She was born 13 June 1 820
in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire, Wales to Evan Evans and Esther
Jones, natives of Cardiganshire. They were married there 12 February 1810 in
the ancient parish church
of Llanwenog
which was built in 1350. On the left of the path going toward the entrance is
the grave of her Grandparents, John and Esther Evans. He died 27 November 1829 at the age of
seventy-three and Esther died 21 April 1851 at
the age of ninety-four years. Still legible on the small blue stone is the name
of their home, Maes-y-rhydiau bychain,
meaning meadow by the little brook.
At age twenty-two Anna married David Jenkins who had come from Landore, Swansea,
a seaport and metallurgical center. They were married 19 November 1842 in the Independent Chapel, Bethania, on the edge of Dowlais.
Her father signed the certificate as one of the witnesses.
On May 10, 1852 there was an explosion in the mine at the Middle Duffryn Colliery near the old canal at Cwmbach,
Aberdare. It was one of the Powell holdings and they
had been warned to stay away from it, but the pay was higher there. Sixty-eight
men lost their lives. He was thirty-eight years old and left a wife, age
thirty-two, five children, his parents, two sisters and three brothers who
lived in the Llangyfelach Parish near Swansea. (SeeMillennial Star for 5 June 1852).
Later she married Thomas Williams and had three more children:
Sarah Jane, Mary Ann, who died in Wales, and Mair.
When the last one was a mere babe in arms she put an end to this unhappy
marriage by putting his clothes outside the door and asking him to follow them.
The idea of going to Utah had not
been forgotten so in 1866 the two oldest children, David and Esther, left Liverpool on the ship John Bright on April 30th. They
arrived in New York,
6 June 1866 under the direction of C. M. Gillet. They
were comforted in knowing that their father's sister Ann would be in Utah to welcome them.
On 30 June 1868 Grandmother and her other children left Liverpool
for New York on the steamship Minnesota. They were 11 1/2 days crossing. It was better than
the sailing vessels but what a contrast to steamships of today. John Parry, former
president of the Welsh District, was in charge of this emigration.
They reached Laramie, Wvoming by train and started for
Salt Lake Valley
on July 25th. They were in Captain Chester Loveland's Company of 40 mule team
wagons and 400 passengers. Many walked over the Wyoming plains, a distance of 400 miles.
They had trouble with the Indians and had to lay over
long enough to recapture the animals and kill the savages. Salt Lake City was reached 20 August 1868
where they were met by Uncle Davy who reported he had a rented home for them.
She was 48 years old, Evan was 19, John 17. Sarah Jane 13, Mair 10, Anna J. Martin
22, John, her husband 24 and Catherine Anna an infant.
After a few months they decided to move to Logan
to spend the winter near her husband's sister Ann who had come to Utah as a widow in 1856. There seemed to be no chance to find
land for homesteading around Logan; so in the autumn
of 1869 the family moved to the village
of Samaria, Idaho. Here there were friends whom they had
known in Wales.
Grandmother was especially pleased to find David W. Davis. He was a friend of her
first husband, David Jenkins, and had often worked the same shift with him.
Anna Evans Jenkins was the first woman to come to this village as
head of a household. They spent the first winter in a dugout then she and her three
sons, David, Evan and John, took up land on adjoining homesteads of 160 acres
each about three or four miles south and east of Samaria.
In the first years David and Evan often went to the Utah mines walking to Salt Lake
with a bedroll on their backs. In this way they earned money to fence, buy
livestock, farm equipment and other things the family needed. Father often told
me of the courage his mother had to live on her homestead to f ill the residence requirements and manage
things while they were gone. During the confusion over property lines, she
often had to sit in meetings and sign the agreements that settled difficult
questions.
She helped herself in many ways while living
in later years in the home
provided for her in the town. She kept cows, chickens, raised a garden, and at
first made yeast which she exchanged for f lour.
After Sarah Jane returned from Salt
Lake where she studied
dressmaking he mother helped her with the sewing she did for other people. She was
the first treasurer of the Relief Society and held that position until her
death.
She was sturdy of build, a good average height, had blue eyes and
very dark hair. She was forthright in expressing herself and enjoyed laughing and
talking with her friends in Welsh. One picture of her at threshing time, she
was wearing a green checked gingham bonnet on her head, her apron was made into
a roll on top of that to form a ring. On this ring she balanced a small table
and was carrying two brass buckets full of water in her hands. That old
European custom died out with the passing of the pioneers.
She worked hard but she achieved her goal. Her sons could now own property, work in the
open air and live among people of the same religious convictions. Her last days
were spent with her daughter Mair. She died May 13,
1889 and is buried along with her seven children in the Samaria Cemetery.
Written by:
Esther Jenkins Carpenter; Granddaughter
Submitted by. Rod Jones
