Joseph Cadwallader Davies
Written by Myrl Alred Davies as told
(to the best of his memory)
by Robert Cadwallader Davies
I Robert Cadwallader and my
mother was Sarah Louisa Salisbury. She
was born in Talnfair, Derby,
Wales
on the 16 May 1846 and was brought to this country by Owen and Ann Thomas
Williams, and her parents were named Owen and Jane Jones Salisbury.
Joseph Cadwallader Davie’s parents were John and Elizabeth Cadwallader
Davies. He was born in Penbrokeshire, South Wales,
6 December 1836.
Dad Worked around Paneca [Panaca] freighting and making charcoal for the Paoch [Pioche], Mining
Company. I was only six months old when
the family moved to Panguitch, Garfield County, Utah. I remember our first home, just a dug out in Panguitch. Later Dad
took up a homestead and didn’t prove up on it and his neighbor took it away
from him. Then he took another homestead
about a mile south west of town. That
was our home for a number of years, until we moved off the farm into town. We still farmed the farm, but the house stood
vacant.
I remember when we were on the first homestead the
Indians moved on to the hill. Mother
went to town and left me and Heber alone and one of the Indian men came down to
the house. When we saw him coming we ran
into the house and locked the door. The
Indian motioned for us to give him something to eat. We were alone and too frightened to open the
door, so the Indian would run and jump at the door. Heber had a dog tied at the side of the
house, we kept him chained, and Heber slipped out and turned the dog
loose. The Indian and the dog had a real
fight. I thought the dog would kill the
Indian. The Indian finally got away from
the dog and ran away. We never had any more
trouble with that Indian.
Mother was always real kind to the Indians. They would go off and leave the old people to
die and mother would send food upon the hill by us kids to feed them. One day we took food up to an old woman and
found every thing she had on the fire and she was lying on the floor dead.
Dad was Bishop in Panguitch as
long as I could remember. He must have
been made Bishop when we first came to Panguitch or
before ‘cause Aunt Maria lived in Panguitch before we
came there.
Dad had two families and we kids had to help as soon as
we were old enough. I remember the older
boys ran the farm and Dad had a tannery to care for.
[p.2]
As dad had two families he was subject to many persecutions and
inconveniences. He always had a horse
ready so he could get away if the law got after him. Bishop Sevey had
gone to Mexico to get away
from the persecutions and on one of his visits he persuaded dad to go back to Mexico with
him. They starting a
tannery there and needed dads expert help. He had been gone almost a year when he wrote
to mother to sell out and meet him at Lee’s Ferry. I was just fourteen years old. We had two wagons. Heber drove one wagon and I drove the
other. John had his wagon which he
drove. We loaded one of the wagons full
of oats for the horses and cattle.
Mother brought a three year old beef and jerked all of it. Mother got a churn and Aunt Phoebe Sevey filled the churn with butter. We took a lot of supplies and loaded the
family into the wagons and were off to Lee’s Ferry, where we met dad and
another wagon. It took us around two
months to get to Mexico.
As we went along stopping at night
building our campfires, fixing our meals (over the campfires). This was all great sport for us boys; if it
hadn’t taken so long. Many times there
wasn’t any wood when, we stopped, so when we came near the rail roads we would
pick up old ties and tie them under the wagons so we wouldn’t have to go to bed
without hot food.
When we got to Smithville it began to rain and we were
detained there for two weeks. Dad had a
friend there and we stayed in his yard.
We boys stayed in the wagons and cooked our food on the camp fires. Dad and Mother and the girls went in the
house of Sheriff Marshells. We boys plowed and helped with the
harvest. A neighbor of Mr. Marshells brought us some Hubbard squash and they were
mighty good with the butter we had to put on them. As soon as we could cross the Gila River, Mr. Marshells
loaded our wagons with grain and supplies and we headed out again. We had to swim the river with our wagons, but
made it without any mishap. At
Smithville we picked up George Davies and took him on to Mexico with
us. We had to wait in Deming, New Mexico
for our imigration (sic) papers. When they arrived we went right into the
Colonies. Mamma had enough food and
supplies that we didn’t have to buy anything all the way there.
We arrived in Colonia Juarez the Eve of the New Year on
1888 and spent the night with Bishop Sevey. The next morning Dad moved us into a place he
had rented for us. Later he traded for a
place in town from Miles P. Romney. This
was our home for the rest of our lives.
Dad got a job for Heber and me right away taking care of
the Church tithing sheep. There were
three thousand of them and we took them out on the Tanaga
Wash. Bishop Sevey
gave the job to Dad.
Dad was not able to stay with the Tannery buisiness (sic), as the water gave him rheumatism. So about a year after we got [p.3] there he
took a contract with the San Pedro and Carralitos
Mines. He was to haul all the lumber and
mining timbers from the mountains to these mines. The older boys went right to work on the
wagons with six horse teams. Dad worked
only for a few months on the hauls. He
did all the paper work and business end.
Dad had a contract with the Boarding houses to bring them produce etc.
In Dad’s produce business he bought anything the Colonies
had to sell. The Mountain Colonies had
to work at the Sawmills and had to take lumber for pay. When they earned a load of lumber they loaded
up and headed for Colonia Juarez to Brother Davieses. The Bishop was in the lead and the whole
Colony behind him. Brother Davies paid
them in cash and they would get supplies and go back to work.
He had the people can all their fruit and he could sell
all of it at the Boarding houses. Dad
also bought everything the people raised; fruit, vegetables, eggs, milk,
cheese, chickens, flour, cream and butter.
Through dad the Colonies were able to obtain a little cash.
Dad also bought denim and had some of the women help make
shirts, jackets and pants for the miners.
Also he had flour sacks made to haul the flour in to the mines. This gave many widows and other women
work. In the early days of the Colonies
Dad brought more money and helped more people than any other man.
It wasn’t year until Heber and I were driving a wagon and
hauling lumber and ore or anything Dad had for us to haul. I was only fourteen and was driving a six
horse team and wagon.
After the railroad came in Dad lost his contract and
began to haul ore from the Flora De Marzo Mines to
Deming New Mexico, this was over one hundred mile haul.
I remember Dad going to Utah only once to visit his family he left
there. He rode to Deming,
New Mexico on a freight wagon, then took the train to Salt
Lake City.
Dad worked hard all his life keeping us boys and his
wagons busy. He worked for the Paders, Carralitos Mining Co. all
the time he was in Mexico.
Mother and the girls worked to help Dad in his
business. I have seen my sisters canning
fruit all day and many times away into the night to help get supplies ready for
Dad’s weekly run.
Dad worked in the church whenever he was able and had
time. He lead
the Choir in Colonia Juarez for a time.
(Aunt Susie said that he lead the Choir in Panguitch
too) [p.4] But business took so much of his time. I don’t remember of his doing much church
work after we went into Mexico. I know we boys were kept busy Sundays and
all, never having time to go to church.
Mother worked hard all her life in Mexico. With her big family of girls and boys, she
didn’t have much time for herself. She
went to church when ever it was possible.
Mothers health was poor and she suffered for
years before she died of cancer in Colonia
Juarez, Mexico. She died leaving Dad alone for several years
before he passed away.
Dad was sick several days before he died an old man, and
he had spent his life working hard. He
died in Colonia Juarez on 20th of September 1905.
***************
