Evan Austin Williams was born October 29, 1822 at Llanytidant, Glamorganshire, Wales. He was the oldest child of Noah Williams (a nailer) and Jane Austin. Evan kept a diary, but only the beginning was ever found. In his diary he states that he was raised by his grandmother, Mary Williams, and her daughter, Mary, a spinster lady. They were good to him and were very well-to-do in temporal things and provided for his education. He was a student at Oxford University when he heard and accepted the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There was a great deal of prejudice against the Mormons at that time and his family was bitter against them. His Aunt Mary told him that unless he renounced his faith and left the Mormon Church he would be dis-inherited. He remained a devout Mormon and was cut off without a cent.
Evan was later called to serve a mission for the Church in England where he became acquainted with his future wife, Mary Ann Tompkins. She was the daughter of John Williams Tompkins (a bookbinder) and Maria Nutting of London, Middlesex, England. Mary Ann was a very pretty girl with light blue eyes and blond hair, which she wore in ringlets most of her life. Just three weeks after they met, Evan and Mary Ann were married on February 29, 1848 at Cardiff, Wales. Evan fulfilled his mission and served as president of several conferences…
The couple lived for a time in Aberanon, Glamorganshire, Wales, and on February 25, 1850 a daughter, Marintha Althera was born. She lived only a short time, and was buried in Wales. On September 19, 1851 a son Noah Mormon was born at Briton Ferry, Glamorganshire, Wales. On February 5, 1853, Evan, Mary Ann and Noah sailed for the United States on board the ship Jersey, from Liverpool, England. One wonders if the couple had definitely decided on a name for the young child, for on the ship’s records his name was registered as Moroni.
The family, when reaching the States, came west with the Joseph Young company and arrived in Utah in September, 1853. They settled for a short time at Mound Fort, Weber, Utah. This was a settlement built around a fort a little east of what is now Ogden, Utah. On March 31, 1854 Evan and Mary Ann received their endowments and were sealed to each other on April 30, 1854.
On February 2, 1855 a daughter, Mary Jane was born. Shortly after this, the family moved to Willard, Box Elder, Utah. Not too much is known of the family history in Willard. Evan was the Choir Leader and a Tithing Clerk. His father had been a maker of nails and a blacksmith in Wales, so Evan followed this trade.
While living in Willard the couple had four more children. Evan Llewellyn, born December 1, 1856, William Morgan, born December 4, 1858, and Thomas Henry, born November 8, 1860. )
On May 24, 1862 Evan married in polygamy, his wife’s sister, Eliza Tompkins. Mary Ann may have liked the idea when it first happened, but later chased her sister off. Evan divorced her and she moved to southern Utah. On December 7 1862 Mary Ann gave birth to a daughter and named her Sarah.
In August, 1864 the family decided to move and in spite of the fact that Mary Ann was expecting another child, they began the trip over the mountains in their wagon. On August 22, 1864, while the family was camped with a group of pioneers in Emigration Canyon in Franklin County, Idaho, Mary Ann gave birth to her eighth child, and named her Ellen Maria (Nellie).
When they reached the new settlement, they had a hard time making a living, but were no worse off than the others in the community, except that Evan had been raised in a home of culture and education and had not had to do manual labor. However he turned out to be a hard worker and a good blacksmith. Mary Ann had been raised in London and did not know how to weave, spin, knit or make candles like most pioneer women found necessary. The following washday recipe is interesting to observe how much was involved in washing clothes when all we have to do in our day is push a button.
Instructions a pioneer mother wrote to her daughter on washing:
- Build a fire in the backyard to heat a kettle of rain water.
- Set tubs so smoke won’t blow in your eyes if wind is peart.
- Shave 1 whole cake of lye soap in boiling water.
- Sort clothes and make 3 piles, 1 pile white, 1 pile colored and 1 pile work britches and rags.
- Stir flour in cold water to smooth it then thin down with the boiling water.
- Rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard,then bile (boil?). Rub colored, but don’t bile (boil?), just rinse and starch.
- Spread tea towels on grass
- Hang old rags on the fence.
- Pour rinse water on flower beds.
- Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
- Turn tubs upside down.
- Put on clean dress–smooth hair with side combs, brew a cup of tea, sit and rest and rock a spell and count blessings.
In the blacksmith accounts of Evan, he kept detailed records of his work and how people paid their bills to him. Since this gives an interesting picture of the lives of the pioneers, the following is copied from his records.
October 26, 1867, Paris, Rich County, Utah Territory
I made a door latch, 20 cents; 1 long spindle 60 cents; 1 fire shovel $1.25; welding bit, 20 cents; making lid for chest and mending auger $5.02; 1 pair hinges, 1 candle mold, $1.00; 1 hasp and staple for granary door, $1.00; Old bill due $2.65, paid 1 pig.
November 1, 1867
Made plough, repaired log chains, irons for wagons, paid in cloth woven by Mrs.——– and 1 load brush
November 4,
3 large rivets and burrs for ox yoke, 1 pair heel tips, welding wagon tire, sharpening and welding plow; paid 1 bushel potatoes, 10 bushels of coal, 9 lb. flour and 1 qt. beans.
His records are full of these interesting items, and he was almost always paid in produce of some kind.
July 4, 1867 he recorded the city celebration:
Bell ringing and firing salute and raising flag at dawn. Music by the band. Sunday School met at 9 o’clock and formed a procession. March to President Rich’s and Bishop Budge’s and back to Bowery, under direction of William Budge. Meeting was called to order by the Marshall of the day, William Broomhead. Prayer was said by Chaplain Thomas Sleight, music by the choir, speech was given by General Charles C. Rich, music by band, Speech Colonel J.C. Rich, music by choir, toasts, music by band, Benediction by Chaplain Thomas Sleight. Dancing for Sunday School scholars at 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. Dancing resumed for adults at 6 p.m. William Rich, assistant Marshall; George Spencer, Treasurer, Eva. A. Williams, ringing bell, hoisting flag, ringing bell.
Evan was also the first Superintendent of the Sunday School in Paris. When their children were grown and married most of them moved to the Nounan Valley in the north end of Bear Lake Valley, where there were large meadows of wild hay. They would return to their homes in Paris for the winters so their children could go to school.
In January 1765 Evan and Mary Ann were either living in or visiting Logan, Utah and wrote the following letter to their daughter, Mary Jane.(no letter present).
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This history has been compiled from an article written by Gwendolyn Williams Lauridsen for the History of Bear Lake Pioneers–Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Bear Lake County, Idaho. Copyright 1968; Personal knowledge of Henry Eugene Dalton, Soda Springs, Idaho; Records of Faye Ward, Malad, Idaho.
Betty J. Richards
Soda Springs, Idaho
1982
Picture shown of The Family of Evan Austin Williams and Mary Ann Tompkins Williams.
(Back row: George, Chester, William, Thomas, Evan)
(Front row: Evan Austin, Mary Jane, Mormon, Ellen (Nellie), Mary Ann)
About 1892
Patriarchal Blessing found in the Malad Stake Family History Records
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Recorded in Book E, Paris, Rich County, Utah Territory, August 3, 1870