James William Madson

• Name: James William Madson
• Born: December 9, 1912 Elkorn, Oneida, Idaho
• Died: July 1, 1994 Layton, Davis, Utah
• Related: Erin's grandfather

James W. Madson, a son of John and Annie Clark Madson, was born December 9, 1912, in a little log house on their ranch in Elkorn. He was the fourth child of the family of 11, having seven brothers; Earl, Jack, Orville, Rex, Grant, Park and Orlin and three sisters; Hattie, Elva and Amelia Ann. His oldest brother Earl was killed while helping a neighbor pull a well. His youngest brother Orlin was killed in a car-pedestrian accident.

He attended elementary school in Elkorn and boarded in Malad for his first three years of high school, then drove back and forth to Elkorn during his senior year, as there was no school bus service.

Being raised on a farm, James learned early in life what hard work and long hours were. However, he was left with the responsibility of managing a farm and helping his mother raise his six younger brothers and sister when his father died suddenly of a heart attack when James was 17 year old.

In his boyhood days he attended church in the old Elkhorn schoolhouse and was secretary of the Sunday School. Later the little branch moved to St. John and he served as a counselor in the Sunday School for seven years under Arch Harris and one year under Harold Jones. When Harold was put in as bishop, James was sustained as Superintendent of the Sunday School and served in this capacity for seven years with Jim Pierce and Tom James as his counselors.

James and Idonna

He married Idonna Nuttall, September 18, 1940, in the Salt Lake Temple. After his marriage his mother leased the farm to him and she moved to Provo. In 1949 James and Idonna purchased a house in Malad and lived in town for nine years. When he was able to purchase the family farm he moved back to Elkhorn where he has since resided. He and Idonna were the proud parents of five sons, and had seven granddaughters.

Bishop Madson has always been a devoted church worker. He was set apart as a Seventy by Elder S. Dilworth Young and was secretary of the quorum for two years and he also served on a stake mission for two years.

He was an outstanding scoutmaster in the 3^rd Ward in St. John, dedicated to the boys he taught, serving 13 years in this capacity. He served as counselor in the Malad Stake Sunday School for four years and was released from this position when he was called to be the bishop of our ward.

He was set apart as bishop by Elder Boyd K. Packer January 19, 1964. He chose Gene Edwards and Kenneth Kent as his counselors. After Kenneth’s death in 1965, Dale Baisdell was sustained as second counselor.

Bishop Madson always found time to go the temple and attend the educational programs sponsored by the church. During his nine years as father of the ward he performed 19 marriages, presided at 33 funerals and 14 missionaries, besides Adrian Jones, Joe L. Williams and Clark Madson who were already in the mission field, have been called to serve the Lord. He was released January 21, 1973, and has since been called to be the State Explorer Leader.

He was also active in civic affairs. He was Soil Conservation Supervisor for six years and president of the Oneida County Farm Bureau for two years. He reads a lot and keeps informed on the affairs of our nation. He has always felt that we should be interested in good government seeing that the right men are put in public office.

One of his favorite hobbies was trap shooting. He took first place in a Round Robin Shoot and third place in the Utah State Preliminary Handicap Shoot. He excelled in this sport but because of lack of time and the shoots generally being held on Sundays he gave the sport up.

The annual deer hunt always finds the bishop with his sons in the mountains enjoying this sport and always successful in getting their deer.Another hobby he has acquired this winter is snowmobiling.

Truly, Bishop Madson is a good Christian, devoted to his family and dedicated to his church. Many of the miles he has traveled have been in the service of the Lord and his fellow men.

A day never dawns lest it retires

Into the past with the twilight hours,

Taking with it all deeds well done

Reaping the harvest, and, to follow the sun,

Thus Bishop Madson from day to day,

Planted the harvest we reap today,

Bringing the sun when the day was gray

For forget-me-nots all along life’s way.

He never grew tired of his noble chore,

Other folk’s burdens were not a bore,

But a priceless problem he might erase,

Bringing new hope to a troubled face,

When the grounds of faith were sown with doubt

With the hoe of love he thinned them out,

Bringing a harvest of hope and joy

That time itself cannot destroy.

In the dark of night when the hour was late

You would see him come with his noble mate

To a saddened home, where death had brought

Tears and heartache, their love they got.

A bishop we know is only a man,

He scatters good deeds to his fullest span

Side by side with a tireless mate

Who has given her all, regardless of fate.

Their work has been tireless, their service long,

Their devotion outstanding, their efforts strong,

Giving their all with a friendly smile

Willing to go that extra mile.

We love you and thank you for all you have done

Making our ward the very best one.

We shall always remember the years and the days

That you were in office, and offer our praise.

And so now in parting we ask once again

That the Lord will be with you,

And to that our Amen.

This article was written by someone from grandpa's ward for a ward newsletter. She gave it to us at his funeral. I don't remember who this woman was but I would like to thank her for writing such a great article and poem. If anyone remembers who this was let me know and I can credit her properly. 

Ann Amelia Clark

• Name: Ann Amelia Clark
• Born: September 18, 1883 Malad, Idaho
• Died: July 1, 1958 Provo, Utah
• Related through: Erin's grandfather James Madson

 
Ann Amelia Clark Madson was born in Malad, Idaho, September 18, 1883, to William Hyrum and Harriet Matilda Williams Clark. Her father died when she was about seven years old. She had some memories of him and spoke of him almost reverently, always calling him "Dad", while her stepfather was always "Pa". Her father was away from home a great deal as his work required. I'm not sure what work he did, but he did leave a little money to the family when he died and my mother was quite bitter about the fact that her mother gave the money to her next husband to invest in sheep. He never did seem to be successful either with sheep or farming so they were always very poor. Mother thought the money should have been saved for the children when they grew up.
 
Mother was the oldest of three children. The others were Mabel Venetta, born October 13, 1886, and William Hyrum, born November 1, 1889. After her husband's death Grandma cooked for men and thus met Oliver Cowdrey Bake whom she married. They moved to a small farm at Elkhorn where Mother grew up. Children born to this marriage were Elizabeth Sarah, Oliver Leslie (lived only a few years), Earl (died at birth) and Everett Lester.
 
Mother talked very little about her childhood, but she and her sister, Mabel, seemed to be very close and did everything together. She spoke with pleasure of the time they spent with Grandpa Bakes' father who lived near them. He told them stories of life in England before the family migrated to America.
 
Mother spoke often of the one room school at Elkhorn which she disliked and never seemed to be able to get through the eighth grade there. She loved to tell of the year she went to Malad to school. She stayed with her Aunt May Bush and family (her mother's sister). She enjoyed the literary society at school and never tired of telling of her thrill at being asked to be in the school play. She was often called upon to give readings at social gatherings long after she was married and had a family.
 
She enjoyed this and liked to read whenever she could find any reading material. It was scarce and there were no libraries near. Our parents always ordered a few books at Christmas time from Sears or Montgomery Wards --- often popular novels like English Orphans by Mrs. E.D.E.N. Southworth. We read them over and over again. My older brother was an avid reader, but really had to wait until he was in high school and used the Public Library in Malad. They were not very well supplied, but he selected the well worn books which meant they were popular at least. He read anything from Shakespeare to Stanley's travels in Africa to Zane Gray to the Bible and enjoyed every minute of it.
 
After marrying Mads Jonathan Madson they first lived in a two room log building with a so-called shanty or lean-to on the north. We also had a cellar to keep canned fruit, store potatoes and carrots etc., for winter, keep milk cool and as a general storage area. Later an extra storage space was built over the cellar entrance. This helped, but sleeping space was especially scarce since the new brick house with five bedrooms and a full basement didn't exist until after the sixth child was born. Rex was the first to be born in the new house. All eleven children were born at home.

John and Amelia Madson family

 The new house was finished in the fall of 1919 and after being so crowded seemed like the lap of luxury to us. There were a large living room, dining room, kitchen and two bedrooms on the main floor, three bedrooms upstairs and a full basement with no rooms finished there. There was a room meant for a bathroom on the main floor; plumbing was roughed in and thus it remained until James and Idonna moved in after Mother and the three youngest children came to Provo to live in 1941. Thus all of our time on the farm meant using outside toilet facilities and bathing on Saturday night in the kitchen using the round wash tub. The washbasin remained until 1941 also. The water from the sink was cold only and the sewer system consisted of a drain from the sink to the front yard near a large tree. Hot water had to come from the teakettle or the reservoir on the kitchen stove.

There was no lawn, but we did have five large silver maple leafed trees in the front yard. There was a swing attached to a limb on one of the trees which gave us all a good deal of pleasure. It was a good place to swing or read and relax or just enjoy the clean fresh air and meditate. The yard was fenced (partly painted picket) and thus kept our animals like cows, horses and sheep out. The chickens roamed at will.
 
Coal oil lamps furnished the lighting in the old house, but shortly after moving into the new house we had the luxury of an acetylene gas system which furnished a much better light. It was set up in the cellar and had to be serviced with carbide at intervals. As this was consumed the calcium carbide had to be drained and carried out of the cellar by bucketfuls. It was used to whitewash the chicken coop, or paint the fence or just discarded.
 
We also had a new record player or phonograph in a nice cabinet with room to store many records. This was a hand windup machine (rewinding necessary about every other record). This was considered a luxury, but it gave all of us considerable pleasure.
 
My mother and I did quite a bit of sewing. I never did have a ready made dress until I was teaching and earning my own money. Mother taught me to sew when I was about twelve and after that it was my job to make dresses, aprons and rompers regularly.
 
Most of our food was produced right on the farm including meat (pork, beef, chickens, mutton), vegetables (lettuce, radishes, peas, beans, onions, carrots, potatoes, turnips, parsnips and squash), dairy products (milk, butter, cream, cottage cheese, and of course eggs). The cream was sold in town or used to make butter for our own table and some to trade along with any extra eggs we had at the grocery store. Mother was always very proud of her butter mold and the paddle which she used to shape the butter. Her step-father had carved the paddle out of lovely mahogany wood. The finished product looked very much like the solid pounds of butter we buy at the grocery store now. The grocer weighed each pound carefully to test for full weight. Mother's was usually a little over which was a source of pride and satisfaction to her.
 
Mother made good bread (not as good as Grandma's) and baking was done every other day. Our big family made it disappear fast. It was mixed at night and made into loaves in the morning. Then it had to rise and be baked by noon. Special treats came when some of the dough was made into hot biscuits, fry cakes or scones, doughnuts or cinnamon buns.
 
We had oranges once a year, in our Christmas stockings and bananas were almost as rare. Holiday treats included plum pudding made with suet and raisins in a cake like batter and boiled n a bag made from a clean flour sack which had been opened to form a square. This was served hot with a dip made with sugar, water, cornstarch, vanilla or rum flavor (rum was seldom available). Fruit cake was another special Christmas treat.
 
We never did go hungry, but we were limited by the seasons and lack of refrigeration. There was no such thing as salad dressings or relishes from the store. We mostly went without, but sometimes we made our own. All our food had to be prepared from scratch. It was time consuming and lacked glamour, but it was wholesome and never went to waste.
 
It wasn't quite all work and no play, but it did seem like it, especially in the summer when the farm work was heaviest. There were no near neighbors and few children our ages even then. We were four to eight miles from church and never did go until the branch Sunday School came to Elkhorn when I was in the late teens.
 
In summer our Sundays were pretty well taken up in visiting relatives or neighbors. No warning was ever given; we just started early in the white top and later in the old Studebaker and drove to the desired spot. We would go to Uncle Will's, Mother's brother, who lived on a ranch at Devil's Creek north of Malad. We also visited her two sisters, Aunt Mabel lived just north of Malad until she moved to town in the early 1920's and Aunt Lizzie who lived north and west of us about eight to ten miles in a place called Daniels. My Father's brother, Uncle Frank, lived near Cherry Creek south and west of Malad. Then there were the neighbors who lived only a few miles away. One of these was David Williams, Mother's uncle, and Dave Edwards who lived near him. All of these families would return the visits and everyone seemed to come up with a good Sunday dinner, often prepared from scratch after we arrived. The visits were very satisfying and gave us an opportunity to get acquainted with uncles, aunts, cousins and neighbors.
 
Her oldest son, Earl, was killed in a well pulling accident on May 28, 1928. This was the first death in our family and it was very hard on all of us. I guess Mother mourned most of all. She used to sing as she did her housework, but I never heard her sing again and she didn't like to listen to music after that. Another son Orlin died after he was hit by a car in Provo in 1948.
 
Her husband, John, died suddenly from a heart attack at home on July 18, 1930. He had been suffering from chest pains for some time and over-exerted himself putting out a small fire in the motor of the combine-harvester he was running the day before his death.
 
In 1941 Amelia and the three youngest children moved to Provo to live with daughter Hattie. (who wrote this article) She passed away on July 1, 1958 in a Provo rest home where she had been for about two years. She suffered from Parkinson's disease and senility and could not be left alone. We kept her at home as long as possible, but I had to work and the rest home gave her better care than we could have in any way provided at home.
 
This history was written and compiled by daughter, Hattie Madson Knight, 1976.

Mads Jonathan Madson

• Name: Mads Jonathan Madson
• Born: September 20, 1875 Salem, Utah,
• Died: July 18, 1930 Malad, Idaho
• Related through: Erin's grandfather James Madson

As recalled by daughter Hattie M. Knight, March 1976
 
John (he always went by that name) was born to James Ephraim and Birgithe Jensen Madson on September 20, 1875 at Salem, Utah. He was the third son in a family of eight boys and one girl. They were James Ephraim Jr., Enoch Martines, Joseph Lorenzo, Ervin Erastus, Franklin Oliver, Bodilia Christine, William Hyrum and Elmer LeRoy. His parents were converts to the Mormon Church and came to Utah from Denmark. They met and married after coming to Utah.

John grew up in Salem and was active in the church until he and some of his brothers came to Idaho to find work. He always kept his strong testimony. The small farm in Salem was probably just not large enough to supply work and a living for the family. He freighted with a team and wagon for some time and often talked about the wheat he hauled to Corrine, Utah — the end of the road line. He would take such things as honey back to sell to the farmers on his way home and on north. In the spring of the year he would shear sheep and became quite an expert at this. After he was married he continued to shear sheep for awhile to get money to buy a farm and get established on it at Elkhorn (near Malad).

After coming to Idaho he married Ann Amelia Clark. They had eleven children. After about one year of marriage my parents moved with their baby son to the newly acquired dry farm near Malad, Idaho. With a great deal of hard work they cleared the land of sagebrush — not all that first year. It took years to get all the "grubbing sage" done. Wheat was to be the main crop. Planting was mostly in the fall in soil that had been plowed and harrowed in the spring and allowed to remain idle all summer. This was known as winter wheat. A little barley and spring wheat was planted in the spring. Some alfalfa was grown also, but it was difficult because of lack of water. The water right with the farm amounted mainly to the spring runoff from the canyon on the north.
 
We always had a few milk cows, a few pigs and chickens, sheep and range cattle. The sheep came from lambs left as "bums" (without mothers and unable to survive with the herd). Ours was the last farm where anyone lived all year on the way to the summer range. The sheep men would leave these lambs with us and we would bottle feed them until they could survive on grass and hay. Some years we tried to raise turkeys, but it was quite unsuccessful and Mother soon gave up on it.

Mads Jonathan Madson family around 1920. Grandpa James is the young boy sitting on the chair.

It was pretty much a case of all work and no play except for Sunday. My father did farm work on Sunday only in emergencies. The chores had to be done; cows milked, animals and chickens fed and eggs gathered, wood and coal carried in for the stoves every day. On Sunday we visited relatives or neighbors, read books (when they were available), played outside, went sleigh riding in winter and horseback riding in summer and when a branch of the Church was established on Elkhorn we went to Sunday School. That was about 1924 and only Sunday School was held there.
 
The outdoor work was naturally heaviest in summer. As soon as the snow was gone and the ground dried out a little (usually about April), the plowing began for fields harvested the fall before. After the plowing, the land was harrowed and allowed to rest until fall when it was planted into "winter wheat" to be harvested the next summer. Some days were spent in weeding this land with a garden hoe by us children. This was supposed to be boy's work, but sometimes the girls helped too. My strongest memories were of the days when my father decided to haul rocks. Anyone who could lift a five to thirty or so pound rock got in on the job. It was done with a team of horses and a wagon going back and forth over the plowed land. There seemed no end to the rocks every year turned up by the plow or washed down from the canyons north of the farm with the spring run off. We all helped load the wagon and then unload at the huge rock pile near the center of the field. I think that rock pile is still there in spite of efforts to give them away as building material. There just seems to be no end to them. We were super tired and dusty after a day of rock hauling.
 
The other job that took the girls out of the house was tromping hay as it was loaded onto the wagon and then leading the derrick horse as the hay was stacked or put into the barn loft. The hay was pulled up by means of a rope and pulley attached to a huge hay fork. A very steady and gentle horse was required for this work. Our job was to lead the horse out until the fork was tripped and then slowly back him up to get another forkful. Haying on the dry farm wasn't so bad. There was little water and little hay, often no second or third crop, but we had big hay crops after my parents bought the small farmed owned by my mother's parents. It was less than a mile west of our farm, but on lower ground and the St. John ditch with water rights ran through it. Grandpa Bake kept the home and garden spot. He was well known for his vegetables and especially for fine textured blue mechanock potatoes which he grew. The yield was small, but the potatoes were choice.
 
With this new farm we now had an orchard, mostly apples, and a garden space with water. It meant more work, but more good food too. We canned lots of string beans by a cold pack method. The filled jars were placed in the clothes boiler in water about an inch above the bottle tops and processed at least four hours. Beef and venison were done in the same manner. It took a lot of time and effort and kept the old stove going, but they kept well. Later the pressure cooker replaced the boiler, but not while I was living at home.
 
My other major outside chore was milking cows night and morning. During the summer the younger boys had the job of herding the cows. They were turned out to graze each morning on the rural roadside or nearby foothills. Thunder storms sometimes made this pretty scary business. They did ride a horse to do this work, but it was very boring and tiresome.
 
My father kept busy in winter repairing machinery or farm buildings and oiling and repairing harnesses for the horses. Besides this he read what books he could get hold of and spent endless hours reading the scriptures which he could explain with amazing clarity.
 
A once a year event was the chokecherry expedition of our family up John Evans Canyon in our white top buggy or wagon. The canyon was about five to eight miles west of our farm and it took all day. We all had to pick chokecherries from the tree like bushes as hard and fast as we could. Some of the smaller children would climb on the limbs and sit there to hold them down so we could reach the fruit. We were rewarded with a picnic lunch and several days of cooking and squeezing the juice out after we got home. The jelly tasted wonderful with hot bread and butter which we had at least every other day and with pancakes. We used no pectin or apple juice so the jelly was full flavor and pretty liquid. None of it ever went to waste.
 
The Fourth of July was a very special day. We would get up extra early to do chores and then head for town and the public square for the big celebration. Our allowance for that day went from ten cents to a quarter for candy and soda water. It was a rare treat to visit the refreshment stands, take part in the races and watch the ballgame. After Aunt Mabel moved to town her place was headquarters for a pot luck dinner and visiting. She lived just two blocks north of the square where the celebration took place.
 
Our Father died suddenly from a heart attack at home on July 18, 1930 at the age of 54. He had been suffering from chest pains for some time and over-exerted himself putting out a small fire in the motor of the combine-harvester he was running the day before his death.
 
This article is taken from information written and compiled by Hattie Madson Knight, 1976.

Paul Martinus Jensen

• Name: Paul Martinus Jensen
• Born October 7, 1820 Dronninglund, Hjorring, Denmark
• Died April 8, 1898 Spanish Fork, Utah, Utah
• Related through: Erin’s grandfather James W. Madson

The lives of these two people were affected by the history of their native country Denmark is a small place in relation to other Scandinavian countries. It is also a very old inhabited place. To me it seems important to know a few bits of information about those people who have gone before me. To begin, the Madsen family were full Danes. I have been told we have a tie to the Atterdag family, in particular to Valdemar Atterdag and Queen Margarethe. That may or may not be true. Our people seem to have been part of Droninglund for a long time.

According to Thomas Jefferson in 1784, Denmark had nine well defined layers of society with no escape from any one of them. ONLY PEASANTS PAID TAXES. At times, peasants gave their land to the state or church because the taxes were too high for them to pay and still support their families. Only land owners were taxed so some choose to become vassals.

When land was wanted it was not available until land reform began in 1788. At that time people could begin to own the land they were working. In 1805, it became possible for some people to buy land. Most of the land in Denmark belongs either to the state or to the Church.

Paul Martinus Jensen had two younger brothers, Christen and Johannes Peter, who we don’t know much about. Mette Kirstine Olsen had one brother and three sisters. All of Mette’s siblings joined the church in Denmark and gathered with them in Utah.

Because Paul was blind in one eye (we have not found how this occurred) he never served in the Danish Army. The Danish Army lost all their wars but one. James E. Madsen was in that one it was about the border between Germany and Denmark, a problem still not really settled. Danish soldiers were easy to bribe to return to their land and leave the army.

Paul was married three times. He was married first to Brigithe Christendotter who brought a five year old son to the marriage, Hans Christian Andersen. He was not Paul’s and upon the death of Brigithe, he went to her sister. She died in 1850, her son was ten and on half.

Mette

According to a probate at the death of Paul’s first wife, Paul was a very generous, caring person. He choose to give all of Birgithe’s possessions to her son, along with some additional financial aid. At this time he also choose to forgive some other debts, although he himself was not at that time a wealthy person.

At the time of Paul’s second marriage to our great grandmother, Mette Kirstine Olsen, on April 15, 1851, good fortune almost immediately smiled upon the newlywed couple with dramatically higher wheat prices. France attacked Russia in 1854-1856, seeking to reduce Russian power in what became known as the Crimean War. The focus point of that war was the large port of Odessa on the Black Sea from which much Ukrainian wheat was exported. At that time Russian wheat was very important to global demand. Over this time period and thereafter while Odessa was being rebuilt, global wheat prices rose dramatically.

It is likely that when Mette and Paul were married they received as a wedding gift from Mette's parents a small farm on the small hill just north of Orso. It was less than a mile from the home of Mette's parents.

Whether they were persecuted for their beliefs is unknown. Mette had joined the church one year before Paul and likely was a clear and guiding star to Paul in making their decision to leave Denmark. Life had never been better for Paul since he had married Mette. Prosperity, posterity and the gospel had followed his second marriage. Mette was comfortable naming their first child, a daughter, after Paul's first wife, Brigithe. They had two daughters Brigithe and Hannah.

In 1866, preparations were complete and this family left their homeland to gather to Utah. Paul at that time was pretty well off. Research by Duane Madsen indicates that the $2,000.00 mentioned in accounts of Paul Martinus Jensens' financial affairs in 1866 has a discounted, inflation adjusted present value in 2004 of about $40,000.00.

Paul and Mette sold their precious things and significantly distributed the proceeds to the poor who were without the means to immigrate to Zion. Not a solitary reference of complaint is known to have been uttered by Mette who may have felt a significant sense of loss at leaving behind the home she had bore and raised her children. Paul seemed to have taken upon himself the responsibility of helping as many friends and family as possible to immigrate to Utah.

While no personal records were kept we have the records of others who traveled with them as they crossed the Atlantic, continued in renovated cattle cars to Missouri, and then mostly walked the last 1,200 miles to Zion. We can only imagine the process Mette and Paul went through in deciding to leave their prosperous circumstances near Droninglund, North Jutland, Denmark. For more on their journey see Brigithe’s history.

We are fortunate to have been born into a family of truly converted parents and grandparents and great grandparents. It is written that more productive members came from North Jutland than any other part of Denmark. They came as group. Not all at the same time but close enough and settling close enough together that they were still a "community of believing friends" within their new environment.

Included among the members of the local congregation of newly organized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was Gutzon Borglum, the sculpture of the Mt Rushmore faces of the four presidents. He left his homeland for the sake of the Gospel and joined with the people in Utah. However, he became disaffected but was not excommunicated.

Brigham Young said, in the Discourses of Brigham Young, "Those who leave their home land and for sake of the gospel, gather with the saints will inherit the Celestial Kingdom that is all that is required of them".

After coming to Utah they settled in Spanish Fork. The first winter in Spanish Fork was spent in a small space beneath the ground which was covered with wood, adobe and branches to provide shelter. Paul and Mette quickly became part of the Danish community. At age sixteen Brigithe married James Ephraim Madsen who was then twenty-five. They were blessed with nine children- eight boys and a girl, Bodelia who was named after Birgithe's favorite and famous cousin Bodelia Mortenson who froze to death at Rocky Ridge, Wyoming while caring for a small child in the Willy Handcart Company.

As their family grew Brigithe asked her son Enoch to live with her parents in Spanish Fork to care for them and deal with the English language issues for her parents who never learned English. Each week Brigithe walked the twelve miles from Salem to Spanish Fork to spend a day with her son and parents. To have such faithful and worthy ancestors is a heritage to emulate.

These two people never learned English and probably were not in the habit of doing much writing in their native Danish language but they were faithful to the end of their days in the new faith they had embraced in their native land. They made great sacrifices to leave their native land and familiar culture and make the arduous journey by sea and by land to gather with their friends and fellow believers in a new country.

Mette died in 1885. After Mette’s death Paul was married a third time to Karen Marie Madsen Ottesen. Karen’s husband died in 1882. A child Marie, who was born in 1882, was sealed to her and Paul. They were married October 16, 1889 in the Manti Temple. Paul died in 1898 and is buried in Spanish Fork.

Article by Rae Christina Madsen Kem and Duane Madsen taken from their book “A Good Man and a Good Woman – Paul Martinus Jensen and Mette Kristine Olsen”. I found this book in the Family History Library catalog. Thanks Kerns for doing so much research about the Madsons.

Mads Jensen and Bodil Jacobsdatter

• Name: Mads Jensen 1808-1886 Denmark
• Name: Bodil Marie Jacobsdatter 1806-1890 Denmark
• Related through: Erin's grandfather James Madson

Mads Jensen, was born November 29, 1808 at Bjerrede, Tersleve, Soro, Denmark, a twin (his brother was Soren) to Jens Mogensen and Ane Jensdatter. His wife, Bodil Marie Jacobsdatter, was born/christened on November 15, 1806 in Vollerslev, Praesto, Denmark, to Jacob Olsen and Anne Thomasdatter. They were married June 17, 1837 in Vollerslev. Bodil brought one son, Christen Christensen, from a previous relationship to the marriage. It is said that Bodil met Mads when he was the forman on her father's farm.

Bjerrede is found in the Parrish of Terslev and in some records we find the name Rodemose (which means swamp) – probably the name of their farm. All the family records are in the church near Copenhaugen where the onriginal "Christus" statue resides. So this must have been where the family attended.

The family in the 1840 census showed the family in Terslev, Ringsted Herred, Soro, Denmark as follows:

Mads Jensen family 1845

Anne Jensdatter 65 widow
Mads Jensen 32 married
Bodil Jacobsdatter 34 married, wife
Christen Christensen 7 (Bodil’s son from a previous marriage)
Jens Madsen 2 their child (older brother)
Hans Jensen 2 foster child
Maren Jensen 37 welfare person

This record revealed that Jens (James Ephraim) had had an older brother who was never on any of James’ records and we wonder if James Ephraim even knew he had an older brother. Very often, when a child died, they would name the next child by the same name, which happened in this instance. This Jens died May 25, 1842 in Terslev. Our Jens (James Ephraim) was born January 21, 1844.

On November 19, 1840 twin daughters were born in Bjerrede, Terslev, Soro, Denmark and baptized in the Terslev Parish January 3, 1841. Their names were Kirstine and Ane. We have one picture of Jens in his youth which shows him to be about a year old with his twin sisters and parents. Another daughter, Sidse Marie, was born October 7, 1848 and baptized December 26, 1848 in Terslev. On August 4, 1857 Jens’ grandmother, Ane Jensdatter, died. The 1850 census had shown her still living with the family.

Family members had always given the impression that when Jens was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints he was disowned and sent from home. However research has shown that his mother, Bodil Marie Jacobsdatter, was baptized into the church in the Lydsjolland Gren (Branch) July 14, 1864.

Melba Madson Nelson recounts the following story:

“At this point I must enter my feelings and the spiritual experience which was my privilege in finding the record of Jens' baptism. In working on the Four Generation Program I was really desirous of finding the actual record of his baptism (even though he had written the record and it was clear) in order to have better documentation. I had searched and searched for a record in the Danish LDS records but to no avail. One day, after a frustrating search, I dropped my head on the screen of the microfilm reader and cried. It seemed so futile — the records, being in Danish, were hard to make out and I wondered if I was overlooking it but never a name that was familiar (or else so many, but never the right one!) Needing to take care of the tears, I left the machine and went into the rest room for tissue. While there I cried out to the Lord to help me — that if He wanted us to keep a perfect record, and to document the information we had, someone was going to have to help me because I had done all I knew to do — and had been unsuccessful. Drying my eyes, I walked back out to the reading machine, and almost in a "give up'' mood, flipping the crank indicating finality to that search. As I proceeded to begin to remove the film I was impressed to flip on the light and look down at the screen. There, before me, in darker writing than the other, was the name of Bodil Marie Jacobsdatter of Vollerslev! And in the LDS records! We had been led to believe that Jens had been disowned by his family when he accepted Mormonism and was forced to come to America. And here was the record of his mother's baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – on 14 July 1864. She was confirmed on the same day by L. Olsen. This was two years before the date we had of Jens' baptism. After I was able to contain myself, I turned the page carefully and there was what I had been looking for, for so long – the baptism of Jens Madsen on 28 March 1866 by Svend S. Sindhalsen in the Kjobenhavn Conference (Vordingborg Gren, or Branch). I sat and pondered the situation and felt as though his Mother had personally guided me to the record of her baptism so that it could be found first (otherwise I would never have found it for I was certain his was the only one). I actually felt that she was standing by my side and a great surge of love swept through me towards this good woman and I wanted to reach out and touch her and thank her for her help. One can only imagine what the real history of all this was; but it seems that she did accept the Gospel and must have encouraged Jens (even though she may not have been allowed to continue in it). One cousin said she remembered Grandfather Madson saying that when he left home he could not look back at his mother or he would not have been able to go. We should be so very grateful for the courage it must have taken for him to accept the Gospel and leave his home; and the courage of his mother to let him go.

This article is based on information from “A Good Man and a Good Woman – Paul Martinus Jensen and Mette Kristine Olsen” compiled by Rae Madsen Kern and family, 2004. I found this book in the Family History Library catalog. Thanks Kerns for doing so much research about the Madsons.

James Ephraim Madson

• Name: James Ephraim Madson
• Born: January 21, 1844 Bjerrede, Terslev, Denmark
• Died: March 23, 1914 Salem, Utah
• Related through: Erin's grandfather James William Madson

James Ephraim Madson was born January 21, 1844 in Bjerrede, Terslev, Denmank. The first record we find of him is his baptism in the Terslev, Soro, Denmark Parish Register on April 8, 1844. His name was listed as Jens, son of Mads Jensen and Bodil Marie Jacobsdatter. Bjerrede is found in the Parrish of Terslev and in some records we find the name Rodemose (which means swamp) – probably the name of their farm. He had twin older sisters and one younger sister. He also had an older half-brother from his mother’s first marriage.

James as a young child with his parents
Mads and Bodil and twin sisters
Kirstine and Ane.

He was baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints March 28, 1866. Family tradition says that he was disowned by his family in Denmark. However records show that his mother was baptized in Denmark. At any rate he was the only one in his family to come to America. One cousin said she remembered Grandfather Madson saying that when he left home he could not look back at his mother or he would not have been able to go. At that time he said, “I have a choice, I can be better or I can be worse and I’m going to be better.”

The emigration record of 1866 gives Jens Madsen, age 21, of Sealand, a laborer deposited an amount of money and he sailed on the ship "Kenilworth" with the same company of Saints that included his future wife (but they were not to meet until they arrived in Spanish Fork, Utah later. He sailed May 25, 1866 with only a small wooden box, made with wooden nails to hold his belongings.

Jens landed in New York, July 17, 1866 and arrived (in the Joseph Rawlin's Company) in Salt Lake Valley, Utah on August 1, 1866. He worked for a family in Ogden the Christmas of this same year, and not being able to speak any English it must have been a lonely one. He spent Christmas day as a woodcutter in Ogden canyon with a lunch of bread and water. At a later date his daughter-in-law, Emma Tanner Madson, asked him if he, at that time, regretted having joined the Church and leaving Denmark. She remembered him abruptly replying, "Don't ever even think such a thing Emmy. The gospel of Jesus Christ is worth any sacrifice.'" We can be grateful for his dedicated faith, integrity and perseverance.

When Jens came to America he changed his name to James Ephraim Madson/Madsen. Two of his sons used the spelling Madson but all the others took the accepted spelling of Madsen. Mads Jonathan and William Hyrum’s families use the son spelling.
 
He was ordained to the office of Elder after receiving the Melchizedek priesthood on July 6, 1869. This same day he and Birgithe Jensen were married and sealed in the Salt Lake Endowment House. They also received their endowments this same date. Daniel H. Wells performed the marriage ceremony. Birgithe's parents, Poul Martines and Mette Kjerstine Olsen Jensen were also endowed and sealed this same date. James and Birgithe had nine children – eight sons and one daughter.



James Madsen family 1893



He worked on the railroad in Spanish Fork, Utah, for a time and was working there according to a record of March 31, 1869. In later years he had a farm and home in Salem, Utah. He apparently was very exacting and meticulous about work on his farm. He was always cut a stick to measure the onions; those of proper height were pulled and sold.

When work was to be done, church or community, James and his boys were there. The Church was everything. He said he would do it all again. It was probably impossible to find a discrepancy between the way this man lived and the way he believed.

James’ finances are not completely known to us but we do know some things. When he came to the United States one wooden box contained all the belongings he brought from Denmark. However after his death when his farm and home were sold sometime in 1915 each child inherited enough to make a real change in their way of living. Two of the boys built nice homes in 1916. And in 1919 each child received about $50 for a relative in Denmark.

He passed away at his home in Salem, Utah on March 23, 1914, or carcinoma of the stomach. He was 70 years old.

Some quotes attributed to him follow:

“If that’s the way the Lord wants it that is the way it’s going to be.”

“The secrets of life are secret because so few people ever really find them out.”

“Some very special people will come from the shadows of these mountains” (the mountains around Salem).

“If this counsel or work be of men, it will come to naught. But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it, lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.”

This article is based on information written and compiled by Hattie Madson Knight, 1976, and from information from “A Good Man and a Good Woman – Paul Martinus Jensen and Mette Kristine Olsen” compiled by Rae Madsen Kern and family, 2004.

Birgithe Jensen

• Name: Birgithe Jensen Madson
• Born: July 23, 1853 Dronninglund, Denmark
• Died: September 15, 1932 Salem, Utah
• Related through: Erin's grandfather James Madson

Birgithe Jensen Madson was born in Dronninglund, Longenhjoring, Denmark on July 23, 1853 to Paul M. and Meta Kyerstine Olsen Jensen. She was their first child and was probably names after her father's first wife, Birgithe Christensdatter, who died after only five years of marriage. (No childrens were born of that marriages that we can locate). Birgithe had a little sistter, Annie Johanna (Hannah), who was was born in 1860. These two girls were born as Poulsen according to the patronymic system in Denmark; however they took the name Jensen, their father's surname, when they came to America.

She was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints April 22, 1866 by Peter Nelson and confirmed by him. After the family accepted the gospel they emigrated from Denmark to Utah in 1866. They arrived in Salt Lake City October 8, 1866 and settled in Spanish Fork. They dug a dugout to store their things and lived in a tent until they could build a two room adobe house. Her father made the adobe for the house and Birgithe and her sister Hannah helped mix the mud and water for them. They would get in barefoot and run around and dance and had all kinds of fun doing it.

Birgithe had no chance to go to school after she got to this country and had very little schooling in Denmark. She estimated about a year in all. She went to work about a year after she came and worked until she was married at the age of 16 to James Ephraim Madson. They were married in the endowment house in Salt Lake City by Daniel H. Wells. They lived in Salem until his death in 1914 and she continued to live there except for a short time when she lived with her only daughter, Delia, because of poor health. She passed away September 15, 1932 and is buried in Salem, Utah.

Some of her memories of the trip from Denmark have been recorded by Delia for the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. (As a side note Birgithe's daughter Bodil "Delia" was named for her now famous cousin Bodil Mortensen who froze to death in the Willie Handcart Company.)

She stated they left a comfortable home, sold everything they could and came to Utah for the sake of the gospel. Birgithe was 13 and her sister Hannah was six at the time. They sailed on the ship Kenilworth from Hamburg, Germany in May of 1866 with 684 Scandinavian Saints on board under the direction of Samuel D. Sprague and landed in New York on July 17.

Birgithe's parents - Poul Marrtines Jensen and Mette Kjerstine Olsen

When they were on the ocean the ship caught fire. Birgithe’s father was acting as guard that night. While he was making his rounds a man who was sitting up with his sick wife showed him where the fire had burned a big round hole in the ship. Our great-grandfather could not speak a word of English so he had a hard time giving the alarm, but finally he made one of the deck hands understand. Some of the crew was very frightened. They thought the ship was sinking, but it was only the water they were using to put out the fire and it was not long before the captain came and told them not to the afraid; the fire was out and they would soon be on their way. It took eight weeks to cross the ocean. In New York they were advised to take a condemned train because it was so much cheaper. They were eleven days on the train as they went through Canada.

When they arrived in Boston, a friend of theirs, Mrs. Christanna Peterson, became ill and died, leaving her eight-year-old granddaughter, Mary Jensen, who was migrating with her alone. Mary traveled the rest of the way to Utah in the care of Birgithe’s parents. She became Birgithe’s companion – walking most of the way across the plains with her.

When they were nearing Chicago the Elders warned them to be real quiet as there might be a mob waiting for them if they found out they were Mormons. One fellow refused to close the window he was sitting by in the train, as he had been asked to do. He kept sticking his legs out and when they stopped, someone from outside grabbed them and hung onto them. After that he was glad to close the window.

The mob put rocks in the track thinking it would cause the train to run off into the lake. But it seemed as if the Lord was with them for by some miracle it ran off the opposite way into a forest of trees and bushes. Quite a few were shaken up and received cuts and bruises, but otherwise were unharmed.

They came down the Missouri River on a flat boat. While on this boat a crazy woman furnished them with amusement. The cooks were peeling apples and she asked for one and they gave it to her. Then she kept asking for more and was told she could not have any more so she watched for her chance and grabbed the pan and threw them all into the river. Another time she took a bath in the water they kept in a large stone jar for drinking. The Mormons were not allowed to drink that water; they had to drink river water. I suppose the sailors preferred the river water too after that incident.

At Omaha they were met by wagons from Utah and left on August 8th with Andrew L. Scott’s ox train. Hans Rigtrup was their teamster. There were 200 people in this company with 49 wagons. Thirty members of this company died while crossing the plains. All that were able had to walk so Birgithe, Mary and her mother had to walk most of the way. Hannah was only six years old and not very well so she was allowed to ride.

It was hard to keep in shoes. Birgithe’s mother made shoes of old felt hats or anything she could get to try and keep their feet covered. She was a very good dressmaker and used her skill on the shoes. But they didn’t last long and often their feet were sore and bleeding from walking so much. Grandfather Jensen had been in comfortable circumstances in the old country and sold out for what money he could get and then helped many immigrants who were less fortunate than himself by lending them money. Some were anxious to pay him back and did so as soon as they could, but he received nothing from others.

When they were in Laramie, Wyoming, Birgithe and Hannah were walking down the road together and an old lady stepped out of a log house and caught hold of Hannah and took her in the house. Both girls screamed until their father came. The old lady explained that she wanted to keep the child. She said she looked delicate and would never live to cross the plains. The old lady took them in afterward and gave them a good meal which Birgithe did not share as she could not be found. Hannah crossed alright and lived to be over 70 years old.

James Madsen family about 1893
Top row: James, John, Joe, Enoch
Middle row: Ervin, Frank
Seated: Delia, Father James, Elmer, Mother Birgithe, Will

James Ephraim and Birgithe immigrated at the same time, but she did not meet him until she came to Spanish Fork. He was the only one of his family to come to Utah and his parents and sisters seemed to think he had disgraced them by joining the Mormons. After they were married they moved to Salem and built a dugout to store their things. They camped in a wagon until they could build a one-room adobe house for which her father made the adobe. Birgithe was often left alone while her husband was away freighting or working in the canyon. She was sometimes quite frightened of the Indians. She often went into the fields gleaning wheat and thought nothing of walking to Spanish Fork to visit her parents. A few years later they built a larger house, a two-room adobe, and as the family grew they added on to it. As they prospered a little they build a ten-room brick house.

She became the mother of eight sons and one daughter. Granddaughter, Bea Kimball, remembers sitting on the porch of the Salem home and watching Birgithe make beautiful beaded necklaces which she gave to her grandchildren. Grandma would say, “Are you a princess, I’m making this for a princess.” This was typical of her interests and talents and love for her family.

Another granddaughter, Hattie Madson Knight, would always look forward to a visit from Grandma Madson each summer. How she got to Idaho she didn’t know, but she would spend about a week with each family – John, Frank and Irvin. She would sit for hours and teach Hattie to tat and crochet. She was an expert at both. She had a painful hip and used a cane during her later years. Her needlework was beautiful and given generously to each family.

Her husband passed away on March 26, 1914 after a useful and exemplary life. He was always a hard worker and kept busy until almost a week before his death, although he had been ill for almost two years. He served for many years a chairman of the Board of Education and was an active church worker. She was also kept busy in the church. She was treasurer in the Relief Society for 27 years. She spent many hours making temple clothes for the dead and other sewing that was needed.  She helped lay out the dead and waited on the sick. She was also active in religion classes for many years.

Birgithe was of a cheerful, happy disposition and a good wife and mother. She always thought of the welfare of others and did a good turn whenever she could. Through her many trials she always tried to look on the bright side of things.

This history was written and compiled by Hattie Madson Knight, 1976.

David Morgan Williams and Elizabeth Richards

• Name: David Morgan Williams
• Born: May 18, 1832 Llansbdid, Breconshire, Wales
• Died: October 23, 1924 Malad, Idaho
• Related through: Erin's grandfather James Madson

David Morgan Williams was born at Llansbdid, Breconshire, Wales, on the 18th of May in the year of 1832. He was the son of Morgan and Ann Williams. His father died at the age of thirty-eight of scarlet fever, leaving his mother a widow with two sons, David and Edward. David's only sister, Ann, drowned when she was a small child. His mother came to this country and lived to be 81 years old. She died at Council Bluffs, Iowa, December 29, 1891.

David heard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints when he was 16 years of age. He writes in his Journal --"I was 16 years of age, in my native land; one Sunday morning a woman came with a pamphlet in her hand and gave it to me. Its name was 'Yu hen grefydd', which means 'The Old New Religion.' I believed it for I wanted the religion that Christ taught. But I waited about two years before I was baptized. After my baptism, I had to wait a few weeks before I got a testimony from heaven that I had done the will of God." He was the first of his family to join the church as far as he knew, converted and baptized at the age of 18 in Wales.

He came to this country in February 1854, and continued on to Utah. He was one year making the trip. He camped at St. Louis, Missouri, for a while to get ready and crossed the plains with a company of pioneers.

Soon after reaching Salt Lake City, he met Elizabeth Richards, a daughter of William and Harriet Jones Richards. She was born February 25, 1837, at Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire,Wales. Elizabeth came to American on the ship, "Chimborazo", arriving at Philadelphia May 22, 1855. She later came across the plains with a company of Saints under the presidency of Elder Francis St. George. David and Elizabeth were married in Salt Lake City on July 3, 1856. Elizabeth was a very industrious, little woman and worked hard all her life. She stood 4 feet 6 inches tall and wore a size 13 (child's) shoe.

After living in Salt Lake City for a short time, they moved to California. David chose farming as his profession and they first settled in the Sacramento Valley. Over the years they moved around to various places in Northern California and Nevada.

In the 1870 they decided to go back to Iowa. David's mother, Ann Williams, lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa -- so this could have been a reason for the return to the area. The family lived there for about two years, then moved back to Salt Lake City.

David writes in his Journal: "We were in Iowa in 1871 and came back to Utah the latter part of July, 1873. After failing to have work in Salt Lake City, I went to Bingham Canyon and started to work for Eli B. Kelsey making a new road. I continued working there until the road was done. After that I worked with Peter Reynolds for Morris and Evans for 57 days on their Clay Bed in Bingham Canyon and again worked for them at West Jordan until the work was done -- or the grading part of it. After that I came home to my family in the city for the winter."

They lived here for about three years. Life was hard during their stay in Salt Lake City. Jobs were hard to find and with such a large family they had to ask for assistance from the Church to feed and clothe them for one whole winter. Elizabeth took in washing to help keep food on the table during the lean years.

Family group of David Morgan and Elizabeth Williams taken approximately 1892. Front Row seated: David M. Williams and wife Elizabeth. Second Row L. to R. Ann Amelia, David Moroni, and Elizabeth. Back Row L. to R. Candace, Emma, Harriet Matilda (our ancestor), Mary, and Martha Alice. Two other children died, Delilah in 1892 and Margaret in 1881.

Their next move was to the north -- and this time they settled in Malad Valley -- about 16 miles north of the Utah-Idaho border. This was a beautiful little farming community and they first made their home in St. John, which was about three miles northwest of Malad proper. Having traveled from one state to another in hopes of finding a location to suit them, they decided to spend the rest of their days in Malad valley. However, they did move one more time to a 160-acre farm in what is known as Elkhorn, about four miles to the northwest of St. John. It was on this farm that most of the family grew to maturity.

Elizabeth Richards Williams died November 21, 1911, and David Morgan Williams died October 23, 1924. They are buried in the St. John Cemetery, Oneida County, Idaho. David and Elizabeth had ten children and 72 grandchildren.

Source: This article was written by Artella Williams Larsen (granddaughter) and can be found in the book St. John, Oneida County, Idaho: A collection of personal histories from the time of the first settlers to the present day, p. 263-264. The photos came from Welsh Mormon History.com. and Findagrave.com.

William Howell Thomas

• Name: William Howell Thomas
• Born:  November 2, 1790 Winvoe, Glamorganshire, South Wales
• Died: August 21, 1887 Malad, Idaho
• Related through: Erin's grandfather James Madson

William Howell Thomas was born on November 2, 1790 near Winvoe Parish, Glamorganshire, South Wales. He was the son of Robert Thomas and Janet James. He was a cobbler. He married Ann Williams. She was born February 28, 1797 in Winvoe Parish, Glamorganshire, South Wales.

They were converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and were baptized in 1847. Some of the children may have been baptized also. William Howell Thomas and his wife were endowed and sealed as husband and wife on October 19, 1861 in Salt Lake City, Utah. They had 14 children. Robert an infant and the eldest, died in Wales as did Harriet, who was 24, and unmarried. All the rest, except Llewellyn and William, came to the United States.

They left their home and pleasant surroundings to join the Saints in the Land of Zion. The parents and seven of the children set sail on the ship "Jersey" on the February 5, 1853. This was the 63rd company of Saints to embark from Britain for Zion.

There were 314 passengers in the company, 300 of whom were steerage and 14 were second class. The company was half English half Welsh, hence there was a confusion of tongues assembled on the deck of the "Jersey". With glistening eye and moistened cheeks they sang "Yes My Native Land I Love Thee", as they were towed down the Jersey River into the open sea, in a rather frail craft for the tempestuous winds and waves of the expansive ocean.

The married folks were located in the center of the ship, the boys near the bow and the girls at the stern. Passengers, as well as the ship itself were divided into districts for the better observance of order, discipline, and work. Each of the divisions already mentioned had a supervising council of three brethren and the whole company was under the direction of a president who in this case was Elder George Halliday. At eight o-clock p.m. evening prayers were held in each section after which lights were out and everyone went to bed. On warm days everyone was brought on deck for airing and sunshine whether they liked it or not, and indeed it was quite necessary.

As they coasted south, winter seemed to be left behind. The weather became warmer and the air more balmy. The joy of sighting land as they neared the West Indies was very great. All of the passengers were continuously on deck. The watery voyage had been long and tedious. A little later they entered murky water and a pilot came aboard which did much to create a feeling of security as they wended their now devious way through the Southwest channel, passing the Belize Pilot Station into the sagging current of the Great Father of Waters. The distance from the bar to the city of New Orleans is 90 miles. Four days were consumed in towing the "Jersey" to the city, where they docked March 21, 1853 having covered the 5000 mile voyage in seven weeks. During the journey there were two deaths and six marriages.

At the docks they were met by the forwarding agent of the church, Elder John Brown, whose promptness and energy soon had them aboard the "John Simonds" chugging up the great river to St. Louis and then to Keokuk, Iowa. The fare was $2.25 for the adults all over 14 years of age, half fare for those between three and 14 and all under three were free.

While preparations were being made for the overland journey from Keokuk to the valley of the Great Salt Lake, they were camped by Montrose, Iowa which was a few miles from Keokuk. This camp was heavily infested with snakes, so that at times they were fearful to walk about, yet none of the party were ever molested.

On June 3, 1853, they were reported ready or the move from Keokuk to the Westward trail. The company, under the direction of Elder Joseph W. Young, was made up of 42 wagons. Thirty-two of the wagons were in the "Ten Pound Group" and ten were in the "Immigration Fund". They crossed the Missouri River on July 11 at Council Bluffs.

Occasionally some of the children would mount one of the friendly oxen and ride for a spell, but for the most part the entire journey was made on foot, for both children and adults. They arrived in Salt Lake City on October 10, 1853, having been under way more or less since February 5, 1853. It was just a little more than eight months since they had embarked at Liverpool, England.

The stay in Salt Lake City was of rather short duration, for soon they, with others were called by Brigham Young to go to Box Elder, later Brigham City, and help colonize that region. They soon found themselves in a dugout home with dirt floor and dirt roof in the Old Fort-Box Elder.

The William H. Thomas family was among the very early settlers of Box Elder and therefore suffered the hardships and privations of those early days, including the terrible famine of the winter of 1855 which was caused in part through a wide spread grasshopper plague of the previous season. Their diet consisted largely of roots, wild onions and segos, together with a little wheat ground in the coffee mill. It was then added sparingly to the mixture and the whole of it cooked. The wheat must be conserved for spring planting. Sister Thomas was a very good practical nurse and rendered invaluable and unstinted service to the whole community as well as her own family in their affliction and distress.

Out of the Old Fort they moved into a rather artistic Willow Place with a dirt floor and dirt roof just South of the opening at the southwest corner of Old Fort. This unique abode brought them the name of the Willow Thomas Family. A delight of the home was its beautiful flower garden. They continued living in Brigham City until 1863 when again, upon the recommendation of President Brigham Young, that as fast as possible the stakes of Zion extend their bounds. The parents and most of the children of the Thomas family moved to the Malad Valley where the resided the rest of their days.

Source: This history was written in October 1953 by great-granddaughter, Ella Colton Palmer. It can also be found at WelshMormonHistory.org and is included in the book Early Settlers of Malad Valley Volume I - Pre 1870.

Eliza Jane Thomas Clark

• Name: Eliza Jane Thomas
• Born: June 6, 1828 Michelstone, Glamorganshire, South Wales
• Died: March 4, 1899 Malad, Idaho
• Related through: Erin's grandfather James Madson

Eliza Jane Thomas Clark, was born June 6, 1828 at Michelstone, Glamorganshire, South Wales, the sixth child of a family of 14. Most of her family joined the church and eventually came to America.

Eliza, was the first of the family to emigrate. She came as a servant girl to the family of Thomas Jeremy, who was the father of Ella Jeremy (Richards), thereby earning her passage and being in their care for the trip.

They left Waterloo Dock, England Monday, Feb. 26, 1849 about 2 p.m. As the ship pulled out those on deck sang, “The Saints Farewell,” wondering when they should meet and see their families and loved ones again.

On board the “Buena Vista,” on which they sailed, there were 249 Welsh Saints under the direction of Dan O. Jones. Many of the Saints were very seasick and Captain Dan O. Jones, David Daniels of Brechfa and William Jenkins of Cardiff administered to their wants by making gruel, etc. for them. The sickness lasted only a few days.

They had fine weather and fair wind nearly every day. They reported that the middle of March was like June. After being on board seven weeks and day, they landed in New Orleans April 18, 1849. They traveled up the Mississippi River to St. Louis where in 48 hours, 62 of their company died of cholera. They went from there to Council Bluffs, Iowa where they stayed six weeks to prepare for the trip across the plains to Utah by ox teams.

They had considerable trouble with the Indians on the Platte River. While on the wagon train, Eliza met William Clark, who was also from Wales, and they were married on September 14, 1849 Near Deer Creek by the Platte River. They arrived in Utah in October, 1849. Eliza and William had nine children.

  

William Clark

Her parents, William Howell Thomas and Ann Williams Thomas and seven more of their children came to Utah in the fall of 1853. Before the Thomas and Clark families came to Idaho they lived in Brigham City, Utah, being among the very early settlers in Box Elder County. They lived for a time in the Old Fort. From there they moved to a rather artistic “Willow Palace,” which had a dirt roof and dirt floor just south of the opening at the southwest corner of the Old Fort. This unique home brought them the name of “The Willow Thomas Family,” even in Malad, they were called the “Tee Willow” people.

While in Brigham City William Clark, who was a tinsmith by trade, established a tin shop on North Main Street and mended his neighbors’ meager supply of tin ware. The pewter which was used in mending was purchased in the form of spoons, plates, cups, etc. They moved to Malad about 1863, where Eliza acted as more than an ordinary mid-wife for many years until her health failed. She ushered into the world hundreds of babies. She also vaccinated her own family and perhaps others for smallpox. Her daughters later attended to people with that disease and never contracted it, having had only the one vaccination if it was crudely done compared to now.

Eliza was a widow for nine or ten years and died in Malad on March 4, 1899. At that time seven of her nine children survived her. Eliza and William area buried in the Malad City Cemetary.

Source: This history was written in October 1953 by her granddaughter, Ella Colton Palmer. It can also be found at WelshMormonHistory.org and is included in the book Early Settlers of Malad Valley Volume I - Pre 1870. The photos came from WelshMormonHistory.org and Findagrave.com.