By Arvilla M. Arbon and Delta Arbon Harmon 

Headshot picture of George Arbon) 

George Arbon, son of John Cavelor and Rebecca Dennis, was born in Graveley, Cambridgeshire, England, January 5, 1840. At the age of 22 he left his native country sailing to the United States on May 17, 1862. He was on the water (Atlantic Ocean) forty days. Upon arriving in New York with his brother, Charles, they then journeyed westward to Florence, Nebraska arriving there in July. Then they had to wait six weeks for the teams to arrive from Utah to take the saints and the boys farther west. They arrived in Salt Lake City in September 1862. 

During the first year in this country these two boys worked and saved enough money to send for their parents and two sisters whom they had left behind in England. This was the fulfillment of a promise made to them before the boys had left their native land. 

Their hopes were crushed when they met the immigrant train at Echo Canyon only to find that both their father and mother had paid the supreme sacrifice on the journey. Their mother, Rebecca Dennis Arbon, had died September 14, 1864 near the Platte River at Pole Creek and was buried there. She had died in the evening and was buried the following morning. God had granted her dearest wish–to reach America. Their father, John, traveled on and died twenty days after his wife on October 4, 1864 on the Muddy in what is now the state of Utah. He was within a hundred miles of his goal–Zion. The sisters, Esther who was 18 years of age and Elizabeth Rebecca age 8, made the trip to Salt Lake. 

It was while George was living in Willard, Utah that he met and married Sarah Nicholas in July 1865. He lived in Willard for seven years farming a few acres of land; but the grasshoppers destroyed the crop every year. He was forced to do other jobs to make enough money to buy food for his family. He worked for five months for twenty-five bushels of wheat; the price then being $5.00 per bushel. 

From Willard he went to Malad, Idaho and rented a piece of ground which was then owned by L. D. Jones. Here he again planted crops only to have them destroyed by a great army of crickets which swarmed down from the surrounding hills. The wheat crop amounted to only 14 bushels that year.  

Becoming discouraged with farming in Malad he moved to Snowville, Utah. He started on a new farm and again took up the struggle for a livelihood, but the jack rabbits found his growing crops and destroyed what he had sown. He struggled for 14 years thinking that the next year would surely be better but it never came out that way. Finally he had to engage in freighting and teamwork to make a living. From Kelton, Utah to Boise, Idaho-a distance of 350 miles-was his route. He averaged about 15 miles of travel per day. 

(Family portrait consists of six people with a small headshot portrait overlapped on the upper righthand corner-description below the picture says: Back row, left to right-Eveline Winton, Emily Annette Payne, Mary Ann Johnston Baker. Front row-Margaret King, Joseph Nicholas Arbon, Esther Davis. Insert-Nancy Unice.) 

By this time he and his wife had a family of six children. Emily Annette and Nancy Unice had been born in Willard. Margaret Helen in Malad and Esther Rebecca, Joseph Nicholas and Martha Mary Ann in Snowville. They were very proud of their family. 

George Arbon was determined to be a successful farmer, but he knew he would have to leave Snowville. He decided to try his luck in Almo, Cassis County, Idaho. The soil there was dry and unproductive so he received little for his efforts. It was while there that the last child, Sarah Eveline, was born. And it was also here that the mother died from the ravages of pneumonia on September 14, 1886 (38 years old), leaving the family of six girls and one boy. She was buried at Willard, Utah. It then fell to the lot of the eldest sister, Emily, to care for the family. After three years of heartbreaking labor and events, Grandpa George moved again-this time to Samaria, Idaho-a settlement near Malad. He rented the farm of John Thorpe which later became the William Roderick, Sr. farm. It was while living here that he heard of the Bannock Valley to the west. 

(Picture of log home-description below it says: First home of George Arbon in Arbon Valley-1895) 

Being desirous of securing land under the Homestead Act, he left the Pleasant View and Samaria area and filed a claim in the valley. He was very interested in irrigation and through his efforts a small stream discovered in Knox Canyon was brought down from the mountains to water his crops. This valley soon became very productive and was settled by others. A post office was created and the name of “Arbon ” honoring George Arbon was decided upon. It was a fitting tribute to this industrious and beloved man. 

He farmed this homestead with his son, Joseph Nicholas until 1912 when he moved back to Malad, Idaho. All of his life he had loved the soil and was well aware of its life giving sustenance to him. Even at this advanced age he still cared for a lovely garden. He lived there in a house built by his son so that Delta and Joseph G. would be near the schools in Malad. For nine years this was his home. 

“Grandpa” Arbon suffered a paralytic stroke on Thursday, March 17. Each day he grew weaker until on Tuesday, March 22, 1921 he went to his well-earned eternal rest. His body was taken to Willard, Utah for burial beside his beloved wife. 

George Arbon won his way through life by sheer persistence and hard work and lived to see his later years crowned with success. He was always a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was a High Priest at the time of his demise-a fitting tribute to a long life well spent. 

His only son, Joseph Nicholas Arbon, now in his 95th year, very fittingly pays tribute to his father-these words time and again-”A kinder man I’ve never known.”