Mary Jane Jones Evans, her Descendants and Ancestors

By Hannah Evan Deschamps

This sketch is neither a biography or an autobiography, but a combination of both or rather a sketch of family history. I have been frequently asked to tell of incidents from my mother’s life, hence my sketch will center around her life and branch out to her descendants and ancestors as far as I am able to ascertain.

Mary Jane Jones Evans, the person of whom I have made mention above, was born at Salt Lake City, Jan. 17, 1853, and was the 3rd child of Mary and Richard Jones. I will leave our character now for a brief space and tell you something of her parents and grandparents.

Richard Jones, her father, was born March 5, 1819, the same year as Queen Victoria, at Llanmorgan shire Cardigan So. Wales. His father, William Jones, born March 18, 1771 at the same place as was also his mother Mary Thomas on Jan. 1, 1763.

While the residence of this family was in Llanmorgan, his parents kept a tavern which was called Cross Hands, hence grandfather was always known as Richard Cross Hands. Richard became a member of the LDS Church while a very young man and while he was not a gifted speaker he was exceptionally good at singing and often accompanied the Elders of the church in their missionary travels, lending his efforts in song, accompanied by John Morris Jones.

I have been told by people who knew him at that time that he was a handsome young man, he was tall and stately with large blue eyes and even at the age of 19, his hair was as white and wavy as at the time of his death, which occurred Sept. 30, 1897 at the age of 78 years.

All his life he was a man who had very little to say, and as he did not enjoy very good health, he did very little hard labor but had the ability of taking care of the means he had acquired and through his frugality and the assistance of an ambitious wife, they left at the time of their death, their family in fairly good circumstances, considering the hardships of pioneer life through which they passed.

Grandmother, Mary Hughes Evans, born Nov. 8, 1825, was the daughter of William Evans and Elenor Hughes all of Llanbyther  [Llanbethery] So. Wales. Three children were born of this couple but only the two girls, Mary and Rachel survived. When these girls were young the gospel was being preached to a great extent and through the manifestations which the younger girl Mary received, they were converted to the LDS Church.

Soon after this she and her sister were made members of the church, but was strongly opposed by their mother who was greatly prejudiced against Mormonism and as early converts were urged to come to America.

Passage to America

They, with their husbands and babies, took passage of the ship Joseph Badger. While crossing the ocean her small baby Ellen was only five weeks old, and grandmother has often said this was the most trying time of her life, for this small baby cried day and night during the entire trip, this accompanied with sea sickness and above all the thoughts of leaving her mother broken hearted and alone, and to enter a new land was almost more than she could stand.

She said more than once she was tempted to throw herself overboard and end it all, but the encouragement she received from her devoted husband and her abiding faith in God and the restored Church buoyed her up and they arrived in New Orleans November 1850.

Then began the tedious and perilous journey across the plains so familiar to the LDS Saints, arriving in Salt Lake City Sept. 27, 1851. While they remained in Salt Lake City a little over three years, they had no permanent home as grandfather worked most of the time for Heber C. Kimball, whom he loved as a father and for whom he later named one of his grandchildren.

While there my mother Mary Jane was born. They moved in October 1854 to Brigham City. During their sojourn at Brigham City, the word came from President Brigham Young to move south as Johnston’s army was coming and threats had been made to completely annihilate the Mormons.

It was another trying time for this family which was continually increasing in number to pick up and leave their few earthly treasures and flee for safety. You can possibly imagine the loneliness of this poor woman having learned of the death of her mother, who died of a broken heart after both her daughters left her. To add to her loneliness, her sister and family hearing of the gold rush in California did as many others at that time moved their family to California. There they remained for a few years. When father Benjamin Jones died, two months later, his wife gave birth to a baby girl and both she and the baby died and were buried together, thus leaving four young children to battle alone in California without kith or kin.

The oldest boy Wm.[William] H. only 17 years of age assumed full responsibility of father and mother, huddled his few belongings into a wagon with two span of fine horses, he and his two brothers Ben and Jedd and his little sister Mary, began their long and tedious journey back across the hot desert to Utah as he had promised his dying mother he would take them back to Aunt Mary or “Nunty” as she was called.

By the time they reached Utah, grandfather was planning on a move farther North and when this family arrived, they received them with open arms and they became one big family. Grandmother, we are told, never showed one bit of partiality for her own children, but did as much for one child as she did for the others.

Enter Malad Valley

In June 1865, this double family entered the valley of Malad accompanied by Thomas Daniels family, Daniel Thomas, Benjamin Thomas and a few others. When they arrived here, there were only five families here. Their homes were on Bannock St., which was then a road through what is now Elk Horn.

The five families were Henry Peck, Benjamin Thomas, Bill Williams (who afterwards moved to Montana) P. Thomas (also moved away.) As soon as the Jones family arrived they immediately erected a two roomed log house directly across the street from Sert Cafe. This house was thatched with wheat grass which covered quackin asp willows. This was all covered with dirt.

At that time there was no saw mill so they had no floors except the bare earth. A large fireplace built of rocks added comfort to this humble home. On this fireplace they used a reflector and cooked their food over the fire.

Homemade Oven

Grandmother had learned the art of making an oven and when her neighbors heard of this, they all tried to bake the same day and have the use of her oven. I will try and describe this oven. It was built of rock and mortar up to the height of 18 or 20 inches. This was then covered with sand built up in a mound. A coating of mortar was placed over this sand, then another layer of sand and mortar for several thicknesses. The door or opening was removed and all the loose sand taken out except a covering for the floor of the oven about 4 inches deep. Then, a fire was built leaving the door off until the fire was burned out, then bread was placed in the oven, the door replaced and plastered over with mortar and the bread allowed to remain in this oven for one and a half hours. Then the door was again opened and the most delicious bread was the result with never a sign of burnt crust or underdone bread.

The furnishings of the house were very crude. The bedsteads were made of logs hewn down to the required size, then ropes were drawn tightly from one side to the other, straw or wheat grass ticks were placed on these and at that time were considered comfortable beds. The seats were made by splitting logs and boring holes through them and placing legs through the rounded sides, having the flat side of the slab up. Their cupboards were made in the same order as were their tables and other furniture. Later on, when a saw mill was built and operated by John J. Williams, they were able to make many improvements in this humble home.

With the addition of this adopted family and steady increase in their own, it was found necessary to build a granary, which grandfather and the boys soon erected. This served as a bedroom for the boys for a long time.

This first home was located on the northeast corner of the property now owned by my aunt Mrs. Richard E. Jones on Bannock St. facing the southwest. Many years later it became my birthplace.

Indians a Threat

These early pioneers were frequently alarmed by the presence of Indians. Though no serious trouble experienced, the settlers lived in constant dread.

On one occasion an Indian came to grandmother’s home begging for food. Just at that moment, my mother had been bitten by a California spider and so deadly was the poison that it would have taken her life, had not this Indian come to her rescue. He immediately bound a handkerchief about her arm, making a tournaquet and with a sharp pointed stick he and her cousin Bill went out in search of poison segos.

When they returned the Indian pounded the sego to a pulp and bound it over the wound. In a short time this became black, then he removed this and replaced it with a fresh poultice. It was not long before her arm became normal and the bandage was removed.

This Indian was a welcome visitor at their home from that time on. He was a brother to Chief Pocatello.

Such incidents as these caused the Indians and Whites to become more friendly and the people were all instructed to feed them rather than fight them.

They were parents of nine children – Alexander, Ellen Hoskins, Mary Jane Evans, Rachel Ann Thomas, Richard E. Jones, William T. Jones, Hannah Jones, Margaret Hettie Sawyer and David E. Jones.

100 Year Old Dress

I stated before that my grandfather was a weaver by trade. When he was a young man, before he was married, he carded the wool and spun it and wove it into cloth and presented enough of it for a dress each for my grandmother and her sister. I am heir to my grandmother’s dress, which (at the time of this writing) is 100 years old and is as clear and pretty as a new piece of cloth. My grandmother was always proud of this dress and whenever any of her grandchildren pleased her, they were rewarded with the promise of this dress after her death. It finally became my mothers and she in turn promised it to me. (The dress is presently on display in Malad’s Pioneer Museum.)

Land was plentiful when they first settled in Malad and while part of the boys assisted in farming, others did considerable freighting and soon the family was in a position to erect what was at that time considered a modern mansion. That was about the 1880’s.

It was built of red brick and is now my mother’s house, and even now 60 years later, it is in fairly good condition. (Owned by their granddaughter Blodwin Thorpe.)

Their home was always open to friends and strangers. As they lived close by the meeting house, always at conference time, their home would be crowded to its fullest capacity.

Beds were made over the floors and quite frequently the table would be reset two or three times. People in those days traveled by team and it was not unusual to see three or four teams unhooked in their yard and would stay two or three days.

People would stay with them from Marsh Valley, Franklin, Portage and other places.

These good people were very affectionate to each other and grandfather always desired that their journey through life would end about the same time. His wish was granted for grandmother who died August 28 and one month later on Sept. 30, 1897, grandfather died, thus ending the career of a noble couple.

(Family picture of Ben D. Evans and wife and family of 9)