Mary Stephens Jones 

David C. Jones was born 16 October 1841 in South Wales, son of David and Ann Griffiths Jones. 

Mary Stephens was born in Pencader, Carmarthenshire, Wales, 20 June 1842, daughter of Jane Evans and David P. Stephens. Jane Evans joined the L.D.S. Church in 1849. 

David and Mary were married 20 October 1862 and lived in Pencader, Wales, where their first two children were born – Ann and David S. They joined the L.D.S. Church and in 1866 they sailed for America with their two children. They landed in New York on 4 July 1866. It was this same year that they crossed the plains from Missouri to Utah. He drove an ox-team and carried his son, Dave, most of the way. His wife was in poor health at that time. They arrived in Salt Lake City in October 1866. 

They located at Willard and lived there eight years. While there he built the gristmill and also the Harding Store. Three more children were born there – Tom S., John S. and Jane. 

In 1874, they moved to Malad. First they lived in a log room on the Tom Stephens’ property where Evan W. was born and then they took up a ranch of 160 acres on Devil Creek. They lived too far from school and so bought some land from David Stephens and built two rooms where Mary Reed now lives. Here three more children were born – Daniel, Mary Ellen and Sarah. David C. helped to organize the St. John School District and was one of the first trustees – a position he held for a number of years. 

David C. was a carpenter by trade and had a shop in Malad at the corner of Five Points. He would walk to town to work every day. He was also a coffin maker at St. John for many years. He told many stories of boards rattling in the attic the night before someone died and he knew then that he was to make a casket. He always had his son, Dan, climb in them when they were finished to see if they fit right. 

On 20 October 1912 Davey C. and Mary celebrated their golden wedding anniversary with their nine children present. They were each presented with gold watches. 

David C. Jones died 19 August 1920 and is buried in the St. John cemetery. Mary S. died 22 December 1922 and is also buried in the cemetery at St. John, Oneida County, Idaho. 

Descendants of David C. and Mary Stephens Jones  

My great-grandparents were David C. and Mary Stephens Jones and Zephania and Caroline Thomas Jones. They were all born in Wales and emigrated to Utah as converts to the L.D.S. Church. 

My grandparents were Thomas S. and Rhoda Louise Jones and they were both born in Willard, Utah. They came to St. John with their parents as young people. Their children were: Caroline (Evans), Leonard, Thomas S. Jr., Mary Blanche (Lykins), Phoebe Jane “Bea” (Morgan), Sarah Vesta (Bell). As of this writing all are deceased except Bea Morgan of Santa Rosa, California and Vesta Bell of Pocatello. 

My parents were James V. and Mary Blanche Lykins and they had five children: Blanche (Hull), Rhoda Louise, and Maxey (Clark) were all born in St. John. Joseph Val (Valentine) and James D. were born in Malad. 

My father, James V. Lykins was born in Kentucky and came west to California about 1911. For several years he managed a company store for a large mining company in Butte County, saving his money to open a store of his own. About 1914 or 1915 he went back east on the train to look for a suitable location. On his trip he met a man, Mart Rourk, with the same objective. They decided to pool their resources and become partners. While waiting for a train connection in Ogden, they were talking with a traveling salesman about good locations for a country store and he told them there was a good opportunity in a small community up in Idaho, which was in St. John, Idaho. The two men went up to St. John and found a large vacated building with a gasoline pump outside which had previously been a saloon owned by Dan Kent. They rented it and opened a general country store, selling everything like groceries, clothing, farm implements, even a soda fountain. The gas pump outside serviced the occasional auto that went by. My mother, Mary Blanche Jones, went to work for them as a clerk in the store. After less than a year, Mr. Rourk got restless and returned to California, selling his share of the business to my father. My parents were married in October 1916. The store was very successful, but in April 1919 a kerosene stove in the living quarters upstairs exploded and the store was completely destroyed with the loss of all the merchandise and household goods. My parents then rented a much smaller building from my mother’s uncle, Eph Jones, located on the corner just across from the old Dave James home. They operated the store there for a couple of years, but never fully recovered from the loss of the fire. They could get very little insurance because of the gas pump in front, for in those times there were no underground storage tanks. In the fall of 1921 they closed the second store and moved into Malad. Eph Jones then built a new store next to his home in St. John which he operated for many years. 

By Maxey Lykins Clark (Great-granddaughter)