By Wilma Evans Fridal (Granddaughter) 

(Cover page has two portraits: one is William Morgan Evans sitting on a chair with a hat on. The second one is Mary Jones sitting with a hat on. With descriptions of their birth, parents, marriage, death and burial. On the back of the cover page is William Morgan Evans obituary.) 

(Cover page:) William Morgan Evans. Born: 20 November 1879, Malad City, Idaho. 

Parents: Edward J. Evans and Ann Thomas. Married: 28 January 1900, Malad City, Idaho. Died: 13 February 1913, Salt Lake City, Utah. Buried in Malad City, Idaho.  

(Cover page:) Mary Jones. Born: 30 June 1877, Salt Lake City, Utah. Parents: Amos Jones and Leah Parry. Died: 19 November 1966, San Francisco, California. Buried in Malad City, Idaho. 

My Grandmother Evans was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 30 June 1877, the 9th in the family of 14 children of Amos and Leah Parry Jones. She moved to the Malad, Idaho area with her parents shortly afterwards. At the age of 23 on the 28th of January, 1900, she married William Morgan Evans, the son of Edward J. and Ann Thomas Evans, at the Oneida County Courthouse in Malad, Idaho.  

(Headshot picture of Willma Morgan Evans on the left hand side of the page. And on the right hand side is a picture of a list of births of the children of Amos and Leah Jones.) 

They made their first home in a little log cabin at New Canyon but they didn’t stay there for a year or two because one day as Grandma walked into the house there was a rattlesnake in the middle of the room. New Canyon is still famous for its rattlesnakes. Needless to say, she insisted on moving right away. They then moved to the house on the ranch.  

(snapshot picture of their home on the ranch in the central, left hand side). 

When they had been married 13 years and Grandma was expecting her ninth child, Grandpa cut his thumb on a piece of barbed wire and it became infected and later turned to blood poison, and he passed away on the 13th of February 1913. My Dad, Raymond, was twelve years old and he was the oldest. The baby that Grandma was expecting was a little girl, born 23 May 1913. When she, Wilma Mae, was thirteen she became seriously ill and then passed away. Dad thinks that it was probably polio but no one knows for sure.  

( Headshot of Wilma May Evans on the left hand lower side of the front page. On the right hand side, in a row are three pictures of toddlers: first one is Raymond standing, second is four children Leah, Anne, Edward and baby Amos. And the third picture is three children: Lester, Evan and Bonnie) 

Grandma tried to stay on the farm until the Great Depression hit and then she turned the farm over to her son Raymond and she moved to her home in Malad. By now, all of her girls and Uncle Evan were married and shortly after, everyone of her children moved to the San Francisco area except Raymond. Then in 1935 Grandma moved to San Francisco to help keep house for Amos, Edward and Lester. 

(On the left hand side of the page are two Snapshot pictures of Mary Jones with captions below them saying: in San Francisco. On the right hand side of the page is a picture of a toddler, no title, below the toddler picture is a picture of Mary Jones (in her senior years) standing with her arms folded by a house. 1950 is written on the picture.) 

My earliest memories of Grandma are of visiting her at her home in Malad. I remember the big front lawn with the apple and other fruit trees on the south side and how much fun it was to go to her place and sit on the lawn and pull the grass and throw it at each other. In the fall when the apples would fall to the ground and we could eat all that we wanted. She also had some pretty flowers; peonies, big orange poppies, day lilies and some annuals. There was also a big back yard and clear to the back of  the lot there was a chicken coop. The yard was all surrounded by a nice fence with a fancy gate in front. There was a big front porch on the house, but I don’t remember too much about the inside when she was there so I guess I didn’t spend too much time inside. I was only five years old when Grandma moved to 1130 Fell Street in San Francisco to be with the rest of her children. My memories of her after that were of the letters that we always looked forward to and she always made a trip home in the summertime for a few months. We usually met the train in Ogden and would crowd around her when she got to our house to see what she had tucked away in her suitcase for each of us. She never disappointed us, even though the items were small. She would always rave about our beautiful mountains and the beautiful sunsets. She would tell us about the sunsets as she was traveling on the train as it crossed the Great Salt Lake on the old trestle and it was always my dream that someday I would be able to see such a spectacular sight. She would also tell us about life in the big city and would tell us all about our cousins that we didn’t get to see very often. It was always a thrill when the cousins could come and visit. 

She always wore her hair in a bun and was meticulous in her appearance. She always wore a clean apron and when she dressed up she always had a hat and gloves. She used to sleep with me when she came. I don’t think she ever went to bed without first kneeling and saying her prayers. She was a very religious and devout person, but she never attended church. Her parents had joined the L.D.S. church in Wales but after they came to Utah they fell away and the whole family joined the Reorganized L.D.S. Church.  

She loved the simple things in life. She was very loyal to her family and she took great interest in everything that her family did. She always remembered Christmas, birthdays, graduations, marriages and the birth of her great-grandchildren, who all called her Grandma Great. She loved music and when I started playing the piano she would ask me to play the hymns for her and we would go for hours –me playing and her listening. Sometimes she would weep quietly. Her favorite hymn was “Lead Kindly Light” and when she passed away and they were planning her funeral, I told the family she liked it but it wasn’t arranged for the funeral. They did ask me to play the prelude and postlude and as I played “Lead Kindly Light” one more time for Grandma as they were leaving the Chapel to go to the cemetery. It has always been a favorite hymn of mine and also a favorite of my children. 

Grandma had a very hard life but she never complained about it. She worried a lot about her family. She had a large family of children and many brothers and sisters and she was concerned about them all. I remember one time when she was visiting, she let me go with her to her home in Malad and she went through an old trunk that held a lot of mementos of earlier years and told me all about the pictures and things. Included were some of the little clothes that her daughter, Wilma, had worn. Since I was named after her I have often wondered what happened to all those things in that trunk.  

( Group snapshot located on the lower left hand side of the page: caption says Amos, Evan, Anne, Grandma, Bonnie, Leah, Lester, Raymond and Edward. 1952) 

(On the upper right hand side of the page is a snapshot picture of Dad (Raymond) and Grandma). 

I remember what a thrill it was for Keith and I to go and see Grandma Evans when we were on our honeymoon in 1949. We hadn’t planned on it but after we had been away from home for 10 days and we were only 90 miles from San Francisco we decided to go. How exciting it was to see all the places that I had heard about for so many years. I think the thing that stood out in my mind the most was the beautiful little flower garden Grandma had in back of her house and how big and beautiful the geraniums were. She had moved to 205 Monterey Boulevard by then, in a duplex with Uncle Edward and his family living in the other half. We were able to go back many times and visit her after that. In her later years her hearing and eyesight were not as good as they could be but we still looked forward to her visits. The summer of 1958 we especially remembered as she was here for the first birthday party of three of her great-grandchildren, Cherrie Ann Daugherty, Mark Preece and Ronald Fridal. It was a special occasion. 

We will always remember with fondness and respect and love our little Grandma. She had been a widow for 53 years and had raised a fine family alone. She was quiet and gentle and at the sametime, determined, strong and dignified and I loved her dearly. 

(Snapshot of three children sitting in lawn chairs by Grandma. Caption says: Ronald Fridal, Mark Preece, Cherrie Anne Daughtery, Grandma Great-1958)  

(a newspaper article of Mary Jones Evans passing: Malad, Idaho-Mrs. Mary Jones Evans, 89, former Malad resident, died Nov. 19 in a San Francisco hospital of a heart ailment. Born June 30, 1877, Salt Lake City, to Amos and Leah Parry Jones. Married to William Morgan Evans, Jan 28, 1900, Malad. He died Feb. 13, 1913. Member Reorganized LDS church. Survivors: sons, daughters, Raymond, Malad; Evan, Pacifica, Calif.; Lester, San Jose, Calif.; Amos, Redwood City, Calif.; Edward, Mrs. Anne Hall, Mrs. Herman, Leah Cole, all San Francisco; Mrs. A.J. (Leola) Cavena, Alameda, Calif.; 2 grandchildren, 51 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great grandchild; sisters, Mrs. Rose Lowry, Malad; Mrs. Leah Hill, Grand Junction, Colo. Funeral Wednesday 1 p.m., Malad LDS stake chapel. Friends call Benson Funeral Home, Malad. Tuesday evening, Wednesday prior to services. Burial Malad City Cemetery.) 

(Another newspaper article with a group picture beside it: Picture caption says: Lester, Evan, Connie, Amos, Raymond, the last three names are not readable. The newspaper article says: Attend Reunion on coast: Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Evans and daughter, Marcia, and son, Don, returned home Thursday from San Francisco where they had been to attend a reunion of the Evans family. The occasion was in honor of their mother, Mrs. Mary Evans, who observed her 76th birthday anniversary. Forty-two members of Mrs. Evans family met at the home of her son-in-law and daughter, Mr. And Mrs. Herman (Leah) Cole. Before returning, Mr. and Mrs. Evans went to Ventura, Calif. Where they visited their son, Ray Jr. and his wife.) 

The following is a hand written history by Mary Jones: Will here is my history, I was left a widow in 1913 with 8 children and one on the way the oldest child was 12 years old. I had a farm with 2 mortgages, besides other outstanding notes, well I leased the farm out for ½ the profits, when the children were growing up. It took more and more to live so I went out to work, I did housework, took care of sick people, was a chambermaid for the Great Northern hotel, Malad hotel also. I took the ranch back when Ray was 20 and then my bad back started, he took  typhoid fever was sick for 2 months, then some of the other children took appendicitis four operations in two years, with sick and funeral expenses I about used the farm up borrowing money and you know that can only compound. The interest and taxes came year, ?, crack came, the bottom dropped out of farm prudent and left me so far in debt, I was in danger of losing the farm, we just had nothing (Mr. Frederick son, held a contract deed to the farm also on the lot in town, the boys came out here to try and get work (San Francisco), which they did, that was in 1934, I was taking care of the Davis rooms at the time, my health failed, and they brought me out to keep house for them. Raymond stayed on the farm to try and pay off the mortgage, I told him if he could clear it he would surely own it. I turned it over to him later, but he still owes a great deal on the mortgage. He tries to help us out here, last year he sent $300 to help for an operation I am going to have on my eyes some day. I have never had help or asked any before in my life before, there you know everything.   Mary Evans 

Obituary and remarks at the funeral of Mary Jones Evans 

November 23, 1966, by Elaine Jones Castleton 

Mary Jones Evans died November 19, 1966, at San Francisco, California, at the age of 89. She was born June 30, 1877 at Salt Lake City, Utah, a daughter of Leah Parry and Amos Jones. She came to Malad Valley with her parents as a child and received her early education at the old Presbyterian school. She was married to William Morgan Evans January 28, 1900, at Malad, Idaho. He passed away February 13, 1913. Two months after his death her ninth child was born, Wilma Mae Evans. Wilma died May 3, 1926. Mrs. Evans is survived by eight children. They are Raymond, Malad; Evan Pacifica, California; Lester, San Jose, California; Mrs. Anne Hall, Mrs. Herman (Leah) Cole, and Edward of San Francisco; Mrs. A.J. (Leola) Cavana, Alameda, California; and Amos, Redwood City, California. Other survivors are 22 grandchildren, 51 great grandchildren, and 1 great, great grandchild. Also two sisters, Mrs. Rose Lowry of Malad, Idaho, and Mrs. Leah Hill of Grand Junction, Colorado. Three of her sons, Evan, Lester, and Amos served their country in the Armed Forces. 

The scant facts as read in an obituary always seem to me so inadequate to try to circumscribe a whole lifetime, and especially so in the case of Aunt Mary’s 89 years. For as we look at these dates and figures more closely we realize that she had been married only 13 years when her husband died leaving her with eight children, the oldest being 12. Two months after his death her ninth child was born. And then this child too was to be taken very tragically before she reached her thirteenth birthday. I am sure there are few of us here who can fully appreciate the rare type of courage, the stamina in her frail little body, or the deep reservoir of faith that has sustained her throughout the 53 years since the death of her husband. 

It has only been in the latter part of my life that I have been able to view Aunt Mary’s life with the proper perspective, for my childhood memories of Aunt Mary are very precious and happy and wonderful…A Christmas dress she made for me of rose satin with narrow white fur all around the hem…riding to the ranch in the white top buggy with Leah or Anne to spend a day or two in the most exciting vacation any child ever dreamed of…eating delicious caramel or butterscotch pie that she baked in the oven on the big black kitchen range…a trip to Salt Lake City with my father, my sister Mabel and Aunt Mary, staying in the hotel and being introduced to the big city sights and sounds by her… 

It took many years of sewing late at night during the rush of Christmas season to finish other Christmas dresses for other starry eyed little girls to make me value the fine stitching of Aunt Mary’s on that dress I loved. It took many sleepless nights waiting for teen-age sons to bring the car to a screeching halt on the driveway outside my bedroom window for me to even partially understand the terror and anxiety in Aunt Mary’s heart as she waited alone on the ranch for her sons or daughters ot bring that horse and buggy home safely after a dance or show in town. I still wonder where she found time to make enough pies for all her family, plus all of the hay men, plus all of the nieces and nephews who were constantly vacationing at the ranch. The Salt Lake trip that held such a thrill for me was probably for a very troubled business trip as she made financial arrangements to cover the medial expenses she had incurred as one after another of her children (five, I think) had appendicitis and were rushed “down below”, as we heard it called, for emergency operations. 

All of these things we could not know then, but of this we were sure…we loved to go to her house and we loved to have her come to ours. Her quiet gentle ways, her ever present smile, her genuine interest in our affairs and us may at times have been a mask to hide her own anxiety and heartache. But we were not aware of it. We only knew that to each  of us in our way, Aunt Mary seemed somebody special. 

I am grateful for the precious memories I have of a family of brothers and sisters who loved and enjoyed each other…the Amos Jones family. In these days of tension and rush and hurry, of countless wasted hours in front of the TV…I think of my mother and father and his brothers and sisters getting together for an evening of Flinch around the big dining room table. We children weren’t home with baby sitters. We were all out in the big kitchen playing wonderful make-believe games of kings and queens, princesses and fairies…If babies cried, they were fed and went back to sleep. Bad weather didn’t seem to hamper this devotion to each other. When the snow was over the fence tops, we went in a sleigh up to the Power House to see Aunt Eliza or Uncle Joe. In the summer we went up New Canyon and climbed the mountains or played in the sawdust around the sawmill, or hunted for wildflowers to return puffing and laughing to a freezer of homemade ice cream. How thankful I am for the way of life I learned from my father, from Aunt Mary, Aunt Leah and all the others who have gone on. I wonder sometimes if my children looking back on their childhood will view it with the same warm, secure feeling that I do mine. I can’t remember feeling lonely or frustrated because I didn’t have anybody to play with. There were always so many wonderful cousins who lived nearby who could figure out something very interesting to do whether it was stringing a play telephone wire through the tall poplars for two blocks up to Aunt Leah’s or walking the picket fence around Grandma Jones’ lot. 

While to all of us cousins for whom I speak today Aunt Mary was a dearly loved Aunt, to her children she was both father and mother. I know they loved her and appreciated her because of the queenly way they have treated her. As though she were a priceless china doll to be cared for very gently and tenderly. I know she was proud and grateful for them. 

We of this generation live in a troubled world. We cannot foretell what trials and dark moments we may face in our own homes or with our families. It is my sincere prayer that we may borrow from the example of Aunt Mary…that we may remember her courage and her strength in times of sorrow…that we too may find within ourselves a source of faith and belief in the goodness of God and his purposes here on earth such as Aunt Mary had…that it may help us to meet whatever may come our way with the same sweet spirit and understanding that she had. I pray for her loved ones that they might be comforted in their sorrow and I ask the blessings of our heavenly Father to be with them. This I do humble and in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

William Morgan Evans Obituary: 

Laid to Rest 

Impressive Funeral Ceremony for Prominent Young Man 

At noon Friday, many friends of the late William Morgan Evans assembled at the opera house to pay a last tribute of respect to the memory of the departed. The fact that the deceased was a young man, leaves behind a young widow and eight small children, the oldest of whom is but thirteen years, made the services unusually sad and impressive. 

Dan R. Evans had charge of the funeral, and the sermon was delivered by Mr. Chase of Salt Lake, an Elder of the Reorganized L.D.S. Church. The singing was by the Tabernacle choir and the Chase family. Many beautiful floral offerings were in evidence. 

William M. Evans was but a few months past thirty-three years of age: he was the youngest son of Edward J. and Ann Evans, who were among the oldest residents in the valley, having come here in the sixties. All his life had been spent here, and he was well known throughout the valley, having attained marked prominence as a breeder of fine draft horses. 

The illness, which culminated in Mr. Evans’ death resulted from blood poisoning. A small barbed wire scratch on the hand was the beginning. After ten days’ treatment here, he was taken to a Salt Lake hospital where he struggled between life and death for about eight weeks, finally to be overcome by the “Grim Reaper”. 

The profound sympathy of the community goes out to the bereaved family in their hour of affliction. 

Card of Thanks 

We desire at this time to give public expression to our sincere thanks for the many acts of kindness rendered us during the sickness and after the death of our husband and father. Words cannot express our appreciation. 

Mrs. W.M. Evans and family