in the window,
they were as happy as though it had been a mansion. They divided the room
off by hanging a sheet across the center. Henry and Levi slept on one side
and Letitia and Mary Jane on the other. Charles and William had hired out
to drive church teams to bring immigrants across the plains, and Ann and
James had also found jobs in Wellsville. They were willing to work and they
found plenty of it right then, threshing, digging potatoes, grinding sugar
cane, and hauling wood and doing housework.
There was a famine on flour in that area so they lived on potatoes.
They fixed them every way they knew — even ate them with molasses on them.
Thomas started making shoes again with what thread he had been able to save
from the fire. They had been there a year before they ever saw a dollar.
All the new arrivals in the valley had to be re-baptized. So, late in
November 1863, Thomas and his family, along with other newcomers, made their
way to the Cub River on a Sunday afternoon. It was a cold day. Frost was on
the ground. A hole was made in the ice and the sacred ordinance was
performed. Shivering and cold in thin wet clothes, they walked a mile back
to their log house and had a pleasant surprise awaiting them. While they were
away, a kind neighbor had come in and built a big fire of maple wood in the
big fireplace. As they had no clothes to change into, they had to stand
before the fire to let their clothes dry, but none of them caught cold from
the experience. Such were the blessings of the Lord manifest repeatedly in
this little family.
After 5 or 6 years in Wellsville, they, with several other families,
moved to Hay Town, later known as Portage, Utah.
Henry John tells how excited they were as they prepared for this
adventure. Henry was so eager to go with them but his father and brothers,
William, Charles, James and Levi left with the other families and told Henry
he would have to stay at home to help his mother with the work there. He
was about 15. But in September, his father informed him that now he could
come for they needed him to help haul fence posts to fence in the hay stacks
and make corrals.
He came over with Cumor Green who was coming over with ox teams. In fact,
everyone used ox teams at that time. They drove all day and he was anxious
to see his new home that he arose very early the next morning to look upon
his new home, but it was a disappointment to him — he was surrounded by sage,
wheat grass, and an abundance of alkali. One little log cabin could be seen
about a mile off to the south. It was the cabin of Jarvis Mansfield. He also
could see the crocked river meandering southward down the lonely valley. He
made up his mind if it was good enough for his father and brothers, it was
good enough for him. There were two long rows of hay stacks that were put up
in the old fort style. This was done on account of the hostile Indians.
This little colony put their hay up somewhat after the United Order system,
some mowed, some bunched, and others hauled it in. Each received amounts of
hay according to his labors.
This was called East Portage — Later they moved to the west side of the
valley for irrigation purposes.
Thomas John and his boys took up a Homestead on the north edge of
Portage. It reached from the foothills on the west to the river on the east,
and it was one and one-half miles long. About in the center of this they
built a house. It was a log house with a fireplace in it. It had a dirt
roof and a wheat bin on the west end of it. Thomas John and family lived in
this and raised their family there. They later built a brick house. The
brick house served three generations - Thomas John and family, Henry John,
and later Henry's daughter Rebecca Howell and family. Rebecca Howell's family
lived there until it burned down in the winter of 1931.
The original log house was later used for a horse stable and is still
standing at this time on the property of Thomas Asael John.
Thomas's married children settled all around him. North, of him was
Charles. He had two log houses for his wives. He also built a red brick
granary. It still is in use. This is the place that Thomas Parley John
later owned. It is now owned by Thomas Asael John. Next to this was Levi.
He had a two-story brick house. It still is in good condition. It is
owned no by Henry Roderick, a grandson of Henry John. On the south of Thomas
was the home of James, and next to him was Mary Jane, and then Ann. Farther
south, on the property that is now owned by N. James John, William lived with
his two wives, Sarah Ann Ashton and Mary London. Henry John lived on the
east side of the road, just east of his father.
The boys and their father worked together. When they ready to plant
their crops, Thomas called his boys together and prayed over the land,
invoking the blessings of the Lord upon it and asking his help in growing the
crop. Then majestically, he lifted a handful of soil, let it sift through
his fingers and uttered these words: "This is more than just dirt; it is a
piece of America, a small piece of America, where we can build our future.
Let us plant." And with that he thrust his hand into the sack, slung over his
shoulder, took out a handful of golden seed grain and, sweeping his arm in a
wide arc, began to broadcast the first wheat planted in the Malad Valley.
This land was called Johnstown in honor of Thomas John. It is still
owned mostly by the John family.
They worked hard to get the land in production and building homes.
They brought the water down from the canyon to irrigate their farms. They
also dug a canal to bring water from the Samaria Lake. They dug this canal
with oxen and mules, with pick and shovel, plows and scrapers, hard work and
honest sweat. In some places it was 23 feet wide and was 12 miles long.
Thomas John was a man of culture. He was interested in having schools
for the children. He provided a one-room building. He also built, by hand,
two benches and a long table for this room, and here was the first school in
Johnstown — just for the John children. He was the first teacher.
There was quite a discussion as to where to build the school house.
The Portage people wanted it to Portage and the Johnstown people, of course,
wanted to have it in Johnstown. It was built in Portage, about in the middle
of the public square. The school house that Thomas John built in Johnstown
was later used as a granary and has later been used as a home for some of
Rebecca Howell's children.
These families became prosperous farmers. They also took leading parts
in the community life and church activities.
William John owned the first team of horses to Portage. People came
from miles around to see them. It was quite a sight as everyone had been
using oxen and mules up to now. William also was a High Councilman in the
Stake. He was a good violinist and he played for the dances. Charles was a
good singer and step dancer. His wives also were good singers.
Henry was Justice of the Peace, a School Trustee, on the Stake Sunday
School Board, and he also filled a mission to California and to Great
Britain. He had a dairy farm up in middle canyon, where they made butter and
cheese. They kept the shearing crews supplied and sold some cheese and
butter to the store. He went back to Great Britain on a mission in 1898. He
records in his diary that he met many of his old friends and relatives that
he knew before he left there to come to America. He loved to write poetry,
and he wrote many poems while he was in Wales on his mission and while he was
home.
Thomas was a firm believer in temple work. He passed this testimony on
to his family, for we find that many of them have done a lot of temple work.
He married Aunt Jane in 1872. He provided for her a home just north of
his home. They all thought a lot of Aunt Jane, and she of them. But living
in polygamy presented a serious problem. I have heard my father tell how G.
grandfather lived in constant fear of the officers. At one time he was
working in the potato field when he saw some strange horses coming down the
road. It seemed they had fancy bridles, etc., so who else could it be but
the officers. He immediately dropped down in the ditch and, though it was a
hot day, he stayed there until be felt reasonably sure he would be safe to go
home. He knew that the officers meant business and they couldn't take any
chances.
Charles had a sad experience in his polygamous life. He was arrested,
and life became very sorrowful for his three families, for the law was
continually searching for him. It was finally agreed by the three wives that
they would abide by the law of the land (still knowing in their hearts that
God's law had been the best).
Agnes was very ill from a fall she had taken years before and she had
to walk on crutches. Elizabeth and Edith thought it best for Charles to take
Agnes with him so ho could care for her. Elizabeth was expecting her eleventh
child, so Charles waited until the baby was born. It only lived a few hours.
Then he gave to Edith and Elizabeth papers stating that he would never live
with them again. No doubt his heart was heavy as he had to leave his land and
his family, never to see them again. Many tears were shed as he bid them
goodbye and drove away.
He owned quite a lot of sheep and cattle so he left some for his wives and
took the rest with him. He took with him two covered wagons. With this he
and Agnes and their 8 children started out in search of a new home. Two more
children were born on the journey. His first new home was on the Portneuf
River. This did not seem to be what he wanted so he moved on from place to
place, finally settling in a little Mormon settlement in Mancos, Colorado.
Most of the there were, like Charles, getting away from the laws for living
in polygamy.
Their youngest child, Walter, become ill and had to be taken to Salt
Late City for an operation. Agnes and one of the older boys drove the long
road but the boy died. After the funeral, Agnes visited with her sister,
Elizabeth, who was now in Lava Hot Springs. One day while they were going
into town in a buggy, the horses became frightened and ran away, tipping the
buggy over, and Agnes was badly hurt and lived only a few hours. The next
year Charles started to Utah to visit his family and became sick and had to
return back to Colorado. Be died soon after of cancer of the stomach and
was buried in Mancos, Colorado, August 12, 1909.
William was also a polygamist. He took one family, Mary Landon, and
went down into Arizona. The other family, Sarah Ann Ashton, lived out near
the Utah-Idaho line. Scott Hall later bought this homo and now it is owned
by Woodrow Clark. William died in Arizona. His family settled in Arizona
and some of them in the Malad Valley.
James married three wives — Hannah Abbott, Mary James, and Emily
Mitten. He moved to Logan, Utah. He did a lot of temple work there and
his doors have been ever open to his nieces and nephews who have gore to
Logan to school. His family is scattered through Pocatello, Malad, Portage
and Logan.
Ann married Edward Smith. They lived in Portage for a few years and later
moved to Logan. Edward was a school teacher. He was the first teacher in
Portage.
Mary Jane married Joseph Hawkley. They later moved to Pocatello.
Levi married Mary Ann Hall and Ellen Greene. They lived as neighbors to us
most of his life, in Johnstown. They had a big lazy susan built in their
table so they could serve themselves when they ate. I well remember this
and how fascinating it was to me. He was a toll thin man. They moved to
Logan in his later years, where ho died.
Letitia married William H. Gibbs and lived in the south end of Johnstown.
Her family settled in or around Portage.
Henry married Margaret Rees. They settled in Portage.
Great Grandmother was called an angel of mercy. She was always ready to
leave her work and run to help with sickness. With the blessings of healing
in her hands she lovingly toiled among the people sharing her Joys, her
tears, and her song. No one knows how many babies she delivered, but it was
many.
She taught her daughters well. They could all do the household tasks
pertinent to girls at that time. They learned to take raw wool, clean it,
dye it, spin it into yarn, and then knit it into clothing. They knit their
socks and underwear and also made their dresses and suits for the men of the
family.
It was a sad day for all when Thomas John died January 25, 1890. He
died and was buried in the land that he loved so well, in Portage.
When Thomas married his second wife, Jane Greene, the two women lived
side by side and worked together for the common good of the whole family.
After G. grandfather died, his family was good to their mother and to Aunt
Jane. In reading Henry John's diary some common statements are: "Chopped
wood for mother and aunt Jane Aunt Jane sick, so we administered to her
today. . . . Killed a pig for Aunt Jane. . . . Ann was over from Logan today
to see Mother. . . . Mother went to Logan with Ann."
G. grandfather's life was always full of hope for the future. His hopes
wore always bright. He had kind words for all. It was his philosophy that
the mansions in his father's house were built to suit us all.
Written by Rosalia J. Smith, Historian for the Thomas John Family
Organization Presented at the annual reunion in 1965.
Wellington Wood
